Chapter 519
Another wave of support came from grain traders and the colonies. The colonies could sell large quantities of grain to the motherland, Ansu, without having to accept the dumping of goods unilaterally. This could alleviate the potential uprisings or backlash that might arise in the colonies after the death of the strongman.
Grain traders, especially those in the Grain Import and Export Association, had opposed the grain embargo from the very beginning. Now, they were likely popping champagne, as any dissenting voices would be met with fierce criticism from them. They were even willing to spend lavishly to fund various newspapers to promote William.
Charles had anticipated this. After all, back in Berlun, some grain merchants had approached Aivina, asking her to relay a message to William, who was then the Minister of Internal Affairs, warning that if the embargo wasn’t lifted, they would be left with no choice but to sink the ship with the fish—meaning they wouldn’t sell their grain at low prices to North Ansu.
In recent days, after William announced plans to abolish the Corn Laws, uprisings and terrorist attacks by the Orlando Republican Army across Ansu had nearly ceased. It was easy to guess that Princess Vitalis had intervened to mediate.
The opposition, however, came mainly from the Conservative Party's land aristocrats, landlords, millers, and farmers, who were vehemently attacking William, even threatening to take his life.
They were the ones who would suffer the most from the proposed legislation. It was foreseeable that if the law were successfully implemented, the Conservative Party's influence would only shrink further, and their seats in Parliament would dwindle.
They incited farmers to march against the repeal of the Corn Laws. One land aristocrat even published a radical opinion in the newspapers, claiming that the repeal would only hasten the death of the North Ansurians, urging the Orlando Republican Army not to abandon their resistance against the new Prime Minister, but to continue opposing the law.
At that moment, Charles was reading this inflammatory article.
But in truth, the land aristocrat wasn’t entirely wrong.
While the repeal of the Corn Laws would benefit urban workers, the industrial bourgeoisie, and overseas colonies, it wasn’t without negative consequences.
If corruption and disease continued unabated, combined with the repeal of the Corn Laws, it would lead to even more severe famine in North Ansu.
The harvest was already poor, and the little grain that remained couldn’t be sold... Vast tracts of land would be abandoned, and the speed of land consolidation would increase dramatically. More North Ansurians would find themselves not only without food but also without land.
In the end, their only options would be to work the lowest jobs in Ansu’s factories or to become refugees fleeing the country. Staying on that barren land would mean waiting for death.
From William’s speech draft, it seemed he had foreseen this and understood that reform would come at a cost... but he appeared to underestimate that cost.
In his draft, he believed that grain imports from the colonies could gradually replace domestic agriculture, absorbing the displaced farmers through industrial expansion, and that favorable tax policies could be offered to land aristocrats to establish factories.
In William’s vision, the repeal of the law would bring temporary pain, but once the transformation was complete, a bright future awaited.
If viewed in this light, the repeal of the Corn Laws indeed seemed beneficial... but William seemed to have overlooked the fact that the surge in imported wheat could crush all small and medium-sized farms in Ansu in an instant.
Charles found it difficult to determine whether to support the repeal of the Corn Laws. Abolishing them would greatly enhance Ansu’s industrial competitiveness, potentially catapulting it into a more powerful industrial empire and ushering in an era of free trade.
But the cost would be the local farmers and the potentially millions of starving souls in North Ansu.
Charles closed the newspaper.
The right and wrong of it all would have to be judged by future generations.
She had no desire to alter the course of history; she lacked the ability to manage such a vast empire and control the lives and deaths of all beneath her.
All she could do was focus on her own affairs while secretly working on a vaccine or antidote to eliminate the corruption and disease.
It was time to take care of her own business.
“Tara, come here.”
Charles stood up, leading the obedient Tara back to the room. She sat at the table and took out the Endless Manual, beginning to write.
Having clarified her tasks, Charles returned the manual to the storage, silently vowing.
“Tomorrow.”
“No.0.”
A silver light enveloped Charles.
.
.
.
PS:
Sorry, I failed to adjust my schedule and ended up sleeping for fourteen hours straight, feeling a bit dazed...
There won’t be an update today because the previous chapters were flagged, and I need to go back and make significant revisions—an unexpected event.
I can only push myself a bit.
Tomorrow, 8K, or else I’ll be in trouble!
Let’s go! Tomorrow’s me!!!!!!
Good night!!!
Chapter 271: Level 4 “Nightmare” and Common Sense Modification (8000-word chapter)
“Tomorrow”
“August 9, 741, 9:58 AM”
“Countdown -23:59:59”
The silver-white light gradually faded before Charles.
A fantastical fragrance wafted into her nostrils, and she felt a slight numbness in her body, but her thoughts remained unaffected.
This sensation felt strange to Charles... but it didn’t seem to have any adverse effects.
With the help of [Calm Thinking Lv.5], she was still able to think clearly.
Good, it’s August 9th, and the time is just right. I haven’t died prematurely in the simulation, so...
“Minister of Finance, have you finished reading?”
A voice interrupted Charles’s thoughts. She looked up to see the source.
Before her was a rectangular conference table, filled on both sides with well-dressed, poised ladies. In addition to those seated, many more stood around, nearly filling the entire conference room.
Standing behind the first seat on the left was a lady with her long black hair elegantly pinned up, her cool dark purple eyes gazing at Charles, speaking calmly.
Charles, slightly bewildered, shifted her gaze from the lady to the others around her. Some jarring memories began to surface in her mind, and her [Calm Thinking] kicked in, helping her analyze these memories.
Oh... so that’s how it is...
She was calling for me...
I am the Minister of Finance...
Charles looked down at herself, realizing she was seated in the main position, wearing a well-tailored tailcoat.
It appeared to be based on a male tailcoat, crafted from pure black fine wool, adorned with dark-patterned silk.
The coat retained the double-breasted design, satin lapels, and knee-length back, but the shoulder and waist lines were tailored to fit a woman’s form.
“Minister of Finance” was the official title in Ansu, used in parliamentary bills and royal decrees, rather than “Prime Minister.”
At that moment, Charles was seated at the head of the conference table...
—I am the Minister of Finance.
Charles lowered her gaze, quickly flipping through the documents in her hand.
Noticing that Charles seemed a bit off, the lady with the pinned-up hair raised her hand and gestured to the others.
“Let’s take a break; the Minister of Finance needs a moment to think.”
“Understood.”
“Of course, Your Excellency.”
The ladies present stood up, bowing to Charles before filing out of the conference room, with the last one closing the door behind her.
The once-crowded room was now left with just three people.
Charles’s gaze fell on the pink incense burning at the center of the table, its faint pinkish-purple smoke swirling around, seemingly calming her mind, even clarifying her previously hazy memories.
“What’s wrong? Is the pressure too much?” a gentle, slightly worried voice came from her left.
Charles turned to see a slightly gaunt blonde lady sitting in the first position on her left, looking at her with concern, her sapphire-like eyes shimmering.
“She’s taking on this pressure for you, William.” A somewhat cold voice came from behind William. The standing lady sighed softly, looking down at Charles, her tone softening a bit. “Don’t worry; I’ll help you clear the remaining obstacles.”
“If you’re feeling unwell, you can go home to rest and we can resume the meeting at noon... Aivina is waiting for you at home.”
Hearing the lady’s words, Charles felt her mood lighten a bit. She nodded naturally and replied:
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