In the autumn of the third year of Xi's reign, when the first frost in Xizhou fell on the green tiles of the Xizhou branch of "Wuji Trading Company", Wu Aixi was sitting in the study of the chieftain's house, revising the memorial sent to the capital by candlelight. On the left side of the rice paper spread out on the desk is "Please seal the chieftain of Xizhou" jointly signed by seventeen chieftains from the south. The layers of cinnabar seals make the three words "Wu Aixi" extra thick; on the right side is the "Three Years of Business in Xizhou" drawn by her herself. "Income and Expenditure Estimate Chart", using the "bar chart" format commonly used in modern accounting, clearly marked that if she served as chieftain, Xizhou's annual tax payment to the court would increase from 50,000 taels of silver to 80,000 taels - this was her core bargaining chip to persuade the emperor.
"My boss, have you read the roster for the autumn training of 'Wu Jiawei' sent by Vice General Zhou?" Su Wen's voice came from outside the door. He is now the general judge of Tanzhou, but he always comes to Xizhou in person on the first day of every month, not only to visit, but also to help Wu Aixi handle cross-regional government affairs.
Wu Aixi put down her wolf hair and paused with her fingertips on the "Salt and Iron Monopoly Share" column on the "Estimated Map": "Let him come in, I just have something to ask him."
