The candle's last flicker died as Vasundhara closed her journal. The leather-bound volume, filled with careful measurements and observations, rested beneath her arm. She rose quietly, careful not to wake anyone, and moved to the courtyard where the morning light was already spilling across stone floors.
Her mother had begun inspecting the storerooms. Stacks of grains, spices, and copper pots glinted in the sun. Vasundhara followed, adjusting her sari and bowing her head respectfully. The maids, Meena and Lata, scurried about, carrying water and cleaning utensils, their movements efficient yet lively.
"Your grace," Meena whispered with a conspiratorial grin, "Lata says you splash water on the floor every time you help her at the hearth."
Lata elbowed her softly. "And you, Meena, can't fold clothes straight. The folds look like crooked mountains."
Vasundhara's lips curved into a small smile, shaking her head. "Focus, both of you. Storerooms and offerings first. The rest can wait."
Once they settled into their work, the maids began reporting the latest troubles.
Meena: "Your grace, the soldiers from the north took half the grain meant for the market. Wheat six dams per seer, barley three, rice four to five. Salt is almost gone, three dams a seer. My friend Sundari's master gave silver anklets to Collector Hariram for late salt delivery. Copper pots vanished from several households, and oxen were taken for army service."
Lata: "Cloth is expensive, your grace. Fine cotton twenty-five dams a bolt, silk even higher. Jewelry is disappearing; merchants say they risk everything transporting goods. Soldiers take what they want, collectors fine those who cannot pay."
Vasundhara's mother, inspecting ledgers, spoke firmly:
"Observe, child. Even central decrees and Bairam Khan's policies cannot prevent corruption at the lower levels. Officials often exploit those who cannot bribe, and Hindu households are particularly vulnerable. Knowledge and careful management are our protection."
The household moved on to preparing for temple offerings. Vasundhara helped arrange incense, flowers, rice, small cloths, and beads. The carriage was loaded with care, following the strict hierarchy: Vasundhara and her mother in the center on cushions, maids carrying baskets and kneeling respectfully. Along the way, merchants whispered about rising prices, goods confiscated, and soldiers taking oxen or copperware.
At the temple, Vasundhara knelt beside her mother. The scent of incense mixed with the clamor of other worshippers, yet her mind traced patterns—grain shortages, spice requisitions, confiscated goods, rising cloth and jewelry prices—all caused by the army's movement and enforcement of policies. Even worship was touched by war.
Returning home, Vasundhara assisted her mother in inspecting storerooms again.
Meena: "Your grace, jagir policies are supposed to regulate distribution, but Sundari's master says collectors favor households who can bribe. Others lose everything."
Lata: "It's everywhere the same. Officials take what they like; the rules are only for those who cannot pay. Father said it's easier for Hindus to be oppressed by the government."
Vasundhara listened, noting the systemic corruption and inequity. Her observations merged with the details she had already recorded: army requisitions, rising prices, scarcity, and the subtle harassment of vulnerable communities.
Later, in the quiet of her room, she picked up her journal once more. By candlelight, she wrote carefully, formally, and scholarlike, without repeating dialogue or casual chatter:
"The ongoing war and army movements have caused significant disruption to trade and household management. Grain, salt, spices, ghee, cloth, copperware, and jewelry have been requisitioned or confiscated. Prices have risen sharply: wheat six dams per seer, barley three, rice four to five, fine cotton twenty-five dams per bolt, turmeric eight dams per seer. Enforcement of central policies is inconsistent; collectors and local officials exploit households who cannot pay, often targeting Hindus disproportionately. These conditions, combined with Hemu's advance, render the empire increasingly unstable. Careful observation, rationing, and record-keeping remain essential to maintaining household stability and safeguarding knowledge."