Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

The atmosphere in the office suddenly became tense.

Lacey leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and pondered.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and slowly said, "What you all said makes sense."

"However, Lenia, the name 'liquidation tax' is too aggressive and purposeful, and it will push even those who could be united to the opposite side."

“Gertrude’s concerns are valid; we cannot allow ourselves to become the target of public criticism. However, justice must also be served.”

He stood up and walked to the map.

"Therefore, I have decided that we should establish a 'special contribution fund'."

“All those on the list were ranked according to their wealth and their degree of connection with the Otto regime, and paid different amounts of contribution.”

"This is not punishment, but their duty as members of the Vaser Territory to rebuild this land."

"At the same time, the Ministry of Law will establish a special court, with representatives of workers, farmers and soldiers joining the jury."

"We must publicly try those ringleaders who have committed heinous crimes and aroused great public outrage! Let them be the first to be punished as a warning to others!"

"As for those who were coerced and whose crimes were minor..."

"As long as they are willing to voluntarily pay their contributions and publicly repent, the new government can let bygones be bygones."

Lacey chuckled softly at this point.

"What we need to do is unite the majority and strike at a small minority."

Although Lenia felt the plan was somewhat "soft," she had to admit that it was a better approach than simply setting up a liquidation tax.

She nodded: "I understand."

Gertrude did not offer any further comments.

Just as the meeting ended and Lacey was preparing to sign the relevant decree, a guard rushed in looking flustered.

"Reporting to Lord Lacey! Outside the tower... a large group of people has arrived outside the tower!"

"Who goes there?" Gertrude immediately became alert.

"They are...the merchants and guild leaders from the major towns and cities of the Wasser Territory!"

"They formed a delegation, led by Jeremy Richter, president of the Westford Chamber of Commerce!"

"They...they demand an immediate audience with the Elector to protest our new policies!"

Before the words were even finished, a noisy commotion erupted downstairs.

Lacey walked to the window and looked down.

In the square in front of the tower, hundreds of people stood in a dark mass, each dressed smartly and with an arrogant expression.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group, wearing a well-tailored velvet coat, was toying with a gold-plated cane in his hand and looking impatiently toward the tower.

A cold smile crept across Lenia's lips: "It seems these parasites are bolder than we imagined."

"They came to us of their own accord."

Lacey's face showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, a playful smile appeared on her face.

He said softly, "It looks like they've come to negotiate."

The first growing pains of the new policy came sooner than expected.

……

Holy Lytanian Empire: Chapter 54: Do you want to work and earn money?

The atmosphere in the throne room was somber.

Lacey sat at the head of the long table, with Gertrude, who had a cold expression, on her left and Lenia, who had a smile on her face but no warmth in her eyes, on her right.

Opposite them were a dozen or so business representatives, led by Jeremy Richter, president of the "Weisford" Chamber of Commerce.

These businessmen, accustomed to a life of luxury, were now restless.

Jeremy Richter was the only one who could remain calm.

He was in his forties, slightly overweight, with shrewd eyes; he was the typical rentier who had navigated the old order with ease.

"Your Excellency Elector Marquis"

Jeremy cleared his throat and spoke first, adopting a humble posture, but his words were laced with sarcasm.

"First of all, we would like to congratulate you on becoming the new master of the Vase territory."

"Your victory reflects the will of the people, and we, who run small businesses, are also sincerely happy for you."

He paused, then changed the subject: "However, Your Excellency, some of the new policies you have recently implemented have left us law-abiding businessmen feeling quite confused and alarmed."

“Your Ministry of Economic Affairs personnel seized our books like robbers and even tried to freeze our assets.”

"Your propaganda team portrays us as demons who suck the blood of the people in the streets and alleys."

"Your Excellency, commerce is the lifeblood of the Vaser Territory, and reputation and a stable environment are the cornerstones of commerce. By doing this, you are tantamount to cutting off your own arm!"

His voice gradually rose, taking on a threatening tone: "If this 'unfriendly' atmosphere continues, we'll probably have no choice but to leave Vaser Territory with our assets and go to a place that will welcome us more."

"By then, trade routes will be cut off, factories will shut down, and tens of thousands of workers will lose their jobs..."

"I'm afraid this is not the consequence you want to see, is it?"

What a rake!

A guard stood behind Lacey, his arm veins bulging. If Lacey hadn't given him a look to stop him, he probably would have already rushed up and lifted the fat man up.

"Li Yiqi Liuyi San. Erren Erxi Te Chairman."

Gertrude gave a cold laugh and pushed a document to the center of the table.

"You say you're a law-abiding businessman? Then please explain why, during the period when Otto implemented the death tax, more than 300 families under your chamber of commerce had their properties forcibly seized because they couldn't pay the tax, and why these properties ended up in your pocket for less than 30% of the original price?"

She then produced another document: "Furthermore, in exchange for the salt monopoly, you bribed Otto's Minister of the Interior with 50,000 gold coins."

"This money ultimately turned into exorbitant salt prices weighing on the shoulders of all the people of Vaser. You call this a small business?"

With each word Gertrude spoke, Richter's face paled a little more.

Cold sweat had already seeped from the foreheads of the other merchants.

They never expected that the other party would uncover all their secrets in such a short time.

“You…you’re slandering me! This is fabricated evidence!” Richter roared, his voice sharp but his voice weak.

"Whether it's slander or not, the special court will decide." Gertrude leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and said no more.

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

The merchants' breathing became heavy.

"Chairman Richter."

Lacey finally spoke, his voice calm and unreadable.

“We’ll discuss what Minister Gertrude said later. Let me ask you a question first: Do you think a dilapidated carriage can pull a load of heavy cargo?”

Richter was taken aback, not understanding why Lacey would suddenly ask this.

He answered instinctively, "Of course...no."

“That’s right.” Lacey nodded.

"A broken carriage can't pull the goods."

“I agree with your point of view. Commerce is the lifeblood of Vaser, but the Vaser of the past was like a broken-down car.”

"Its economic model is based on the endless exploitation of 90% of the population to feed the less than 10%."

"This model will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later, and Otto's fate is proof of that."

He stood up and walked to the map.

"Now, I'm going to build a new carriage."

His gaze swept over every businessman present, his eyes becoming fervent.

“You only saw me sealing the ledgers, but you didn’t see what I was about to do.”

"My government will soon launch the largest infrastructure construction plan in the history of the Wasser Territory."

"We will build a comprehensive road network to connect every mine and town; we will dig new canals to reduce transportation costs; we will build new smelters, textile mills, and food processing plants to provide jobs and stable incomes for tens of thousands of workers!"

"Think about it!"

Lacey's voice was full of seductive charm: "When Vasseur leads hundreds of thousands of people and they all have money in their pockets, what do they need?"

"They need new clothes, new shoes, new furniture, and they need meat, wine, and bread!"

"What a huge market this is! A completely new market, hundreds of times larger than the one you used to extract oil from the bones of the poor!"

The merchants' breathing quickened.

They were natural speculators, and the blueprint Lacey painted made them smell the scent of money—an unprecedented, massive amount of money.

"And what do these projects need? They need stone, timber, steel, cement, a fleet of transport vehicles, and a professional construction team!"

“I can’t do all of this by myself; I need partners.”

Qun; Qier Sanlin is to pull [(seven) Shan Silaixi walked back to the table, put her hands on the table, and leaned forward.

"Now, I'm giving you a choice."

"First, cling to your blood-stained old grievances, argue with me in a special court, and then get out of Vaser territory penniless, or go to the mines for labor reform."

"I think many people would be happy to fill the business gaps you've left behind."

He paused, then smiled, but that smile sent chills down the spines of the businessmen.

"Secondly, take a portion of your past ill-gotten gains and invest it as a 'special contribution fund' into this new carriage."

"This money is your ticket to the New World."

"In return, you will receive priority contracting rights for new government infrastructure projects and the right to compete fairly in the new market."

"Is it better to perish alongside a rotting corpse, or to invest in a brand new future and share a pie bigger than ever before?"

"Gentlemen, you are all intelligent people. I don't need to teach you how to choose, do I?"

The entire hall fell silent.

These merchants are not afraid of the butcher's knife or coercion, because they always have a way to maneuver.

But there is one thing they cannot resist—profit.

Merchants are such creatures.

Once they have a good profit, they become bolder.

For a 50% profit, they will take any risk; for a 100% profit, they dare to trample on all human laws; for a 300% profit, they dare to commit any crime, even risking being hanged.

Lacey didn't talk to them about morality, justice, or make any threats; instead, she simply slapped a business plan in their faces.

A business plan with both enormous risks and huge potential rewards.

You either lose everything or make a fortune.

Jeremy Richter stared intently at Lacey, his fat twitching.

In the eyes of this young elector, he saw something more terrifying than Otto's brutality—an absolute rationality that treated everything, including human nature, morality, and hatred, as resources and bargaining chips.

After a long while, Richter, like a deflated balloon, slumped into his chair.

"Your Excellency...we need time to discuss this with the members of the Chamber of Commerce." His voice was dry and hoarse.

“Of course.” Lacey sat back in her chair, regaining her composure.

"I'm giving you three days. After three days, I expect to see a list of collaborators, not a list of enemies."

The merchants left, dejected and distraught.

Gertrude watched their retreating figures with a complex expression.

She walked over to Lacey and whispered, "You've given these wolves a bigger sheepfold, luring them away from eating our sheep."

“That’s right.” Lacey picked up her teacup and gently blew on the steam.