Lady of the Lord From the East

Although Felix was full of confidence in front of Claude, as for the price increase of essential oils, he was actually not so confident that the women in the capital would buy it.

After all, the price of essential oils has suddenly become so much more expensive. Although the essential oils they send to the capital are allowed to be split into smaller quantities for sale, are the ladies really willing to buy these high-concentration essential oils that are more expensive than gems?

The answer is yes.

Because he was thinking about the result of the sale, Felix had already asked the knight who escorted the essential oil to send someone to deliver the letter as soon as the result came out. After finishing the fifteen-day journey in days, he brought back the letter for him.

The letter said that the essential oils delivered this time were indeed dissatisfied by the guests at first, but after they wrote the copy written by Wei Wei and copied by Felix, they then sent others to copy many copies of the instructions for use. In the hands of some of the most powerful ladies in the aristocratic circle of the capital, and a small bottle of only five milliliters of essential oil was given away, within a few days, several noble ladies headed by the queen sent people to visit them again. shop.

With their leadership, other nobles quickly accepted the new price, because they did the math and found that although the price of essential oils seemed to have increased, the effect was better, and the essential oils they bought could be diluted by themselves, The diluted essential oil contains more and can be used for a longer time.

Think again, the same amount of essential oil, high-concentration essential oil can even be diluted to nearly a hundred bottles of the original low-concentration essential oil with the smallest dilution ratio (of course, if they really use it, they will find that it is not really there. There are as many as 100 bottles, after all, this ratio will not be used), in fact, the price of some types of high-concentration essential oils is now lower than before, even the price of the most expensive rose essential oil is Not much higher than before.

And the most important thing is that every time you buy a bottle, the girls in the family can use it separately. You don’t need to buy a new one for a month or two, and you can save yourself the trouble of always being unable to get the goods.

So what are you waiting for? Of course, you should buy more while you have stock. Even if you don't need it yourself, you can give it away and sell it to someone in need.

Therefore, although the essential oil business in the capital is not as popular as it was at the beginning, it is also very stable, and the daily income it brings to Felix is ​​not less than 1,000 gold coins.

After knowing the result, Felix finally felt relieved.

Because there is a steady stream of income flowing into the wallet, Felix, who is not short of money, divided the draft of 10,000 gold coins brought by Claude into two, of which 5,000 was directly given to Wei Wei as the first dividend of the essential oil business, See if she wants to exchange for gold coins or whatever.

Of course, Wei Wei chose to spend it. Money won't make money in her hands. If she saves too much, she has to worry about being missed by others.

And the bill of exchange in your hand, because it is not a real gold coin, makes people more eager to spend money. This feeling is probably the same as before when you used a mobile phone to swipe Alipay and WeChat.

You don't see so many people who buy and buy in various promotions and just want to chop their hands afterwards. Which is not because of this.

She figured that since she was rich, she would also repair the road around the house she was building.

She has long seen that the roads here are not pleasing to the eye, and they are bumpy and difficult to walk.

Her house has taken shape in the past few months, but according to the feedback from Pierre Architect, the house will be ready to move in, at least until the spring and summer next year. She can feel more comfortable when she goes out.

"After winter, the temperature in Sardinson is probably not suitable for road construction."

Felix had heard Wei Wei talk about wanting to build the road before. He was also said to have been moved by it at the time, but he was put on hold because he couldn't get more manpower in the county. Now that the autumn broadcast is about to end, After the weather became colder, the serfs had more free time, but it was cold in winter. Although the winter in Sardinson County was only one or two degrees in the coldest time, there would also be a few winter snows. Great season for road building.

Wei Wei said: "I asked Pierre, and he said that he knew a special construction team. The scope of this team's work also includes road construction, and it can pick up work even in winter, but the construction period is slower than other seasons. If you want to Speed ​​up the process and increase the number of people, and they can also find enough workers, as long as they are willing to pay, these things can be properly arranged by professionals.”

After saying the news she had inquired, she paused, blinked at Felix, and showed a sly smile like a little fox: "Those who can work in the construction team are all freemen. "

In this era, only nobles and freedmen can leave their living territories and go to other places at will. Similarly, if they want to move, no one else can stop them.

Felix immediately understood Wei Wei's idea: "You want to keep them in Sardinson County."

"It's not me who thinks, it's you who thinks." Wei Wei corrected: "You are the lord, it should be your job to keep them."

The shortage of people in Sardinson is not a day or two. To develop the territory without affecting farming, more people are needed. Felix has considered tax cuts to attract foreigners, but this has always been the case. only in the uninitiated stage.

The reason is naturally that he is busy and has no time to plan this. Sardinson County is not only short of manpower, but also short of talents.

But when it comes to tax cuts, trouble is trouble, and simple is easy.

Because as a lord, Felix is ​​supreme in his territory, where he can do whatever he wants, and no one can say no.

That's why there are always so many tyrannical lords in the news, because they really can do whatever they want.

At present, the taxation of Sardinson County is still the same as the previous method of taxation, which means that, like other nobles, it is more and more complicated. The serfs pay the most taxes, but the free people are not much better. Everyone is the same Being overwhelmed by all kinds of extortionate taxes and taxes, maybe one day the whole family will go bankrupt and starve to death at home.

Therefore, it is not easy for ordinary people in this era, no matter which country they belong to, to live.

In the recent Sardinson County, although the tax is still the same, the life of both the serfs and the freedmen has really begun to improve. The lord gave them work, and the freedmen can get wages. Although the serfs have no money, they can You can also deduct tax when you have a full stomach. This kind of treatment is not available even in the capital.

If outsiders are given the opportunity to understand the current life of Sardinson, knowing that they can have a stable income here, food and clothing, and then announce the news of the tax cut at a specific time, those free people will be impatient to drag their homes. Bring your mouth to settle in Sardinson County.

Seeing the magical realization on Felix's face as he gradually figured it out, Wei Wei smiled again: "So Lord Count, you should really take time to think about this issue."

Felix, who was very busy, tried to be lazy: "Dear Weiwei, why don't you help me think about it? You know, I really don't have much research on taxation, why don't you use your smart brain to help me? I'll share one or two?"

Wei Wei was stunned for a moment. Although she had indeed intervened in many things, taxation was fundamental to Satinson. She did not expect Felix to let her do this.

"Are you serious? This is not something to joke about. If you let me intervene in this matter, the tax changes in your territory will be very large. Can you accept that kind of loss?" She paused and added another paragraph. Explanation: "If you let me change, I may remove a lot of tax items, and your territorial income may shrink by half. Can you accept that?"

Felix didn't expect her to be so ambitious, he didn't answer immediately, but fell silent, thinking about Wei Wei's words.

Can he accept the loss of half of the income of the territory?

Sardinson County is a poor place. There is hardly any difference in the annual territorial income of the Earl. From the previous accounts, including the private land, there will be a net income of about 5,000 gold coins in the Sardinson Castle Manor every year. , This amount of money is a huge sum of money for the small nobles. I am afraid that it is not worth mentioning at all if it is placed on the big nobles in the capital.

If this income would be cut in half, Felix felt that he would be very distressed and completely reluctant to change it.

but now-

"Although it's a little distressing, I'm still willing." After a long silence, he suddenly laughed: "Think about it now that we don't have to rely on taxes to live. Whether it's essential oils or other businesses, the money we make is better than taxes. The money is much more. In the past, Sardinson only had an income of 5,000 gold coins a year, but you can see that we can get tens of thousands of gold coins in one transaction now, so what’s the point of losing some?”

"And I believe that even if this territorial income is lost, you can help me and help us earn more, right?"

He really is an enlightened lord. Felix praised himself narcissistically.

However, Wei Wei still rejected him.

She shook her head and said helplessly, "But I can't do this. After all, I'm just an outsider. If I rashly intervene, it won't be good for you or me."

Although it is said that the lord has the right to decide anything in the territory, once the decision to change the tax to attract the freedmen comes out, the loss is the nobles of the territory where the freedmen were originally located, and those nobles will naturally count the loss to Felix's On his head, as an earl, he can ignore the revenge that other nobles may have, but Wei Wei is different.

She is an outsider, and although she claims to be born of a noble, other people can deny this noble status. It is much easier for her to do it than to pay Lix. For example, it will give her a pagan status.

That's why Wei Wei has been hiding herself under Felix's shadow. The surrounding nobles thought she was just an ignorant lady who had been tricked into various precious formulas, even if she was jealous of Felix's benefits, because of the latter's Identity, his direct vassals dare not do anything.

Under Felix's special maintenance, the nobles outside of Sardinson County still don't know her existence, so until now she has been able to fly safely in the waves of Sardinson County.

If she was discovered, Wei Wei felt that her peaceful life would be over.

There is no impermeable wall in the world, and even the servants of the castle are not completely trustworthy. If she really takes over this job, after the exposure, other nobles may not want to tear her apart.

So it's okay to go ahead and give an opinion on things like tax reform, but it's okay to do it yourself.

After Felix heard her words, his mood was obviously lowered. Wei Wei's concerns were all right, but what made him unhappy was Wei Wei's words "I am an outsider after all".

In Felix's heart, Wei Wei has always been regarded as his future wife, a family rather than an outsider, but you can tell from Wei Wei's words that she doesn't have the same thoughts as herself.

This leaves Felix a little frustrated and a little sad.

After getting along for so long, Felix knew very well that Wei Wei was completely different from other girls he knew. She was very emotionally restrained and conservative. Even in their interactions, except for holding hands and a few hugs, they hardly ever other intimate contacts.

If this is replaced by a lady from another noble, it is nothing new to get together on the day of the agreement.

Of course, Felix likes Wei Wei's reserved and conservative side that is different from other girls, but she is still very unhappy occasionally.

Even Dolores has more opportunities to get close to Wei Wei than him, how could he not be jealous of this!

Now that she heard the word "outsider", Felix naturally understood her definition of herself.

Even in the relationship of lovers, Wei Wei did not fully trust herself.

And in the relationship between the two, it is obvious that he paid a little more.

Of course, he knew and prepared for this for a long time. This situation will continue forever, but he will still be sad after listening to Wei Wei's words.

His expression was too obvious, and Wei Wei couldn't bear it when he looked at him with such a complicated gaze that he seemed to be looking at a heartless man: "What's the matter with you?"

"You are not an outsider, you are my fiancee, my future wife, you can fully believe that I have the ability to protect you."

Felix's blue eyes were serious, and there was a hint of injury.

Wei Wei: "...When did I become your fiancee?"

She avoided the subject of believing or not.

"I thought we were dating for the purpose of marriage, didn't I?"

Wei Wei really thinks so, and for now, Felix's performance is very much in line with her requirements for a future partner.

She knows that Europeans are very open in terms of communication. Even in this era, Wei Wei can often hear the maids talking about who has a relationship after looking at whom, and who has a lover after marriage. The tryst, who has stepped on a few boats, and no one thinks there is any problem with this.

Wei Wei couldn't accept this. Fortunately, she probably saw her rejection. Although Felix would lead her for a walk and occasionally hug her, he had always been restrained in other intimate actions.

This is very rare.

So she nodded.

"Since marriage is the premise, then when you agree to date, we are already a fiancée." Felix was a little confused: "Of course, I know I haven't proposed to you yet, but I'm already preparing, I promise you won't be disappointed."

He suddenly came over, put his hands on Wei Wei's shoulders, and declared again: "So you are my fiancee, you are not an outsider, you can do whatever you want on my territory, you don't have to worry about anything else, I will protect yours."

Wei Wei looked at him, then buried herself in his arms.

A muffled voice came from his arms: "...Anyone will say something nice."

"I will prove it."

The conversation ended in a dead end. After that, Felix didn't mention the tax collection, and Wei Wei didn't ask him how to prove it. Neither side seemed to take it to heart.

But Felix approached Pierre, asked him about the construction team, and then asked him to help contact the head of the construction team to interview in Sardinson County.

He was going to talk a big deal with the construction team if they did what Pierre had told Pierre, and it wasn't bad.

In Beedeshire, two counties away from Sardinson, a bearded man was drinking with his men in a pub and flirting with the girls beside him. These people were workers on the same construction team. The team's founder is the bearded Nissen. They have just finished a project recently. Everyone has spare money and can't find other entertainment, so they naturally ran to the pub.

"Sir, I have your letter."

A lad ran in through the door, the valet who worked at Beard's house.

Nissen took the letter and opened it directly. It didn't take long for him to spit the wine out while drinking, and some of the wine even sprayed on the girl next to him who was close to him, who pushed him angrily. Take it, turn around and go.

Nissen didn't go after people, but continued to read the letter. Women can coax at any time. Now the content of the letter is the most important.

Seeing this, his deputy next to him asked, "What happened? Who wrote the letter?"

After reading the letter, Nissen grinned and said, "Old Pierre wrote it, he introduced us to a big business."

This time, everyone else became curious: "Pierre? Didn't he build a house for a noble lady in Sardinson County recently, and what kind of big business could he have?"

"The lord of Sardinson, Earl Williams, seems to be planning to renovate the roads in the domain, let's go over and talk."

"Building a road?" The deputy disagreed: "This is not a good job. It's almost winter, and when the weather is cold, this road will be difficult to repair. Running to Sardinson for a road is not worth it, right?"

"It's not as simple as a road." Nissen raised the letter in his hand, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously: "Looking at what Pierre wrote, the earl seems to be planning to build a concrete road, and I'm afraid he will All the villages and towns in my territory are connected."

"A cement road, or a cement road that connects the villages and towns in the entire territory?" Everyone who heard this gasped: "How much will that cost?"

The cost of the cement road was quite high, so it was still necessary to build a road in a territory. Even if the earl's territory was small, this business would allow them to have enough food and clothing for half a year.

only…

"Pierre didn't lie to you, did the earl have so much money to build the road? Even if there was, would he be willing?"

Nissen didn't really believe it either, but he believed in Pierre's character and knew that the old man wouldn't joke with him about this kind of thing, so he said: "You'll know if you go and see, it just happens that you haven't lived recently, who would like to? came with me?"

A group of people looked at each other, and most of them didn't want to go to a remote country place when they had a rare leisure time, so they all kept silent. In the end, his deputy Peter stood up and expressed his willingness to go with him. .

So after two days in the pub, they packed up and headed to Sardinson.

And the closer they got to Sardinson, the more Neeson and his deputy Peter found that Sardinson seemed to be different from what they had imagined.

They have never opened Sardinson County, but they have heard some things about Sardinson County, especially the previous earl and his heir died one after another, and the news that the title was inherited by the second son spread all over the surrounding counties, and some people even conspired It is said that the previous earl and his heir were killed by the current earl. There are still many people who believe in the news. They have never considered that Felix, the second son, was sent away at a very young age, and it is impossible to have the opportunity to do so. something like that.

Anyway, everyone thinks that nobles are a group of people who will do anything for their power, status, and status, and no one thinks that Felix is ​​innocent.

Neeson and Peter had also heard of such rumors. By the way, Pierre, whom Neeson was familiar with, had gone to renovate a church in Sardinson not long ago. Later, when he came back and had a drink with Neeson, he had heard the other party talk about Sardinson. The situation, I know that it is indeed an ordinary, remote county with few outsiders.

But now, on the main road into Sardinson County, there are unusually many carriages coming and going, and it doesn't look like Pierre said that there are few outsiders.

With this doubt in mind, they tried to inquire about the situation in Sardinson County with a local coachman.

"Actually, there were really no outsiders in Sardinson County before, but it's different now." The coachman accepted the bacon handed over by Peter, and his words naturally increased: "Since the new Count succeeded to the throne, Sardin Mori County has changed a lot."

The driver told them proudly: "The caravans you see all come to Sardinson to do business."

Deputy Peter muttered: "Doing business? What kind of business can be done in such a place?"

Unexpectedly, the coachman's ears are still very good. Hearing his words, if it weren't for the fact that both of them are tall and strong, the other party would give them a blank eye.

"There is a lot of business that can be done. Do you know essential oils? It is a valuable commodity that can sell several gold coins in a small bottle in the Royal Capital." Those who have used essential oils: "That's what we made in Sardinson. Now many businessmen want to buy essential oils from Lord Earl."

"So expensive? What's the use of that essential oil?"

Coachman: "I heard that it is a magical drug that can make your ladies look better. The nobles in the capital are all mad. Every time the earl sends someone out, the goods are sold out within a few days."

"In addition to essential oils, we also have delicious pasta here. I heard people who work in the noodle factory say that it is food made from white noodles, and the taste is even more delicious than white bread. After eating it, many nobles would Send someone to buy pasta immediately, many of these teams are sent by them."