Chapter 36: The Curtain Rises on the Grand Play
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.” Li Shun shook his head repeatedly in his heart.
When something deviates from the norm, it is almost always a sign of something sinister. Quietly, Li Shun raised his vigilance to the highest level, while paying even closer attention to Fang Xun’s every move.
At the same time, he did not hesitate to test him personally.
He began asking Fang Xun about matters related to the laws of the Great Qian more frequently.
Even when the statutes he brought up were obscure and deliberately tricky, Fang Xun showed no impatience whatsoever. He answered every question thoroughly, holding nothing back.
“My Lord, in the Great Qian Code, Section on Fiscal Administration, there is a statute that reads: ‘When state granaries and treasuries are handed over, grain, cloth, coin, and provisions will naturally suffer losses over the course of a year. Losses within the prescribed limit are exempt from punishment. Any deficit beyond that shall be treated as embezzlement of state funds. However, if there is an unexplained surplus exceeding the recorded accounts, the responsible official shall be dismissed, all clerks involved shall forfeit one year of salary, and each shall receive fifty strokes of the rod.’”
Li Shun adopted a puzzled expression at just the right moment.
“This subordinate truly cannot make sense of it. If there is a deficit in the treasury, it must mean someone has embezzled funds, so severe punishment is only natural. But if there is an unexplained surplus of wealth and provisions, would that not be a great benefit to the Great Qian treasury? Why is the crime of ‘unexplained surplus’ judged even more severely than embezzlement?”
Fang Xun glanced at Li Shun in mild surprise.