Muling Spring Dream of the Red Chamber Broken - Part One: The First Part of Dream of the Red Chamber Broken

Author: Gao Yang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-01-01
Features: Upon waking from a midday nap, bored to the bone, though there were distinguished guests in the front hall and concubines waiting in the back hall, Li Xun preferred to sit alone by the water pavilion, pondering his troubles repeatedly. His only trouble was a substantial deficit, with detailed accounts—those ledgers brought in by the head of the accounting office, lying beside his pillow for five days, and he had never mustered the courage to open them. In fact, even without looking at the accounts, he had a rough idea—less than 500,000, but closer to 400,000. "How could I have just been appointed as the salt inspector again!" he thought. It didn't matter how long—it would only take two years. As the salt inspector of Jianghuai, he would gain the benefit of 555,000 taels of silver annually. According to custom, he would supplement the textile factory with 210,000 taels, cover the outstanding official taxes owed by the "general merchants" of Jianghuai—about 120,000 to 130,000 taels—and still have 300,000 taels left. Two years would bring 600,000 taels, and after tipping off officials and using some of it, he would have enough to cover the deficit.