NOVEL NEXT Chapter 226: I have a friend…
Rian’s eyes had a mischievous sparkle when he heard that Prince Pollux had met with Florence. Ren Xiyang proverbially grabbed him by the scruff and put work in front of him.
Those nobles who kept gossiping clearly didn’t have enough work to do. At least Ren Xiyang could influence the amount of work Rian had.
The Rosewood taxes had been collected and the year’s census survey conducted. This year, the Rosewood fief had implemented a tax-reform, despite the lack of Imperial Court approval. In the Rosewood fief’s new tiered taxation system, the poorest were taxed less, while the richest (i.e., Earl Rosewood and the Rosewood Group) were taxed more. To still fulfil their kingdom taxation rate, the poorest were still taxed at the kingdom taxation rate, but then the Rosewood fief reimbursed them out of the Rosewood Group’s extra taxation; they still had a lot left after.
Ren Xiyang went back to the Rosewood fief with Rian, to accompany the convoy of gold and grains to the Capital as the year’s taxes.
King Edric and Queen Mira were able to experience the novel situation of a noble giving them more taxes than they had to.
Then, he and Rian prepared a report for the Imperial Court about the benefits of their new system. News about this report being prepared spread. The rich nobility weren’t happy, and the big merchant families also weren’t happy.
“Earl Rosewood clearly wants to disrupt our social fabric.”
“Taxes have been done this way for centuries. How does he dare think that he’s better?”
“I knew that Earl Rosewood hates us nobles! He wants to make us poor!”
“Tch, while Earl Rosewood is delivering more gold to the imperial coffers, he’s going to turn around and accept gold given to him by Her Majesty!”
“If this is the new Rosewood fief law, I won’t trade in the Rosewood fief anymore. The Rosewood fief will no longer have any of my great goods!”
“The Rosewood Group wants to make a monopoly! They’re also supported by local fief taxes; this is collusion of business and state!”
“Does Prince Rian want to bleed us dry? This doesn’t bode well for his future rule…”
Ren Xiyang didn’t care about the gossip.
However, he had underestimated its sentiments. When Ren Xiyang faced the Imperial Court and presented the new taxation system, the nobles argued against him.
In the end, the court didn’t pass his case.
Ren Xiyang accepted the verdict and sat down. This was his biggest defeat in a while. It reminded him that he still had a long way to go regarding persuasive power outside the Rosewood fief.
Most people of the Rosewood fief welcome the taxation change, Rian sent him comforting thoughts. And once I become king, there will be zero problems!
Rian, assassination of dissidents is not a civilised solution, Ren Xiyang returned.
Hehehe! was Rian’s response.
Nonetheless, Ren Xiyang felt better.
Expanding his influence was one matter, but there still many improvements left for the Rosewood fief. For example, one problem with the new tax system—that no noble brought up—was that it required certain literacy and numeracy levels from the populace.
After the Imperial Council Gathering, Ren Xiyang went back to the Rosewood fief and brainstormed a slew of new initiatives to increase the education level in the Rosewood fief.
Education at the Rosewood Group-run schools was already free, but now Ren Xiyang wanted to add in scholarships, low-income subsidies, more classes at varied times in the day and week. Now that there were more people with basic education in the fief, some of those people would also be hired as tutors or assistants to supplement the classes taught by the more knowledgeable teachers, a bit like the peer-tutoring system that Rian had set up at the academy.
Ren Xiyang also wanted to add in higher academic level classes, not just basic literary and numeracy. This could be complimented with classes that trained students in specific skills or jobs.
Ren Xiyang had a small thought in his heart about setting up a research institution in the Rosewood fief. The Imperial University did a lot of good teaching and research, but there was more that could be done without requiring magic, by people who didn’t have magic.
To improve the education level across the fief, a wide variety of books was indispensable. But books were still fairly expensive, so someone from the Rosewood education team suggested library caravans as a temporary solution. They could capitalise on the new road infrastructure and put together a big caravan with thousands of books. The caravan could visit the villages in particular (which had less people and less resources) and allow residents to borrow books. The caravan could make a round trip in two or three weeks, after which people could return their borrowed books and borrow some more.
Ren Xiyang signed off on that project right away.
Then, on the topic of infrastructure, Ren Xiyang turned around and met with the infrastructure and transport divisions in the Rosewood Group.
Trains were at least a decade away, but with an expanding population, public transport should be set in place now, in order to develop that kind of culture.
Ren Xiyang asked the transport division—who had originally been formed to help people travel from other fiefs to the Rosewood fief—to start some local, within-fief transportation, while also developing regular, fixed timetables. For now, these transport lines would be serviced by traditional horse/donkey/mule and carriage/cart/caravan. But Ren Xiyang also tasked them with creating low-floor long carriages, that would have wheels but run using magic.
Upon returning to the Capital, Ren Xiyang still had work at the reference-healing clinic. Thankfully, he had been able to hire another healer and reduce his own time spent there. Recently, there was a trans male patient. The new healer was put to work with Ren Xiyang providing supervisory advice.
The clinic also accepted its first nonbinary patient, a healer from the Capital Hospital. Cassiopeia was assigned that patient, to explore available options.
In addition, the clinic developed its first new spell—a hair ‘removal’ spell that converted thick hair follicles into fine vellus hair follicles. It was made by Cassiopeia, the student research student from Duke Schauss’s side, and one of the healer mage academics from the University. The spell wasn’t permanent, in the sense that the body could convert those cells back to thick hair follicles. But it was still a good step forward.
Ren Xiyang also had his research on magical herbs and plants.
As the hair ‘removal’ spell was the first spell created and finalised out of the referencing healing clinic, Ren Xiyang studied its conversion from spell to potion, and thus the magical herb configuration required to make the hair ‘removal’ potion. It may not be particularly glamorous, but once Ren Xiyang could formulate a stable magical herb lineage, he could start a small production of the hair ‘removal’ potion (as a cream) and sell it; it would be very useful to cisgender people too, such as men who preferred a clean-shaven look.
Rian had also hired a research-assistant healer for him, to look into testing the magical sex-hormones-creating plants that Ren Xiyang had developed. The number of transgender patients was too small, and the reference healing method was obviously the ideal choice. So, Ren Xiyang asked the healer to see if they could find cisgender patients—men and women who had lower levels of testosterone or estrogen and had subsequent problems because of it.
And finally, Ren Xiyang had to maintain his romantic relationship with Rian, spending time together, and making sure Rian was tired out by the end of each day.
It was a full but fulfilling schedule.
Rian liked doing the same things at the same time as Ren Xiyang.
While Ren Xiyang was working on education in the Rosewood fief, Rian was developing the new education initiative. It would work on a system of matched-funding. Nobles who agreed would set up schools that passed some minimal requirements, and the education initiative would provide funding equal to the amount the nobles had contributed. As for how the education initiative itself was going to be funded, it would be a combination of Rian’s resources, the Rosewood Group, and Imperial gold via Queen Mira.
While Ren Xiyang was working on infrastructure and transport, Rian spoke with other nobles about whether they were interested in developing their own public transport network, or whether they were willing for the Rosewood Group’s network to expand into their fiefs. However, it seemed that most nobles weren’t interested in increasing the number of commoners visiting their fiefs and making it noisy.
So, Rian put that idea down for now and switched to working on the maglev trains. He spoke with Prince Pollux in place of Ren Xiyang, and secured Prince Pollux’s agreement to work on the trains. Ren Xiyang wanted to develop a new system for magic levitation based on repulsion between two magically charged components, rather than based on pure levitation magic, hoping that it would require less magical energy to function.
When Ren Xiyang was working at the reference healing clinic, Rian worked with the Royal Healers’ Association and met with Duke Schauss and others to form the new infectious diseases research and treatment clinic.
When Ren Xiyang was working on his academy research project, Rian was working on his. He made yet another map table, twice as big as the previous ones, which allowed more fine details of the landscape. He made more magical sensors, which his servants took and placed around the kingdom. He also formally wrote letters to King Firestone and Queen Aurelia and other neighbouring kingdoms about his wish to place these weather sensors in their lands. He also thought about ‘satellites’, based on Ren Xiyang’s description, but the magical technology wasn’t there yet.
And finally, when it was time for romance, Rian was one-hundred-percent involved.
Hadrian couldn’t tell if he was imagining things or not.
It started out benign.
Prince Pollux would sit just a little bit closer on the sofa when they were playing with the cats. He would sit just a little bit closer when they took the carriage together to the university.
Hadrian noticed something was up when he realised that he had to sit carefully as to not touch Prince Pollux. But then, Prince Pollux sat so close that their legs touched!
Hadrian could feel Prince Pollux’s heat transmitted through him, along the line where their legs pressed together.
“Sorry, your Highness!” Hadrian apologised right away and pulled his legs together.
Prince Pollux smiled, his head tilted down slightly. “I don’t mind. Aren’t we good friends?”
Hadrian couldn’t refute that.
Another matter—they had dinners together. Dinners together was normal, but why did the table become smaller? Why were there candles on the table one night, and flowers on the table another night? Why were Prince Pollux’s feet touching his under the table?
Sometimes, Prince Pollux invited him out to dinner, to try out various restaurants in the Sedaverian Capital. Why was there a band playing romantic music in the background? Why were there only couples seated in this restaurant?
Prince Pollux was also giving him gifts, despite there being no special occasion. First, there was cat toys. Hadrian had accepted them without any concern. But then, there were notebooks and expensive pens, and enchanted cufflinks, and even new clothes. And when Hadrian wore them, Prince Pollux scanned him from top to bottom.
Which led to what flustered Hadrian the most—it was the way Prince Pollux would look at him. The way Prince Pollux gazed at him when they were playing with the cats. The way Prince Pollux gazed at him across the dinner table. The way Prince Pollux’s cheeks would pink slightly when Hadrian caught him looking.
It made Hadrian’s stomach flutter. It made him wonder, dangerously, whether Prince Pollux may actually like him.
And that led to more dangerous thoughts, such as—he would like to sit even closer to His Highness. He wanted to lean into His Highness. He wanted to touch His Highness.
But he couldn’t! That wasn’t what a proper subject would do.
…But was Prince Pollux trying to hint something with his actions?
Hadrian didn’t know! He couldn’t tell if he was imagining things or not!
Finally, Hadrian had to ask his father, during one of their regular long-distance calls.
“—Father, my friend has a problem. I couldn’t help them, but maybe you could give me some advice,” Hadrian said.
“Oh? What is it?” Marquis Terra replied.
“My friend is in this situation. That friend has another friend. That friend has also given various expensive gifts, and gone out to dinners together. This is just something that good friends do, right?”
“What kinds of gifts?”
“Notebooks, pens, cuff-links, jewellery, paper charms, clothes…”
“Oh, that’s easy. The other person is clearly trying to court your friend,” Marquis Terra said. He shook his head. “Why did your friend ask you to help? Your friend is clearly in denial.”
“No, that can’t be right…”
“Hadrian, your friend is in denial, it’s clear. You go tell them,” Marquis Terra said firmly.
Hadrian eventually ended that call…and mentally collapsed.
Marquis Terra: I talked with Hadrian today. Apparently, he has a friend who’s in denial.
Marchioness Terra: …. Everyone knows that “a friend” is yourself!
Marquis Terra: Hah??! (°ロ°)
OMG I didn’t even realise but this story is now over 500,000 words!!! Not only did I write 500,000 words, but this means that you, dear reader, has read 500,000 words!!! For reference, the average fantasy novel is less than 150,000 words!
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