Chapter 731

Chapter 731

Having been raised from birth at the Imperial Academy, Luo-Luo received an extensive and comprehensive education, far beyond that which even the wealthiest nobles of the outer provinces had access to.

Becoming an Imperial Servant wasnt just about looking pretty and warming beds, for one could never know what ones Patron would require of them. There were plenty of Luo-Luos peers serving in less intimate roles, from nannies and tutors for children of high Peerage to accountants and quartermasters for more militaristic minded masters. Still others served as advisors or confidants, a friendly ear to listen and offer advice without fear of judgment or betrayal, unless of course said Patron intended to rebel against the Emperor. Luo-Luo herself once dreamed of serving in the role of a performance artist, playing music for her Patrons guests and creating all manner of artwork to decorate his or her household, but of course, the final say would have always belonged to her Patron.

That being said, though she loved the arts and music in particular, her other subjects did not suffer for her lack of affection. While they were graded through written exams alone, Luo-Luo received top or close to the top marks in every class of every year. She excelled in the fields of arithmetic, finance, subterfuge, and business management, and while child care, communication, and espionage were her lowest scoring subjects, even then she scored in the top ten of her class. It wasnt that her peers lacked talent or ambition either, for they were an exceedingly competitive group of overachieving individuals when compared to the classes that came after. It was strange to see so many younger Imperial Servants working together and celebrating the victories of their peers, for Luo-Luos class lacked any and all such camaraderie. Instead, every last one of her fellow students had made her their target instead, a rival to surpass and overcome. Not without good reason, for every single one of her peers had been aware of her status as a first generation Imperial Scion, mostly because her tutors were always quick to point it out whenever she made any sort of achievement. As a child, Luo-Luo simply believed her talent was due to her close relation to the Emperor, a true dragon among men who surely had Divine blood running through his veins, so of course she too would have benefited from her close relation. Looking back on it now with the benefit of hindsight however, she realized her tutors had brought this up time and time again to incite rivalry and competition among the students, a tactic she agreed with, but thought was a bit cruel to use on children as young as five.

Still, despite all the odds stacked against her, Luo-Luo overcame the trials and tribulations before her to graduate as the undisputed number one student of her class, though at great cost. One she was all too happy to bear now that shed seen where her Path brought her, but those gruelling years of schooling followed by the joyless years spent waiting for her fate to arrive had been difficult to say the least. The initial shock of being gifted as a concubine to an outlander savage had not made it any easier to accept her new lot in life, especially since she still had her aspirations of being more than a mere bed-warmer and child-bearer, but at that point, shed been already six years graduated and twenty four years old, and thus was relieved to serve in any capacity at all.

Which of course made it all the more heart-breaking when her new Lord Husband absolved Luo-Luo of all her concubinely duties within seconds of their first meeting.

That had been a grievous blow to her pride, and what followed after stomped it flat into the ground. In return for misappropriating her 360 Death Corps Honour Guard, Lord Husband offered her fifteen percent of his personal business holdings, a pittance she scorned before learning the full value of his financial portfolio. As far as she could tell, all his wealth had been obtained on his own, as he received no seed money from his parents because the Bekhai put minimal value on coin when making trades among their own people, and generally only needed it to trade with outsiders from the nearby cities, but Lord Husband still amassed a sizable nest egg for himself. While he could not be considered wealthy compared to most nobles, he was still well off, and only because he grossly mismanaged his businesses until they were barely even profitable. He set wages too high and offered all manner of additional securities, such as a pension for his caravan guards and an annuity for the families of fallen Warriors. In Luo-Luos eyes, he was taking on too much risk for too little profit, and tying up much of his wealth in long term, low interest investments to ensure he would always have funds available for any unexpected payouts. If he were to instead put that coin to good use, he could easily earn far more coin and see an exponential growth in wealth within a matter of years, though this was not without risk of course.

Instead of growing his own wealth however, the bulk of the profits from Lord Husbands initial ventures in medicines were invested back into his hometown. Though not optimal for the growth of his personal wealth, it showed an entrepreneurial and philanthropicspirit that suited him well. After he handed control over to Luo-Luo, she sought to match his generous efforts while growing his wealth, but despite her having received one of the finest educations available to anyone below an illustrious Royal Scion, she found that she was sorely lacking in comparison to Lord Husbands magnificent financial and commercial genius. A brilliant mind to match a brilliant Warrior, he had a unique way of approaching business and economics which put all of Luo-Luos teachings to shame, for it was easy to see just how superior his methodology proved to be.

Take cast iron for example, his first large-scale commercial success. Though Luo-Luo had been the first to bring up the potential profits to be had, Lord Husband was the one who led them to success, not by making deals to supply a certain product or undercutting the competition, but by insisting on a partnership with an already established merchant and ensuring said partner held the majority stake. While most would have struggled to get a meeting with the younger brother of Centrals Marshal much less enter into a partnership with him, Lord Husbands tactic of profiting with minimal effort paid off in spades, because by operating as a lesser stakeholder, he also minimized his risks and ensured that his partner stood to lose more should their joint venture fall through.

A simple, yet effective tactic to put others to work for him, this was a style which perfectly suited Lord Husbands hands off personality, but Luo-Luo saw in this the future of financial prosperity. Currently, most merchant families earned their fortunes through establishing local monopolies, but Lord Husband wasnt interested in so narrow an approach. Instead, he preferred to diversify his investments and own a small portion of many industries, which afforded him a degree of freedom that few other merchant families enjoyed. Their fortunes rose and fell based on the price of base materials required to sustain their monopolies, which was why their rivals in the cast iron business banded together to price him out of the business, but they failed dearly in the end. Lord Husband prepared for such an attack by purchasing iron ore mines and futures, outlasting his rivals and eventually even purchasing their hoarded iron ore for a pittance of what they paid for, but he also knew when to divest himself of his cast iron properties which allowed him to obtain yet another fortune before the earning potential of said properties plummeted due to the now naturally climbing price of iron ore.

There was more to it than that, as Lord Husband insisted on paying higher wages to attract more dedicated and loyal workers while simultaneously ensuring matters such as food, shelter, and education were available to the workers at a reasonable price, a ploy which he said would return to their pockets, and he was absolutely correct. This was an economic concept that went above and beyond the simplicity of maximizing profits, because it offered his employees something beyond mere wages, while also helping bring up a loyal and educated pool of workers to hire from in the future.

Luo-Luo imagined her teachers back at the Academy would be exceedingly interested in hearing a first-hand account of the entire journey, but the cast iron endeavour was merely one of many business ventures Lord Husband had her manage on his behalf, and though it was the most profitable to date, it was far from the most impactful. Supply and demand was a basic concept of mercantile enterprise, but whereas most sought to compete in areas other were already working in, Lord Husband went to great efforts to monopolize supply before creating a new demand, and this was best seen in his concrete ventures. Through the Spring and Autumn Consortium, Lord Husband was now earning himself coin hand over fist by severely underbidding other construction companies in both cost and time, while providing a superior product at a laughably low cost. The lions share of the expenses went towards labour, unlike with other construction companies who spent most of their budget on materials, but with Lord Husbands diverse holdings combined with the Spring and Autumn Consortiums vast wealth of talent, he was able to supply his own companies and his allies at cost in order to make a greater profit than any one of those holdings could on their own.

Since coming into Lord Husbands employ, Luo-Luo had watched his personal wealth grow at a near unbelievable rate, but all that was merely a drop in the well compared to the vast fortunes he spent now. As Legate of the Outer Provinces, he went to great efforts to ensure the provinces were run using the same principles as his personal businesses, by offering the merchants and nobles involved the lions share of the profit in each and every venture, often at great cost to the provinces themselves. Running the province based on profit is stupid, he once declared, when Luo-Luo brought up Marshal Yuzhens concerns regarding her growing debts during one of their many private meetings. So what if we owe people money? What are they gonna do if we dont pay on time? Replace us? Go right ahead. The debt belongs to the province and Empire, so I doubt the next person in line will be eager to pay whats owed. Hell, theyll be lucky if our replacement even cares to acknowledge the debt as legitimate, so its actually in our best interest to owe more people money, as it means they have a vested interest in keeping us in power.

Another simple yet profound truth. The best way to rope people in was not to offer them benefits, but rather through ties of debt. Lord Husband was also completely correct in pointing out that neither he nor his Marshals were personally taking on the debt, and thus should not be incentivized by profits or scared to take on debts. Lord Husband took this concept to another level using War Bonds to raise enormous amounts of coin, essentially convincing nobles to hand him cold hard coin in return for paper. More surprising was how the financial theory behind his War Bonds was perfectly sound and not at all the scam it appeared to be at first glance, because now those bonds were worth far more than what the initial investors paid for. Though hed lost the means to legally produce more War Bonds due to his agreements with the offices of the Prime Minister and Grand Marshal, this was less of a barrier and more of a stepping stone for Lord Husband to introduce his Treasure Notes, which thus far were completely under the purview of the Minister of Finance and stamped solely by his Divine Turtle Seal. Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and even if the Grand Marshal was displeased by these Treasure Notes, the rice was already cooked. The Imperial Clan could hardly renege on a debt issued by an appointed Imperial Official, so with this added tool in her prodigious arsenal of weapons, Luo-Luo soon discovered she had near unlimited coin to work with while carrying out Lord Husbands official duties, for if she ever ran low on coin, she only needed to get in touch with her Treasure Officer and have him print more Treasure Notes.

Of course, this didnt mean she could spend it all without a care in the world, as Lord Husband warned her that Treasure Notes only held value because others perceived them as such. Thus, if his office treated Treasure Notes like paper garbage and threw it about without restraint, others would see this and their perceived value would plummet, so Luo-Luo treated Treasure Notes like they were worth more than coin. Partial payment in gold up front and lump sum in paper on delivery, that was her standard operating procedure for two reasons. First, it kept her spending in check proportional to how much coin she had on hand, and secondly, it made others work hard to earn those Treasure Notes, which would raise the perceived value of what was essentially worthless paper. Lord Husband wasnt even using the silk paper that War Bonds were printed on, as he lacked access to the means of production, but that mattered little in the grand scheme of things. Though others could try and counterfeit his Treasure Notes, they were currently only issued in denominations of a ten-thousand gold at a minimum, meaning that any transactions using said notes would undergo close scrutiny, and Lord Husband went a step further and publicized all his Official transactions so everyone could see where those Treasure Notes went.

Which had the added benefit of showing he was truly accepting the lowest bid, rather than enriching his allies by presenting them with all-too profitable contracts. Of course, most missed out on the fact that Lord Husband was not above letting his allies know exactly how low to bid on a contract in order to secure it, not to mention how he could hide his less than immaculate dealings by paying in coin alone, which he had a surplus of now that he could pay 90% of his large transactions using Treasure Notes alone.

Of course, Luo-Luo lived in terror that the nobles of the outer provinces would band together to demand the Legates Office honour all of their Treasure Notes at the same time. Though the debt had yet to grow so large as to beggar the Empire, Lord Husband would find it impossible to match the vast sums using only what coin was available to him, even if his considerable personal wealth was added into the equation. Why Lord Husbands enemies didnt do so was a mystery to her, right up until she found the courage to ask. If anyone dares demand my Office pay equal value to the Treasure Notes, Lord Husband wrote, in the neat, mechanical, and boring characters etched out by his steel pen, Then tell them that neither the Legate nor the Minister of Finance are banking institutions and theyll have to exchange their Treasure Notes for smaller denominations elsewhere. If they insist we pay them full value of the Notes, explain to them how the concept differs from War Bonds. The latter was an investment device which the Empire is obligated to repay, while Treasure Notes are paper currency, meaning they differ greatly in purpose. When issued by the Minster of Finance, a Treasure Note is analogous to a gold coin, in that even though the buying power of a single gold coin might change, it will always be worth exactly one gold coin, and the same can be said for Treasure Notes. If anyone demands we honour the value of their notes, at most you can smile, accept the notes, and hand them back those same notes as equal value. Or hand them a different stack of equal value notes, but not new ones because that would send the wrong message. One Treasure Note worth ten-thousand gold is equivalent in value to another Treasure Note worth ten-thousand gold, and thats that.

Though technically correct, it was a solution that was legal and permissible, but lacking in tact. This was a growing trend with Lord Husband, for even though hed always been aggressive and disrespectful in his approach, he almost always favoured the carrot over the stick, and thus his aggression was received more kindly by his targets. Now, as the deadline for his western offensive drew close, he grew increasingly frustrated with his allies and enemies alike and had taken to browbeating everyone into submission before testing their loyalty to boot. Either do things his way, or not at all, an approach which saw Lord Husband ready to assassinate the Commander General if Shuai Jiao refused to bow to his demands, an increasingly aggressive stance which was worrying to behold. Although the Bekhai and Lord Husbands family in particular saw nothing wrong with his behaviour, Luo-Luo sensed a growing dissatisfaction amongst his supporters and detractors alike, especially in Central and South. After being forced to rein them in by coming to the Central Citadel and winning over the Commander General, Lord Husband had wholly abandoned his tried and true approach of mutual benefit and now relied solely on the whip to get everyone in line.

He denied requests for promotions and enforced his contracts to the word, refusing to bend even a centimetre to allow for unexpected outcomes. Renegotiating deals was entirely off the table, and he even went as far as to abandon a long time supplier of bridles and tack in favour of signing a different consortium simply because the initial merchant wanted a minor three percent increase on the contract, which was not out of line with inflation. Then there was his refusal to wine and dine with any of the greater powers of Central and South in favour of rubbing elbows with his own allies, or worse, the enemies of his enemies which were no allies of his at all. It seemed like Lord Husband was hell-bent on fostering antipathy in the people of Central and South, even going so far as to publicly cut ties with the Ryo family and deny Geom-Chi a place in the coming offensive because, as he so indelicately put it, he had not time to watch his back while out in the field. A stance he later relented by offering Geom-Chi a commission, but it was hardly diplomatic to hold a grudge after matters had been smoothed over, a fact Lord Husband had previously demonstrated awareness of, but no longer cared to acknowledge.

Which had brought them here, to this turning point which left Luo-Luo unsure as to how to proceed.

After sharing Lord Husbands Sent commands with Mother-in-Law Sarnai, Luo-Luo simply sat idly by and waited for the other woman to weigh in, unable to process the abrupt shift in emotions. It was irksome to know that he was present in the Citadel and yet still unwilling to discuss these matters in person, instead frittering his time away in the markets with Mila, Yan, and Lin-Lin while conversing with Luo-Luo through Sending. Luo-Luo had so desperately wanted to join them, and while Lord Husband stopped by to ask if she wanted to come along, hed been unable to look her in the eyes when he asked and immediately left upon accepting her polite refusal. Truth be told, though there was still much to do to prepare for Lord Husbands campaign, only a few select items required her direct attention, and she could have easily overseen things from the market or the district fields. Alas, Lord Husbands offer didnt seem all too genuine given how he didnt insist she come along, more of a polite suggestion in an attempt to spare her feelings since he was already here.

Despite her confession some weeks ago just before Lin-Lins wedding, nothing had changed with regards to Luo-Luos relationship with Lord Husband. He was still politely distant and spent even less time in her company now, but mostly because she remained here in Central while he preferred to live close to his family off in the Northern Citadel. He still dropped by once every week to visit his mother, who kept Luo-Luo company all these lonely weeks and more importantly, safe. Unfortunately, not only was she unable to keep Central and South in line, she failed so spectacularly that Lord Husband had been forced to come down to in person and almost murdered the highest ranking military commander in order to get things done.

All that aside, Lord Husbands letters had improved greatly ever since he took to using his metal pen, but hed also gotten plenty of practice now that their primary method of communication was through correspondence. Ones that would henceforth be delivered solely through trusted Bekhai Warriors, as civilian and military couriers could no longer be trusted. Lady Jeongs ability to manipulate and withhold messages from Grandpa Du, Fung, BoShui, and so many of Lord Husbands other allies was impressive to say the least, especially considering there was still no evidence of tampering that Luo-Luo or MuYang could find. Of course, it was possible some like Ishin Ken Shibu were just using her as an excuse and the interference was not as widespread as it would seem. Alas, Lord Husband never trusted Imperial Messengers, Royal Guardians, or even the Death Corps Guards, because he knew their first loyalty was to the Emperor. A terrifying thought that dwarfed all other horrors, to guard oneself against the Emperor, but Lord Husband was determined to walk his own Path, which was why he butted heads with his Patron, Shen ZhenWu.

Mother knows the Emperor might not take so kindly to Lord Husbands refusal to bend the knee, so it was best that they just never meet, though that was looking more and more unlikely with each passing day.

So, Mother-in-Law Sarnai began, folding her hands together in what Luo-Luo suspected was passive aggression after hearing what Lord Husband had commanded. What are your thoughts on this matter, girl? Be honest, no one short of a Divinity can listen in on us here, and not without escaping notice.

From sweet and lovable to angry and aggressive, it was shocking how abrupt the change was, especially in light of his inability to restrain his emotional Aura. Hesitating only for an instant, Luo-Luo found her courage inside his beautiful amber eyes, because no matter how ruthless he might be, he would never treat her harshly without good reason. Apologies Lord Husband, but I have yet to order his arrest.

Why not?

There was no annoyance directed towards her, only impatience and confusion at the delay, which did much to bolster Luo-Luos confidence. Because I do not believe it is the right move. There was the annoyance now, so she quickly added, I intended to discuss the matter through Sending, but Mother-in-Law mentioned you would be here soon, and I thought it better if we spoke in person.

Okay. Then speak.

Curt and concise. A bad sign, all things considered, but at least no, and now he was crossing his arms, showing he already disagreed with her stance. Wishing she still had more tea to wet her mysteriously dry lips, Luo-Luo repeated the same explanation she gave Mother-in-Law Sarnai and tried to emphasize the key points as much as possible. There must be give and take in any partnership, Luo-Luo concluded, hoping she pleaded her case well. You are well within your right to demand a punishment, but even the most pliant donkey will learn fear if it sees its brothers whipped too often.

Lord Husbands lips didnt even twitch at the comparison of the nobles of the Empire to mere donkeys, a bad sign if there ever were one, and instead he shook his head in stubborn, unspoken denial. Were this anything other than rations, I would agree with you, but Im almost completely sure this shipment was withheld with malicious intent. If civil war broke out, the Shingen Mercantile group would have wanted those rations feeding loyalists allied to Shuai Jiao. Theyve thrown their lot behind him after Mitsue Juichi stepped back or Im a monkeys uncle, but theyve yet to come out and declare it because they think me blind and foolish. Which Luo-Luo must have been, because shed seen no sign of this just yet, but Lord Husband offered no proof and simply continued, This sort of divisive thinking must be removed root and stem in order for this war to be won, because the last thing I need is for merchants to hold their goods hostage for some political reason or the other while my soldiers are fighting and dying to keep them safe.

Thats just it though, Luo-Luo retorted, without taking the time to think things through. You worry about divisive actions and talk of uniting the provinces, but you yourself are the reason why the people are so divided. That caught his attention, as well as the attention of everyone else in the room, but Luo-Luos attention was wholly fixated on Lord Husband. A good thing too, else she wouldve missed the flash of surprise and hurt in his expression, one which disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

Explain.

Not even the hint of courtesy anymore, just curt demands, which meant his temper was close to erupting. Youve taken a group of low-born merchants under your wing and raised them to become wealthy and influential nobles beholden only to you. You accepted a group of common born Warriors who only recently succeeded at Core Formation as your personal guards, after refusing to accept any Warriors into your personal retinue due to your lacking rank. You honoured the dead with your words and monuments, and in doing so have given those families with fallen soldiers a nigh unshakable position, most of whom are now firmly in your camp. Crossing her own arms to match him, Luo-Luo wasnt even upset by his lack of interest in her bosom this time, because she was too heated to care. Your words speak of unity, but your actions tell a different story. You clear away the old to make room for the new, while sparing those who serve you well. That is how many have interpreted your actions, and though you and I know this to be false, mere words will not be enough to assuage their fears, and your harsh measures will only stoke them.

Huh. Arms still crossed in pique, Lord Husband sank back into his chair to think, which was neither good nor bad. Long seconds passed in silence save for Blackjacks noisy crunching, interspersed with plaintive squeaks in demand for more as the growing, greedy, and gluttonous hare was always hungry these days. So what do you suggest we do?

Fine him, Luo-Luo said, so relieved she already had an answer. A harsh one, while refusing to let him out of his contract, for which the penalties are severe.

But all he will lose is coin, and not much considering the size of the contract.

Proving Mother-in-Law Sarnai correct. Rain truly placed no value on coin, and thus saw it as no real punishment, but the wealthiest merchants tended to be the greediest as well, and even losing a copper more than they needed to would pain them to some extent. True, which is why you should also send a message by publicly blacklisting Merchant Kung from any and all Imperial contracts going forward. Thereby dooming the man to mediocrity, as he was no longer eligible for the most lucrative contracts given by the Legates Office, the Imperial Army, and the Marshals Office.

Still dont love it. Brooding on the decision a few seconds longer, he tapped Blackjacks nose to get him to stop whining, though the adorable hare simply begged a little more quietly. A good sign, as his arms were finally uncrossed. You sure its enough?

It sends the right message, Luo-Luo replied, That such games of politics will not be tolerated if they care to do business, and leaves the door open for future negotiation once Merchant Kung has repented.

Taking a deep breath, Lord Husbands nodded with obvious reluctance and said, Fine. Well do as you suggest. Ive been pushing our enemies in an effort to see where they stand and maybe even force them to act against me prematurely, but if you think this will cross a line, then youre probably right. You havent steered me wrong yet, so Id be an idiot to ignore your advice.

All of a sudden, Lord Husbands actions made so much more sense, but Luo-Luo fixated on the last part of his statement. Hesitant to point out her own flaws, Luo-Luo nonetheless could not contain her doubts. But... the matter between you and the Commander General... do you not hold me responsible?

Uh, no? Why would I? Eyes widening in surprise, Lord Husband sat up and cocked his head in an adorably youthful manner. Is that why you didnt want to come shopping? Because you thought I was angry? No, never. You did great, but Shuai Jiao was never going to come along quietly. I uh... forgot I was keeping so much vital information to myself. Happens when you just get used to keeping so many secrets.

...What other secrets was Lord Husband keeping then? Something more than being able to Cleanse the Fathers contagion from loyal Imperial citizens? Luo-Luo couldnt even imagine what such a secret might be, but Lord Husband quickly caught himself and changed the subject, a ploy which no one in the room fell for, but went along with regardless. Anyway, now that thats been cleared up, how about you and mom join us for a lazy afternoon in the basin? They have these lovely little boats that are so steady even Milas delicate stomach should handle them fine, and Id love to take a little trip out to the monument.

I think Ill go find your father instead, Mother-in-Law Sarnai said, going on out loud about something or the other while Sending to Luo-Luo, Do not refuse him this time. He is marching to war and knows that he might not return, so strike while the iron is hot and make a memory to remember him by.

Warmed by the sentiment for two differing reasons, Luo-Luo accepted his offer and was delighted to see his face light up with joy, mirrored by his Aura which filled her with warmth. Much as she yearned to always be at his side, the prospect of marching into the Defiled infested west filled her with terror beyond what she could describe, and she could do so much more for him from here in Central. A shame considering how much her Martial skills had improved since her last run in with the Enemy, most of which was due to Mother-in-Law Sarnais helpful suggestions disguised as harsh criticism, and partly due to her burning desire for vengeance against Mitsue Hideo.

A shame. Luo-Luo had crushed that traitors manhood the last time they met, and had since dreamt of taking his life, but she would be more than happy to let another Warrior claim that honour, so long as the cretin died. For now though, she put aside all thoughts of vengeance and set her charms to work on winning over Lord Husband, because if the Heavens were generous, there was a possibility that Luo-Luo might have more than a mere memory if she were to find success this night.

One could only hope, even if her hopes were all but doomed from the start...

Chapter Meme