September,
Allan I held a third-level meeting.
On the colored windows, angels drew their bows,
The tall white stone pillars were speckled with light.
The dome was frescoed, the mahogany chair was wrapped in gold, and the red carpet covered the floor.
The meeting room was divided into two floors,
All around a special arc-shaped loudspeaker wall on the throne.
The first and second levels were on the upper floor,
The third level was on the lower floor.
When the members of the various levels of the various districts were seated according to their respective levels, the Emperor sat down,
And rang the bell.
There was only one topic for this meeting: raising taxes.
Now that the Emperor was in power,
Most of the orders could bypass the third-level meeting.
This time, the third-level meeting was specially convened,
The members of the three levels knew that they were just going to have to pay for it themselves.
The priests and monks of the first level had long been loyal to the Emperor; they were like silent white-robed crows.
Most of the seats of the second level were empty,
Only a few small nobles were present.
Some of the great nobles were still in a civil war with the Emperor,
And the remaining nobles in the second level were connected to these rebellious great nobles by blood.
On the surface, they were quails,
Whether they had secretly supported the rebellious nobles,
It was hard to say.
In this dangerous situation in Luster,
If the Emperor won the internal and external war,
It would greatly harm the interests of the great and middle nobles in the second level. Don't expect them to agree to pay.
Therefore, when the bell for the third-level meeting rang,
The second-level noble members of the parliament all claimed to be sick, and snowflake-like medical applications flew to the Emperor,
The attendance rate of the second-level was even less than 30%. There were only a few small nobles left,
Most of them were of the same mind as the third-level.
The third-level civilian members whispered to each other,
Their faces were filled with anger. Although they were large in number, raising taxes would undoubtedly make things worse for the civilians who were already struggling to make a living in the civil war. Monks and nobles did not have to pay taxes.
Luster had a saying that monks served the Emperor with prayers, nobles served the Emperor with swords, and the third-level served the Emperor with property.
Monks and nobles never had to pay taxes from the royal family. Previously, the nobles had only been troubled by the Church of God.
In the past, the Church's eleven taxes mainly fell on the third-level. Now that there was a tax increase, who would it fall on?
It wasn't easy to get rid of the 11% tax, customs duties, and other old exploitation. Was he going to add a few more burdens to his head?
Therefore, even though the Emperor said that if the foreign war was lost, the current situation of numerous checkpoints within the country would be repeated, most of the third-ranked members of parliament still did not agree to fork out money.
The second class hated the emperor's action of stripping them of their right to govern their territory. They secretly supported the civil war, let the enemy in, and refused to attend the third-class meetings. The third class firmly disagreed with the emperor's decision to increase taxes.
Two out of the three votes were wasted, and this third-level meeting ended on a sour note.
Allan I was furious and scolded the mediocre for failing to see the big picture. He directly ordered the dissolution of the Level 3 Conference and never held it again.
He bypassed the Three-level Conference and began to collect taxes through his own military and bureaucratic system.
On the one hand, he continued to collect taxes from the nobles, and on the other hand, the emperor began to sell the patent rights to produce and sell certain goods to individuals and companies.
Without patent rights, anyone who dared to sell goods without authorization would face the Emperor's police force.
Seeing this, the nobles and third-class merchants who had not agreed to pay rushed to buy the patent rights from the Emperor.
After spending a large sum of money to purchase the patent rights, they wantonly raised the price to make up for their losses.
At first, the patent rights that were sold were only luxury goods. Jewelry, brocade clothes, porcelain, high-grade cream.
However, with the situation at the front line becoming more and more anxious, Allan I first began to order that those who had a real estate income of more than sixty gold a year must accept the title of Knight and pay the Knight's Donation.
Then, from silk to linen, from high-grade cream to ordinary black bread, from luxury goods to daily necessities, the patent rights were all auctioned off publicly.
In October, prices in Bona began to soar.
The number of sallow and emaciated people on the streets multiplied, and vagrants and child beggars from all over the place formed groups. Robbery and food theft cases were already very common.
The gray sky, the dark streets, and the crows resting on the fence were startled by the sudden noise.
"Miss, do a good deed, do a good deed."
Outside the small garden, separated by a fence, there was a circle of child beggars as usual. They squeezed their pale and swollen faces into the gap between the railings and stretched out their dirty hands into the garden. Countless pairs of thin arms like hemp poles reached into the garden and stretched out their bowls.
Lin Daiyu sat on the second floor, and these pleading voices kept pouring into her ears. She couldn't read the book in front of her anymore. She closed Descartes's "Methodology for Better Reasoning and Seeking Scientific Truth" and ordered the maid to serve the porridge again.
The maid began to ladle the porridge through the fence.
She looked from the second floor and saw in the distance, an old gentleman who was distributing black bread with his servants on the street was surrounded by skinny city vagrants. Their clothes were ragged, and their expressions were numb. Like wild dogs that had smelled blood, they slowly surrounded the old man in groups.
Fortunately, this house was near a well-known wealthy area. The police on the street were like the most loyal hawks and dogs, waving their batons to kill and drive away the vagrants.
The maid soon returned. "Miss, the porridge this time is also finished." She revealed the bottom of the pot that had been licked clean by the child beggars.
However, the pale faces outside the fence were still floating around the house, like water ghosts clinging to the shore.
"Go and cook some more."
"Miss, the porridge has been distributed three times today, and the last of the food is gone."
"In that case, take my royalties and buy some more."
"Have you forgotten? Your royalties for the past few months have been spent. "
Lin Daiyu was stunned. However, the hungry people on the street were still endless. One person's strength was like a cup of water on a burning cart of firewood. It could save an emergency, but how could it save a disaster?
"Prepare the carriage and the invitation," she said. "I want to visit His Excellency the Grand Duke."
The carriage drove through the streets. The streets were bleak, and the shops were open. Only a few lonely shopkeepers looked after the shops, and there were no customers. On this street, most of the shops were closed.
In Hathaway's mansion, on the splendid dance floor, the lights and shadows were beautiful, and the ground was shiny enough to reflect one's appearance. Still dressed in fine clothes and with jingling hairpins, the gentlemen and ladies continued to dance to the music.
Hathaway finished her work in the study, tidied up her appearance, and asked, "Have all the participants of the ball agreed to donate jewelry to the army?"
Her confidant, the head maid Shirley, replied, "They have all been donated." After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Miss Anna requests to see you."
"No. Just tell her that I have official business and went to the palace. " Hathaway tidied up her skirt and said, "Although Anna is talented, she has too much of a poet and writer's temperament. Tell her that she is welcome to join the ball here at any time, or to help me with the recent tax affairs. Apart from that, there is no need to talk about the naive words of those writers. "
Lin Daiyu waited for a while in Hathaway's mansion. Men and women in gorgeous clothes, with worship on their faces, rushed to invite her to join the dance floor. However, the Grand Duchess closed the door and refused to see her. She had no choice but to get up and leave.
At the door, she turned around and looked. In front of her, crystal lights flickered, rich and powerful gentlemen and ladies, enchanting music, and fluttering skirts. There were endless delicacies in the banquet. After a while, the maids removed a plate of cold wine. The sweet fragrance of red wine filled the air, making everyone drunk.
In the extravagant hall, there were already actors singing the plays that the young ladies and gentlemen loved to listen to the most. Babble, babble, babble,
"Oh, the king, the Milky Way's deep words of love: In the sky, we are willing to be lovebirds, on earth, we are willing to be entwined branches …"
Behind her, there were crows flying across the dreary sky. There was a bleak and desolate street. She saw a thin and weak mother holding her son's hand and crying, "Mommy, I'm hungry." She lowered her head and walked past.
Lin Daiyu sighed and ordered the coachman, "Let's go to the Muse Café."
In the room, the actor's sharp voice sang the last sentence of the scene, and the lingering sound dissipated in the air, "… Today's supreme husband and wife, next year's white-haired companions. Every year in front of the palace in July. "
There was a lot of cheering.
She thought:
I've never been satisfied with the reviews of "Lady Peony" here. It's probably because the people here have never read Du Fu's "Shiguo Li".
*
The Muse Café, which had been deserted for several months, was once again filled with youths who were discussing spiritedly.
When Lin Daiyu arrived, the door of the basement was blocked, and she was not allowed to enter:
"The Emperor's female minister, the exclusive lackey, you are not welcome here!"
Faced with the angry faces, Zhang Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
Lin Daiyu stopped in her tracks: "I have never surrendered to the royal family. I have never leaned toward the exclusive system. "
A young man from a small noble family, who was inclined to republicanism, retorted: "Do you think we don't know? You became the Archduchess's aide, and the Emperor once wanted to give you a title! The miserable scene on the street now is thanks to you! "
Lin Daiyu frowned: "I only made some suggestions and helped a little in the examination, the election of officials, and the abolition of tariffs. These reforms are beneficial to the freedom of the people. I didn't participate in the rest. "
The others were still blocking the door, not allowing her to enter.
"What are you all doing here?" When the atmosphere was frozen for a while, an old mellow voice broke the frozen air behind the door. Bard waved his hand, and the few people blocking the door walked away.
"But, Chief, she …"
"Ever since Allan I dismissed the three-level meeting, I haven't entered the palace again." Lin Daiyu said.
"Child, I believe you." Bard said, "After you and Hathaway parted on bad terms, you gave her porridge for a long time. We all know. Please come in. "
He said meaningfully: "I know, you are very confused."
*
When the tents were set up, the new cannons, machinery, ammunition, and provisions had also been transported.
Eugene polished his shiny boots, carefully wiping away every wrinkle on the boots.
The workers unloaded the carriages of provisions. Eugene folded his handkerchief and put it away. The adjutant had already counted and reported that the quantity was correct.
He smiled: "The emperor's brother-in-law is not bad. He's willing to spend money and can withstand such great pressure. "He then asked:" How's the training of the selected good soldiers? "
"Sir, some of them refused to continue the training."
"Slackers, double the punishment."
The adjutant hesitated for a moment: "But, after a round of punishment, the soldiers' lips are blue. It seems that they really can't go on …"
"If they really die, send money to their families. Adjutant. Don't be afraid of using the whip. Only when they get used to more training will this group of low-class people, who are used to being undisciplined on the battlefield, not be so scared that their hands tremble, piss their pants, and run away, and implicate everyone. "Eugene asked casually," Are the officers I recruited from the military academy in place? How many? "
The adjutant reported a number.
Only then did he nod: "Lead the way. I want to see what kind of people I recruited. "
In the camp, a group of young men who had graduated from military academies were eagerly waiting for their commanding officer to come and inspect the camp. They were discussing this young senior who was leading troops, and they were discussing the foreign invasion that was making things worse for Luster, who was trapped in a civil war.
In their ardent anticipation, Shangguan Liuli arrived gracefully.
The young commanding officer had black hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and beautiful facial features. He looked like a typical member of the upper-class society in the south. However, his skin was pale and sickly, but his lips were too red. Although he looked more beautiful, he seemed to have a fever. Since he came into the camp, he had been coughing lightly.
Many young people were stunned and thought to themselves: He is indeed one of the cousin brothers of the empress. This kind of beauty is better than many women.
"Students." The beautiful commanding officer smiled at them. "I've been looking forward to a group of excellent soldiers who can share the country's worries for a long time." His eyebrows moved: "Just like you."
The adjutant was speechless. He stared at Sir Eugene who was talking gently with this group of young officers and shuddered.
Sure enough, not long after, when they left the camp, a group of hotheads who had just been sent here were aroused and began to collectively shout the song "Protect Luster".
Eugene still maintained a gentle and amiable smile with a little disgust. He wiped the hand that had been held by an excited officer before: "Arrange for them to train immediately. Don't be assigned to every team. "
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