Chapter 149: Seventeenth Episode: Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 149: Seventeenth Episode: Chapter 4
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The southerners always found it strange that His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, after settling down for more than half a month in Serevan Palace, didn't engage in anything else other than the daily wine receptions and banquets! The gentlemen who harbored intense envy sneered, ”With Elizabeth Kate by his side, what else can he do?” On the other hand, the brooding intellects would shoot glares at those gentlemen with contempt, ”Wait and see, if he doesn't turn the south upside down, then he isn't O'Neil Andrew Morisette!”
Honestly speaking, O'Neil Andrew Morisette indeed didn't do anything at all. He took two weeks before seizing the five southern provinces and straightening out the major and minor nobles, after which he expounded his political strategy briefly to a few most influential aristocrats among them. The outcome was almost as that predicted, with half opposing and another half supporting. However, those in favor have lost a lot of influence in the south compared to the opposition.
This was not what Prince O'Neil was most uneasy about. Both the letters he wrote to His Majesty III and the Commander of the Southern Army Group yielded no response. In short, everything has not started and there indeed wasn't anything that our Highness Prince could do. Thus, he was dead set on splurging the assortment of twenty-three thousand over bottles of fine wine in Serevan Palace. Therefore, the daily banquets and balls were necessary.
Aside from discussing High Highness Prince who appeared as if he was idling his time away, the people of Vielonna also discussed another matter. This matter undoubtedly more appealing.
”Elizabeth Kate has become the adopted daughter of Prince O'Neil!”
”Who did you hear that from?”
”I personally witnessed the people in the court addressing Elizabeth as Her Highness!”
”Then it's her gain!”
All the people were discussing it that way. However, there was another voice saying, ”Don't the Manzonola brothers have anything to express?”
”Yes! It was said that the old man threw Lady Elizabeth's luggage at the huge entrance of Serevan Palace!”
”And then?”
”And then nothing!”
***************
Oscar evaluated Elizabeth Kate, who was selecting her luggage, and suddenly broke into laughter. ”Just thinking that all these things were acquired by that old man for you makes me...”
”Don't think about anything!” Elizabeth silenced the prince with a finger to his lips. ”I really only have one luggage, which is that leather volume I handed over to you previously.”
Oscar pretended to take a bite, causing his adopted daughter to squeal. He then covered her finger with his hand.
”What are you doing?”
”Punishing you!” the prince held the woman in a vice grip from behind, breathing in her scent greedily. ”Why are you only coming to see me now? You should have met me earlier!”
Elizabeth whipped around and settled herself into the man's embrace. ”The one who should be complaining is me! Why are you only coming to see me now?”
”Fine, it's my fault!” Oscar shrugged indifferently. ”Do you hear the solo outside? We're about to set off! How do you plan on taking care of these things?” The prince asked while indicating the luggage piled up on the ground.
Elizabeth showed the prince the few clothing she clutched against her chest. ”My mother sew these for me, I'll only keep these and the others... can be burned!”
”What about those pieces of jewelries?” Oscar pointed towards the mountain of jewelry on the dressing table. ”Burning them will be such a waste! Moreover, they can't be burned!”
Elizabeth nodded. ”So tomorrow I'll have to request my father to accompany me out. We will go to a few orphanages and monasteries; there are others who need these pieces of jewelry more than me! If there's still time... we will go shopping!”
Oscar kissed his adopted daughter's cheek. ”Good idea, as you wish!”
***************
The violin solo was melodious, suave. The music lingered in the listening room for quite a while before traveling out. This was Vielonna, every noble family owned an opulently decorated listening room that applied basic acoustic principles. Most of all, there has never been a depletion in musicians of Vielonna, and so all the huge and small listening rooms were always packed to the brim. When dinner ended, the sound of instruments would start traveling out from listening rooms everywhere. Needless to say, if you were capable of inviting Lady Elizabeth Kate to present a song, then the family recital would be perfect.
”She... she's indeed beautiful!” Lady Trinity sighed to the young lady sitting on her left and repeated herself to Princess Alanis seated on her right. Lastly, she muttered again to herself, emphasizing her tone for this definitive statement.
”Yes... she's indeed lovely!” Alanis sighed as well. She has all the while been assessing Elizabeth. To have a woman acknowledge another woman's beauty was an exceedingly challenging thing. However, if the woman you met was Elizabeth, then it was totally different, for her beauty was the kind that compelled you to acknowledge it!
”You should control your husband. He now listens to her every word!” Sasha's finger crossed Trinity and prodded Alanis' waist.
”Don't say that Sasha!” smiling, Alanis ducked away, ”I should say that he is also your brother and you should also discipline him!”
Sasha knitted her eyebrows. ”But... he's with his adopted daughter... oh gosh! I really can't bring myself to say it!” The young lady suddenly spun to face the princess impatiently. ”You're his wife! In any case, you should teach him a lesson! Don't tell me you'll let him do as he pleases with that woman?”
Alanis covered his forehead. ”But how can I control him? Just like you say, Lady Elizabeth is my husband's adopted daughter. There are witnesses, a bishop, and even a baptism ceremony! I fear that even my Emperor father may acknowledge her! Tell me, what can I do? Don't tell me you expect me to lecture him like a mother? I dare not!”
Lady Trinity suddenly took both of the women by the hand on her left and right. ”Both of you stop arguing! Let us all think of a way!”
Alanis and Sasha's eyes widened and they practically bellowed simultaneously at the clueless Trinity, ”It's none of your business!”
After a moment of silence, perhaps it was because of the nudge from Lady Trinity, Alanis conceded. She said to Sasha, ”Spend the night at my place tonight! Your brother won't come looking for me!”
Without giving it any thought, the young lady responded with a ”sure”. It seemed that to unite both these women, it only required another woman to be slotted in between them.
Finally, the violin solo ended. The people stood up and gave the performing musician a round of applause. His Highness prince generously set the time for performer's upcoming recital and he withdrew, filled with heartfelt gratitude. At that moment, a commotion erupted from the crowd, and the one screaming loudest was a madam. She was Madam Monique, from the Imperial Household's confidential secretary, Count Philip Goolean's Family. She requested His Highness Prince to urge the girl of unparalleled beauty in all the five southern provinces beside him, onto the stage.
The people's wish was fulfilled, Elizabeth Kate, oh sorry! Oh heavens, what an outrageous mistake to make! Lady Elizabeth Andrew gave a slight bow to the seated nobles and the former patrons hurriedly returned it. She gave a satisfied grin. It was such a rarity! The great nobles actually returned a singer's bow? Elizabeth has never come across such a thing. Only then did she truly came to comprehend what kind of changes were brought on by the title that the prince bestowed upon her.
After shooting a grateful glance at Prince O'Neil who was seated in the best listening position, Elizabeth cleared her throat. The applause immediately faded away and the people settled down. The organist struck on the keys and a bright and suave female voice that moved hearts reverberated.
Vielonna, my home, is surrounded by roses from the Alps, the monsoon is my lover, that leaves Vielonna when spring arrives. When the roses wither, my lover, the monsoon, leaves Vielonna. My Oscar felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to find his Military Intelligence Division Head. Baron Messier gestured towards the door.
Oscar stood up and reported a crime to the crowd of guests, then nodded slightly towards his wife and sister and after that proceeded to follow the Baron out of the huge doors. Despite being mesmerized by the vocals, the people knew in their hearts that His Highness Prince was about to handle some official business.
***************
Georgio Verones was tarrying respectfully outside the prince's study. When he saw the important man who was two years younger than him, he inclined his body sincerely. He was requested to visit Serevan Palace ten days ago by the operations officer of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Vielonna's great gambler of the trading hall thought he had committed some crime, but after receiving a warm welcome from His Highness Prince, it turned out that the people just needed his assistance.
”Geo! How is that? Any developments?” Oscar inquired while placing his hand on the other's shoulder. He knew that there wasn't a single noble youth who would treat him as how they waited upon an elder aside from brawny Mendez Blane.
”Your Highness, there's a breakthrough for a part of it!” Geo fished out a black leather bound book. The old chaps were extremely careful because it was written using a secret language and vanishing ink.
Oscar nodded, ”let us talk inside!”
Baron Messier followed the Prince and the young, astute and opportunistic merchant into the study, leaving four guards to stand guard outside the door. In order to prevent anyone from eavesdropping through the copper pipes of the air conditioning, he even requested Mr. Rowel to cut off the air conditioning supply to the huge room and blocked up the air conditioning pipe of the study with asbestos.
After Division head of the Military Intelligence had everything prepared, Oscar finally spoke.
”Did you discover something?”
”Yes Your Highness! Absolutely shocking!” Geo exclaimed while flipping open the leather-bound book on the Prince's massive study table and then spread out the interpreted copy he had hurriedly scribbled out.
”Look, this thing can actually be considered to be a log. The old men of the seized trading hall used the ancient Lunar Calendar to calculate. At that time, there were 15 days a month, divided into the first quarter and the third quarter of the month. Every first day of the first quarter of the month is their business day while every first day of the third quarter is their financial statements day!”
Oscar nodded and turned towards Division Head of his Military Intelligence, beaming. ”You see, I told you! Hiring an economist to settle this matter for us is indeed just too wise!”
Georgio Verones smiled humbly/ ”Your Highness, I'm not some economist, merely an ordinary noble and so the Division Head of the Military Intelligence sought me out!”
”Ola! He found the right man! You're worth the trust and also portray upstanding integrity! Please continue on!”
”Yes, Your Highness!” Geo promptly pointed towards the hurriedly scribbled interpreted copy. ”You see, the methods the old chaps used to record the dates are quite straightforward, but the method they used in recording the numbers has me baffled. I suppose your secret code-breaking agents are also unable to make sense of it and so have considered finding a solution through economics.”
”Yes, that's right!” Oscar agreed.
”This is it!” Geo started pointing excitedly. ”Even I couldn't make sense of the numbering symbols, but I know the other ones represent the goods. For example this mermaid symbol, an ancient classic. Its flesh can grant one immortality. And behind this symbol is its place of manufacture. This piano-shaped symbol is the trademark of the largest ranch in Bodega Province. The veal of this ranch is the best in the entire south!”
”And then?”
”Then nothing else!”
”What does that mean?” curiosity bubbled within Oscar.
”It means that in year 794, the 7th month, which is also consecutive of two first-quarter moons, this veal that is produced in the Swata Ranch of Bodega, vanished from the market!”
”What does this represent?” Oscar scratched his head, unable to make head or tails of it.
Master Geo expressed a look of implacable hatred as if he had shared in the misfortune of the veals.
”This means that although this veal was circulating in the black market of Vielonna's trading hall, the people only received empty cargos for their money! Look again here...” Georgio pointed towards the last symbol after the mermaid and piano-shaped symbol. ”This is a wine barrel. If my presumptions are right, it represents the great wine dealer, Hawkins, the very best in the south. This batch of beef cattle fell into his hands in the end, or we could say that the batch of beef cattle was his, to begin with!”
Oscar shook his head repeatedly. ”It doesn't make sense! It makes no sense at all! Since the cows vanished, then what kind of business is the Vielonna Trading Hall doing?”
Master Geo spat under his breath. He had a rough idea of how these old men accumulate their wealth.
”Let me explain to you once again even though the old peddlers of the Vielonna Trading Hall may be unclear, I have a rough idea! This is a business without any goods! The great wine dealer Hawkins placed the beef cattle he got for a low price into the market and used his accomplices to increase the value of the goods. Those who don't understand the situation would flock to purchase. During that time, there will be purchases from the group of Guards and news that the Swata Ranch was raided by bandits, which results in an even higher value for the beef cattle! Towards the end... a cattle plague will break out! There will be a delisting and winding up of the trade hall and this business will no longer exist!”
”Ola...” Oscar gave a shout and rubbed his nose, ”I still don't understand!”
”Uhh... like this! Let me explain it to you in another way!” Georgio suddenly grabbed at a quill pen on the study table. ”Now let's say that this thing is worth ten golden Tis.”
”You're kidding me!” Oscar's eyes shot wide open, ”A golden Ti can get me a dozen!”
”Your Highness, I'm not kidding! The old men who monopolize the trading hall wouldn't joke either. This quill pen is worth ten golden Tis!”
”Can't I just get it elsewhere?” Oscar was a little indignant; this was extortion.
”You're the one joking!” Georgio Verones laughed like an unscrupulous businessman. ”Look on your table, you only have one quill pen and this is also the only one in the market! You need it to write and to settle official businesses! You can't do without it! Would you take it for ten golden Tis?”
”It's impossible for the market to only have this single quill pen!”
Georgio tossed over an account book as thick as Titan's dictionary. ”Look for it yourself. All the business records for the Vielonna Trading Hall in the 7th month of year 794. If there were another quill pen, I wouldn't sell it to you for ten golden Tis!”
Realization washed over Oscar, ”I understand! You control the entire market!”
”No!” Master Geo shook his head. ”You haven't answered my question! There's only this one quill pen in the whole world. For ten golden Tis, would you get it?”
”I'll take it!” Oscar replied in dejection. ”Give it to me and I'll give you ten golden Tis! I need it to write letters and as you say, I can't do without it!”
”Very well! I'll assume you've given me ten golden Tis! However, after I've sealed this deal…..” Master Geo suddenly whirled around to face Baron Messier who was standing at a corner respectfully and said flatteringly, ”Good sir of the black market, my old friend! Look what I have brought for you! The only quill pen on the market! Vielonna Trading Hall is selling it for ten golden Tis! I'm only selling it to you for eight and a half, what about it?”
”Cut off the nonsense! I've already paid; it's mine! Hand it to me!” Oscar appeared to be utterly exasperated.
Messier gave a slight smile, having already taken the quill pen, ”I really have to thank you old friend. This is the only quill pen on the market! For eight and a half golden Tis, I'll take it!”
”So Your Highness!” Georgio turned his attention towards the young prince who was staring blankly. ”Now... the whole market knows that your quill pen has broken. It has lost its usable value and the significance of its existence.”
”But it's mine; I've spent ten golden Tis for it!” Oscar shouted loudly. ”Moreover, it isn't broken! You sold it at a low price to Mes!”
”Believe me, Your Highness! The old guys of the Vielonna Trading Hall will definitely have a way to convince you that your quill pen is broken and your ten golden Tis will be gone just like that! However, as guarantors of the business, they will compensate you. However, the compensation will be the price of the quill pen when it first entered the market, which is also the cash deposit of this pen!” the young financier cried while tossing two Ti coins onto the Prince's study table, ”take this money and leave! Wish you good luck next round!”
Oscar fixed his gaze on the two coins on the table. He suddenly banged the tabletop violently. He completely understood what this was about! Be it beef cattle or quill pens, the principles were the same!
”You see Your Highness, this is the truth.” Georgio was sweating profusely after the demonstration a while ago, ”the old businessmen of the trading hall aren't speculators, nor do they sell cheaply bought items at a higher price. More so, they aren't buying and selling on speculation. They are swindlers! Crazy swindlers who are without misgivings! They rob ten golden Tis from the ordinary merchants of the trading hall while profiting half a golden Ti from the black market and only compensate you with two Ti coins. You didn't complain because once you've come back to your senses, you already know that the quill pen is only worth that value. But this isn't just it!”
His Highness Prince was already so enraged that his whole body was trembling, but there was actually still more to it!
”As you've noticed, the capital of the black market is illegal and can never see the light of day. If the Empire's Taxation Department and the Investigative Division of the Justice Department were to discover it, one would lose their head! So... the financial bigshots of the Vielonna Trading Hall have to make the dirty money clean!”
”How do they do it?”
”It couldn't be any simpler!” Geo whipped around to face Baron Messier, ”I would like to report to the Imperial Ministry of Justice! My customer has bought a broken quill pen, manufactured in a Faran workshop. We would like to look into the responsibility of this manufacturer.”
Having said that, Geo again turned to face the clueless Prince. ”Regardless of whether it is using money to bribe or relying on connections, in short, the court will quickly issue an adjudication that the Faran workshop was to compensate for all the losses sustained by the Vielonna Trading Hall. Of course... no one will know that the manufacturer and the Vielonna Trading Hall that sued them are in cahoots with each other! This group of people will sign the compensation agreement under the supervision of the judge. Uhhh... the compensation of eight and a half golden Tis only!”
”That's sick!” Oscar cursed under his breath, ”the profit of eight and a half golden Tis made by the black market will become legal just like that!”
”That's right! Not a single cent less. Moreover, completely legal! Then this capital will again be added to the circulating domain and like a rolling snowball, become an even greater capital!” the noble youth exclaimed while closing the thick leather-bound volume.
”Not only the bribes provided to the Justice Department are recorded here, but also the names of specific managers. These names are written in plain language. It's evident that the old chaps of the trading hall intend to preserve criminal evidence against the Empire's officers to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances!”
”So... Your Highness, do I still need to proceed? I've already cracked down more than ten transactions and not one of them isn't...”
”Enough!” Oscar waved his hand, ”how can they do this? I'm saying... on what grounds?”
Georgio shrugged, ”why can't they? Even the swans that produce feathers are theirs. So they can sell the quill pens anyhow they please!”