Chapter 217 — The Founding of the Cecil Chamber of Commerce
Blade of Dawn · Page 3 of 4
He thought of that famine in the Eastern Marches in the year Ansu 476, which he had read of in the history books—that disaster of corpses strewn everywhere. In that year a severe plague of locusts, spreading across several counties, had caused widespread failure of the grain supply. A few nobles who still had some compassion in them organized the distribution of relief grain, yet more than half of it went into the bellies of the knights and treasurers overseeing the matter, and of the village bullies and bandits. Even the famine victims who received grain could scarcely keep the life-saving food in their hands. In the end the problem was solved by a grain merchant who stepped forward of his own will, and the way he solved it surpassed all imagining:
He mixed sand, sawdust, even maggots into the grain.
Grain like that could at last be safely delivered into the hands of the famine victims—and grain like that saved tens of thousands of lives.
That grain merchant was called "the Merciful Miser." In the year Ansu 477 he was hanged from the highest tower in County Tamas of the Eastern Marches, on the charge of "embezzling grain and poisoning the people of the domain."
"I adopt your suggestion," Gao Yang said slowly, looking into Padrick's eyes after a deep breath. "But I want you to understand that this is temporary. If anyone takes this method for his own road to wealth, then the laws of the Cecil domain will begin to kill."
Padrick rose and bowed to Gao Yang with one hand over his heart: "Just as I will be faithful to every copper coin left behind by Viscount Kant, so will I loyally carry out your every command."
Gao Yang smiled. "There's one more thing I should warn you of in advance: this new commercial organization I've founded is not only for selling medicine. True, at the outset alchemical potions will be its chief commodity, but the Cecil domain will have new products in future—there is a great deal more I mean to sell."
Padrick nodded. "Naturally. A trading company assembled by a duke's own hand could not possibly have only one kind of goods."
"You have probably already grasped the structure of this new commercial organization. I want you to begin by choosing honest, quick-witted people from among the merchants you know to serve as grassroots consignment sellers. They may set up their own regional sales points, but the fitting-out of those points, the pricing, and the procedure for taking in and sending out goods must follow my rules. Those who cannot accept this should withdraw as early as possible. As for the higher tier of regional agents and the chief officer... you will serve as chief officer and build it all up, but I will also send out my clerks and liaisons at every level of agency to supervise and assist. I hope you can understand this."
"Naturally. You provide all the capital and all the goods, so this organization must likewise remain under your control."
Gao Yang rose and lifted the teacup in his hand. "Then let us drink to the founding of the 'Cecil Chamber of Commerce'—Mr. Padrick, do you mind drinking tea in place of wine?"
Padrick rose as well and lifted his cup. He would have liked to say that he cared nothing at all about tea standing in for wine—that at present he was desperately particular about anything that had to go down his throat—but in the end he steeled himself and accepted the duke's invitation, raised his cup, and managed to say one thing: "I... hic..."
After the meeting ended, Padrick made straight for the privy, and Gao Yang returned to his own room.
A blueprint lay quietly spread out on his desk.
On it was a machine of symmetrical structure that conveyed an impression of advanced design: it had a rotating assembly fitted with blade shutters, and a ring-shaped magical device encircling the shutters; beside the blueprint lay unfolded diagrams of the rune array.