Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

Lenia's words were blunt, and Mishko's expression finally changed.

"Minister Lenia, please watch your words."

Negotiations reached an impasse.

Mecklen sat there, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He was both angry at the other party's greed and ashamed that he had failed to see through the other party's intentions.

Just then, the door of the conference room was pushed open.

Lacey, dressed in casual clothes, walked in slowly, with Serafina following behind him.

“Your Majesty!” Mechren and Lenia immediately rose and bowed.

Mishko also stood up, his face regaining its professional smile, and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty the Emperor, I did not expect to meet you here."

"Mr. Mishko, please have a seat."

Lacey waved casually and then sat down in the main seat.

"I heard your conversation just now."

He picked up the Casimir plan on the table, flipped through a couple of pages quickly, and then tossed it aside.

“A very interesting plan.” Lacey’s tone was unreadable.

Mishko's pupils contracted sharply.

He sensed that the seemingly gentle and refined young emperor appeared somewhat dissatisfied.

"Your Majesty, I think you may have some misunderstandings..."

“No, I didn’t misunderstand,” Lacey interrupted him.

"I completely understand your thoughts."

"In your view, Letania has just undergone a revolution, and everything is in ruins. The national treasury is empty. This is our most vulnerable time, and also the best time for you to take advantage of our weakness."

He leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Mishko's eyes: "But you've miscalculated one thing. What you're facing isn't the old Letania that can be sold out by nobles and capitalists at will."

Mishko's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Under Lacey's gaze, he felt as if he were completely seen through.

“Of course, we welcome investment, and we also need friends,” Lacey’s tone softened.

"So, I'll give you a chance to bargain."

He held up his finger.

"First, loans are possible, but they must be low-interest loans with an annual interest rate not exceeding two percent. We can use a portion of future tax revenue as collateral."

"Secondly, the rights to operate and develop the land and mines will never be transferred."

“But we can open up engineering contracting rights, and you can bid and compete fairly with our state-owned enterprises.”

"Whoever offers the lowest price and has the best technology will get the project."

At this point, Lacey seemed to see Mecklen cover his mouth and chuckle.

"Third, intellectual property rights? Don't even think about it, but we can purchase technology."

“You provide your mature technology, and we will buy it at market price.”

"One-time buyout, fair and honest dealings with everyone, young and old."

After Lacey finished speaking, she leaned back in her chair and said nothing more.

Mishko was stunned.

His mind raced with calculations.

The three conditions proposed by Lacey almost completely eliminated all of Casimir's excess profit margins, but still retained a certain possibility of profitability.

This was no longer the economic colonization they had originally planned, but had become a real business investment with both risks and rewards.

You can definitely make money; it just depends on how you do it.

Looking at the young emperor before him, he felt a sense of awe for the first time.

This is hardly a revolutionary who rose to power by inciting the masses; he is clearly a master negotiator who understands the exchange of interests better than even the most cunning businessman in Kazimierz.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, your conditions…we need time to consider them,” Mishko said with difficulty.

“Okay.” Lacey stood up. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours.”

"I need an answer by this time tomorrow."

"If you agree, we'll be friends. If you don't, that's fine too. After all, you're not the only one who wants to invest in Letania."

After saying that, he turned and left the conference room.

Misko slumped into a chair, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

……

In the corridor, Gertrude approached and handed Lacey a document.

"Your Majesty, there are three individuals in the Kazimir assessment team whose identities are questionable."

“Our men discovered that they had attempted to contact the remnants of the old aristocratic forces last night.”

Lacey took the document, glanced at it, and calmly said, "Get them out of Letania."

“Tell Mishko that this is a parting gift we are giving him.”

“Tell him to go back and tell the Business Federation that if they want to do business with us, they should show sincerity and not try these underhanded tricks.”

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter 94: Imperial Support Rate: Extremely High

Trinterme, Workers' District, No. 17 Cinder Lane.

This is one of the darkest and dampest corners in this glamorous capital city.

The alleyways, which are perpetually shrouded in darkness, are filled with the sour, rotten smell of poor-quality coal burning and the rancid odor of household garbage.

Anton Muller's house is located at the very end of this alley.

The four members of their family were crammed into a room of less than 20 square meters.

Anton was once a skilled worker at a textile factory in the east of the city, but the factory closed down during the economic turmoil at the end of the reign of the Gemini Queens, and he lost his job.

The burdens of life were suffocating him.

What drove him to despair the most was his youngest daughter Anna's illness.

A chronic respiratory disease caused by infection that requires long-term use of expensive medications to manage.

To buy medicine for Anna, Anton sold all the valuables in his house and incurred a huge debt.

Every night, when Anton heard Anna's suppressed coughs, his heart ached.

He hated his own incompetence and he also hated this unjust world.

When the news of the new emperor's ascension to the throne arrived, Anton, like his neighbors in the alley, simply listened numbly.

What difference does it make to those living in the mire if the emperor changes?

It's just a matter of changing who collects the taxes.

However, the change happened unexpectedly.

First, a group of young people in uniforms came to the alley entrance. They called themselves the "community health service team" and began to clean up the garbage that had been piled up for a long time, unclog the blocked sewers, and spray disinfectant from house to house.

For the first time, the smell in the alleyway became fresh.

Then, a "People's Clinic" was established in the central square of the workers' district.

The sign read in large, eye-catching letters: "Citizens of the Empire, free medical treatment upon presentation of identification."

Anton initially didn't believe it; there's no such thing as a free lunch.

But seeing Anna's increasingly frail face, he still decided to give it a try and carried his daughter to the clinic.

To his surprise, the doctors and nurses in the clinic, dressed in white coats, were kind and gentle, completely unlike the arrogance found in the old-fashioned aristocratic hospitals.

An older doctor carefully examined Anna and then wrote a prescription.

"Don't worry, son, this isn't a terminal illness," the doctor said gently to Anton.

"Take your medication on time, keep warm and get proper nutrition, and you will gradually get better."

With trembling hands, Anton went to the payment window, preparing to take out the last few copper coins he had in his pocket.

The nurse at the window smiled and said to him, "Sir, your expenses have already been paid by the 'National Healthcare Security Fund'."

"Here is your medication. Please take it and come back for a follow-up check-up in three days."

Anton took the large bag of medicine in a daze, walked out of the clinic, and felt as if he were dreaming when the sunlight shone on his face.

He opened the medicine packet, which contained a new drug he had never seen before, with the emblem of the Imperial Academy of Sciences printed on the packaging.

He couldn't help but squat down by the roadside, a man in his forties, wailing like a child.

This is just the beginning.

A few days later, Anton received a notification from the "People's Employment Placement Center".

Based on his past technical experience, he was assigned to the Triinttelme locomotive factory, which was undergoing expansion, and became a glorious builder of the empire.

Eight-hour workday, with a fixed salary and labor protection benefits.

On the day he received his first month's salary, Anton, for the first time ever, bought a small piece of smoked meat on his way home.

When his wife saw the piece of meat, tears immediately streamed down her face.

That evening, the long-lost aroma of meat wafted from the dining table at the Anton family's house.

Anna's coughing seemed to have subsided considerably.

The bigger surprise is yet to come.

The affordable housing program has been fully launched in Trinitylme.

These apartments are designed to be simple and practical, with each unit having its own kitchen and bathroom, and running water and electricity.

Based on their family size and contributions, the Anton family was fortunate enough to be allocated a two-bedroom apartment on the third floor.

On the day they moved, the entire coal ash alley came to see them off.

The neighbors' eyes were filled with envy and sincere blessings.

Anton's eldest son, twelve-year-old Peter, ran around excitedly in his new home.

For the first time, he had his own room, with a desk by the window.

Anton's wife, Masha, repeatedly stroked the walls and faucets, murmuring, "Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Anton stood on the balcony, watching the children playing in the community below, while thick smoke billowed from the factory chimneys in the distance.

He took a deep breath, and the air no longer smelled of the sour, rotten coal ash alley, but rather a scent full of hope.

In the evening, the family sat around the newly purchased dining table.

On the table were black bread and milk distributed free of charge by the government.

On the wall hung a portrait of His Majesty the Emperor that Anton had specially cut out from a newspaper.

The young emperor in the portrait has a gentle gaze.

The radio was playing the evening news from Imperial Broadcasting Station.

"...Today, the Imperial Medical Education Department announced the establishment of the 'Morning Star' special scholarship to support all outstanding students from impoverished families in completing their higher education..."

"...His Majesty the Emperor pointed out in his decree: Knowledge is the key to changing one's destiny. We must never allow any talented child to be buried because of poverty..."

Peter looked up at Anton with bright eyes: "Dad, I want to go to school too. I want to get a scholarship and become an engineer, just like those uncles who build apartment buildings!"

Anton patted his son's head, his eyes welling up with tears.

He knew that from this day forward, his children's future would be completely different from that of his generation.

They will have an opportunity to change their destiny through hard work and talent.