An Unusual Bride (4)
I stared at him with calm eyes and nodded.
“I have no choice. We’re operating at a deficit.”
Liu Bang’s income consisted solely of his meager salary as a constable and the occasional bribes he received for escorting officials. His expenses, on the other hand—food, alcohol, entertainment, socializing, and maintaining appearances—left him in the red no matter how you calculated it. Still, we couldn’t cut back on food or entertaining. We were already surviving on nothing but watery porridge, and if Liu Bang lost the one weapon he possessed—his network of connections—there would be no future for us.
That left alcohol as the easiest target.
“Besides, I didn’t say I would take it away. I’m simply asking you to reduce it a little.”
“That’s the same thing!”
“It isn’t. Up until now, you’ve been drinking every single day, correct? From now on, limit it to once every four days.”
“Once every four days?! I’ll die! I’ll wither away!”
“You won’t die.”
I cut him off coldly and decisively.
“People don’t die from not drinking. On the contrary, drinking too much will kill you.”
“……Hah.”
Liu Bang made a sound like air leaking from a balloon, his mouth opening and closing without producing words. It seemed he couldn’t come up with a rebuttal.
“And you should quit gambling as well.”
“Even gambling?!”
“Yes. Gambling is a loss whether you win or lose. If you win, your relationship with the other party sours. If you lose, you lose money. Neither outcome benefits you.”
Liu Bang’s mouth hung open for a long time. He looked as if he couldn’t believe his own ears. Alcohol and gambling—the two pillars that had supported his entire life—and I was threatening to yank them both out at once.
After a long silence, his head slowly drooped toward the ground.
“……Once every two days.”
“Four days.”
“Once every three days.”
“Four days.”
“Once every three days. A man needs at least that much to maintain his social life.”
“Very well. Once every three days.”
In truth, I had been aiming for three days from the start. I smiled brightly and clapped my hands.
“Deal sealed.”
Liu Bang let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face with dry hands.
“Alcohol once every three days. No more gambling. That’s it, right?”
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Fine. I’ll do it. However—”
Liu Bang lifted his head and looked straight at me.
“When I’m with my comrades, cut me some slack.”
“……”
“Drinking and gambling are how I strengthen my bonds with them. If you take that away, I’ll have nothing left. Just an empty shell.”
“……”
His words gave me pause. He wasn’t wrong. Liu Bang’s power came from people, and the glue that held those people together was the drinking table. To be honest, it would be ridiculous to meet Fan Kuai or Zhou Bo over plain water.
I want to reduce unnecessary expenses, not chop off his arms and legs.
I nodded as if I had no choice.
“Understood. Continue your interactions with your comrades. But not every day—only when it’s truly necessary.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“Also, whenever possible, try to have them treat you.”
“……You want me to mooch off them?”
“Yes. A great man doesn’t pay—he gets treated. If possible.”
“……”
Liu Bang fell silent for a moment. His expression said he thought I was speaking nonsense. Then he burst out laughing.
“Kukuku… Ahahaha!”
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s hilarious. A wife pressuring her husband to go out and sponge drinks off people.”
Well, in this era, a husband’s dignity was his wife’s honor. There were even touching stories passed down about wives cutting their hair to buy wine for their husbands.
“I didn’t say to sponge off them. I said to build relationships of mutual benefit.”
“Same thing.”
“It isn’t.”
I spoke with a serious face, my expression grave.
“If you always pay, the other party will mistakenly think, ‘Constable Liu must be rich.’ Then when something happens, they’ll assume ‘Constable Liu will handle it himself’ and won’t help. On the other hand, if they occasionally treat you, they’ll unconsciously feel that they’ve ‘bought Constable Liu a meal’ or ‘put Constable Liu in their debt.’ It creates a kind of investment.”
“Investment…? What’s that?”
“Ah, it simply means planting a favor. Then later, to receive repayment for that favor, they’ll help or cooperate with you in times of need. In simple terms, the psychology of ‘I spent all that money on drinks for him’ kicks in.”
“……Hah.”
Liu Bang’s mouth fell open. He stared at me blankly for a while, then slowly nodded.
“So, occasionally lowering yourself and incurring a debt actually becomes a shackle that binds the other party to your side?”
“Exactly.”
“……”
A brief silence fell. Liu Bang’s expression hardened as he looked me up and down.
“Lady… you really are clever.”
The voice that came after a long pause was filled with pure admiration. I smiled and gave a small bow.
“I’m only average.”
“No, you’re not average at all.”
Liu Bang stared intently at my face.
“You’re the smartest woman I’ve ever met.”
“What about including men?”
“That’s different. There’s Xiao He, after all.”
Liu Bang shook his head firmly. Then, unusually, he picked up his own stool and stood.
“All right. From now on, I’ll do as you say. Alcohol once every three days. No gambling. And I’ll strategically mooch off my comrades.”
“Yes. A wise decision.”
“In return…”
Liu Bang, who had been heading outside, stopped at the doorway. He turned back to look at me. His eyes were full of curiosity.
“Tell me your story too.”
“My story?”
“Yes. Where did you learn all this? Money management, how to read people’s psychology. Those aren’t things a girl raised in the women’s quarters would normally know.”
His words left me momentarily speechless.
What should I say…?
I couldn’t tell him I’d learned it while working at a company in 21st-century South Korea. After thinking for a moment, I offered the safest excuse.
“A little from Father…”
“From Lord Lü Gong?”
“Yes. When I was at the main house, he often told me stories about business.”
Of course, that was a lie. Lü Gong wasn’t a self-made merchant; he was simply a local magnate born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
“Hmm, is that so?”
Fortunately, he didn’t press the matter. He simply nodded as if convinced.
“Then please continue teaching me various things, Teacher Lü.”
Liu Bang grinned like a mischievous boy and walked out.
Teacher…?
The title startled me. To think that the great Liu Bang would call me his teacher.
I’ve really made it.
I chuckled softly and stepped outside to do the dishes. The clatter of Liu Bang setting down his stool sounded unusually cheerful.
※※
The next morning, I headed straight for the county office. It was nothing more than a shabby building of about twenty square meters with a tiled roof. As I peered through the entrance, I saw hurried movement beyond the paper window, and soon Xiao He poked his head out.
“Oh, if it isn’t Lady Lü. Please come in.”
Xiao He greeted me more warmly than I had expected. I bowed politely and entered the study, where the scent of ink hung thick in the air. Piles of bamboo slips towered like mountains. Worn brushes. It was a scene perfectly suited to him.
“It’s humble, but please have a seat.”
“Thank you, Lord Xiao.”
When I sat in the place he offered, he brought me warm tea. The customary greetings were brief. Xiao He got straight to the point.
“You’ve come because of Lord Liu’s debts, I presume?”
“Yes. I wanted to know the exact details.”
“Haha, of course he wouldn’t come to settle his own debts. I figured it must be at your instruction, my lady.”
Xiao He gave a bitter smile and took a bamboo slip from a drawer.
“This is the list of debts I’ve compiled for him.”
“You’ve kept it organized.”
“Even I need to remember if I’m to deal with the constant pestering from his creditors.”
“True… that makes sense.”
When I unrolled the slip, it was covered in dense figures. Fortunately, they roughly matched what Liu Bang had confessed. At least he hadn’t lied to me.
“The problem is the interest. What is the monthly rate?”
“Friends like myself and Fan Kuai don’t charge any. However, merchants and gamblers generally take about twelve percent per month.”
“……That’s outrageous usury.”
“Is it?”
Xiao He tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand. Well, in this era, a monthly interest rate of twenty percent was probably nothing special.
“Ahem. In any case, the interest alone comes to nearly forty coins per month. And the principal isn’t decreasing at all.”
“Correct. Since he has neither the ability nor the intention to repay, the principal keeps growing.”
“……Sigh.”
A wave of dizziness hit me. If Emperor Qin Shi Huang had died just two years later, this man would have been dragged off for forced labor on the Great Wall.
Still, I quickly composed myself and set the bamboo slip down.
“Thank you for being honest with me.”
“Not at all. He’s my friend. It’s only right that I inform his wife.”
Xiao He smiled as he took a sip of tea. Now that business was concluded, the unspoken signal was for me to leave. But I had no intention of getting up. I fiddled with my teacup and glanced up at him.
“Lord Xiao.”
“Yes, my lady. Is there something else you need?”
“Could you perhaps tell me how the county’s ledgers are managed?”
“Pardon?”
Xiao He’s hand froze in midair. The gentle look in his eyes sharpened in an instant.
“Why do you ask such a thing?”
“Curiosity.”
I smiled innocently, like a naive young bride who knew nothing.
“While organizing the household accounts, I became curious about how larger-scale affairs are recorded. I wondered if there might be something I could learn.”
Xiao He studied me for a long time. His dark eyes held both wariness and interest—a gaze that tried to determine whether I was simply a foolish wife or if I had some other motive.
“……Very well. I’ll tell you.”
Finally, Xiao He nodded. It seemed scholarly curiosity had won out over caution.
“However, this is information shared only among officials. Please do not disclose it to outsiders.”
“Of course.”
“We basically record what comes in and what goes out. When taxes arrive, we note it under ‘income.’ When expenses are paid, we note it under ‘expenditure.’ We then balance it against what remains, which we call the ‘balance.’”
Xiao He continued to explain the Qin administrative system in detail—the twenty-rank system, household registration, tax collection, corvée labor mobilization, and so on. The system under the commandery-county structure was certainly methodical. But at the same time, it was primitive.
Just as I thought.
With this foundation, the future knowledge I had prepared would work. Xiao He would be shocked, Cao Shen would tremble, and even Qin Shi Huang would be stunned.
I nodded and gestured toward the mountain of bamboo slips stacked beside him.
“But Lord Xiao, with that method, wouldn’t it be difficult to detect calculation errors or if someone embezzles funds midway?”
“Pardon?”
For a moment, Xiao He’s eyebrows twitched. But he quickly smoothed his expression and nodded.
“That is true. When problems arise, we must conduct a full investigation each time, which is quite troublesome. However, is there any other method?”
His voice was genuinely curious. I hesitated one last time. I considered the probability that Xiao He would suspect me of being a witch, or that he would firmly refuse to follow such a ridiculous method. But I believed that if anyone could understand, it would be Xiao He—the greatest mind of this era.
I nodded calmly and spoke.
“Lord Xiao.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Then how about this method?”
With his permission, I took a small wooden box from the corner of the study and smoothed the dirt inside it flat. Then, using a twig, I drew a T-shaped line in the dirt.
“Instead of recording income and expenditure separately, record them simultaneously.”
Cash inflows and outflows. The creation and repayment of debts. Debit and credit. The magical formula that would be systematized by Pacioli seventeen hundred years later—the foundation of modern capitalism.
“Not single-entry, but double-entry bookkeeping.”
"This is the beginning of a new era."
⟨ Double-Entry Bookkeeping ⟩