I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 377: Merchants Want to Become Politicians Too (6)

Some old-fashioned YouTuber once said:

"If you want to survive in this world, you must endure and adapt to its injustices."

Of course, when someone asked if that meant tolerating sexual harassment from a boss, he quickly clarified: "That’s a crime. Report it."

But the core of his statement remained true—injustice is inevitable.

To succeed, you must endure it, adapt to it, and, better yet, exploit it.

And in the Toscana Empire, collusion between politics and business was not a crime.

It was simply another inevitable injustice in an unfair world.

"And if I want to survive, I have no choice but to use it to my advantage."

"Sebastian couldn’t come himself?"

"Yes, my lord. The Chief Steward is currently engaged in serious discussions with the advisors, so I was sent in his place."

Beasts settle disputes by biting and goring each other.

But humans—two-legged beasts—are different. They have language.

By simply explaining their stance, they can reach agreements without shedding blood.

And if someone refuses to listen?

Well, a friendly reminder of the consequences tends to encourage cooperation.

Sebastian was surely reminding certain advisors of what might happen if they didn’t cooperate.

So, of course, he couldn’t personally be here.

"I see. Before you report, let me ask—how have you been, Orsini?"

"Thanks to you, my lord, I married into a fallen noble family, and the stocks you advised me to invest in have skyrocketed. I find myself wishing every day could be like today."

There’s a saying: "May every day be as good as Chuseok."

In Joseon, Chuseok was the one day when even common farmers—barring a bad harvest—could feast on rice, meat, and oil-fried delicacies.

A day so abundant that people wished every day could be like it.

I understood the sentiment.

But I refused to accept it.

Why settle for a good today when you could strive for an even better tomorrow?

"Satisfaction is good, but if you stop moving forward, you begin to decay. Why merely restore the Orsini family? Why not surpass its peak?"

Dreaming big is important.

That said, a bottom-rank student dreaming of beating the valedictorian just by copying their study methods?

That was delusional.

If you’re at the bottom, you don’t start with six-hour study sessions.

You start with ten minutes a day, gradually increase your study time, and build a foundation.

Jumping straight into extreme methods just leads to failure.

"Thank you for opening my eyes, my lord."

"Keep striving forward. The moment you stop, you start to decay."

The greatest inventors and engineers in history were people who never stopped improving.

Stone tools broke too easily, so they experimented with melting rocks—which led to bronze.

Then they raised the heat further, and iron was born.

"Enough small talk. How are the Imperial Parliament Advisors' proposals shaping up?"

"The suggestions for weakening hygiene laws, lowering corporate taxes, and cutting wages are no longer on the table."

Lowering corporate taxes was tempting, honestly.

I wouldn’t mind paying less, either.

Even a 1% reduction would save me thousands of gold coins.

But if that shortfall was covered by higher taxes on the poor?

The urban economy would crumble, and rural markets would collapse.

Long-term, it would be like eating your own flesh just to fill your stomach.

"What’s been proposed instead?"

"Tax exemptions for raw materials used in weapons manufacturing, elimination of export tariffs on arms, removal of territorial tolls, and abolition of death taxes and prima nocta (a fabricated tax meant to extort newlyweds). Also, a requirement to register stock transactions above 100 gold coins with government offices."

"The stock registration law is a loss for us... but a necessary one."

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

I wanted to control as much as possible, but taking everything for myself would only create more enemies.

Especially when it came to shaping laws.

So, I volunteered the stock registration law—a policy against my own interests.

This would make the Emperor think,

"Ah, these advisors are quite fair-minded."

And with that illusion, I could milk this system for years.

"This means we’ll be taxed on all our stock holdings."

"That’s a 10-20% tax on all investment income."

"The Imperial treasury will be quite pleased."

"Our family alone will pay tens of thousands of gold."

Still, I’d more than make up for it with the exemptions on weapons manufacturing.

Just from legal exports to Lyon and the Holy Empire, our weapons cartel—I mean, cooperative—paid over 250,000 gold in tariffs.

And if we included smuggling?

Half a million gold.

Once my new arms production districts were fully operational, that number would double.

"So yes... the weapons export tariff must go."

"Meanwhile, our merchants in key cities are working hard on local regulations."

Controlling the Imperial Parliament was important.

But eliminating unnecessary taxes and regulations in cities where we operate?

That was just as vital.

If some drunk noble decided to shut down our warehouses, I’d have no choice but to comply—for now.

Of course, they would never know peace again...

But avoiding bloodshed altogether was preferable.

"That’s why it was wise to support potential merchant-council candidates."

"With our backing, those council members are practically our men now."

"And the ones who refused our help?"

Orsini smirked.

"We're handling them... through entirely legal means."

No merchant was truly clean.

Even in the 21st century, there were some honest officials.

But in the Toscana Empire?

Officials who refused bribes were removed as ‘dangerously radical idealists’.

And merchants?

"You think there exists a merchant with a spotless record?"

"That’s less believable than Yi Sun-sin winning with one ship against 133."

...Although, he actually did that.

But I wasn’t Yi Sun-sin.

I was just a man borrowing the wisdom of the British Empire.

If I tried to pull off something that reckless, I’d die in thirty seconds.

"We've secured tax exemptions for poultry farms supplying Florence and the capital, and we're cutting taxes for cities producing war materials like iron, lead, and copper."

Raw materials were one of the biggest expenses in arms production.

Even a small reduction in costs meant huge profits.

"Perfect. And the new towns?"

"A law has passed to provide 1 silver coin to any poor resident who relocates."

A single silver wasn’t cheap, but from the perspective of city residents?

The poor were a security risk.

Studies showed that crime rates were inversely proportional to income.

People with some wealth rarely turned to crime.

But the destitute?

They had nothing to lose.

"So for just 1 silver per person, we’re removing a major problem?"

"It’s a policy citizens and nobles alike will welcome with open arms."

"Excellent. And the most important thing?"

Orsini grinned.

"A list of all the most lucrative business opportunities in key cities. If we invest accordingly, we’ll make a fortune."

"Orsini, you look positively wicked."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Keep up the good work."

After all, the longer our family and company dominated...

The longer the Empire prospered.