CHAPTER 643: [637] QING CHUAN CHENG WANGFEI 6 (1 MORE UPDATE)

In later generations, bank deposits, cash, and the general ledger were equivalent to three big trees, from which branches and leaves would spread according to various accounting subjects. The final root represented the outcome, which is to say, regardless of how accounting subjects changed, the final result was always balanced.

In ancient times, there were no banks, but there were banks equivalents, which served the same purpose. So in the bank accounts, there would be as many branches as there were bank equivalents. When money was deposited, it was recorded on the debit side; when money was withdrawn, it was recorded on the credit side. The final result had to match the actual amount of money in the account.

Cash was the actual silver. Money withdrawn from the bank equivalent was considered an increase and was recorded on the debit side; money spent was recorded on the credit side. The result also had to match the actual cash on hand. This was typically the purview of the cashier, dealing with banks and cash.

What did an accountant do? They managed the detailed accounts. For example, there were expenses in a restaurant. Today I went out to purchase one tael of silver’s worth of oil, one tael of silver’s worth of rice, and one tael of silver’s worth of vegetables. If one wanted to list these details clearly, they would write down all the subjects related to the restaurant.

Purchases were recorded on the debit side, and expenditures upon usage were recorded on the credit side. Generally, there would be no surplus oil; one could see clearly how many times it was purchased and how much was used in a month.

The more subjects there were, the more divisions were needed in the general ledger. The role of the general ledger was to summarize the monthly results of the detailed accounts into the overall monthly total.

There were twelve months in the general ledger. It would clearly show how much oil was purchased for the subject of oil in January, recorded accordingly. The same went for February, March, and so on. The total oil used in a year would be clearer.

With this system, one had cash, detailed accounts, and the general ledger all recorded. Thus, when it came to auditing, it would be easy.

Of course, in modern terms, the basis for recording is known as accounting vouchers, which are invoices. In ancient times, there was undoubtedly something similar. Documents were filed neatly according to sequence numbers and subjects, bound monthly. If the ledger and evidence could match up, this set of accounts was considered perfect.

Tangyuan explained this accounting system to the people of ancient times using modern methods. After everyone heard it, there was first silence, followed by some uneasiness. However, as they casually reviewed the vouchers, detailed accounts, cash, and bank account books, as well as the general ledger put together by Xiyuan, they indeed found that this method could act as supervision and was clear at a glance. Whether it was the person keeping the books or the one auditing them, everything could be seen at a glance. So thinking about falsifying accounts or inflating figures would be difficult after this experience.

Now that she had control of the cards, she insisted on her theoretical knowledge. She required the shopkeepers and accountants to keep records in her format from the First day of June forward. Of course, the precondition was that the accounts for the first half of the year had to be cleared up for her. If she found any problems, they would be held accountable. However, if the accounts were sorted out, she would reward them with triple their wages. As long as the books were clear, there would be various rewards in the future.

When the situation at Xiyuan’s side reached Yun Mi through the shopkeepers, he was incredulous at first. But after carefully comparing the accounts Xiyuan had prepared, he slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "What a magnificent double-entry bookkeeping method! Is this really her invention?"

Little Yuanzi and the butler Cheng Yuan both nodded, "Whether it was her idea or not, we don’t know, but she sounded quite knowledgeable when she spoke. She gave those shopkeepers and accountants a hard time, leaving them shaking their heads and sighing, as if they were struggling with troublesome homework, just like Prince, you once did. Do you wish to inquire further?"

"If it was indeed her invention, then this girl cannot be denied as a talented person in the realm of business. At least it is evident from these accounts that she has an understanding of the costs in various industries, unlike the daughter of wealth we investigated who was untouched by worldly affairs and knew nothing. It seems that rumors are just rumors after all. I have underestimated her. She is only fourteen, just fourteen years old. What will the future hold?"

When he entrusted the management of Prince Manor to the fourteen-year-old Princess Consort, everyone thought he was merely toying with the concept. If not handled properly, it could result in ruin. But, after she took over, she did not rush to announce her identity in the various shops but started by understanding their situations from the account books. Then she took decisive actions, warning them that she was going to audit the accounts and that they should be careful of trickery, not to try to fool her because of her young age.

She gave them roughly twenty days to clean up the mess. By the end of May, they would have to present the accounts shop by shop for inspection. Judging from how she had understood the situation of the six shops in just three short days, she was not someone easy to deal with, at least not as harmless as her young age suggested.

Suddenly, Yun Mi questioned his judgment of the Princess Consort. Was it too hasty?

However, he did not intend to intervene now, because he still wanted to see what other disturbances or surprises she would create after he handed over the power.

"The Princess Consort has rejected all the invitations presented at the door,"

"Not returning to her family’s home for three days is nothing unexpected. It seems she does not wish to engage in social activities. Remember to remind me later to excuse her absence from visiting due to learning about managing the household under the pretext of studying rules, saving her the trouble from those seeking her audience. I want to see how many months it will take for her to completely take control of Prince Manor. If it is shorter than the time I took, the future affairs of the manor would no longer be my concern."

"The Princess Consort is very serious about her work; she has been following the cooks and learning cooking skills lately. I wonder if she has learned enough to cook for you?"

Yun Mi glanced askance at him, "Little Yuanzi, what were you whispering about with Little Songzi from Yuanming Garden this afternoon?"

Little Yuanzi, recalling what he had heard in the afternoon, suddenly turned pale: "My lord, recently there have been palace maids and eunuchs mysteriously disappearing from the Yuanming Garden."

"Disappeared? Surely, they haven’t escaped?"

Little Yuanzi quickly shook his head, "They couldn’t have. Everyone is accounted for during the morning and evening roll call. They were there when we went to sleep, but gone by the middle of the night."

"They all say someone has done away with them. After all, Yuanming Garden is so vast. If someone were buried there, no one would likely know."

"Well, we are staying over there tonight, so be careful if you get up in the middle of the night,"

It was initially a jest, yet Little Yuanzi was truly scared, his face turning white.

"Prince, I should stay up at night to guard your sleep. If there really is something unclean, you must save me!"

Yun Mi thought how the child could be so timid, who was protecting whom?

If it weren’t for their close bond from childhood, that one statement would have been enough to charge him with disrespect!