Darkstone Code-Chapter 772 - 0770 Ah!
Nobles are a very special group, possessing certain preferences and values that are difficult for others to understand.
In a certain past era, noblewomen often appeared in public places wearing bold outfits!
In this feudal monarchy, in this male-dominated world, the occurrence of such things is indeed quite fascinating.
These noblewomen would become subjects of admiration, aiming for knights to duel for them.
Another thing that sounds incredible, yet history has witnessed it.
The popularity of a noblewoman depended on how many men were willing to die for her!
The most famous noblewomen were in the Imperial Capital, drawing knights from across the Empire eager to make a name for themselves, drawn by even a modicum of self-confidence.
For knights, there were many ways to become famous, such as building achievements in war; however, this was difficult due to the infrequency of wars.
Another way was to share a night with a noblewoman, tasting the charms of noble flowers and becoming famous thereby. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
It was like two groups naturally drawn to each other, with knights selecting a suitable noblewoman to passionately pursue, and dueling ensued if more knights pursued the same one.
Only the victor could become the noblewoman’s playmate in her bedchamber, while the loser lost his life.
This cruel game never ceased to entice knights, each arriving in the Imperial Capital certain that no one could defeat them.
Noblewomen needed the duels of knights, requiring blood and life to boost their allure.
In that era, any woman without knightly suitors, with no one dueling for her, would be ostracized by the mainstream circle.
The most renowned figure in Gafura Imperial Capital at that time was the Princess Consort of a certain Prince, with at least a hundred knights dying in duels for mating rights.
More interestingly, from a modern perspective, nobles of that time seemed not to object to knights interacting directly with their wives, some even took pride in it.
This misinterpretation arises from applying modern thoughts to the past; in most male nobles’ eyes, barring a few exceptions, they didn’t regard their wives as equals.
In their view, wives were not necessarily meant to bear children, but were ornaments, embellishments.
The louder her fame, the prouder the nobles felt.
Every era carries its absurdities, and judging them by modern standards is unjust.
The young Count tried to comfort himself, then joined the salon.
He returned home a bit after nine at night, unsure when to best make his return, so he delayed as much as possible.
When he got home, Lynch had already left, and his mother, the former Countess, was watching television, occasionally covering her mouth to laugh.
The young Count glanced at the TV screen, hearing slightly strange pronunciations, undoubtedly from a Federation TV series.
After the cultural exchange delegation accomplished their mission, bringing back a wealth of cultural works, Gafura people finally recognized authentic Federation TV shows and programs.
There’s even a local program teaching people the proper way to watch Federation shows, formally setting up sofas in front of TVs, suggesting that to deeply experience Federation life, one must lie on a sofa eating high-fat, high-sugar foods while watching TV.
Otherwise, one simply can’t grasp the essence of these programs.
Alright, it’s satire, sarcasm; in general, Federation shows are very popular in Gafura.
No serious political content, no heavy social phenomena, no raging nationalism—just humor involving toilet humor.
No brain cells are wasted, just silly laughter at the screen, and the popularity of Federation programs heightened curiosity about the Federation.
What kind of society could produce such brainless TV shows?
The young Count’s gaze flickered across the screen, then he walked to the bench and sat down, picking up a piece of fruit from the table before putting it back.
"Lynch is gone...," he spoke as if questioning, as if confirming something.
The former Countess nodded, "He left after dinner."
A silent pause ensued between mother and son, certain things known as facts yet difficult to align with one’s heart.
His hands intertwined then quickly separated, "What did he say?"
The former Countess tore her attention from the TV screen, her gaze toward her son carried a different look than usual, as if discovering something anew, filled with inexplicable joy and curiosity.
"He said something I hadn’t thought of, but I can’t tell you right now..." As she finished this sentence, the young Count seemed like he wanted to stand up.
He respected her greatly, but sometimes he would loudly assert his own opinions, just like all ordinary children do.
This time, she didn’t give the young Count that opportunity, "This is at Lynch’s request. He said I can’t tell you before things develop to that point."
"But you don’t have to worry too much, we won’t be going to the Federation."
The young Count, who was initially somewhat dissatisfied, sat back down after hearing these words, and exhaled the turbid air from his chest, "It seems the situation is much better than we imagined?"
The former Countess nodded, "You still have to maintain your little circle frequently, and also, you need to connect with everyone over at the Secretariat often..."
The young Count understood everything without any questions; only Lynch would say such things.
"Is there anything else?" He looked at his mother, who shook her head. Only then did he stand up, "I’m a bit tired, I’ll rest first, you should also rest early."
After watching the young Count leave, the former Countess’s attention seemed to return to the TV drama, yet there was no hint of a smile in her eyes, only a sense of contemplation.
Lynch had shared some of his thoughts and plans with her that afternoon, leaving her very shocked, while she also realized it was an opportunity, a very rare opportunity, a chance to enter the core of power.
Sometimes fate is so untimely, cruelly taking her husband away at his prime.
But sometimes fate is also compassionate, giving her a break when she and her child were difficult to support.
A picture of a bright future was slowly unfolding.
In the blink of an eye, it was already Monday of the second week of November, and economic aid from the Federation finally arrived, and the money came just in time.
The Emperor, the Prime Minister, and other ministers all didn’t think it would be an easy matter.
Yet after the Minister of Finance made a phone call, they actually agreed.
Yes, it’s not a loan, but economic aid. If they wanted this money, they must comply with the Federation’s terms. This is aid, not a loan, although essentially the same, as both require repayment and interest; the wording is different.
A different wording will bring some changes in diplomacy; borrowing money might be a relatively equal relationship, aid and being aided is not.
Considering that there were indeed many troubles facing the country, this matter was finally confirmed. Of course, all the blame was thrown to the already departed Minister of Finance, so if someone later thinks of this issue as losing sovereignty and humiliating the country, they can only see the name of a "criminal" in history books.
This person is not the Prime Minister, nor will it be the Emperor of the Empire.
Once the money was in the accounts, the Empire’s Royal Bank gained confidence. On Monday morning, when all units started work, the Prime Minister held a press conference, announcing the use of treasury funds to quickly stabilize the current financial market and calm the bank run crisis.
At the same time, people or organizations who played an unseemly role in this bank run crisis will continue to be held accountable under the law.
The Royal Bank and some noble banks simultaneously announced adjusted interest rates, increasing the annualized rate by 2.2% based on the existing rates to attract people to put their money back in the banks.
As soon as the various news spread, the change was most significant in the banks, with the Royal Bank opening all its windows for withdrawal services.
Sometimes people are just annoying; when there were only two windows, people would stand in line for a whole day just to withdraw the little money in their accounts.
But when all the counters are open, people are reluctant to withdraw money, claiming they always believed in the Empire.
The bank run wave started to subside from top to bottom, and the changes in the financial market stabilized.
With money in the bank, they could lend to these listed companies; whether to maintain the shareholding ratio or to elevate stock prices, they had to prop up stock prices.
Fortunately, Lynch’s short selling also reached the settlement day; although the income was a bit less than the previous days, ultimately it still made a huge profit.
When some cry, others laugh; when everyone is losing money, someone is bound to strike it rich.
Looking at the string of numbers in his bank, Lynch still got a great sense of satisfaction.
Some say the changing numbers mean little to the wealthy, that’s because the changing digits are too small; try changing a big number!
Again in that room, the young nobles, led by Lynch, gathered together.
They benefited from Lynch and achieved noble financial freedom; they genuinely appreciated everything Lynch did and were willing to continue supporting him.
Everyone’s face was smiling; there’s nothing more satisfying than making money. Everyone seemed very relaxed, except for Lynch, who looked quite ordinary.
At least not so joyful; there wasn’t much of a smile on his face.
The young Count curiously asked, "Mr. Lynch, aren’t you particularly happy?"
