Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 369 Analysis

Luo An lay on the soft couch with his eyes closed, resting. Xu Sheng and Nian Yao were painstakingly flipping through the account book to calculate the accounts. Hailuo was diligently copying books. Dongzhi and Xiaoman each leaned against one side of the door.

When Meng Dong brought Bu Zhi to Xi Zhai, he hesitated for a moment upon seeing the quiet and peaceful scene, unsure whether he should make a sound to disturb them.

Upon seeing Nianyao outside the door, tears instantly streamed down his face. He sobbed miserably, calling out, "Aunt... Aunt..."

Dongzhi and Xiaoman stepped aside, and Mengdong led Buzhi in, saying, "Xiao'an, Nianyao, Your Highness!"

He was dressed in a small blue satin dress, the cuffs and collar of which were dirty. There was a bruise on his forehead, and the two small ram horns on his head were loose. He had no jewelry on his body, and his expression showed a hint of fear.

Nianyao remembered the last time she saw Buzhi; the gold peace lock around his neck, the silver bracelet on his wrist, and the jade pendant at his waist were dazzling. How long has it been? He's like a completely different child. How can such a large Duke's mansion not take good care of a child?

Nianyao felt a pang of heartache and hugged Buzhi tightly, wiping away his tears with her sleeve: "Don't cry, Buzhi, be good, don't cry..."

Xu Sheng was very perceptive. He put the account book aside, pulled out a chair for Meng Dong and poured her tea, helped Luo An sit up, and said to Meng Dong, "Princess Consort, my brother just hurt his back and can't sit for long."

Meng Dong quickly said, "Oh dear, why are you sitting up when you're lying down? Don't be so polite with your aunt."

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng placed his hands on Luo An's shoulders and pressed down, forcing Luo An to lie back down.

Luo An stared at him, his eyes clearly saying: Are you sick?

Xu Sheng said to Meng Dong, "Princess Consort, my brother respects you very much. I advised him to lie down and rest, but he insisted on waiting for you here. Now that you've left, he can finally go to bed."

Is Xu Sheng openly kicking people out? Meng Dong's smile stiffened.

Nianyao quickly said, "Auntie, we should have gone ourselves to explain things to the Princess and the Duke in person. But Luo An hurt his back and can't walk, so I had to ask you for help."

Meng Dong sighed, "Since Qingcheng left, my elder sister, the eldest princess, has been depressed all day long. She went to Puji Temple to cultivate for a while and was not at home, so the servants naturally did not take good care of her."

This child is pitiful, suffering such a tragedy at such a young age. However, if he can receive careful guidance from Xiao An and Nian Yao and achieve something in the future, it will be a comfort to his parents' spirits in heaven.

Meng Dong and Nian Yao chatted for a while before Meng Dong got up to say goodbye, saying he wouldn't disturb Luo An's rest.

Nianyao entrusted Buzhi to the care of a maid and saw Mengdong out. When she returned, she picked up a stick from the courtyard, intending to give Xu Sheng a few whacks. But as soon as she reached the door, she heard Xu Sheng seriously discussing accounts with Luo An.

There are only three possibilities now:

The first possibility is that the accounts are genuine, and the events are true. Having operated for many years, Heaven on Earth had long since reached a stable state, and its revenue couldn't grow indefinitely. However, the number of disciples was increasing, similar to the problem of too many redundant officials in the imperial court.

More people mean more work, and more work means more expenses. For example, since the middle of last year, all disciples' monthly allowances have increased, which means expenses have increased, right?

The second possibility is that the accounts are real, but the events are fabricated. That means someone is secretly diverting revenue and deliberately making large expenditures. I've been to Heaven on Earth to see injured people; you treat patients and collect money in one go, and then everyone pays and settles accounts after you close the doors.

If some disciples conspire to embezzle consultation fees, you will have a hard time finding out. Increased expenses are usually the responsibility of procurement; I've noticed that price fluctuations are usually small, but some items have surprisingly high prices.

For example, one expense was for wild ginseng, costing 10,000 taels of silver; another expense was for ambergris, costing 20,000 taels of silver. These two expenses alone amount to 30,000 taels. To be honest, your medical clinic is really wealthy.

The third possibility is that the accounts are falsified. The accountant was sent from the palace; if there are falsified accounts, either the accountant has been bribed or threatened.

Nianyao stood at the door and said, "There are so many possibilities. The accounts are real, but the story is fake."

Luo An propped himself up to sit up: "Why?"

Nianyao said, "Heaven and earth, the world's medical manor. You are the manor owner, so you don't understand what the world's medical manor means to us."

If the doctor at the clinic can't cure you, go to Heaven and Earth; if you're seriously ill and can't be cured, go to Heaven and Earth; if you can't buy rare medicinal herbs, go to Heaven and Earth... Do you know who can go to Heaven and Earth?

Poor people might as well die of illness, and ordinary people can just go to a clinic for a checkup. Only wealthy people have the money and time to travel so far to see a doctor.

Do you know how patients spread the word to the Heaven and Earth? The divine doctor's prescription is worth a thousand taels of silver, not including the cost of preparing the medicine.

Twenty thousand taels of silver could buy ambergris, which is extremely rare. Twenty thousand taels of silver could buy all the ambergris in the world. Wild ginseng from Changbai Mountain is just as rare.

"As a medical institution possessing the world's most advanced medical skills, having access to numerous rare and precious medicinal herbs, and charging exorbitant fees with patients lining up daily to open its doors, if its income were to decrease month by month, wouldn't that be tantamount to the Jingjiang River flowing backwards?"

The analysis makes sense, but it doesn't quite sound right; it makes it sound like Heaven on Earth is a shady medical clinic.

Luo An couldn't help but defend the Heaven and Earth Inn: "Those rumors aren't true. Not all prescriptions cost a thousand taels. I only accepted two people's prescriptions. One was a bandit, and the other was a corrupt official. They were both dealt with by the Crown Prince later."

Not all those seeking medical treatment were wealthy; many were from impoverished families. The prescriptions for the poor were free, and the medicine was given at cost price, sometimes even free—they were essentially paying out of pocket. They would kneel and kowtow, calling us living bodhisattvas.

Nianyao shook the wooden stick in her hand: "Although you are the head of the manor, you are actually just a doctor-head of the manor. You only care about treating patients and don't care about anything else."

You don't understand business at all. Every business has its peak and off-peak seasons. Take Dahebang for example, their income and expenses basically increase in tandem.

During festivals, especially around the Spring Festival, and the peak season after the autumn harvest, our income surges while our expenditure increases at a lower rate than our income. In the off-season, such as May and June when food supplies are scarce, our income growth decreases while our expenditure remains relatively stable.

"For a medical clinic like this, based on my personal experience, children are more prone to illness in spring, and the elderly are more prone to illness in winter. Therefore, income should increase in spring and winter. How could it possibly increase or decrease month by month?"

Of the three of them, only Nianyao had ever seriously managed a business or kept accounts; none of them had as much experience as Nianyao.

Xu Sheng nodded: "Where do you think the problem lies?"

Nianyao said, "There are many places where problems could arise, but the medical clinic has been open for so many years, it must have a very complete system. What needed to be blocked or dredged should have been dealt with long ago, otherwise the problems wouldn't have only arisen in the last two years."

Since there is a very sophisticated system in place to prevent and handle problems, the problem can only lie with the people who control the system.

Nan Hua first invited his senior sister down the mountain, and then delivered the account book to Luo An, making his intentions clear. Even if Nan Hua didn't have enough evidence, he was very suspicious, but he didn't say so out of consideration for Luo An.

Xu Sheng concluded: "You mean, there's something wrong with Senior Sister?"