Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

“Eternal Grace,” Liselot Ivignad, in a white dress, with a compassionate smile on her face.

"Ruthless Authority," Helemat Hildergard, clad in black armor, with sharp eyes and an imposing presence.

Upon seeing the newcomers, all the electors rose and bowed with their hands on their chests.

Lacey also bowed slightly.

The twin queens took their seats on their thrones, and Liselotte's gaze swept gently across the room before finally settling on Lacey.

"Please have a seat, everyone," Liselotte said softly.

Everyone took their seats, and the council meeting began.

An elderly elector immediately raised his voice toward the throne and said, "Your Majesty! I want to impeach Lacey of Vaser!"

"This man was of lowly birth, and he used inciting mobs as a means to openly attack the territory of the Imperial Elector, driving Otto Gladstone to his death!"

"Such behavior is tantamount to treason! If it is not severely punished, what will become of the imperial laws? What will become of the honor of the nobility?"

Upon hearing this, several other electors echoed his sentiments.

"I second that! Otto Gladstone guarded the empire's frontiers. Even if he made a mistake, it should be Your Majesty who decides! When did it become the turn of a peasant to carry out this so-called trial?"

"This is a trampling on the millennia-old legal system of the Empire! If he can incite the lowly people of the Vaser Territory today, he can incite our territory tomorrow! This trend must not be allowed to continue!"

Several electors launched a series of attacks, their words fierce and their spittle flying.

They portrayed Lacey as an ambitious rebel, attempting to politically nail him to the ground.

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 48: Tax Reform and International Situation

Lacey listened quietly the whole time, her face expressionless, as if they were talking about someone who had nothing to do with her.

Mecklen Neham watched the scene with great interest, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

The military elector stood with his arms crossed, looking disdainful, seemingly uninterested in such verbal sparring.

Only when all the accusations gradually subsided and the hall fell silent again did Lacey slowly raise her head, her gaze calmly sweeping over the indignant electors.

"Have you all finished speaking?"

"If you've finished speaking, then it's my turn."

Instead of offering a defense, he took out a document from his pocket, which was Otto's handwritten confession.

"Everyone is grieving the death of Otto Gladstone, saying he died for the glory of the Empire."

"Then, I would like to ask, is it an honor for the Empire to be used as a pawn in the expedition to Kazdel, suffer heavy losses, and flee back in disgrace?"

His first question turned the elderly Elector Hoffmann's face ashen.

"To make up for his stupidity and failure, Otto implemented a birth tax in the territory of Vaser, where every newborn baby had to pay a tax."

"And a death tax, where the family of each deceased member has to pay for the funeral expenses!"

"Is it the glory of an empire to exploit its own people to the bone?"

Lacey's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"When the people of Vaser were overwhelmed and launched peaceful strikes and protests, Otto sent the Tower Guard not to appease or negotiate, but to massacre them!!"

"He will use the blood of millions of his people to wash away his shame!"

"Is it the glory of the empire to slaughter its own people?!"

He slammed the confession onto the table with a loud "smack," making everyone's hearts skip a beat.

"I, Lacey, entered the Vase Territory only because I received the blood and tears of the people of the Vase Territory and because I was acting on the orders of Her Majesty the Queen to protect her people!"

"I prevented a human tragedy from happening!"

“Otto Gladstone did not die by my sword; he committed suicide out of guilt! He died because of his own tyranny and folly!”

After he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.

Lacey then turned to the twin queens on the high platform and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, everything I have done is not a challenge to the imperial authority, but on the contrary, it is to uphold the dignity of the imperial authority."

“A tyrannical and cruel lord who preys on his people will only tarnish Her Majesty’s glory and shake the foundations of the empire.”

“I purged such scoundrels and pulled the Vase territory back on track from the brink of collapse. Isn’t this the duty of a loyal subject?”

The faces of the electors who had launched the attack turned from red to white, then from white to green, their mouths agape, yet they could not utter a single word.

Lacey's words were simply a statement of facts, but those facts were more powerful than any eloquence.

On the high platform, the Black Queen Helimat frowned, her eyes filled with even more chill.

She could sense the hidden sharpness in Lacey's words; this young man was far more difficult to deal with than she had imagined.

Liselotte was surprised to find that Lacey had none of the vulgarity and impatience of a nouveau riche. Instead, she displayed a composure, wisdom, and political acumen that even many established nobles lacked.

“You’re right, Lord Lacey,” Lizault finally spoke, her voice still gentle.

"So, what is the current state of Vaser Territory under your rule?"

“Your Majesty,” Lacey replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"After abolishing all the exorbitant taxes and levies and returning the land and factories to the people, everyone in the Vaser region now has food to eat and jobs to do, and the people's enthusiasm for labor is higher than ever before."

“I expect that in the next tax quarter, the taxes paid by the Vassell to the royal family will be more than three times that under Otto Gladstone.”

"Furthermore, this number will continue to grow as the new policy is implemented."

As soon as Liu IV Durian Ba ​​said this, before anyone else could react, Mecklen Neham, from a merchant family, immediately lit up.

“A stable, prosperous Vassehr, which can provide more tax revenue for the country,” Lacey concluded.

“I think this is more in the best interest of Letania than a poor territory like Vaser that only brings shame to the empire.”

"It also better meets the expectations of His Majesties."

After speaking, he bowed slightly and sat back down in his seat.

Parliament fell into a long silence.

Liselotte smiled and clapped her hands gently.

"Wonderful," she said softly.

"Lord Lexi, your eloquence is no less than that of the best debaters in Trilintelmey."

“Hmm… perhaps I shouldn’t say that, but you showed this talent back in Salem during the public trial.”

"However, it seems that it is no accident that the Vase territory was able to restore order in such a short time."

Then she stopped smiling and changed her tone: "Alright, history will judge Otto Gladstone's merits and demerits."

"Now that His Excellency Lacey is already the Elector personally appointed by the Royal Family, let's leave it at that. Gentlemen, let's not forget the true purpose of our meeting today."

Although Elector Hoffmann was unwilling, he did not want to defy the Empress's will in public, so he could only sit back down resentfully.

Liselotte looked down at Lacey, her mind racing, and said, "In that case, let's get down to business—Imperial tax reform."

The topic was moved on, and the other electors present, regardless of their inner thoughts, had to acknowledge the status of their new colleague, at least outwardly.

With the discussion of tax reform beginning, the atmosphere in the parliamentary hall eased somewhat.

A minister in charge of finances began to report on the empire's current financial situation, with numerous complex figures and items that made everyone drowsy.

Its core idea is simply that, due to natural disasters, border conflicts, and the aftermath of the War of the Witch King in recent years, the empire's finances are stretched thin, and it urgently needs to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.

Therefore, it is proposed to impose new taxes on luxury goods and cross-regional trade, based on the existing tax system.

This immediately drew opposition from several veteran electors.

"Raise taxes? Your Majesty, the cider and fur trade in our territory is already on thin margins. If taxes are increased further, the merchants will not be able to survive!"

The military elector of the Hayden-Schwell region complained in a muffled voice that his territory was primarily based on agriculture and animal husbandry.

“Indeed, my territory relies mainly on the export of handicrafts. If taxes are imposed on trade, it would be like strangling us,” another elector chimed in.

They were talking back and forth, but their core message was the same: taxes can be increased, but don't impose them on me.

Elector Mecklen Neham, a merchant, chuckled and smoothed things over: "Please be patient, Your Majesty and the ministers are acting in the best interests of the Empire."

“However, how to increase taxes and who to impose them on really needs careful consideration. We can’t do something like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.” He said, glancing meaningfully at Lacey.

Everyone understands that the simplest way to achieve open source is to start with the richest and most lucrative areas.

For example, the commerce of Keprania, or... the Vasseur territory that has just undergone redistribution.

Just then, Lacey, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellencies." He stood up, drawing everyone's attention.

"I believe that simply raising taxes is not a fundamental solution to fiscal problems; it is tantamount to killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

"Oh?" Lizault looked at him with interest. "Then, what is Lord Elis's opinion?"

“I think the key to the problem is not about open source, but about letting the water flow to nourish the fish,” Lacey said calmly.

"The foundation of taxation lies in the output of the territory and the purchasing power of the people."

"The wealthier the people are, the more prosperous the commerce becomes, and the higher the empire's tax revenue will naturally be."

He then changed the subject and began to introduce the new policies of the Waser territory.

“In the territory of Vaser, I abolished all the exorbitant taxes such as the birth tax and the death tax, and significantly reduced the tax rate.”

"At the same time, the land and mines confiscated from the Gladstone family will be returned to the workers and farmers in the form of collective ownership and distribution according to work."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the several old noble electors immediately turned extremely ugly.

To them, this was nothing short of madness that threatened the very foundation of the nation.

Lacey, however, seemed oblivious to their expressions and continued, "Perhaps you all think that tax cuts will directly lead to a decrease in fiscal revenue, but the opposite is true."

“When people no longer struggle to survive, they have surplus money and will spend it; factory owners and merchants will expand production and trade because of the reduced tax burden.”

“Just before I came to Triinttelme, the first public canteen in the Vasseur territory had already opened, the price of food in the market had dropped to its lowest point in ten years, and the workers’ enthusiasm had reached an unprecedented level.”

"This is utterly absurd!" Elector Ziegler Augustine of Fordgang finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Give land and mines to those lowly people? Do they even know how to manage them? This is a desecration of sacred private property!"

“Your Excellency Ziegler,” Lacey replied with a smile.

"It turns out that those people you call the lowly are better at making the land produce food and the mines extract ore."

“More importantly!” he emphasized, “a safe and stable territory where everyone has enough to eat can provide the empire with a continuous and stable tax revenue.”

Mecklen Neham's eyes lit up.

He didn't care about any sacred property; all he heard was "consumption," "expanding production," and "market."

The Vaser Territory that Lexi described was, in his eyes, a blue ocean full of unlimited business opportunities!

Lowering taxes and stimulating production and consumption are the cornerstones of business prosperity.

"Lord Lacey's insights are truly...novel." Mecklen smiled like a cunning fox.

"I think this model might be worth studying."

"After all, a good method is one that allows everyone to make money!"

Even Elector Hayden Schweil, who had always been hostile to Lacey, was now deep in thought.

Although his territory was primarily for military purposes, it still required a large amount of food and supplies to support his army.

If Lacey's method can indeed significantly increase output, then...

Lacey didn't say anything more.

He simply wanted to plant the impression in everyone's mind, including the Queen's, that the Vassehr, represented by the Workers' Party, was implementing a more efficient model of social development.

Lizault gave Lacey a deep look, offering no judgment, but simply said, "Lacey's governance style is indeed unique. The Ministry of Finance will study the model of the Lhasa Territory as a case study."

"Alright, let's put the tax issue aside for now and move on to the next topic."

As soon as the words were spoken, the light of Originium Arts shone on the floor in the center of the hall, and a huge map of the Terra continent slowly appeared, with the territory of Letania located in the center of the map.

The atmosphere became serious again.

The military elector of Hayden Schweil immediately stood up, pointing to the vast, deep red area to the north of the map:

"Your Majesty, the Ursus Empire's military movements in the north are becoming increasingly frequent. They are starting to become restless. We must reinforce the Haydenschwell Line to guard against any unforeseen circumstances!"