It turns out that women are meant to be coaxed, regardless of her status.

For the next two weeks, Sean often visited Fort Ron, and Audrey avoided it, or saw Sean in the presence of servants and butlers, and she sometimes even went out early or looked at the ledger to take care of household chores, etc.

Remarriage was not uncommon for women of high status, and even wealthy women had several lovers, especially the ladies of the Holy City, and from this point of view, Europa men and women were equal.

But for Audrey, she can't accept Sean's fiery emotions for a while, after all, she can't accept the betrayal of her deceased husband now.

Sean didn't force it, he played with Carl every time he came, and he knew that Audrey's failure to declare herself persona non grata was his victory.

As for the rumors, no, it is envy, jealousy and hatred. If it weren't for Sean's appearance, Ronburg would have been visited by men from all walks of life under various pretexts, which can be seen from the courteous and meticulous hospitality that Sean received by Miller's butler every time he visited Rhineburg, and he was extremely popular in the eyes of Crohnburg's vassals.

Carl Robinson, the future earl, welcomed Sean's arrival, because when Sean came, he would be able to temporarily free himself from the governess.

Audrey hired six tutors to teach him grammar, math, history, painting, music, and a foreign language, and even had one of the family's guards act as his sword instructor - the most useless skill in Sean's opinion, and it was better to learn how to fight with him when he was a little older

This is a bitter child, who has to lose too much joy because of the weight of the family.

Sean did not object to Audrey's education of Karl, in fact, the teaching level of the primary school in Vichy Town was good, but after all, it was not as high as the one-to-one level in this aristocratic family.

It's just that Carl Robinson, as the future earl, must have had a much less joyful childhood—at least not as free as a farmer's child in the wilderness.

So, Sean's arrival was Carl's happiest time, because Sean liked to take him on horseback, boating, and hunting.

But Sean has been having less and less free time lately, because the new Estates-General of Genoa is about to be held, and if anyone pays attention to the political situation in Genoa, they will definitely find that Sean has become a little active now.

This summer there was a docker revolt in the Holy City, which was caused by the workers' demand for higher wages and opposition to the exploitation and exploitation of the guilds.

The riot began as a peaceful protest, but the involvement of petty traders and other groups changed the purpose and nature of the protest, and eventually evolved into an action against the tax hike.

Coupled with the agitation of newspapers and public opinion, the protest turned into a riot. Although the riot lasted only three hours before it was suppressed, more than 200 people died, including seven tax collectors and ten tax collectors.

Those who stood in solidarity with the workers in public opinion were called liberals, with lawyer Toby Salamane being the most active. Salaman, a famous lawyer, was surrounded by a group of petty-bourgeois scholars, writers, lawyers, and journalists, who in various ways formed a huge public opinion, as they themselves claimed:

The public has taken a strong interest in the things that they were most indifferent to in the past, and Europa has established a tribunal, a tribunal that is independent of all authority and that all authority must respect......

This liberal ideology, known as Salamanism, was aimed at limiting or even abolishing the privileges of the privileged, and this trend also affected Genoa.

First of all, the most affected are of course the journalists in the field of public opinion, among which Carmen Gable of the newspaper Le Genoese is the most active. He declared that everyone was equal before the tax decree, and that the key was not what taxes were levied, but equality—and he was a little drifting now.

This public opinion reached its peak when rumors reached Poitou that the cabinet was intent on turning the 1/20 tax into a universal tax.

This tax, which was originally based on land, has now been extended to include a property tax of 1/20 of all income of all subjects.

Most importantly, it will no longer be a temporary tax imposed on the basis of war, debt repayment, etc., and it is rumored that it will become a universal tax that will be levied on everyone.

This rumor was not a deliberate temptation by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, as tax collectors everywhere received orders to count the wealth of the rich, an order which was instinctively resisted by the rich.

It was under these circumstances that Sean received an unprecedented invitation from Audrey to visit the Robinson family's Cool Hills.

Needless to say, the Robinson family was wealthy, and after the separation, Audrey kept ten estates for her son, one of which was located in the valley and hilly area surrounded by the two mountains of Rocky Mountains.

Since the end of the theocratic era, the aristocracy has become the class with the most land, power and wealth, and as lords, the manors at that time were mostly castle-like buildings with defensive functions.

At home, these buildings are characterized by high spires, heavy stone walls and narrow windows, dark interiors, eerie tunnels, and even corpse hiding.

In the eyes of liberal scholars and artists, this represents backwardness, darkness, curse, and conspiracy.

Nowadays, this kind of manor is increasingly replaced by a new manor, and the castle-style building is abandoned and replaced by a new villa-like building, and the owner will spend a lot of thought on nurseries, gardens, and ponds.

The new urban bourgeoisie, in particular, was most pleased to build villas in the countryside, growing larger and more luxurious, which they regarded as one of the symbols of parity with the aristocracy.

Qingliang Villa is a new manor built by Earl Robinson after inheriting the title, and it has become a good place for the Robinson family to spend a summer vacation, and it is a manor built entirely for pleasure.

It is a red brick building with a straight brick joints outlined in lime, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows and bright transparent glass, and the nearby hills have even been deliberately turned into grasslands, and a flock of white sheep dots the beautiful and cozy.

Audrey, of course, was a rich woman, and she had a lot of money in her hands, which even Percy didn't quite know, because she held a rather large dowry.

It is said that her father, Mr. Cummings Sr., was a talented investor, and was said to have gotten inside information on a lot of bond transactions and made a lot of money.

Luckily, the affluent life didn't make Audrey the kind of woman who was arrogant. Obviously, she could not have the same mindset as a weaver or a tea picker, nor could she have the same pursuits as an ordinary city official's wife who had just enough to maintain a decent income.

Audrey's elegant conversation, cultivation, and even dress are popular vanes among the noble ladies of Poitou.

It's just that in recent years, she has faded out of the social circle, focusing on raising her young son and running the family business, and rarely leaves Crohnberg.

"Sean, the price of land hasn't risen for a year now, is it because of the 1/20 tax?"

Audrey specifically invited Sean over this time, apparently because of the recent heated discussion in the newspapers.

Who doesn't care about interests? Audrey is not a woman who does not know the fireworks of the world, after several years of personal control and training, she has a deep understanding of the management of the family, such as securities, she never touches, everything is stable. So seeing such a stirring discussion in the newspapers, she had to consult Sean.

Her biggest investment was in the town of Vichy, a few inns, and a few small tea plantations, the latter of which was her proudest investment, although a discerning person could tell that she was learning from her neighbors.

In addition, she is actually like the traditional rich people, focusing more on the land, and after the death of her deceased husband, she has more land in her hands.

"Some people say that the price of land has more than doubled since Carlos I. It is not an exaggeration to say that land is the foundation of the family. Land is not only the foundation of a family, but even the foundation of a country. The first thing that the rich people in the city think of when they have extra money in hand is to buy one or even many pieces of land in the countryside, and it is they who have speculated the land to a price that cannot be higher. Sean said.

"Yes, they bought so much land that they needed to be tended by manpower, which made some farmers feel profitable, and my tenants now dare to speak to me. Audrey complained.

"Audrey, you're a little greedy. Sean called her name directly.

Audrey gave him a blank look and said, "I'm worried that there aren't enough people on the Robinson family's land to cultivate it. But the government has to charge 1/20 of the tax, which is not cost-effective. ”

"How much land do you have now?" asked Sean curiously.

"All in all a lot. Audrey winked playfully, a scene rarely seen in her, "as much as was rumored." ”

"Okay. As for bank deposits, I won't ask, I think it's a serious waste. "If it were me, I would sell most of the land to my tenants and allow them to pay in installments." Because although land can be used as a store of value for future generations, its value is not as great as we think. I will invest my money in projects that bring high profits. ”

"You're not comparing land to factories, are you? At least in my opinion, land is more insured than factories that use machinery. Audrey said, "I heard you just set up an ironclad shipyard?"

"Why, you're interested, it's a very far-sighted investment. Sean's expression was very hopeful, "I invested 100,000 gold louis for this." ”

"Then I can invest fifty thousand. This money has nothing to do with the Robinson family, it is my own dowry money. "But I have one condition, if I need to pursue and invest in the future, I must ensure that my investment is a share." ”

Audrey actually helped him, because now that Sean was short of money, the wealth of the illegitimate children he gave to Shakli accounted for most of the funds at his disposal.

The amount of money required to build the ironclad ship he envisioned using a steam engine and propeller was not a small amount, and 100,000 yuan was just an upfront investment, not including a special steel plant that would need to be built in the south for this purpose in the future.

"Audrey, I assure you that you are making a wise investment. Sean sat beside her, trying to grab her hand, but pounced.

Audrey moved back, and her attitude of detachment made Sean a little disappointed.

"Did you mean to persuade me to sell most of my land to tenants?" asked Audrey.

"The imposition of a 1/20 tax is the trend of the times, and the third estate has been unable to resist the desire to challenge the nobility and challenge the status of the nobility, starting with the land. Because no matter how wealthy the Third Estate was, the land they purchased was still far inferior to that of the nobility, and relatively speaking, the 1/20 tax was relatively small to them. "And this proposition, which is exactly in line with the proposal of the cabinet and even the emperor, is the fastest way to quickly solve the financial crisis." ”

"And ......" Sean paused and asked Audrey, "Audrey ......"

"Please call me Madame, Sean. Audrey corrected.

"All right, Audrey. ”

"No, call me Madame. Audrey insisted.

"All right, ma'am. Sean shrugged, "According to your observations, is the number of farmers farming now more or less than five years ago?"

"It seems to be a lot less. Audrey didn't quite understand, "Could it be because of the increase in the number of workshops and factories in the city?" ”

"This is only one of them, and another important reason is that a considerable number of the peasants have lost their land, and the heavy tax burden makes them unprofitable, and when someone pays a lot of money to buy their land, they have to sell their small plots of land and move to the city. ”

Sean's analysis alerted Audrey.

"This situation is untenable, because the country's tax revenue is mainly on the peasants. When the number of peasants paying taxes also decreased, the state had no choice but to turn its attention to the rich. It just so happened that the bankers, merchants, and factory owners in the city thought that their power of speech should be commensurate with their own financial strength," Sean said, "The economic base determines the superstructure, and like the foundation of this mountain village, politics is changing drastically." ”

"It seems that I need to think about the issue of family land. Audrey thought for a moment and said, "A few days ago, I did a special calculation, and it turned out that the income of the family's land has been declining one after another, especially in the last five years. This is a bad sign. ”

In the middle of summer, it is very cool in this mountain resort.

Audrey leaned comfortably on the couch and stretched her waist, showing off her beautiful figure.

She is wearing a set of homely half-sleeved dresses today, revealing a smooth and feminine neck and shoulders, and a slightly conservative chest, still full of spring.

Leads to temptation.

She may not even realize that in front of Xiao Si, she has shown more and more relaxed mentality, and she does not have to seriously adhere to the so-called etiquette and norms of your lady.

Last time, he was taken advantage of by Sean, but Audrey didn't give him another chance, because the servant was standing at the door—she had arranged it for her.