Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Leo smiled and poured himself a drink. He knew that he had a lot of things to do. But now, he would enjoy this situation.

"You know the state of our economy and the amount of gold we have. In this current situation, we cannot raise the tax."

The Minister of Finance, an old and bald man, spoke.

"And the amount of gold we pay is not enough? Hah! You need to stop lying. I can't believe you would use this opportunity to suck us dry."

"It's not a lie. Look at the records yourself. We barely have any money left. The war cost a lot, and the rebuilding of the Capital is still not complete. Not to mention, the explosion and the Murim Alliance's part. This year, we've been in the red for quite some time. The budget is tight, and we can't afford to pay the salary for our army."

The Minister of Finance was stubborn, and he refused to give up. Behind him, the other ministers agreed with him, their faces showing the same expression.

On the other hand, the merchants were angry and frustrated. They shouted and threw insults even in front of the Emperor.

Speaking about him, since the fight started, the Emperor only watched. His face was neutral and his gaze was fixed on the Minister. However, Leo saw it differently.

'He's troubled, huh?'

This situation must be outside of his expectation. And because the real Emperor Sheng was away, he couldn't make any decision. The dispute between the nobles, ministers, and the merchants were getting worse and worse, and he didn't have the power to stop it.

This was the weakness of using a double to represent him. No matter how good the double was, they couldn't do anything that the real person couldn't do.

'What will you do?'

Just as Leo thought that, a shout suddenly rang in the banquet hall.

"Enough!"

A young eunuch stood up, his eyes flashing with anger. He was the attendant of the fake Emperor and the one who brought him the news. Everyone had seen him at least once before every time there was a banquet or a meeting.

However, no one expected him to shout like that. Standing tall and walking with a gait that fit his handsome appearance instead of looking weak and vulnerable.

He was famous for being a statue, even earning the title of the "Statue Attendant". He was expressionless and impassive, never speaking unless he was told to.

"Fools who don't understand the situation. Cease this at once or you shall face my anger."

Silence followed his words. The nobles and ministers were stunned, while the merchant's were taken aback. Only Ming Yuchan was able to react and bowed with his fist clenched.

"I apologize for the outburst. I just can't understand their decision to suddenly raise the tax."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Surprise and murmurs filled the hall once again when they saw Ming Yuchan, the CEO of Four Seas Merchant and a man who was also famous not bowing his head to just anyone, acting humbly.

"This is a good opportunity to stop the dispute as well as saying something. However, there is one thing I want to say."

The young eunuch's voice was sharp, and he looked directly at the Emperor. Their gazes met each other and the 'fake' Emperor nodded. He understood what Sheng was trying to say even without exchanging verbal words. He stood up and bowed toward the young eunuch.

"You are right. I cannot make a decision like this without the approval of the real Emperor. It seems like I cannot control myself. My apologies for my lacking insight."

If people were surprised before, now they were dumbfounded. The 'fake' Emperor had just revealed his identity and confessed that he was not the real one.

And it was the attendant, a young eunuch, who had the power and control of the situation. The real Emperor had been hiding in a plain sight.

'It seems like Sheng had prepared this.'

The help Sheng asked him and the plan to overthrow the Murim Alliance wasn't all talk. By showing himself like this, he just painted himself as a large target for anyone who wanted to take the throne.

But, his move was also a testament to his intelligence and his ability to use the opportunity.

"So..." Moving toward the throne, he sat down to show that he was the real deal. Everyone bowed at once and offered their greetings.

"Now, let's settle the dispute between the merchant and the nobles. Please, come to the side and we can discuss it."

Emperor Sheng's voice was calm and his expression was dignified. The Minister and the merchants did as he said and approached the throne.

With the arrival of the real Emperor, the dispute between the two groups finally came to an end.

"It's a good thing to raise the tax, but we won't just take it from the merchant. Civilians' taxes will stay the same, but we will increase the nobles' tax for their luxury items. This will give you the benefit of raising the tax as well. Is this fine with everyone?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Everyone bowed and accepted the proposal. They had no choice. The situation was resolved, and the tension in the room began to ease.

With that, Sheng nodded and looked around. His eyes landed on Leo and their gazes met. A bad feeling washed over him, telling him that he should avert his eyes.

'No, this is good.'

Standing out as Yang Ji right now was good. Sheng probably knew that when he said,

"I will trust Yang Ji to create the details of the tax increase. I believe you already have something in mind, yes? Make it as fair as possible for both sides."

The person with the biggest paint in the banquet hall had passed some of that paint and made Yang Ji's mark bigger than before.

Leo could feel gazes from every direction. The effect was immediate and the nobles and the ministers were looking at him, their eyes filled with suspicion and jealousy.

He didn't care. Instead, he took it as an opportunity to show his capabilities and gain some reputation.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Leo stood up and bowed. He couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"I will gladly help you with that as your most trusted man."

And with that, Yang Ji's name and fame would spread, and he would have an easier time building a business and gathering resources. Especially about that business.

'He's really moving fast. Taking risks and making the most of it.'

Leo couldn't help but admire him. This was the kind of man that he could learn a lot from.

'Now, it's my turn to act.'

***

Creating the new 'tax' that Emperor Shang asked him wasn't a particularly difficult task to finish. He just needed to get some blueprint that existed in the cloud and modify it by comparing it to the existing one.

Since Leo was a former businessman in his previous life, he knew what the Emperor needed and what the nobles and the merchants were willing to pay.

He didn't forget to make the 'tax' fair and equal for everyone.

Of course, Jessica also helped him in that. As a result, he finished it in just 2 days, actual time 2 hours, and submitted it to the Royal Estate once again.

"Here's the new 'tax' proposal, Your Majesty."

As soon as he entered the palace, he was immediately escorted to the secret room and met with the Emperor. Now the position was inverted. Sheng sat on the throne, wearing gaudy clothes, while the fake emperor stood by his side.

Leo just found out that he was actually the eunuch that served the Emperor's lineage since the past, but that wasn't important.

"Good, now let's see."

Emperor Sheng took the document and skimmed through it. His eyes scanned the paper and his eyes widened, reading it carefully once more.

"Wow, this is detailed and well thought out. Did you study taxation before?"

"It's just a hobby."

"Well, if that's a hobby, then I wonder what your main job was." Sheng chuckled and shook his head. "To be honest this is too good. I expected you to submit a blank paper today as I already prepared everything, but... Should I just use this tax system instead? It's so simple and easy to understand."

"Feel free. It's all yours. But do give me credit for creating it." Leo shrugged and smiled.

"Sure, sure. This will help us a lot. The nobles and the merchants won't protest as much as they did before. And I won't forget about the credit. After all, we need to cover you with the sweetest honey so the bee will come and take a lick, no? That's the way of doing business, right?"

"Right. So, can you provide me with more information about the bandits? I need to know the location and their number."

"Ah, yes, of course." Sheng nodded and gave him a scroll. "Everything is written there. I am counting on you for this matter. And if you're done, you can just send a letter to my man over here."

He looked at the eunuch beside him and the man nodded.

"Please call me if you have any problems. I will do my best to help you."

His voice was low and smooth, and his eyes were clear and bright. His features were delicate, and his expression was gentle.

Truly... If one didn't know better, they would still think that the man was the Emperor while Sheng was a fake one.

"Okay." Leo nodded. Then, he remembered something, "Oh, right. Can you announce that you hire Hallowed Insect for the bandit extermination? I believe a large target will be a great bait and make the enemy slip."

"That's a great idea. I will definitely do that."

With that, Leo bid farewell and left the Palace.

As he walked out, he felt a gaze following him, and it was a very familiar one. He spotted a small, black, and smooth doll peeking from behind the wall.

It was Chiaki's dear companion, mini-Coco. The fact it showed itself to him only meant one thing.

"She has arrived."

Muttering so, Leo couldn't help but chuckle. He saw the doll waving its hand and toddling away as if asking him to follow it.

Without thinking twice, he entered the alley and followed mini-Coco's movement. The little doll was quick and nimble, and it didn't take long for them to reach a place.

In front of him, a small and inconspicuous sweet shop was waiting. Mini-Coco ran toward it and jumped at the lap of the woman sitting in front of the shop, eating ice cream.

The woman was a beauty, with her black hair cut into a bob cut. She looked at him and smiled. Then, she looked at the shop where a brown-haired girl was paying for the ice cream. She bowed at the shop owner and turned around.

At first, she looked confused as to why Chiaki was smiling at a random man. But then, a realization hit her, and her eyes lit up.

"Ah, Leader!"

Astrid rushed toward him and shouted.

"You didn't tell me the surgery was so painful! I almost died, you know!"

Leo didn't answer. Instead, he put his hand on her head and rubbed her hair.

"But, you survived. Congratulations."

His disguise was turned off after he ensured that the area was secure, and he revealed his true appearance.

"Anyway, good timing. We've received a request to exterminate bandits near here. Let's get moving immediately."

"Ah, really? Who's the client?"

Curious, Astrid asked.

Leo couldn't contain his grin as he knew Astrid would be surprised.

"The Emperor."

"Eeeh?!"

And just as he had expected, her reaction was priceless. He took a picture with his smart lenses secretly and put it in 'Astrid's reaction' folder in his private cloud.