The hall the council gathered in was the same, except this time it was raining outside, and the atmosphere was gloomy without the bright sunlight shining at the throne. The flickering candles accentuated the mood, but after observing the crowd, Lee guessed that he was the only one who felt that way.
This time the emperor wore dark red robe and seeing him, for a split moment, Lee was back on the cliff, with the man covered in blood from head to toe, protecting them. If was a bizarre illusion that quickly vanished, but Lee realized he had picked the right day – even His Majesty was in the proper mood.
The emperor didn't waste time and started the meeting with questioning Prime Minister Bates about few pressing matters. Unexpectedly, after they were done, he didn't return to the Strongheart's situation.
He said, "Before our meeting I was approached by the most important person in our empire, our treasurer, Minister of Finance Bishop. Tell us, Linda, what's so important it couldn't have been settled by you and Prime Minister Bates alone?"
Earlier, as always, Edward spoke in his father's stead, but instead of her son, Karl, Minister Bishop stood up herself. She was probably around the age of forty five, but other than her lavish robe, there was nothing special about her. She carried herself differently though, almost as if she was the empress.
She said, "My apologies, Your Majesty, Crown Princess, Ministers and Generals! What I'm about to suggest is no joking matter. We came up with a plan to quadruple the wealth in your treasury, but for that we need your approval."
"Explain!" The Emperor said, and slightly leaned forward. The crown princess had a similar reaction and most of those present focused their attention on the speaker.
"Even after uniting the world, Sunwell has remained the biggest and richest city. Unfortunately the largest part of the wealth is in the hands of nobles and merchants." Seeing the emperor furrow his brows in displeasure, she quickly added, "Don't get me wrong, Your Majesty! You are still the richest man in the world, but the collective amount of funds the others possess surpass your wealth … by a lot. And our duty is to do something about it!"
She threw victorious glance around, and continued, "During the past years we analyzed the distant continents and their unique goods, and came to a conclusion that if me make a considerable investment, we can strip the undeserved wealth from the merchants and pile it up in your treasury. It's nothing revolutionary, though, but only you, Your Majesty, are capable of carrying out such project."
Minister Bishop paused, but the emperor seemed to become restless. He said, "Don't play games with me, Linda!"
"My apologies, Your Highness!" She said and didn't bow, but smiled, "Apart from the cavalry, it is your enormous naval force that has allowed you to conquer the world from the political standpoint, and you can use the same force to conquer it's wealth! What is the point of owning the world if you can't put it in your treasury? But we can make it happen! You can even call it theOperation of the century!"
'What was that?' Lee gawked at her, stupefied, 'Is she trying to get elected as the local president or something? Only an uneducated idiot could take such speech seriously!'
But a quick look at the emperor made him even more confused. The man suddenly was all worked up and even his eyes resembled two shiny gold coins. What made the situation more bizarre was that Victoria was basically the same, except her eyes were red as always, but her clenched fists and the shallow breathing gave away the excitement she felt.
"All we need is to use the resources you already have." The minister continued, "We will purchase the cheap iron weapons of local production and ship them to the other continents. There we'll exchange them for expensive spices, fabrics and other wares, and sell those here, all in one go. I know what you all have on your mind – but everyone has those products! True, but we'll create an artificial scarcity and increase the price by stockpiling wares for several years. Then, and only then, we'll open our warehouses and take over the markets like a flood. Your treasury will be overflowed with gold!"
'She's stupid!' Lee realized, 'If a minister of finance doesn't have the basic understanding of supply and demand, the empire is doomed.'
But the emperor didn't think so. But he wasn't too happy either.
He asked, "So you want to transform my battleships into merchant vessels?"
"Partially." She said, and threw a quick glance towards Newman, "I consulted about this with your maritime minister and we concluded it was possible to make some adjustments that would allow your ships to carry large amounts of valuable cargo. After all, since you conquered the world, there is no need for excessive manpower to be present on board at the time of peace."
"Alright." Emperor said, and leaned back on the throne. He sat there in silence, knocking fingers on the chair arm for a while, and then said, "How long do you think the Operation of the century will last and how much you want me to invest?"
"Your majesty!" Linda Bishop said, "It should take around five to six years and it is only worth doing if you invest all your funds!"
'Oh, god!' Lee exclaimed to himself, 'What's wrong with you, people! First you want to supply weapons to the remote regions where the resistance is the strongest, then you want to stock up valuables and sell them at the same time, making them worthless … is this some kind of attempt to sabotage the empire? Or … so that's how it is! I should've guessed!'
After the minister of finance sat down, she glanced at Newman, who barely visibly nodded at her. Only then Lee realized the two were not only fucking each other, they were planning to fuck the empire! Except for the money!
Obviously no one could expect they will quadruple the funds in five years, but maybe they could and that would be a bonus. In addition, during the upcoming years there will be taxes, tributes and what not and the treasury could never be actually emptied.
The woman controlled all the numbers and the emperor was as rich as she claimed him to be! The plan was not bad at all!
As a former conman he had to applaud the scale of the project, the only problem was how unrealistic and faulty it was. And even bigger problem was that they picked to scam the wrong people.
"Victoria!" The Emperor turned to his daughter, "What do you think?"
"Through the years our minister of finance has proved herself to be a capable expert in finances. I think there is no harm in giving her a chance." Victoria calmly said, and a happy smile bloomed on Bishop's face that paled right after, "Obviously she will bear the personal responsibility for the success of the operation."
Lee barely held back a giggle, but few ministers actually snickered at the princess words. Surprisingly the emperor, who usually would've thrown in a joke or two, remained serious. In the end, the greed won.
The Emperor said, "I agree. You have my blessing!"
At first Lee was disappointed, but then realized, that if the empire still existed in few years, there might be an interesting show to witness. Bishop surely had to work her ass off to not loose her head, and the rest would probably keep a distance from her until the operation was a success.
But there was another show that was about to begin. After a brief pause the emperor called out minister of works to give an opinion on Strongheart's situation and Lee was thrilled by what Powel had to say. There was a chance that Elsdon turned out to not be the first choice for the general to retire to, and then the whole project Powel would fail. Fortunately minister of works made Lee happy.
Powel said, "As expected, Elsdon has a promising future. This year another two gold veins were discovered in the region and, as you know, the lands east of the town are vast and fertile. It has the potential to grow into a rich city and a regional capital. I stand by my suggestion and I think it would be a wonderful place for our general to retire next year."
"What do you think, Jaden?" The Emperor asked.
His old friend happily smiled back, and said, "I'll be honored!"
Lee could swear that if Victoria was capable of calling down the heavenly lightning, both Powel and Strongheart would die there and then. Her tightly pressed lips spoke louder than her usual musical words.
Unfortunately she couldn't, and the emperor's following 'It's decided!' ended the discussion. But Lee already knew it wasn't for long.