Shuli Go Stories Vol. 3: The Stories They Tell

Part 5

           

Lian stood in Prefect Tai's waiting room: a gargantuan hall off the main entrance that was lit by a triangle of fireplaces in the center pillar and a larger hearth on the long wall. That wall was adorned by a mural depicting the Prefect's family history, and Lian pretended to examine that history with her hands behind her back and her body hunched over to take only half the space she normally would. An had suggested the stance while they walked towards the estate.

"You still look too... strong. Hunch over... you know, like this."

"Why?"

"Lian, you're an accountant now. You spend all day at a desk looking over papers. Lose the backbone."

She took the advice, and finally felt like the character she was to play became complete with the hunch. She waited patiently in the large room with two of Tai's security men, somehow more confident on account of her crunched physical stature.

When Tai arrived to speak with Lian, his appearance was as extravagant as that of his waiting room. A tall, handsome, and imposing man, with a thick, carefully kempt head of hair and a stride that wasted nothing, he swept into the room with a trail of servants tailing him. He stopped beside a table that had been set up for their meeting, swept up his luxurious robes, turned to Lian and performed the short, tilted head bow of greeting between respective bureaucrats. Lian returned the favour and then approached in her hunched gait.

"You say you're from the Tax Commission?" Tai sat down on one side of the table and motioned for Lian to join him. She did, slowly. "And there's some sort of issue that needs resolving?"

"Yes," Lian kept her head low but made sure to make eye contact with Tai. "Commissioner Wei himself sent me. It appears there are some irregularities in the receipts from last year." Tai's eyes did not flinch or buckle in the least. Lian couldn't tell what part of her lies he was seeing through. "Some very serious irregularities."

"I see," Tai responded before snapping his fingers and having one of his servants – an accountant, based on the haircut – saddle up to him carrying a rather large book of what was sure to be the accounts for the past year. "Shu, did you receive a notice about this re-assessment of last year's receipts already?"

Before the other accountant could even begin to protest, Lian hoisted her own book onto the table – an old ledger of one of Zu's front businesses she'd hastily mocked up as a tax ledger. "As I said, senior Prefect, the irregularities were so serious that the Commissioner wished to avoid the possibility of suspicion unfairly falling on your impeccable record. Hence no letter, nothing that a prying eye could unfairly copy and use in an unflattering way."

Tai's eyes remained locked on Lian's, and for a long moment neither said anything more. Lian worried he might try and have her killed right then. But instead he smiled and repeated the short head nod of civil service. "I'm sorry, madam, I failed to introduce myself properly. I am Tai Wulai, Prefect of Liangyong."

"And I am Zhu Zhuyang," Lian replied with the reciprocal nod once again, "supervisor class accountant with the Ministry of Treasury, Tax Commissioner Office." Even though she had not been an agent of the state for decades, she remembered the proper introductions easily enough.

Tai's smile widened, and Lian knew her fate was sealed. His smile was that of a sadistic child about to crush an insect under his foot. "I see. A thousand graces on you and your ancestors."

"And a thousand generations of prosperity for you and your family."

"Thank you Madame Zhu. It was my understanding that Commissioner Wei and I had already worked out this year's irregularities. However, I'm sure my lead tax assessor here will be able to sort out any issues you may have. I trust his oversight in these areas absolutely."