As the emperor agreed, the empress added another comment.
“Still, you’re being too indifferent to Elfreda.”
“I think it’s just unnecessary talk circulating in society. Isn’t it too soon for me to get married?”
Klaus calmly replied, even though he felt a headache at the mention of Elfreda’s name again.
The emperor sensed a subtle atmosphere between them and cleared his throat loudly.
“Well, well. Anyway, there are many young ladies interested in our son. As a father, I can’t help but be concerned, Colin.”
“Sigh, Father.”
Klaus shook his head reluctantly.
“I’ll say it again to both of you, I have no intention of rushing into marriage. Father, aren’t you still in good health?”
“That’s true, but…”
“No one is asking you to get married right away, Colin. I just mentioned it out of concern that you might be getting too distant from social circles,” the emperor explained.
Note: The English translation provided here is a direct and literal translation of the Korean text. Some sentences may sound unnatural or require additional context for smoother readability.
So, Klaus finally raised both hands.
“Understood. If there’s an event that the imperial family must attend, I’ll leave without saying a word.”
“Hahaha, alright. That settles it.”
The emperor, laughing heartily, concluded the marriage talk. Beside him, the empress murmured softly. What does it matter? However, the emperor neatly pretended not to hear those words.
“But, Father. There’s something I’m curious about.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“How much exactly is the Marquis Mecklinger’s fortune?”
At the unexpected question, the emperor and empress glanced at each other for a moment before turning their gaze back to Klaus.
The empress asked with a worried expression.
“Why suddenly ask about that, Colin?”
“I just became curious. There have been rumors that his current wealth surpasses that of the imperial family. Is that true?”
Klaus judged that it was not yet the time to bring up Musele’s tax reform proposal. Especially since the empress seemed very favorably disposed toward Elfreda and Marquis Mecklinger.
The emperor chuckled.
“Well, I’m not sure, to be honest. Asking the emperor directly about the wealth of a noble could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.”
It wasn’t easy for the monarch, who governed the empire, to say ‘I don’t know’ about a noble’s wealth. However, the emperor was not the type to flaunt authority even in front of his subjects.
“Then it would be difficult to accurately assess the financial status of other nobles besides the Marquis.”
“If there are reasonable suspicions that a certain territory is not paying taxes properly, the imperial tax officials are secretly dispatched to investigate. However, if there are no such suspicions, there’s no need to go poking around.”
The empress added after the emperor.
“As long as they fulfill their obligations to the imperial family, it’s not a big problem if their wealth surpasses ours. Fortunately, we abolished the military service system of each family a hundred years ago, reducing the physical threat, so to speak.”
Klaus remained silent, lost in thought. No threat? That was absurd. Just because there were no visible soldiers didn’t mean someone wasn’t secretly maintaining an assassination organization.
The current emperor was quite a mild-mannered individual.
Contrary to the empress’s words, he didn’t flaunt his pride even if a noble had more money than the imperial family. If the emperor were a jealous tyrant, he might have used some mean method to seize the noble’s wealth.
“So, the rumors about Marquis Mecklinger’s wealth, there’s no way to confirm them except by asking the person involved.”
“That’s true, but is there really such a rumor?”
The emperor asked as if genuinely curious. Klaus smiled faintly and replied.
“It might have been a joke by someone, but I just became curious. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Hmm, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m curious too, aren’t I?”
“Then, when you’re in private, you can ask the Marquis during a card game.”
“Well, that’s a bit awkward…”
The emperor’s words trailed off. No matter how close they were as friends, there were always uncomfortable questions.
Klaus slowly rose from his seat.
“Then please rest well. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Sure. See you again.”
“Have sweet dreams, Colin.”
The imperial couple bid farewell to their son. Klaus, after leaving the couple’s bedroom, walked slowly to his own palace.
‘Property, income.’
He recalled the light conversation a moment ago. Disguised as a joke, it was a very important question for him.
To implement Musele’s proposed tax reform, it was crucial to accurately assess the actual wealth of each family.
‘I need to find a way to understand the financial status of the noble families.’
Preparations had to be made now to execute the reform. Only then could he overcome fierce resistance in the future and establish the system securely.
It wouldn’t be easy, but that’s what made it more valuable.
He was determined to succeed.
Klaus made a firm commitment.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
