Shadow Empire

Chapter 1259 Conferment of Titles and Discussion

"...After the conferment ceremony, you will also have a consultation with the leaders of the four Asian countries regarding trade and aid."

"This will probably last until 12:30 p.m., and you will have lunch together at the Presidential Palace, followed by an hour of rest."

"At 2:30 PM, the Secretary of State..."

President Porter raised his hand. "Tell me the rest after 2:30. I'll take care of these things first."

He turned to his wife. "Does my tie need adjusting?"

President Porter's wife is more than ten years younger than him; although she doesn't look young, she's not too old either.

She reached out and casually adjusted her tie, which didn't need adjusting anyway. "You look fantastic!"

President Porter's face showed a satisfied expression. As the double doors in front of him were pushed open by two soldiers, light shone through the doors onto his face, and at that moment he showed a very friendly smile.

His wife composed herself and followed closely beside him.

Today is the day for awarding ranks to the newly promoted generals of the Department of Defense. President Porter attaches great importance to this event, as he needs to express his position to the Department of Defense and the military: we are friends, we are family, not enemies, and we do not seek confrontation!
Therefore, he personally attended the conferment ceremony.

Being president isn't entirely a happy thing, because you become very busy and don't have much time to enjoy your life.

But to say that you're unhappy because of this issue is not entirely true.

The joy of being president is something ordinary people cannot experience. The satisfaction and security that comes from wielding such privileged power are something that one can only experience when one is in one's mother's womb.

If he could, he would stay president forever!

He walked into the Department of Defense auditorium with his head held high. As he entered, everyone in the audience stood up and applauded his arrival. President Porter was in a good mood and very interested. He walked to the center of the high platform in the auditorium, stood behind the podium, raised his hand, and gestured for the people to quiet down.

As the applause subsided, people gradually returned to their seats.

"This is my first time here, as the President of the Union."

His hand rested on the podium, his body slightly turned to the side. "I've had a dream of becoming a soldier since I was a child. Soldiers surround our people and our country. Every soldier is a great person!"

"My grandson is also in the military now, serving the country and the people."

"And I am honored to be here today to confer titles on some of the people who have worked silently for this country. Your outstanding performance in your work has won us everything in the eyes of the world."

"I will be with you all..." His gaze fell on the spectators in the first row. His face was originally wearing a very natural and friendly smile, until he saw a face that he did not expect.

His expression subtly changed, and his eyes were filled with a look of utter disbelief. He even glanced at his staff.

The president's aides looked bewildered, but he soon noticed the person sitting in the front row, the one being stared at by President Porter: Lance.

Lance White.

President Porter's staff were also involved in many of his decisions, not only those concerning the country, but also those concerning everyday life.

He knew that Lance White was like a fly on a steak to the Potter family right now. They couldn't deal with him with their bare hands, and they couldn't avoid eating the steak, so they could only be disgusted by him.

He looked at President Porter with some concern, fearing that the president's emotions might fluctuate too much and affect the upcoming conferment ceremony.

This awarding ceremony is important, for President Porter and for the entire Liberal Party.

Fortunately, President Porter was a politician with sufficient political acumen. He pursed his lips and quickly looked away from Lance, continuing what he hadn't finished saying earlier, "...to witness this important moment together!"

There is a pause of about three or four seconds here, which some people think is a way for him to emphasize the connection between "himself and those present".

But some people seemed to realize something and turned their inquisitive gazes toward the first row.

Officials from the Ministry of National Defense immediately began arranging for people to go up on stage to receive their ranks, with Bruni being the second.

After the first lieutenant general was awarded his rank, Bruni, dressed in military uniform, walked up the steps and stood beside President Porter.

President Porter first shook hands with Major General Bruni and said a few very meaningless pleasantries. Then he removed Major General Bruni's rank insignia and placed it on a tray held by an officer next to him.

Then, Major General Bruni was promoted to lieutenant general, and at this point, Major General Bruni officially became a lieutenant general in the Federal Ministry of Defense.

Of course, when introducing his military rank, it is essential to specify that he is a lieutenant general in the Ministry of National Defense, not a lieutenant general in the military, as there is a significant difference between the two.

Although these things were already decided and the results were known long ago, Major General Bruni was still somewhat excited at this moment.

He raised his hand in salute, and President Porter returned a brief salute, saying, "I hope you will continue to play your important and unique role in your work!"

"Thank you!" Lieutenant General Bruni breathed a sigh of relief, then stepped aside to make way for the officers waiting to be awarded ranks.

The conferment ceremony proceeded as normal, but some people noticed that President Porter's mood was not as high as it had been at the beginning, as if something had upset him.

Several senior officers turned their attention to Lance. If anyone here had any "competition" with President Porter, it was undoubtedly Lance.

They did not object to Lieutenant General Bruni's invitation to Lance to attend the conferment ceremony. Lance's interests were intertwined with those of the Ministry of Defense. In other words, Lance was not only a major financial backer of the Socialist Party, but also a major financial backer of the Ministry of Defense.

Not only does he receive tens of millions of dollars in funding every year, but he also provides solutions to many problems, including a perfect solution for the resettlement of veterans.

As for the sordid affair between him and the president?
This is not a problem for the Department of Defense at all. The president is just the president. He can appoint the Secretary of Defense, but he cannot control the operation of the entire Department of Defense.

With the unprecedented victory in the war, the military and the Ministry of Defense have gained tremendous power, making it extremely difficult to challenge the Ministry of Defense!
The conferment ceremony was still ongoing, and Lance participated in the entire ceremony with a smile on his face.

After everyone had completed their conferment of ranks, there was a brief social event. President Porter had recovered his composure and appeared very "on point" throughout.

He ignored Lance, and Lance didn't go to provoke him, after all, President Porter was still the president of the Federation.

After the event ended, President Porter left with his wife and entourage, smiling. But the moment he turned to leave the auditorium, the smile vanished from his face.

His wife asked softly, "You haven't been quite yourself."

The two had a political marriage, and even now, though they're practically an old married couple, they still live separate lives.

They don't interfere in each other's lives. Except when they need to appear in public together, they sleep in separate beds in the presidential palace.

Moreover, the First Lady is often not in the presidential palace; she has her own work and social life, and these do not overlap with President Porter's.

So it's normal that she wasn't very clear about the conflict between President Porter and Lance.

President Porter was unwilling to discuss the matter further, shaking his head. "I've seen an unexpected person, and we have some disagreements."

Upon hearing this, his wife didn't ask any more questions. As a wife, she had already shown enough concern for her husband, and there was no point in asking any more.

The president appeared to have regained his composure, but only he knew that he was very unhappy.

After the event, Major General Bruni invited Lance to lunch, along with two other generals from the Ministry of Defense.

There wasn't much conversation at the dinner table; it was just a very ordinary meal.

After lunch, Lance returned to the villa to rest for the afternoon, during which he met with two visitors. Before dinner, he drove to meet Senator Cleveland.

Before Lance's car even reached the gate of the manor house, just as he entered the manor's inner road, he saw Senator Cleveland standing outside the gate.

This made him find it a little funny, and also... something else.

Every year, he conquers new peaks and reaches new heights, repeating the same pattern year after year without ever stopping.

From being unable to even see the mayor to now having Socialist senators waiting for him outside the gate, this change in status is fascinating!
It's not something you can see or touch, but it's more addictive than anything you can see or touch!

Once the car had come to a stop, Lance got out, and Senator Cleveland immediately came over. The two shook hands. "I heard you almost made Porter forget his lines at noon?"

Some things are no secret in this circle, and they spread very quickly.

Others may not know why President Porter paused for a few seconds, but those in politics know a little about it, because of Lance.

Lance couldn't help but laugh when he heard him say that. "I love the way he hates me so much, can't get rid of me, and even knocks out two of his own teeth!"

The two let go of each other's hands and then walked into the room together.

They are not dining out today; dining out is not as convenient as dining at the manor.
If you want a chef, just ask someone to hire one. In New Gold City, many high-end restaurants prepare multiple chefs in case some gentlemen suddenly want to eat their dishes and ask their chefs to come over, so that the restaurant will not be without anyone to cook.

Of course, some important figures would hire cooks themselves. In the years when the empire was in a bad situation, many cooks who worked for nobles fled here.

During that period, hiring refugees to serve the nobility became a favorite pastime of the Federation's gentry, and something they often boasted about.

Everyone takes pride in having several artisans who serve the nobility or even the royal family. For the people of the Federation, anything associated with the nobility or the emperor is something they admire.

This sentiment gradually cooled down only after the outbreak and end of the war. Perhaps many of them realized that they were already remarkable enough and did not need to use these things to elevate their status.

However, there are still some people who are obsessed with this, and the artisans who serve the royal family are still in high demand.

"Besides me tonight, there are a few other guests who would like to talk to you."

Lance walked inside alongside him. "Who's there?"

"The chairman of the Socialist Party committee, and two other high-ranking party officials."

As they spoke, the two entered the reception room. The three people who were chatting on the sofa all stood up the moment Senator Cleveland opened the door to let Lance in.

These people may be unknown; they rarely appear in newspapers, and perhaps 95 percent of the public does not know who they are or what they have done.

But they influence the future development of this country in ways that are not visible to the public.

"No need for me to introduce him, Lance White."

Senator Cleveland then introduced the three men to Lance, “This is our chairman, you can call him Farin, Farin Thomason.”

Farin is an elderly man in his sixties, but you can't tell from his build and appearance; he looks only in his fifties.

This is also the most common phenomenon in high society: everyone acts younger than their actual age.

He shook hands with Lance warmly, saying, "I've been telling Jeffrey that we should introduce you to more people, but he's always reluctant to share this friendship."

"But this time he seems to have come to his senses. It's nice to meet you, Lance."

Lance responded with a smile, "Perhaps the timing wasn't right before. I'm also very happy to meet you, Mr. Thomason."

Call me Farin!

"That's what my friends call me!"

Senator Cleveland then introduced Lance to two other high-ranking party officials, but they were clearly not as distinguished as Farlin, the committee chairman.

“The chefs are almost done preparing, why don’t we go to the restaurant and chat while we eat?” Senator Cleveland suggested, and no one objected. So they went to the restaurant.

This wasn't Lance's first time eating here, but it looked like they'd renovated it again, with noticeable differences from his last visit.

“I hired two chefs from over there; they are very skilled in royal cuisine.”

"That bastard is always bragging to me about how delicious their food is. This is a good opportunity for us to try it all."

Lance had never heard of the person he was referring to, but another high-ranking party official gave a brief introduction: he was also an old man from the Socialist Party and came from a political family.

For these people, including those in this room, including Lance.

In this world, everything except themselves is a material resource. In their eyes, there isn't much difference between people and things. Perhaps the only difference is that people can move and have their own emotions, while objects cannot. But they don't care about people's emotions, or whether they are unhappy when others treat them as objects.

President Thomason's face showed just the right amount of anticipation. "That must be exceptional craftsmanship, otherwise they wouldn't be serving the royal family."

Senator Cleveland, however, acted quite casually, saying, "Serving the royal family doesn't mean serving the emperor. If the food isn't good, I'll laugh at him mercilessly."

He paused, then looked at Lance, "What are your thoughts on what I talked to you about last time?"

He was referring to legislation concerning labor unions.

Lance nodded slightly. "I've looked at some of the materials you gave me. The content is very complete, and there's not much to add."

“You are more professional in this area than I am.”

The union farce is not over yet. After more than half a month of strikes and demonstrations, the AFL-CIO was forced to step forward and said it would work with the federal government to rectify the chaos caused by the unions.

Congress is also actively releasing information about the new bill to the public, allowing federal government inspection and law enforcement agencies at all levels to investigate corruption within labor unions.

The union also needs to disclose its income to its members. The source and destination of the union's income, and every single transaction, must be traceable.

In addition, there are some minor changes. The federal government has not mentioned that it will manage the labor unions itself, which is obviously unlikely and they will not do so.

The working class's current opposition to unions is not against the unions themselves, but against the union administrators. If the federal government tries to intervene in union affairs, it is highly unlikely to succeed and will instead cause existing plans to be shelved.

Lance didn't get too involved in these considerations and calculations; the politicians in Congress knew perfectly well what to do.

After exchanging a few words, the chefs began serving the dishes, and their conversation shifted from union-related legislation to the food itself.

Lance and the others sampled the food, and after the cooks left, Senator Cleveland looked at Lance and asked, "What did you think of the food?"

Lance curled his lip. "I'm starting to feel a little sorry for that emperor!"

This remark made the other three burst out laughing!

The food was fine, and could even be described as delicious, but it was quite different from the "royal taste" they were looking for.

These dishes highlight the preciousness of the raw materials, but as for the cooking skills, taste, color, and other aspects, they are only passable and not as good as the food cooked by some innovative restaurant chefs, which are both delicious and visually appealing.

As Chairman Thomason cut the venison on his plate, he said, “Its value lies not in the food itself, but in the fact that people want to enjoy the same food as the emperor.”

"When they think, 'The emperor and I eat no different things,' they experience a sense of displacement and begin to imagine themselves as the emperor!"

He paused, then said, "Jeffrey told me the other day that my donations to the Socialist Party could increase next year?"

Lance nodded slightly, and after going around in circles for a long time, he finally got to the issue that everyone was concerned about.

The union bill and the emperor's chef were just topics to warm up the atmosphere. The real reason this truly important figure, the chairman of the Federal Socialist Party committee, was here was simply because of the increased transfer of benefits next year.

Lance nodded. "More than now, maybe tens of millions more."

Upon hearing the number, Chairman Thomason's smile stretched out even more, revealing his wrinkles. He glanced at Senator Cleveland and asked somewhat insincerely, "Won't this put too much pressure on you?"

“I know that we have a lot of deep cooperation, and I understand that we are in a difficult situation now and do need more funds.”

"But all of this should be based on the premise that your financial situation is normal. I don't want you to bring this money over and cause trouble for your own business."

"We are more eager for long-term and stable cooperation."

Lance put down his knife and fork, lit a cigarette, and said, "I already told Senator Cleveland that I've completely taken over the liquor market in the three southern states."

"To put it more bluntly, I have monopolized the underground liquor market in these three states. As you know, the profit margin on liquor is very high, so increasing my investment in the Socialist Party is not a burden for me, nor will it affect the normal operation of the company."

"What I need your help with is to save the Prohibition Commission."

"I've recently heard some rumors that someone has proposed lifting Prohibition?"

Hearing what Lance said, Chairman Thomason felt relieved. He pondered for a while and said, "There is indeed such a saying. Prohibition... was an experiment in itself, and from the current perspective, the result of this experiment was undoubtedly a failure."

"So some people have suggested that we can end this social experiment, since it hasn't achieved the results we wanted."

Prohibition was a large-scale social experiment, and all those who could not drink alcohol under the prohibition order were subjects of this experiment.

Some people previously believed that people, especially workers, should not have too many complicated lives and emotions, and that their lives should revolve around work rather than life.

If this experiment achieves the desired result—that the working class stops drinking—could it reduce their resistance, increase their work efficiency, and make them easier to manage?

Many of the group problems in federal society during this period were related to alcohol, such as workers gathering to drink before strikes.

Alcohol led them to make impulsive and wrong decisions, and these situations might have been better without it.

But in reality, it didn't work. The strikes still happened, and bootlegging was rampant. Apart from enriching people like Lance, neither the upper nor lower classes got what they wanted from the entire Prohibition order.

This was a failed experiment, and since it has failed, it should be stopped and everything should be put back on track.

But once things are back on track, how will Lance make money again?

The profits during Prohibition were several times, ten times, or even more than during the period without Prohibition!
The price of grapes has risen from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan, which means that even after a several-fold increase, wine can still generate huge profits, demonstrating just how complex the situation is.

Where there are supporters, there are bound to be opponents.

Chairman Thomason glanced at the other three people, including Senator Cleveland, and said, “Leave this to us. Don’t worry, Prohibition will not be lifted for at least the next ten years!”

Lance smiled and raised his glass, "It's been a pleasure working with you..."

Chairman Thomason was all smiles, saying, "It's a pleasure to cooperate."

After dinner, as Chairman Thomason and the others were at the manor gate preparing to go their separate ways with Lance, he seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, I heard someone reported that you might have some tax issues. You'd better be careful."

Lance paused for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you for the information. It's very important."

Chairman Thomason smiled, got into his car, and left. Lance frowned as he watched him go.

Senator Cleveland, standing nearby, asked, "Do you need any help?"

Lance thought for a moment, "I'll give you a call if needed."

Senator Cleveland didn't see anything wrong with his current lack of urgency to seek help.

Since this tax reform, the IRS has been granted enormous powers by the federal government and Congress. Its director is appointed in the same way as the FBI and now the NSA director, nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

The tax reform has affected a wider range of people, requiring more enforcement powers. Moreover, it relates to the core revenue of the federal government, so the current IRS is somewhat like the Contraband Administration at the beginning of Prohibition.

Being targeted by the tax bureau is indeed a bit of a hassle.

The police, the FBI, and now the NSA, if they want to arrest Lance and try him, they must produce enough evidence of Lance's crimes.

Since they can't find any evidence of these crimes, they can't do anything to Lance. After all, the Federation is a society governed by the rule of law, and Lance is no small fry.

However, the tax bureau is different from other law enforcement agencies. Other law enforcement agencies require law enforcement officers to prove that a suspect is guilty before they can turn the suspect into a criminal.

So, the tax authorities require suspects to prove their innocence in order to evade legal trial.

They may look similar, but in reality there is a huge difference!
One requires a lot of preliminary work to prove your guilt, while the other requires you to find a way to prove your innocence as soon as you are suspected of being guilty.

Lance is very rich, everyone knows that.

Even he couldn't guarantee that every penny he made was clean. After all, with so much "illicit proceeds," he could run into trouble if the tax authorities started to suspect him.

The simplest way is to assess all his assets and then look at the taxes he has paid over the years. Even if there is a single dollar discrepancy, the tax authorities will come after him for tax evasion.

However, Senator Cliff believes Lance can handle these situations, and even if he doesn't, the Socialists will protect him.

Lance had originally planned to stay in New Gold City for a while longer, but due to Chairman Thomason's news, he had to return to Golden Harbor City ahead of schedule.

The first thing I did after returning to Jin Gang City was to call over the company's accounting supervisor.

"Boss?"

The accounting supervisor was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties. He was also an immigrant from the Empire, someone he knew well, and had gained Lance's trust.

His parents, siblings, including his wife and children, all lived under Lance's nose, and Lance paid him a sufficiently high salary.

"sit."

After the accountant sat down, Lance explained why he had called the accountant: "I may have run into some trouble recently. The tax authorities may investigate me and the company's tax situation."

“I have always emphasized the importance of paying taxes and have made sure that the company pays all taxes, but I cannot guarantee that every income is taxed in full.”

"Therefore, I need you to conduct a comprehensive review and analysis of my personal and company tax situation to see if there are any problems."

"If not, that would be best."

"If so, see how to solve these problems."

The accountant nodded. "No problem, leave this to me."

Lance seemed to have thought of something, "Oh right, and the assets of other people in the company, like Erwin and the others, should also be checked, to make sure that no one gets into trouble."

After giving the order, Lance felt a little relieved. Even if the tax bureau wanted to cause him trouble, he needed to figure out the general situation first.

Lance has always required the company to pay taxes in full as much as possible.

The federal government has long had various methods of tax avoidance, such as charitable donations.

Set up your own charitable foundation, donate money to yourself, and then apply to the federal government for charitable tax breaks.

There are also some who utilize the laws and regulations of different places to reduce or exempt taxes for certain special projects.

Lance tried to avoid these things to avoid trouble with the tax authorities.

The Potter family hasn't bothered him during this time, which might be related to the Potter family.

Asset and tax investigations are a very sensitive matter. After the accountant arranged for someone to do it, someone quickly called Lance to inquire about it, and Lance responded to each call, asking for their cooperation.

Money is something you can never earn enough of. As long as you are out there and have freedom, you can have as much as you want.

While the accountants were conducting their self-audit, the Likale State Tax Bureau was also discussing this matter.

In the director's office, the director, deputy director, and some supervisors sat together.

"What do you think?" the director asked, handing some materials to his supervisors.

The deputy director had already seen it before, so there was no need to look at it again.

After the supervisors finished reading the materials in their hands, they looked at each other without saying a word, maintaining a silence.

It's not that they have nothing to say; in fact, they have a lot to say, but it's inconvenient to say it at this time, and they can't be the first to speak.

After all, this involves a taboo in Licarle State—the Lance family.

(End of this chapter)