Chapter 181: The Financial Minister
Chapter 181: The Financial Minister
Inside a large room in the royal palace, multiple people sat around a wooden table.
This room was much smaller than the throne room, but it was still pretty massive.
Emperor Maximillian Crestwall looked at everyone gathered around him.
"So." Maximillian demanded. "Tell me about the recent investigations. "What exactly are the main issues popping up right now?"
He folded his arms over his chest and just looked at the people sitting across the wood.
"First, tell me about Baron Adrian Sterling." Maximillian said coldly. "He has been showing clear signs that he is not aligned with the royal family. It would be better if we can suppress him completely and it would be even better if we do it quicker."
The Emperor leaned forward.
"We need to show him exactly what kind of power we hold." Maximillian stated. "We cannot let him look down on us. He is a lowly Baron, and not a Duke like his older brother."
Everyone nodded in response.
One of the men stood up and looked at the Emperor. It was the First Prince, Aurelius Crestwall.
"Father. Before that, I would like to report something important." Aurelius reported formally. "The person who sold us the address to the mana crystal mine... we have been completely unsuccessful at finding him."
Aurelius looked down at his notes.
"We suspect that he is not a simple commoner like he originally claimed." Aurelius explained. "He might have a hidden background or a connection with Lady Vaneira. Maybe he is a wealthy businessman or a high ranked adventurer who operated in her territory."
"Well," a man sitting near the end of the table interrupted smoothly.
It was Roderick, the Royal Financial Minister.
"He only came to the Royal Library once." Roderick said, waving his hand dismissively. "And he never came back. It looks like he knew that we were keeping an eye on his movements. He also managed to successfully evade our people every single time."
Roderick leaned back in his chair as he looked at the Emperor.
"It looks like he is afraid of us finding something out about his identity." Maximillian said. "But it does not matter. He has already taken a massive loss on this trade."
The Financial Minister smirked slightly while the emperor continued.
"What can he actually do with just reading a few books for a single day?" Maximillian explained his logic. "We managed to secure a massive mana crystal mine. And he left with absolutely nothing to his name. I would definitely consider that a win for us."
"And if he ever comes back, just let him be." he advised. "Let him do his own thing. That is exactly what we agreed to on the Soul Contract. You are free to have your spies follow him. Just do not harm him."
Aurelius gave a quick nod and sat back down.
A young woman nearby stood up to speak.
"About this Adrian." she reported. "I was looking through the recent tax reports in Uncle’s office. Adrian’s taxes have officially come up to zero."
Maximillian frowned deeply.
"The reasons that he stated in his paperwork have zero issues legally." the noble explained nervously. "Every single coin that he received from his people... it is not something that he officially taxed. He put a tax on selling to people outside the territory. A fifty percent tax, but no one sells it to outsiders."
The noble flipped a page.
"Since he is buying raw goods directly from them, and not just taking it from them for free..." the noble swallowed hard. "Because of this specific trade structure, his income is not legally considered as a tax."
Maximillian clenched his fists tightly.
"And?" he yelled angrily. "Did you find a solution for this legal loophole?"
"No, Father." the girl answered quietly as she looked down at the table.
"Aurelius! You?!" he yelled and Aurelius shook his head too.
Maximillian flared up. "You are the heir to this entire empire! You cannot be this incompetent, can you? Find a way to fix this! Find a way to drain him of his money!"
And that was when someone tapped the table.
Tap. Tap.
Maximillian looked up, highly annoyed. "What?"
Roderick stared right back at his half brother.
"Maximillian." Roderick said coldly. "You were the one who originally made this specific tax law."
The room went dead silent.
"And if you plan on overriding my absolute authority as the Financial Minister of this empire right now," Roderick warned. "Then we are going to have serious issues."
He just stared at the emperor without blinking one bit.
"You can ask people to pay whatever tax you want." Roderick stated flatly. "But if they are utilizing the exact laws that you personally made, especially after completely ignoring my advice when you sat on the throne, then you have no right to complain right now."
Roderick crossed his arms.
"And I am not going to blindly change any of these established laws just because you are acting like a whimsical child." Roderick finished.
Maximillian stood up from his chair with his face completely red from anger.
This right here is exactly why I never wanted a half blooded bitch handling my money!" Maximillian yelled as he glared at him. "I don’t even know what my father was thinking!"
Maximillian took a deep breath.
"Roderick." the Emperor said slowly. "Don’t interfere with my decisions."
Roderick just looked at his furious brother with pure disappointment.
"Father gave me this position because he knew that you were not smart enough for something like this." Roderick replied calmly.
No body in the room dared to speak. They knew that no matter who’s side they took, they’d be fucked. They knew what kind of person Roderick was.
"The only reason you even get to sit on that golden throne is because I slaughtered your brothers. I killed your sisters and I butchered every single person who stood in my way. Except... you." Roderick stated. "You know this, I know this and everyone else here knows this. The only reason I didn’t fight back when you changed the laws at the start, was because it would mess up the empire from the inside."