When the lanterns of the Chang'an West Market dyed people's faces red, Zhang Yifan's abacus dropped onto the workbench with a sharp click, its beads bouncing across the "Cyan Ox Seven Efficacy Comparison Table" to form the character for "Victory." Below the platform, the commoners raised their abacus-bead torches, turning the medicine shop managers into hunted rats—Manager Wang's mustache still dusted with foxtail grass fragments from under an abacus microscope.
"Good people of Chang'an!" The Protagonist raised the abacus truth-verification banner, the beads on it bouncing into the character for "Bright." "By our abacus calculations, these three medicine shops have profited ninety-seven thousand guan extra from rumors over the past three years alone—" The beads burst into fireworks at his fingertips, "—but today, they will disgorge every single coin, principal and interest alike!"
Xiao Moli wielded her wolf-hair brush, the beads bouncing along the brush to form the character for "Punishment." Within her artwork, *The Abacus Penalty of Monopolies*, Huwa's carving miniature used an abacus-bead string to bind the medicine shops' ledgers, the beads bouncing onto the ledgers to form "Confiscate." Xiaotao carried bundles of Abacus Bead Medicinal Crisps to distribute to the crowd, the beads on the crisps bouncing into "Celebration." "Brother Fan says this is called 'punishing the wicked shops' money to treat the people to sweets!'"
Chapter 193