Chapter 23

Seventy percent!

Tang En was amazed, "Doesn't that mean one gold coin would take seventy silver coins?"

Fiona nodded, "This tax rate is twenty percent higher than the standard rate set by the empire, which is why the residents of Ellington are very poor."

"..."

Tang En was speechless. Was fifty percent considered low?

It seemed he still knew too little about this world. After all, it was just a game back then, but now it was a real world.

"Besides, there are some other messy things, but they can be dealt with later. The most important thing right now is this."

Tang En was taken aback, "Huh?"

"The tax rate, my lord!"

Fiona looked astonished, "As the lord, you should issue new tax laws in your territory after taking office. This is the right of the lord. You can maintain Hog's tax rate, and the residents of Ellington are already used to it, so I believe they won't have any objections. You can also announce a tax cut, which would make them more loyal and supportive. It's all up to you!"

Tang En scratched his head. One word could decide the lives of thousands of residents, and this feeling was truly peculiar.

"Then... let's cut the tax. Seventy percent is too high. I think... ten percent should be enough, right?"

In his previous life, Tang En had always been frustrated by all sorts of taxes and knew how much people hated them, so he couldn't bring himself to impose heavy taxes.

However, when he said this, Fiona's eyes widened in shock, "My lord, are you joking with me?"

"Of course not... What's wrong?"

Seeing Fiona's reaction, Tang En realized he might have said something wrong and his face turned red.

"Can you tell me what I said wrong?"

After all, he hadn't studied economics and wasn't familiar with it, so he had to rely on Fiona.

Fiona looked conflicted. If she didn't know Tang En was powerful, she would have really wanted to quit right now.

"Ten percent tax rate... You really said that out loud!"

Fiona looked disappointed, "If the tax rate is only ten percent, do you even want to stay as the lord?"

"What's the impact of that?"

"There is! Of course there is! And it's very important!"

Fiona said decisively, "As the lord, you need to maintain an army, and the maintenance of various public facilities in Ellington also requires funding from the lord's treasury. Reducing taxes will certainly gain their support, but if you need to repair the square, the roads, or provide armor for the soldiers, do you expect them to understand and generously donate to you?"

Tang En scratched his head, thought for a moment, and then shook his head.

"You're right. When policies benefit them, people are grateful, but if you want to take money from them, it's not that simple. They will hate you and forget that it was because of you that they earned more income."

"So, to maintain your rule, taxes are essential. This is your most important source of income and cannot be decided lightly!"

Tang En humbly asked, "What should I do then?"

"Since my lord is inclined to reduce taxes, I suggest reducing it by half a percent."

"Half a percent? That's too little, right?"

"Don't think half a percent is small."

Fiona glared at Tang En, "If Ellington develops well, this half a percent tax could be worth tens of thousands of gold coins—tens of thousands of gold coins, and you just said it so casually!"

By this point, Fiona felt that even reducing the tax by half a percent was too much.

"Alright... I see..."

"Moreover, reducing taxes shouldn't be done all at once!"

Since the decision to reduce taxes had been made, Fiona continued, "If you reduce the tax burden all at once, they will only be grateful once. If you want to raise it in the future, it won't be easy. This should be a long-term process, and you must leave room for maneuver."

"If Ellington encounters a crisis and the people are restless, you can reduce taxes again to gain their support, provided you have room to do so."

"Taxes are a means to maintain rule and the economy, and they must not be decided casually."

After hearing Fiona, Tang En was stunned.

Her thinking was extremely close to economic theories on Earth. Who said the people in this world were unintelligent? I'll guarantee not to beat them if they step forward!

Seeing Tang En's stunned face, Fiona put a hand to her forehead and suddenly said, "I've decided!"

"What?"

"To prevent Ellington from being ruined by you and to maintain peace in Ellington, I, Fiona Golden Rose, will become the financial officer of Ellington from today!"

If Tang En were allowed to play with Ellington as he pleased, it wouldn't be long before Ellington was ruined. He could just walk away, but where could Fiona go? She had nowhere else to go.

To put it more dramatically, this wasn't even her home.

... Perhaps it could become her home in the future?

Fiona didn't want her future home to become a mess. In her excitement, she suddenly grabbed Tang En's hands and said solemnly, "My lord, although my words may upset you, I hope you will seriously consider this."

"—Huh!?"

Suddenly being grabbed by Fiona, Tang En was stunned.

"I feel that managing finances would be disastrous with you, so please trust me and let me handle the finances!"

"This..."

"What's wrong? Didn't you say you wanted me to help? Now that I've found something I can do, don't you want me to do it, my lord?"

Fiona leaned forward, and the pressure made Tang En feel suffocated.

What a magnificent chest...

Tang En casually let go of her hands, "No, I have no objection to the financial officer. I just wanted to say that I saw your destiny in your hands."

Fiona was taken aback, "What did you see?"

Tang En glanced at Fiona and said solemnly, "I see a great omen of misfortune!"

"Ah!?"

Fiona's face turned pale, "My lord, you must help me!"

"Ha ha..."

Tang En laughed exaggeratedly, "I was just joking, did you really believe it?"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"My lord, you are really, really bad..."

Fiona blushed and pouted.

Hmm? Is she blushing? No, it must be an illusion...

"Bang!"

At that moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Brian's rough voice boomed, "Brother! What are you doing? The cook said it's time to eat, and I remember you promised me plenty of good wine. Why aren't you coming... Huh?"

Brian noticed the strange atmosphere in the room, looked at Tang En, then at Fiona, and suddenly said, "Brother, I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No—"

Before Tang En could finish, Brian laughed, "—I know I'm not. Come on, brother, we must have a good drink today. I haven't had wine for a while, and those damn bandits didn't give me any!"

This guy!

Tang En laughed. He remembered the promise of good wine but nothing else.

Should I really say he's a true alcoholic dwarf?

Should I bring out some erguotou and let them try Chinese白酒 culture?

Tang En rubbed his chin thoughtfully but then reconsidered the current grain production and abandoned the idea.

Brian pulled Tang En roughly, eager to go drink.

"Fiona, are you coming?"

"My lord, you go ahead. I need to organize these things and will join you later."

"Come on, come on, brother... By the way, brother, humans all look the same to me. I can't tell who... Uh, Fiona, right?"

Brian seemed to think he hadn't made a mistake and continued, "I can't tell if Fiona or today's Alina is prettier, but brother, I still think Alina is more to my taste. Her strength, tsk tsk, even the Hill King in my hometown wouldn't match her. If she has a child, it would be very powerful!"

Tang En was helpless, "That's Fiona and Alina..."

"Oh, I made a mistake. Brother, if you want a wife, you should find someone like Alina!"

Can you lower your voice, you loudmouth?

Fiona has already heard everything...

Tang En could already guess Fiona's expression, and it was all because of this chatty dwarf!

For the sake of the light of communism, Tang En gritted his teeth and stared at Brian's head. If he didn't squeeze out every last bit of his value, it would be a waste of his suffering ears!

After Tang En and Brian left, Fiona let out a long sigh. The sudden courage she had just felt vanished, and her tense body relaxed, slumping onto the sofa.

"My lord..."

Fiona murmured, looking at her hands, which still seemed to retain Tang En's warmth.

Only now did she realize how bold she had been, and her face turned slightly red.

After all, Lord Tang En was a powerful mage, and she was just a humble fallen noble. How could she overstep her bounds?

Being able to talk to him and help him a bit was already a blessing from the gods.

Fiona, calm down. Managing the territory and making Ellington more prosperous and wealthy is what he expects from you.

Even if you have any thoughts, it's not too late to think about them later.

Fiona's spirit lifted, and she smiled confidently again.