The Pavilion Chief's Young Bride (3): Urgent Restructuring

The sun rose, the sun set… and then it rose once more. When I finally regained my senses, ten days had already passed since I became Liu Bang’s wife.

“Ugh, it’s so heavy…”

Early morning, before the rooster’s cry, in the faint gray light. I was drawing water from the well. The rope of the wooden bucket cut mercilessly into both shoulders. My back screamed in protest, and calluses had already begun forming on my palms. Back in the Lü family mansion, I had never lifted a finger for such tasks…

When I looked at the distant thatched hut that was now our home, a wave of resentment surged through me.

Doing this every single day from now on…

Drawing morning water, lighting the stove, preparing breakfast, doing laundry, cleaning, making lunch, sewing, preparing dinner… Even if a day had forty-eight hours instead of twenty-four, it still wouldn’t be enough. I clutched my trembling legs and staggered back inside the house. I set the bucket down on the earthen floor with a heavy thud and squatted in front of the stove as though it were second nature. I stuffed in straw and dry branches, then struck the flint. Crack. Snap. It used to take thirty minutes just to get a fire going, but now I could produce roaring flames in ten. They say humans are creatures of adaptation; it seemed a reserve sergeant’s survival instincts could transcend both time and space.

Well, at least I’ve gained one piece of knowledge I can take back with me.

Savoring a self-mocking sense of achievement, I began preparing breakfast. I washed the millet, soaked it, and set the pot over the fire. I roughly chopped some dried vegetables, tossed them in, and added a pinch of salt. This watery, flavorless porridge was the standard breakfast for commoners of this era. It scored failing marks in both taste and nutrition, but it was enough to fill the stomach.

“Yawn… smells good.”

Liu Bang crawled out of the bedroom, scratching himself. His hair was a complete bird’s nest. His eyes were half-glazed, and he yawned so widely I could see straight down his throat. No matter what mental filter I applied, the sight of a nearly forty-year-old man fresh from sleep was unattractive. The heroic aura he occasionally displayed was nowhere to be found in this state.

“Did you sleep well, Lord Liu?”

Still, I had grown used to it. He felt less like a husband and more like a high-maintenance, messy roommate.

“Yeah, slept fine.”

Liu Bang plopped down in the corner of the earthen floor. He rubbed his eyes, then leaned back against the wall with a groan. “Aigo.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. Please go wash up.”

This man basically did nothing. It wasn’t so much patriarchal as it was that he simply had no idea how to do housework. At first it had infuriated me, but now I had given up. Asking a man of this era to share domestic duties was like trying to teach a whale to climb a tree.

“I left a towel near the entrance.”

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”

Liu Bang, who had been scratching his belly, let out another massive yawn. “Oh, and I’ll be heading to Sishui Pavilion this afternoon. Xiao He says he has something to tell me.”

“Lord Xiao?”

“Yeah. Something about an official document from the county.”

“…You didn’t cause another incident while drinking, did you?”

“Who knows? I’ll find out when I get there.”

Liu Bang shuffled outside. That bastard really… I stirred the porridge and let out yet another deep sigh.

…

After we finished breakfast, Liu Bang began swinging a sword in the yard. I use the word “swinging,” but there was nothing particularly skillful about it. He would slash the air two or three times, grow bored, sit down and stare into space, then stand up again, shout “Hah! Hah!” and sit back down. The cycle repeated endlessly.

Does this man actually know how to fight?

I watched the pathetic display while hanging laundry. Historical records had indeed noted that Liu Bang was not particularly gifted in martial arts. On the battlefield he was constantly in danger, relying on his subordinates’ help or fleeing for his life. Yet somehow he survived. Even after being defeated multiple times by that human weapon called Xiang Yu, he ultimately outlasted everyone and became the final victor.

…But why?

I stared at Liu Bang through the fluttering laundry. He possessed no military strength. His intellect was childlike compared to Xiao He or Zhang Liang. He had neither wealth nor status. There was only one thing he had: the power to draw people to him. And the ability to place those people in the right roles at the right time.

In the end, the first step is finding a way to harness that power…

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Only by truly understanding this future emperor could I design my future actions. I finished hanging the laundry and approached him.

“Lord Liu.”

“Hm?”

“There is something I would like to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

Liu Bang tossed the sword aside and sat on the wooden bench.

“It concerns the duties you perform as Pavilion Chief.”

“Duties?”

“Yes. I would like to know exactly what kind of work you do.”

“Hmm?”

Liu Bang looked surprised. “Why the sudden interest?”

“As your wife, I wish to understand my husband’s work. If there is anything I can assist with, I would like to help.”

Half of it was sincere. The other half was strategy. Understanding Liu Bang’s duties would allow me to grasp his connections, obligations, and weaknesses.

Liu Bang stared at me for a moment, then shrugged. “It’s nothing grand. The title just sounds impressive.”

He braced his weight on both arms behind him. “A Pavilion Chief is basically a village head. I manage everything within about ten li of Sishui Pavilion.”

“Specifically?”

“Maintaining order. Mediating disputes. Assisting with tax collection. Securing corvée labor. Managing lodging for passing officials. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Delivering official documents… that sort of miscellaneous work.”

…It really is nothing special.

In modern terms, it was like being a low-level district clerk, police officer, and mailman all in one. An unclear scope of duties simply meant he was stuck handling every trivial task that came along.

“Then what is your salary?”

“Some millet and a few coins each month. Barely enough to keep food in our mouths.”

Barely enough to keep food in our mouths. It certainly looked that way. I had searched the house thoroughly just in case, but instead of emergency funds I had only found rat droppings.

“Lord Liu.”

Yet something still didn’t add up. I continued calmly. “Despite that, you seem to buy drinks for your friends quite frequently.”

“Ah, that?” Liu Bang scratched his head without shame. “It’s on credit.”

“Pardon?”

“I have a tab at the tavern. I’ve borrowed from Xiao He a few times, and also…”

Liu Bang began counting on his fingers. Five. Ten. Fifteen… My eyebrows twitched.

“…Just a moment.” I unintentionally raised my voice. “How much have you borrowed in total?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure. At least two hundred coins?”

“Two hundred coins…”

I was speechless. In this era, two hundred coins was a considerable sum—enough for an ordinary family of four to live on for a month or two. And this man had casually added, “I’m not exactly sure.” Which meant the real amount could easily be double.

This guy’s economic sense is completely destroyed…

“Lord Liu.” I took a deep breath and spoke calmly. “Please allow me to organize the debts.”

“Organize?”

“Who you borrowed from, how much, and when the deadlines are. I want to create a proper ledger and understand the full picture.”

Liu Bang blinked, looking dazed. “…Why?”

“Why? Neglecting debt will lead to disaster. The interest will snowball, and more importantly, you will lose credibility.”

“Come on, it’s not like I need credibility with friends.”

“There are no friends when it comes to money.” I spoke firmly. “People who fail to repay eventually find that no one trusts them. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when you truly need help, no one will step forward.”

I looked directly into Liu Bang’s eyes. “The friends you always speak of, Lord. They gather because they trust you, do they not? Because they believe in your character. If that trust is cracked over mere money matters, the bond will crumble like a sandcastle.”

Of course, in reality nothing of the sort would happen. According to history, before the debt could explode, Liu Bang would ride the wave of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang’s rebellion, become a warlord, and leave Pei County behind. But this was an opportunity. A perfect justification to seize control of the household finances and place a small leash on this reckless man. The first step toward imprinting my competence upon him.

At the mention of friends, Liu Bang’s eyes shook violently. He might not care about money, but any mention of “friends” or “loyalty” struck his vital point. After a long pause, he nodded hesitantly.

“…All right. I’ll leave it to you.”

“You will truly entrust it to me?”

“Yeah. I hate calculating numbers anyway. If you handle it, I’d be grateful.”

Liu Bang waved his hand dismissively and flopped onto the bench as though fleeing. Still, this time his irresponsibility was welcome.

Good. Let’s proceed step by step.

I stood up, inwardly cheering. This was the first step in “Raising Liu Bang”—seizing control ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the money.

…There’s a mountain of work.

Only sighs came out, but even a journey of a thousand li begins with a single step. Since I had begun organizing the debts today, tomorrow…

Yes. Let’s go meet Xiao He.

Xiao He was the county’s chief clerk, an administrative expert. Forming a partnership with him would provide access to all kinds of information. Moreover, he would know best about the current status of those Liu Bang owed money to. I nodded and tore the dried meat into strips, dropping them into the pot.

By the time the porridge was ready, Liu Bang returned from Sishui Pavilion riding the long shadows of dusk.

“Mm, smells good. Let’s eat right away—I’m starving.”

As soon as he returned, Liu Bang silently devoured the meal. He finished two bowls in no time. Instead of clearing the empty bowls, I pushed them aside and brought out the prepared bamboo slips and brush.

“What are you doing?”

“You promised. I am making a list of the debts.”

“You know how to write?”

“Of course. Please tell me everything calmly, one by one, without omission.”

To the basic literacy that the originally clever Lü Zhi had possessed, the hellish training of the past six months had been added. I could now read and write nearly every Chinese character that existed in this era. Probably.

“Hmm… well, all right.”

Liu Bang watched me sharpen the brush tip, scratched his head, and began speaking haltingly. “First, about fifty coins to Madam Wang.”

“Fifty coins.” I wrote it down on the bamboo slip without hesitation.

“Next?”

“Thirty coins to Xiao He.”

“Thirty coins. Next?”

“Ten coins to Fan Kuai… wait, did I repay that? No, I didn’t.”

“Ten coins. Next.”

“Forty coins to Madam Gao.”

“…Another tavern?”

“That was for entertaining officials. And eighty coins to the Cao family.”

The Cao family. The brush tip paused for a split second. That was clearly the woman who was Liu Bang’s concubine and the biological mother of his eldest son, Liu Fei. She ran a small tavern as well. I kept my expression neutral and wrote it down as though it meant nothing.

“Eighty coins. Next.”

I continued questioning him about the debts. Liu Bang rolled his eyes like a criminal under interrogation and confessed each one. When his confession finally ended, I set down the brush and completed the calculation.

“…Three hundred and twenty coins.”

A sum far exceeding the two hundred coins I had casually mentioned earlier. I felt dizzy just looking at the number. I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them and stared straight at Liu Bang.

“Lord Liu.”

“What?”

“What exactly is your salary?”

“I told you. Some grain and coins…”

“In actual take-home pay. After all deductions, how many coins reach your hand?”

“That… after subtracting entertainment expenses and goods in kind… about a hundred coins?”

……

My head spun. This man was carrying debt equivalent to nearly six months of income.

“Lord Liu.”

“What?”

“Can this actually be repaid?”

“…Well, someday?”

“Someday…”

I pressed my forehead. The back of my neck felt stiff. As expected, I shouldn’t have laughed this off.

With debt, saving money was impossible. Without savings, preparing military funds for the future uprising would be impossible. Of course, Liu Bang would somehow manage even without funds, but the one following him—me—would be in trouble. The life of wandering the empire with him, surviving on roots and weeds, was something I genuinely hated.

“Lord.”

“Yeah?”

“From now on, I will repay a portion each month. I will manage the money, so please entrust it to me.”

“Oh, excellent! I’m counting on you!”

Liu Bang nodded readily. He clearly expected me to ask my natal Lü family to cover the shortfall.

“Therefore, Lord.”

But I had no intention of asking my father for a single coin. With living habits like these, new debt would simply accumulate again in a few months. I closed the bamboo slip with a sharp snap. Then, with an endlessly cold and resolute expression, I glared at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠him and delivered my verdict.

“From now on, you will drink only once every four days.”

“…Huh?”

Liu Bang’s pupils shook harder than they ever had before.