Chapter 43: You're Still Too Tender To Play With Me (Part 1)
The duke waved his hand, indicating that everyone could dispense with the formalities, and then sat down in the middle of the rostrum. Niya and the others also took their seats beside him.
Merchants in such a formal occasion did not dare to be careless at all. After seeing them all seated, he sat down again.
Bulinna held a large stack of sheepskin papers and walked onto the stage. Although he had been through many grand scenes, as the host of this kind of conference, it was still his first time. So at this moment, he was very excited, with a bright red face, and his legs kept trembling, fortunately, there was a wide long gown blocking him, so he didn't lose face.
He walked up to the stage and said loudly: "Today..."
He saw countless pairs of eyes staring at him from below the stage, and his heart suddenly panicked, forgetting what he was going to say next, and had to stop. Oola saw this and cleverly handed over a glass of water.
Bulin took the cup of water and drank a mouthful, only then realizing it was Oula who had handed it to him. He smiled gratefully at Oula, who nodded lightly in response.
The CEO of Long Bench Company immediately calmed down again.
Later, whether facing the temptation of Crassus' wealth or Pompey's butcher knife intimidation, this financial officer who grasped the financial lifeline of the Julian family never wavered. He steadfastly accompanied the great Emperor through thick and thin, weathering storms and waves, guarding his treasury with the loyalty of Cerberus, silently providing financial support for the Emperor's miraculous victories time and again.
In the aftermath of the Three Heads era, Anthony took advantage of the chaos in Normandy following the assassination of Duke Siss to secretly abduct Brynna and subjected her to all sorts of torture, but still failed to extract from her the ledger of the gold vault. In the end, Anthony left behind a famous conversation between them that was recorded in history books.
"You're not afraid of death, you don't covet wealth, you don't want beautiful women, and you don't drink fine wine. So what is it that you do want in this world?" Antony exclaimed in exasperation.
Yes!
"Oh, what is it?"
"Just a glass of water." Brinna fell silent for a moment, then opened her remaining eye and said faintly.
"Brynn's calm demeanor returned and he boomed out in a loud voice: 'I declare the Siniya Trade Monopoly Auction is now open.'"
Thunderous applause erupted from both on and off stage.
He pressed his hands down twice, signaling everyone to quiet down, then pulled out a sheepskin paper and read aloud: "To prosper the imperial economy, ensure market health, orderliness, and sustainable development..."
The merchants under the stage all shouted in unison: "Here comes another one!"
A merchant stood up and said, "Lord Burlin, we are all practical people, let's not play with those empty words. If you have something to say, just say it."
Bulin turned back to look at the duke, then looked at Nia. Seeing Nia nod slightly, he disappointedly put away the speech draft that he had spent a sleepless night writing and pouring his heart into.
"This time the auction is mainly for the exclusive rights to wine, high-end fabrics and luxury goods."
Morse rose, first bowing to the yawning Duke on the platform, then turning to Burlin and asking: "No disrespect intended, sir. I'd like to ask, if I take out an exclusive right, how does the company guarantee my rights without letting smugglers find a loophole?"
The merchants below laughed loudly, and who in the entire empire did not know that Morse himself was the biggest smuggler.
Morse stroked his handsome little mustache, turned around and glared angrily at these colleagues who were mocking him.
Bulin blinked, organized his words in his mind for a moment, and then began to speak fluently: "Regarding this issue, Miss Nia, Lord Ye, and I have gone through several days of sleepless nights, deep contemplation, and in-depth discussions..."
Fifteen minutes later, he finally got to the point: "Finally, a complete and effective plan was put forward. That is: The Siniya Defense Team will severely crack down on all smuggling activities. In the process of cracking down on smuggling, the seized goods will be auctioned off after appraisal, and the bidder with the exclusive right to purchase the goods will have priority in buying them. Those who report and are verified will receive 50% of the auction proceeds as a reward."
As soon as the words fell, a buzz of discussion erupted in the hall, and the businessmen below the stage were abuzz with excitement. This was indeed an extraordinary measure. It's worth noting that for these smuggling activities around Xini, these astute businessmen were almost all aware of them, because they themselves often dabbled in such activities.
So as soon as there is any movement, they can immediately find out.
If this measure of Xizang is really implemented, it's hard to guarantee that some people won't secretly report others for the sake of rewards, not to mention the merchants who have obtained exclusive rights and are watching with a hawk's eye to prevent anyone from infringing on their interests. In this way, smuggling through Xizang will almost become an impossible task.
It was unclear who started clapping first, but soon everyone was applauding enthusiastically, cheering and whistling in unison. Those businessmen who had bought shares finally felt the benefits of their investment, and Sienia City really did have their interests at heart.
Brynhild raised the small hammer, striking it heavily on the table several times, shouting loudly: "Silence, silence." The heavy sound of the hammer resounded throughout the great hall, immediately covering up the applause of the merchants.
The hall fell silent again.
Bulinna cleared his throat and said, "According to the rules, we will proceed with the first item, the auction for the one-year export trade rights of wine. The starting price is 5,000 gold coins."
A merchant stood up and looked around proudly, saying: "5,500 gold coins, I'll take it."
Other businessmen tacitly kept silent.
"Five thousand five hundred, once! Is there anyone who can offer a higher price?"
The merchants remained silent, and the hall was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.
"Five thousand five hundred, twice! Is there anyone who can offer a higher price?"
Sweat began to seep out of his forehead as he saw no one answering him.
According to Nia, Ye Feng and the three of them based on the statistics of the accounts over the past few years, only wine is taxed at 8,600 gold coins per year, which still excludes the impact of smuggling, tax evasion and other factors.
According to their estimates, the auction of wine monopoly rights can fetch at least 10,000 gold coins. If it is really sold for 5,500 gold coins, not only will this year's wine tax revenue be greatly reduced, but also set a bad precedent for future auctions.
If these businessmen all do business like this, then the tax revenue for this year will be a big problem, and it would be great if half of it can be collected. Siniya will also face an even bigger financial crisis.
It seems that these businessmen have reached some kind of private agreement to eliminate disadvantageous competition, so as to obtain the exclusive operating rights at a low price.
He heard Nia quietly briefing Ye Feng behind him.
Nia said: "That man is Marls, one of the largest wine merchants in Norma. He has two competitors who should have arrived by now, but they don't seem to be here yet."
Bulinna saw the merchant's face reveal a playful expression, and silently cursed: This damned swindler. He loudly said again: "Five thousand five hundred gold coins, for the third time, is there anyone who can offer a higher price?"
Bulin looked at the businessmen in the hall with disappointment, still expressionless. The venue was silent, and everyone stared at him tightly.
He let out a long sigh in his heart, it was impossible to back down under the watchful eyes of everyone, otherwise the reputation that Ye Feng had painstakingly established for Xiniya would be completely destroyed.
He gritted his teeth, raised the small hammer in his hand and said loudly: "Five thousand five hundred gold coins..."
