Chapter Twenty-Five: Revisiting Wendi

  In Constantinople, the neighborhood near Dion was a residential area for non-aristocratic and wealthy merchants who could not afford to pay the high maintenance costs of palaces. It is also characterized by modern classical-style villas that distinguish it from the old city's ancient Roman stone palace district.

  Wendell's home was among them. I wondered why Wendell didn't move to the old city. To know, ordinary people dream of moving from outside the Constantinople wall to inside, and wealthy people living in Arcadius Square and Bull Square would cut their heads off to live in Dion, while the nobles who originally lived here, this life's greatest wish is to have a palace near Constantinople Square. Few people stay in Dion after having capital.

  Is there a problem with the funds?

  It's highly unlikely that Wendell's wealth could be compared to that of a Constantinople Empire's aristocracy, supporting a palace-level mansion is not a problem at all.

  That's just some other reasons.

  As we drove into this area, the driver took me to our destination through a crossroads sign.

  This is the first time I've seen her home, and I know the address here because she mentioned it unintentionally.

  An old stone wall covered with ivy and clematis stands at the edge of the street, behind iron railings is a large green lawn, beyond which lies a three-storey mansion in classical style featuring three projecting bays.

  A very nice place, and the price won't be cheap. In my opinion, this place is enough to spend half of the savings of a civil imperial earl who has been in office for ten years as a local governor.

  The attendant jumped down from his horse and walked to the iron railing to begin negotiating with Leonidas' household servant at the gate.

  Before long, the large gate opened and more than a dozen Leonidas household servants who had received the news rushed from all directions to gather in the corridor under the mansion's gate.

  Wendy wore a silk slip dress, the kind women often wear under elaborate outer dresses and corsets on TV, with a lace-trimmed robe draped over it. She stood beneath the crystal chandelier in the foyer, her long hair pulled back into a simple knot, looking more relaxed than she had in days, and strangely alluring as a result.

  "I must look terrible now. I'm really sorry."

  "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I'm glad you didn't keep me out of the house."

  It's extremely rude to come over like I did today. According to etiquette, when a noble wants to visit another noble, they must first send a card stating the time and place, and only after receiving an accurate response can they visit the other person's home on the agreed-upon day. It may seem a bit pretentious, but it's mostly out of consideration for both parties, as people who value face are numerous, and it's essential to present their best side at all times.

  Just like now, I discovered a small secret of Wendy's. Today, the big beauty who lacked a waistcoat also had a considerable amount of milk, but compared to usual days, it was still a little less in quantity. However, there is always a gain and a loss, such beauty is truly natural beauty.

  "Look what you said, keeping you outside would only be my loss. You know you're a lucky four-leaf clover for me... Such a treasure, I think having more of them wouldn't be enough, how could I keep you out? Would you please come up with me? My reception room is on the second floor." The beautiful woman's eyes sparkled as she smiled slightly and winked one of her talking eyes, secretly conveying a little secret that only the two of us knew...

  It's actually just that nitrate business and the military uniform trade. And I bet she hasn't said anything like this to anyone before...

  Wendy went up the stairs first, and I followed behind her. The living room on the second floor was soon reached, and in a moment the maid of the house also arrived, placing a tray with coffee, sugar, and milk on the table.

  "Would you like some coffee?" Wendell asked, picking up a small white ceramic spoon.

  I shook my head: "It's already late now, if I drink coffee again, I'm afraid it won't be easy to fall asleep tonight."

  "Oh... what do you need?"

  "Red wine bar."

  Wendel made a gesture to the maid, and she immediately withdrew.

  She poured herself a cup of fragrant coffee, added several sugar cubes, and took a sip. Closing her eyes, she savored the bitter taste for a while. When she opened them again, her eyes had regained some sparkle. She glanced down at her simple outfit and let out a low "ah" of surprise. Putting down the cup, she said: "It seems I've made another mistake. I think I need some time to make up for my error. These clothes aren't suitable for receiving the son of Caesar. Can you wait here for a bit? Of course, if you prefer my current attire, I suppose I can forgive my little foolishness."

  Tease? Bully?

  I had some difficulty understanding what the host's wife meant, so I smiled and replied steadily: "Although I am Caesar's son, you are the master here, and I am a guest."

  "Then please sit here for a while and let me go back to my room for a bit."

  The woman left after saying that, leaving me and the maid by the door staring at each other in a daze. I subconsciously smiled, but the next second, she immediately looked down, her eyes fixed on the floorboards, her hands constantly fidgeting with her clothes...

  After sitting for a while, my butt couldn't sit still anymore. No choice, today's sitting time was a bit long! I got up and took a casual look around the living room of Leonidas' house. It was a typical noblewoman's mansion, with glass cabinets filled with expensive porcelain and collectibles, champagne-colored warm-toned tablecloths, and the overall design used bright wallpaper to match the exquisite porcelain and beautiful landscape oil paintings to create a delicate and warm atmosphere in the hall.

  After walking around in a circle, I discovered the inner hall, where the atmosphere was completely different from the outer hall, and it felt thick and heavy.

  Dark wallpaper was used, below which were bookshelves full of books, the four corners of the wooden wall were carved and gilded, and on the floor lay a crimson-edged golden rug.

  A massive wooden desk carved with the imperial double-headed eagle stood next to a copper globe, closed windows facing the sea, dark red curtains tied back with a golden cord... The room looked like it belonged to a man, and a very domineering one at that. Could this be where the deceased husband handled his official duties?

  At this time, the red wine I wanted arrived. After drinking a mouthful, my mouth was filled with a familiar taste, and it seemed that the beautiful wine in my hand was exactly the same as the red wine produced by the palace in Crete!

  Is this done just to flatter me?

  I took a step back into the room, and as I looked up at the books on the shelves, the titles only solidified my earlier guess - this was indeed a man's room. In this day and age, it was unlikely that a woman would be interested in reading "The Prince", "The Nobility of Empire", "Strategy", or "The Laws of All Nations". These books were far too dry and calculating for them.

  However, these books were what I had been reading since I was a kid. It's been ages since I last touched them, and I couldn't help but feel some nostalgia as Wendiell came out after changing her clothes. At that moment, I was flipping through an old copy of "The Travels of Lao Can".

  The woman wearing a triangular satin embroidered flower bundle waist chest shirt had a large increase in milk production, she held a ceramic cup at the door and smiled: "Not bad, huh?"

  "Very nice collection." I complimented.

  "How does it compare with Caesar's hidden books?"

  The housewife's question was a bit childish. I closed the book and put it back on the shelf, saying: "The two can't be mentioned in the same breath. Some of the books you collect will never appear in my home."

  "For example?" The woman's wife frowned slightly, her expression somewhat serious.

  "For example, Augustine's On the Trinity and City of God."

  I called out the maid and asked directly: "Madam should be clear that France and the Empire have recently had some disputes..."

  "Yes, that fellow Colbert has raised the import duties again. Alas, doing business in France is a real nuisance, thanks to him. He's always increasing taxes every other day, without any consideration for the hardships of us middlemen." Wendel mentioned the name of the French Minister of Finance with gritted teeth.

  "Did you earn less this year?"

  "Of course, the original profit of one franc was reduced to half a franc, and this little money would eventually be used for ship repairs and personnel employment. They have dozens of ships! " The pinching appearance finally gave the beautiful woman a bit of a housewife's look.

  "Do you want to hear some good news?" I lowered my voice and said in a huddle.

  Wendy narrowed her eyes with a smile, stretched out her snow-white little fingers and asked: "Don't tell me, let me guess, what good news do you want to tell me? Is it that the Empire's diplomatic minister has successfully negotiated with France? Can tariffs be restored to their previous level? Is that it?"

  "No."

  "Is Caesar again going to sell a new business in France?"

  Shaking his head again: "Nor is it."

  "Alright, don't tell me you have an idea that's going to make me rich."

  "Yes." I dare say that this woman must have guessed my intention, so she put the correct answer at the very end.

  "So what should I do to repay you?"

  Wendy smiled and asked with a hint of implication, what's wrong with this woman today?

  "Let me finish. Because the method I'm talking about, it's not easy to say whether it's difficult or not, whether it's easy or not." I put down my wine cup and knocked on the table, spitting out a word, "Smuggling."

  "Smuggling?" Wendell was taken aback.

  "Ah, smuggling!" Smuggling, a very strange yet familiar word. In different languages, there are lengthy analyses of this word, but ultimately, it boils down to one thing: not paying taxes, no import duties, no export duties, no trade taxes - in other words, stealing money from the country's hands.

  Wendy hesitated and said, "Smuggling can indeed avoid a lot of taxes. I've thought about it before, but ultimately gave up on the idea because it's difficult to operate."

  "It's true that it's not easy, but times have changed: 'The tariffs in France have reached an astonishing level today, and smuggling can bring huge profits. I think Mr. Colbert is well aware of this point. To smuggle, you need a large enough network! A big enough network to deceive the Minister of Finance! The fact that it couldn't be done in the past few months doesn't mean it can't be done now.'"

  "How could it be."

  "How could they not be?" I retorted to Wendill, "I think the lady is more aware than I am of what kind of people serve the Sun King in France. There are no shortage of nobles, but it seems that His Majesty prefers to use those wealthy commoners. The key question is, beautiful lady, how do these commoners become officials serving the kingdom, even nobles?"

  "Gaining the king's favor... of course those were just a small number of lucky ones, more people used money to buy it."

  "And then I asked: 'Why would they spend money to become officials?'"

  "Nature is their office, and they can derive greater benefits from it."

  "What's the difference between those officials and businessmen?"

  Wendell was taken aback for a moment, and I continued slowly: "People are loyal because the price of betrayal is not enough, let alone smuggling, which only requires those officials to close one eye while keeping the other open. This can't be considered betrayal at all. What's most important is that smuggling also brings great benefits to them. You should know that in France, especially in the south, many families rely on transportation between Constantinople and Marseille to make a living, and there are also many nobles in high society who depend on this trade route to maintain their dignity, especially some of the big aristocrats, banquets, attendants, clothing, these expenses are all huge. If Colbert were to strike them with a heavy hand, almost killing them, do you think they would sit still and wait for death?

  "But how can we specifically operate? Where are we going to find so many friends with weight?"

  "An ally? They have already appeared, no need to look for them, they will come on their own." Who in this world would be willing to risk their necks to engage in smuggling? Of course, it's those desperate fugitives who are tempted by the promise of huge profits. Aren't those merchants who are driven mad by the pressure of having a large quantity of goods to sell but don't want to take a loss also fugitives? So, aren't the French merchant ships that have been tricked into smuggling by the Italian city-states the most reliable and powerful allies in this smuggling network? Thank you, Colbert, he has brought us so many allies! After they taste the benefits of smuggling once, will they still be willing to continue paying high tariffs? Give up the Constantinople trade route?

  "If the wheat of France were to be sold in Constantinople at a price that is half the cost of smuggling, it would still be a huge fortune! And that's not even counting the goods brought back from Constantinople to France!" Wendi's eyes fluttered for a moment before she asked hesitantly, "But, Your Highness, what exactly did you gain from this gamble? You can't have made a loss, can you?"

  "At a loss? No."

  Smuggling will become the Empire's most effective weapon to counter France's series of policies! Colbert will no longer be able to get a single penny from smuggling trade, not only can't get money, but also France's market will continue to suffer from the impact of imperial goods! Isn't he trying to strike our Roman finances and drive out Roman goods from France by encouraging exports and boycotting imports to increase France's revenue? Let's give their revenue a bloodletting too!

  Does Kolber want to prohibit smuggling?

  I look forward to seeing how many enemies he will make for himself!

  Strengthening border control? In southern France, how many people rely on the Mediterranean Sea for a living, and strengthening border checks is equivalent to letting them die!

  Smuggling requires a complex network of relationships to operate successfully, what if such a network becomes the catalyst for internal turmoil within the legal system?

  So, even if the smuggling is not successful, but it causes discord among the French officials, that's enough! Think about it, in future battles against the French army, encountering a group of infighting Frenchmen who don't cooperate with each other would be enough to cause the deaths of hundreds or thousands of French soldiers!

  That's why I rushed to Wendi's home! You know, this is the soft underbelly of France that was inadvertently exposed! Of course, I have to take a knife and stab it hard, or else I wouldn't be able to sleep at night!!!!

  She turned her head to look at me, and I saw that my wife's eyes were quietly gazing at me. After a few seconds of eye contact, she blushed and immediately floated away to another place.

  Was my expression just now very charming?.....