228: Chapter 134: Pulling In The Net _2 228: Chapter 134: Pulling In The Net _2 If one probes too deep, there would be no partners left.

A genuinely honest partner is hard to survive on the Continent of Aslante.

Decent people, who would deal in arms trade!

The situation has come to this point.

It is obviously that a group of merchants have been forced into a corner and have ended up with such a rotten idea.

Perhaps not just him, some other influential nobles in the province might also play the role of intermediaries.

From another perspective, it’s almost time to draw in the net.

Once the truth is revealed, not only the two county nobles whose interests are at stake, but also the native nobles from other regions will take swift action.

I just wonder if those northern nobles had grabbed enough food to pass the winter.

If not, they stand to lose greatly in this situation.

…

In the Governor’s Mansion, several magic memory stones appear in front of Earl Piers as evidence.

Accompanied by a group of bureaucrats from the Southeastern Province.

Yet, something seems off.

Upon seeing this kind of internal scandal among the nobles, those who should be furious instead are joking and chit-chatting on the side, occasionally commenting on the acting skills of the northern nobles.

If this scene were to be exposed, it could cause a huge uproar immediately.

These carefully strategized plans by everyone, resulting from intense rivalry, are merely treated as an amusing play to be commented on in the eyes of these elderly gentlemen.

“These merchants really do spare no expense.

They even brought out the rare memory stones.

It seems they really were taken a heavy hit.”

The tax official said with a grin.

As a bureaucrat appointed by the King to the Southeastern Province, Count Simich is not a native noble.

He is simply a spectator in this struggle.

However, as a foreigner, he has to collect the full amount of tax every year.

In addition to regularly selling the right to collect tax to the nobles, he also has to deal with the merchants.

This process is certainly not pleasant.

There aren’t many merchants who like to pay taxes.

Inevitably, battles of wits between tax evaders and tax collectors are commonplace.

Although as a tax official, and certainly the money flows in, this doesn’t prevent Count Simich from despising these guys.

To be precise, most nobles inherently look down upon merchants.

Ninety-nine percent of the Southeastern Province’s land has been granted to noble lords.

However, the control over the bustling big cities is still in the hands of the kingdom.

At times when the central government is strong, these places are directly controlled by the kingdom; at times when it is weak, they are controlled by the fundamental nobles.

Undoubtedly, under a strong monarch like Caesar III, a tax officer still has some say in the local area.

“They indeed have suffered enough.

But this could be a good lesson for them so they don’t forget who the lord of this world is, living too comfortably can lead to forgetfulness.

The youngsters beneath us have stirred up enough trouble.

Almost all of the northern nobles have been recorded by the memory stones.

This power struggle has decided a winner and there is no need to continue waiting.

Count Simich, why don’t you hand it over to His Majesty the King?”

Governor Piers said with a complicated look.

Without a doubt, the native noble children have done an impressive job.

Apart from helping to suppress the news, the rest was accomplished by inciting the merchants.

If everything goes as planned, the contents recorded by these memory stones would become the talk of the town in no time.

The already tarnished reputation of the northern nobles would become even worse.

To many clans, the damage to their family name exceeds the loss of a single piece of territory.

This kind of fierce attack, yet still able to stay behind the scenes, displayed a level of political maturity that was enough to make everyone take note.

It’s a pity that, in such a splendid performance, the Dalton family’s children were nowhere to be seen.

For a large family, rise or fall is not limited to the gain or loss of a city or place.

What’s more important is whether or not there will be a continuing line of talented descendants.

The much-anticipated Caryo showed a remarkable political insight.

The pity is that seeing through it does not equate to being able to manipulate it.

He can eloquently analyze the issues at hand, sadly, his first actual operation led to him hitting a brick wall.

Maybe after several setbacks, he could grow in the future, but that’s still a maybe.

The problem of having high aspirations but limited capabilities isn’t something that can be easily resolved.

His nephew wasn’t stepping up, his son was still too young.

At the age of thirteen or fourteen, often the most misguided stage in life, Earl Piers did not dare let them venture into society prematurely.

None of his main line of descendants showed promise during their crucial formative years, which was detrimental to a major noble family like theirs.

No help for it, there were too few offspring thus far.

His brother, his only kin from the previous generation, died prematurely leaving this generation’s descendants scarce.

So despite his hard work, Earl Piers was left with only a sole heir.

If he hadn’t been so short on sons, he wouldn’t have had to reluctantly nurture his nephew.

As for the collateral line descendants, while there were plenty of them, most only showed mediocre potential.

Those willing to pay a hefty price for their education had some potential.

Those who didn’t, simply faded into mediocrity.

That was one reason why the Dalton family tried to handle issues within the limit of the rules and avoid making enemies unnecessary.

With a limited number of descendants, they couldn’t afford drama.

Taking the party too far could easily lead to complications.

Even within the same family, Lord Piers didn’t want to see collateral lines become influential causing the primary line to be sidelined.

“Your Excellency Governor, this matter might be best handled by yourself!

As a tax officer, I do not want to overstep my boundaries,” Count Simich said, waving his hand.

Disputes between the southern and northern aristocrats were not something a court noble like him, with limited power, could get involved in.

Stepping up at a time like this was sure to offend people.

If the northern nobles blamed him, it would be an unfair accusation.

Seeing this, the native nobles exchanged knowing smiles.

Even though they kept quiet, the contempt in their hearts was palpable.

Compared to the court nobility, the aristocracy from the feudal territories had too much of an advantage.

Despite Count Simich’s current power and status, all his glory was afforded to him by the King.

Unless he performed extraordinary deeds, there was little chance of altering his status.

Probability was higher that such a change would lead to a demotion.

Aside from the founding years, the rise of each major noble required not only sufficient strength, but also noteworthy contributions to the rescue of the kingdom from perilous situations.

All of which were beyond Count Simich’s reach

Rather than anticipating such low probability events, it was better to serve the King generation after generation and enjoy privileges and prosperity by virtue of royal power.

The bare minimum status allowed Count Simich—despite his inner thoughts— to sit here and converse affably, which none would dare to acknowledge outright.

“Count Simich, ever so modest.

Everyone knows you are the King’s right-hand man, and have his utmost trust.

If Your Excellency isn’t fond of dealing with these messy matters, we won’t force you.

Military officer, the task of capturing the culprits will fall on you.

Aside from those Northern brats, arrest all other criminals appearing on the Memory Stone.

If required, you may call on local nobles for support.

If those fellows resist, execute them on the spot!

As for how to handle those punk kids, we’ll leave it to the Kingdom Noble Council’s judgment,” Earl Piers said indifferently.

The crime of robbing traders was not lethal for a noble.

Especially when dealing with those pesky Northern nobles, it was evenually going to be hard to subdue them.

Once it hit the Noble Council, it would likely become a matter of lengthy debate.

The only value in all of it was that it embarrassed the Northern aristocrats and effectively deterred them from encroaching on Aslante’s territory in the future.

Everybody was operating within the aristocratic circles, and Earl Piers didn’t want matters to reach an impasse.

By taking actions against the minions of these fellows now, he was not only reducing the influence of Northern nobles in the Southeastern Province, but also leaving them with room to manoeuvre.

The face they had lost could never be regained, but with a bit of thick skin, they could still cover things up.

Framing these unfortunate people was grudgingly acceptable and difficult for people to believe, but much better than admitting that their own sons were leading the robbery.

The nobles were inherently a group of hypocrites.

Many times, even when they knew they were self-deceiving, they had to play along.