Chapter 55: All Round Debit
After the auction for the agency rights of various cities and counties concluded, the merchants dispersed.
At this moment, Baldwin stood before Simon, a rare smile on his face, and spoke. "Congratulations, My Lord. This time, Your Highness has collected seven million caps of silver. Truly a cause for celebration."
Roland and Percival also wore expressions of wild joy. When had Brambleford ever seen so much silver? Roland said. "My Lord, with this sum of silver, our mines, workshops, and estates can all start operating simultaneously."
"Exactly, and the shipyard too. Harlan is in desperate need of silver to build ships. The merchant fleet urgently needs large vessels." Percival added.
From struggling to scrape together a few thousand caps of silver to suddenly having seven million caps in hand, Simon felt like a nouveau riche.
However, recalling that even a single merchant under Prince Gerad was wealthier than him, he quickly deflated. If a mere merchant was this wealthy, one could only imagine the prosperity of Prince Gerad’s domain.
He spoke. "The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will strive tirelessly. This is just the beginning. As long as we work together, I believe our domain will not lose to Prince Gerad’s!
Baldwin gave Simon a surprised look. Simon’s previous poem, A Guest’s Song, had already left Baldwin in awe. Now, Simon’s casual remark. "The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will strive tirelessly." Carried a unique charm. Baldwin’s perception of the prince shifted slightly.
To him, Simon could now be considered a scholar, a kindred spirit, which naturally increased his sense of camaraderie.
However, camaraderie aside, business had to be taken care of. Baldwin said. "My Lord, spring is just a month away. The production teams are still short on Plow oxen and farming tools, and the Brambleford treasury is running out of silver..."
"My Lord, my mines are in the same situation. One hundred thousand caps for purchasing slaves and building the mining area will soon be insufficient." Roland sighed.
Bjorn and Percival simultaneously clasped their hands. Simon raised his hand to stop them. "No need, I understand. No wonder you’re all grinning from ear to ear. You’ve got your eyes on my silver."
The four of them laughed. Baldwin said. "My Lord, without silver, nothing can be accomplished. Now that Your Highness has demonstrated great talent and earned a substantial amount of silver, we naturally admire you. However, for the sake of long-term planning, this silver should be used for the domain."
Simon smiled wryly. It seemed the silver wouldn’t even have time to warm his hands before it was gone. He spoke. "Fine, fine. Tell me how much each of you needs."
The four of them were delighted. After some discussion and calculations, Baldwin took one million caps to replenish the Brambleford treasury, Roland took one and a half million caps to develop the mines, and the Machinery Department took two million caps for the construction of the workshop district and production procurement.
The remaining two and a half million caps, plus the one million caps sent by Alaric, totalled three million caps. With a flourish of his brush, Simon allocated two million caps to the shipyard.
As the saying goes. "It takes ten years to build an army, but a hundred years to build a navy." Simon didn’t hesitate to spend money on maritime transport. The Eldorian Empire was just one market, and the Eldorian Empire itself was only a small part of the world. The real market was overseas, and only by dominating the overseas market could one control wealth.
After the ’division of spoils,’ the four of them returned to their respective tasks. With silver in hand, they were no longer hesitant and prepared to forge ahead boldly.
Simon, he wasn’t heartbroken over the silver. From a modern economic perspective, spending large sums of silver in his domain could stimulate economic growth, boosting domestic demand. The benefits would ultimately fall on the common people.
Pocketing the remaining silver notes, Simon happily headed back to his residence. This auction had finally given him some financial breathing room. Now, should he consider improving his personal life? Perhaps visiting a brothel and chatting with a courtesan for some entertainment?
As he fantasized about whether the courtesans of the Eldorian Empire were as beautiful as movie stars, a sudden clatter of hooves interrupted his thoughts.
Simon turned around to see Lancelot riding toward him at full speed.
His heart tightened. In such a situation, Simon couldn’t help but worry. Although Lancelot was now one of his close ministers, aside from Roland, Simon couldn’t fully trust anyone else.
After all, to him, these people were outsiders, and trust would take time to build.
As Lancelot charged toward him, Simon couldn’t help but feel nervous. The shadow of the assassin still lingered in his mind.
"My Lord!" Lancelot reined in his horse just in front of Simon. Dismounting, Lancelot looked aggrieved. "On my way here, I heard from Chief Secretary Baldwin that Your Highness has earned a substantial amount of silver, a staggering seven million caps. The Governor’s Office, the Machinery Department, and the shipyard have all received large sums. Why did Your Highness forget about the Brambleford Army? Are we not your own flesh and blood?"
Simon now wanted to slap Baldwin. No wonder he had left with that enigmatic smile. He had been setting Simon up, ensuring not a single cap of silver would be left for himself.
With a heavy heart, Simon pulled out the remaining silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Lancelot. "Who said that? I was just planning to personally deliver this to you, Captain Lancelot. Here’s the remaining one million caps. It’s all yours. The Brambleford Army has always been my top priority."
Lancelot was overjoyed. Since he had joined the Brambleford Army, they had never been truly wealthy. He grinned foolishly. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Simon waved his hand, and Lancelot mounted his horse, happily riding off.
"Sigh, decades of hard work, gone in an instant." Simon muttered dejectedly as he returned to his quarters.
In the castle, Ysabeau was directing the servants to tidy up the empty rooms and store the gifts sent by the merchants. Seeing this, his mood improved.
For the past two months, he had been living frugally. Now, at least he could improve his diet, as he saw plenty of cooking oil, beef, venison, and other delicacies among the gifts. There were also luxury items like ginseng, snow lotus, fine silks, writing materials, porcelain, and gold and silverware.
Seeing Simon return, Joan happily approached. "My Lord, the gifts you received this time are truly abundant. They’ll keep our residence well-supplied for a while."
"Indeed, and some merchants even hid silver within their gifts," Ysabeau said gracefully as she walked over, handing Simon a stack of silver notes.
Simon took them and looked. They totalled two hundred thousand caps, each note stamped with the character ’Fletcher,’ just like the others.
"Hehe, Baldwin, man proposes, but heaven disposes. Keep this silver safe, and make sure Chief Secretary Baldwin doesn’t find out." Simon reminded.
Ysabeau understood and chuckled softly. "My Lord’s silver must have all been taken by Chief Secretary Baldwin, right?"
Simon nodded. In truth, he understood Baldwin’s intentions. Baldwin wanted Simon to spend the silver on proper causes, so he didn’t blame him.
However, stashing away some private funds wasn’t against the rules, and improving his quality of life was necessary.
