“Sure, if you don’t want to talk about it, don’t. It’s not like I have only pleasant memories of it.”
“…….”
“But seriously, not even once now?”
“What?”
“Worshipping me like a god.”
Ines tightly bit her lip.
“It feels embarrassing to think that way. Why am I so fond of this?”
Only then did Ines realize how astonishing it was that her face had flushed with embarrassment.
As long as she chased after him, considering him the only light, she never had the luxury of feeling embarrassed. Like a sunflower turning its face away from the sun without knowing shame, it seemed natural.
“Come here, Ines.”
He tilted his head slightly, indicating the space next to him. Without hesitation, Ines approached and sat beside him.
“I want to kiss you.”
A faint wrinkle appeared between Ines’s eyebrows.
“Are we talking about monetary reform?”
Carson chuckled, then leaned in directly, pressing his face against hers. Their lips touched gently. As he rolled his lips smoothly inside her mouth, a sensation of melting enveloped her entire body.
It was not the hasty kisses they had shared until now, but a polite movement, as if having a civilized conversation.
For some reason, it confused Ines even more.
He pulled away, gently brushing her lips.
“Don’t force yourself too much. I don’t like seeing you struggling.”
Ines lowered her head.
“You’ve said something like that before. At that time, I didn’t think those words could be comforting. But now I know. I’ve held onto those words tightly for so long. So, now I want to share those words with you.”
He grinned, wrinkling his forehead.
“I’ll do my best. So, you don’t have to worry about anything from now on.”
In the end, he embraced Ines and burst into laughter.
Holding the trembling hand of the always anxious woman firmly, the words he spoke were a promise to her and a commitment to himself.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Carson held Ines even tighter in his arms.
The moment the temperature of the woman’s body, colder than himself, became the same, he liked it. He continued to stroke Ines’s whole body with both arms to keep her warm.
Why did you take away my sight from the beginning?
Why did you make my breath stop from the beginning?
Why did you not let me go from head to toe?
Why was it you?
Calling me the savior while saving me.
The current administration lacked a professional bureaucratic organization and bureaucrats. Indeed, one could argue that the concept of a bureaucratic organization itself was sparse.
Of course, there were bureaucrats from the establishment of the Keynes Empire.
Although the names they were called by were different, those who actually handled the work definitely existed. The reason for the existence of substitutes in each ministry, even if only in name, was because of this.
“How do you perceive the current situation?”
Ines sat across from Viscount Boniface, who served as the substitute for the Ministry of Finance.
It had been five months since the implementation of the monetary reform.
Time had passed, and Ines had risen to a position where she could rule a country as its chief financial officer.
In a country that did not permit titles or positions for women, this was a very unfamiliar occurrence.
Some might consider it an impossible feat. However, for now, it was as natural in the imperial palace as it could be, and no one dared to object.
Viscount Boniface was the second son of the prestigious Hanmi Han Marquis family. With his silver hair neatly combed, he had accomplished a significant feat during the reign of the previous emperor and received the title of viscount.
Having persevered through the long years, he eventually ascended to the position of chief financial officer.
He glanced around the reception room where Ines was seated and gently stroked his chin.
“Hmm.”
The eyes of the elderly man, overseeing the situation, shone sharply.
From the moment he was born, his thoughts would likely differ from those of high-ranking nobles. Ines had thrown a pawn for one such individual.
The results of the monetary reform were dismal. Carson had been busier than ever dealing with the illegal activities of nobles that were being revealed.
Sometimes persuading, sometimes setting traps, Carson was gradually corroding the power of the nobles.
Carson’s goal was clear: to increase direct control by the royal family over the territories.
Nobles did not pay taxes on a regular basis. Understanding the concept of feudalism was crucial here. Why didn’t nobles who did not possess the privilege of tax exemption pay taxes? It was because the obligation assigned to nobles was the duty of military service rather than land tax.
However, it did not mean there were no taxes at all.
Not only lords but also nobles without land were required to pay taxes in proportion to their income from business or trade.
However, nobles avoided paying taxes as much as possible, and that was precisely why the underground economy flourished.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
