sinovels Chapter 42 Tea Tax
Chapter 42 Tea Tax
"Master Elvis said that after you finish your breakfast, you can look for him in the study."
If there is one thing I like most about the breakfast at Frigu Manor, it is probably the steaming pineapple pancakes that are just out of the oven. Although this kind of food is also available in Ludwigsburg, Frigu’s The cook has the ability to make it melt in the mouth, so that people can't help but have another piece; the foie gras pie with pieces of wild rice and minced meat is also a must, if you have a cup of coffee with fresh cream or Fragrant wine, it is really a fairy-like enjoyment!
Over the past few days, I have roughly figured out one thing: if Elvis tells me something "can be done", most of the time what he said is "must do".But probably because I slept soundly last night and the sunshine is very good today, I am in a very happy mood today. I didn’t feel anything wrong when I heard the words conveyed by Jane. She nodded, indicating that she understood.
But when I finished my breakfast, changed my clothes and walked into Elvis' study room - I saw not only Elvis in the study room, but also Ian.
Jane, the crafty girl!She must have deliberately ignored the fact that Ian was there, no wonder she didn't follow me!
Ian was lying on the couch in the study for the master to rest temporarily in a carefree posture. He occupied the whole couch by himself, and his two restless long legs even rested on the armrest of the sofa; El Weiss was sitting in the armchair next to him, sitting very upright, in stark contrast to the one on the sofa whose posture could piss off those old-fashioned nobles.
When I stepped into the study, Ian, who was lying down, and Elvis, who was sitting, turned their heads to look at me together. At that moment, their expressions looked surprisingly similar, so similar that I had a kind of prey being stared at by hounds The feeling of not being able to move from time to time - or two!
But Earl Ian broke this strange feeling as soon as he opened his mouth.
"What are you doing standing at the door like a fool?" He said impatiently, "If you want to come in, come in, if you don't come in, get out."
"If my memory hasn't made a mistake and caused me to misremember the location, this is not your study, and you don't seem to have the right to issue an order to evict guests."
I couldn't help but speak back.
Ian snorted contemptuously.
"I don't remember ever letting a woman into your study," he said to Elvis.
I was so angry that I ground my teeth—when this person speaks, it really, really makes people want to beat him up!
"Okay, don't say a few words." Elvis looked at me and pointed to the armchair next to him: "Come here."
Although I don’t need to go through the sofa, I still vigilantly stay away from the sofa as much as possible, even temporarily abandoning the principle of nobility, and pull the armchair away from the coffee table and sofa by myself—although I am very It's really not in line with the status of a nobleman to want the servants outside to come in and help me move things by myself, but then Ian will definitely laugh at me again!
"My lord, what do you want from me?"
Elvis picked up a letter on the coffee table, pulled out the letterhead inside and handed it to me.
"Letter from New Jersey last night."
Ian looked at him in disbelief, as if he suddenly didn't know Elvis.
"You called him here just to let him see this? What can he do after seeing this? I said, don't you lose your head?"
I was also stunned, for a moment I didn't know whether I should take it or not.
"Didn't you say last night that it wasn't about me?"
"Just let him see Duke Lane's seal." Elvis said to Ian calmly, and then added: "As you said, he can't do anything if he knows."
Ian's eyes flicked back and forth between me and Elvis.
"Don't tell me it's for such a ridiculous reason, it's not your style."
Elvis didn't answer, he just glanced at me, his eyes clearly said, "Don't take it?"
Under this look, I couldn't help stretching out my hand to pick up the thin paper, and accidentally touched Elvis' finger. At that moment, I felt as if I was burned, and quickly pulled the letter back.
There was a faint smell of ambergris on the bronzing letter paper, and the French was full of flying and dancing. I glanced at it roughly, and only remembered "Indian tea", "illegal", "transportation", etc., and a seemingly personal name "" Townsend", flipping to the back, the family crest and the bright red governor's seal that are not used by ordinary nobles stand side by side.
"This is a letter from the Duke's House, mainly to test the attitude of the Haggs family towards the new tea tax." While I was staring at the badge pattern in a daze, Elvis explained to me lightly, "London wants to pass a Legislate to allow the people and lords of the thirteen colonies to buy tea from the East India Company that has paid the Townsend tax, and at the same time declare that the tea produced in the colonies is illegal. If this bill is passed, the tea planters and tea merchants in the colonies will suffer Serious loss."
"Why are you telling him this, I guess he can't even understand what Townsend's tax law is!" Ian bent one leg impatiently, "The old men in London have been thinking about this kind of evil idea all day long. If you want me to say, those people should have a long memory, otherwise they really think we are easy to bully!"
Even knowing that Earl Ian doesn't have a good opinion of England, I was shocked by the way he completely scoffed at London's will when he spoke.
"My lord," I asked in amazement, "if this is an order from the king in London, is there any room for objection?"
To be honest, it’s not a big deal just not to like things related to England. After all, besides the English style, there are also elegant French style, Italian style or Spanish style to choose from, but if you rise up against your own king, that is This is an unimaginable event, which has refreshed my understanding for more than 20 years. Listening to this tone, the Higgs family, who came from a noble family in Great Britain, actually meant to oppose the laws promulgated by the King of England?Thinking about it in another way, probably the nobles of the Principality of Württemberg want to oppose the will of the Grand Duke. With my limited life experience, this is really unimaginable!
All along, I have been educated that the king's thoughts are everything, and the monarch's will is irresistible, just like the French Sun King said "I am the country".In Württemberg, no one can disobey the orders of the Grand Duke—most of those who disobey are in prison or have fled abroad; even if it is the most trivial idea of the Grand Duke, all nobles, servants, and merchants must act for him. I realized that nothing is more important than the joy of the monarch except God's arrangement. Under this logic, even those who are favored by the monarch—for example, the concubines of the French court who have been interfering in political affairs— The will also should not be violated.
Ian, who heard my question, looked at me like an idiot.
"Why do you think we will accept it without objecting?" He asked me in an aggressive tone, "Don't you know the seriousness of this matter? You know, if this bill is passed, its destructive power It can directly destroy half of the colony's economy. Now nine out of ten teas in the thirteen states are produced on plantations, and the bill wants to define all of these as illegal, so as to force the colonies to buy the backlog of old tea from the East India Company. Such a large Do we have to accept the loss?"
No wonder this letter was rushed to the Frigou Manor!
"But the will of the monarch cannot be violated. They are the spokespersons of the gods in the world, and their will is the will of the gods." I tried to argue with him desperately, "Subjects should absolutely obey the orders of the king. The happiness of the prince is the happiness of his subjects, is it not?"
"The happiness of a monarch is the happiness of his subjects?" Ian repeated my words, "including the happiness of causing his subjects to lose all their property, and even having to eat bark and grass roots in famine years? Ah, don't you say that I I still forgot, I remember a few years ago when the Principality of Württemberg encountered a famine, your grand duke took the lead in hoarding grain and selling it at a high price. I heard that the nobles made a lot of money from this. Of course, it’s not true that the people starved to death What they care about—is this also the happiness of the people?"
"You must have heard some unreliable rumors. Maybe some people did that, but what the Grand Duke did was to stabilize food prices and prevent those greedy Jews from speculating." Anyway, I have never done what he said. Hoarding , but I remember that the price of land dropped a lot at that time, but I took advantage of the low price at that time to increase the area of my manor a little.
"what!"
Ian looked like he didn't want to discuss it with me at all.
"Did you let him come just to hear his stupid talk?—if that's the case, it's over by now, and let him get out of my presence."
This time he was talking to Elvis.
"I didn't want him to participate in this matter, and it has nothing to do with him." It is estimated that only his twin brother can bear Earl Ian's unceremonious attitude. Elvis turned to me and said, "Do you want to read another letter with Duke Lane's seal?"
"Did you really just show me this?"
Calling me over for none of my business, just to show me what Duke Lane's coat of arms looks like?
"You'd love to hear from New Jersey as soon as possible, but it hasn't arrived yet."
So just use this way to comfort me?
For a while, I felt mixed feelings, and I didn't know what it was like.
"There is no need for other letters, my lord. I believe that the real reply letter is not far away. Today's sunshine is very good. Please allow me to go for a walk in the garden first, so as not to disturb the two adults to discuss matters."
When I walked out of the study, I heard Ian say something to Elvis from behind.
"You treated him like this—it was like he treated her ten years ago."
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I did the math, and found out that I had already seen the dawn of the end!
Although the number of words is twice as much as I expected when I started writing... I am really moved!
Memmada Fairy Shadow cutie and other cuties!Without you urging me, I probably wouldn't be able to hold on!