Chapter 205

In Jincheng, inside the council hall of the Xia residence. Outside the window, spring rain fell in a drizzle, the sound of dripping water from the eaves as crisp as pearls falling on a jade plate. Xia Huai'an sat before his desk, holding a newly compiled merchant tax ledger, his brow slightly furrowed. In the ledger, sales of high-end commodities such as Shu Brocade and Silver Mirrors had plummeted by fifty percent. Meanwhile, though Bazhou salt sales were high, Xia Huai'an had instructed the salt merchants to keep prices under control, resulting in razor-thin margins—they were selling at nearly cost and making barely any silver. "Master, Commerce Secretary Zha Zhonghe and Shen Wansi request an audience," Main Bookkeeper Zhou said, pushing the door open and reporting in a low voice.