Illuminated by countless pine resin oil lamps, the ball hall was as bright as day, and the expressions of everyone on the dance floor could be seen clearly.

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and like many of the nobles present, he showed a very standard, or rather stereotyped smile.

"Thank you for attending the ball, your laughter and singing is the best compliment to me.

At the same time, I hope that after this pleasant evening, everyone can contribute to Wallachia to the best of their ability.

At this moment, let's raise a glass to Wallachia's destined bright future! ”

Saying a line that was not nutritious, Cepes raised a glass of red wine, and Madame Maria next to him, as well as the nobles on the dance floor, made the same move.

It's a pity that there is no champagne in this era, otherwise it should be more like the picture in some film and television dramas.

After the toast was raised, Tsepes placed the glass in the tray of the waiter beside him, as did Madame Maria.

"Mother, who shines brighter than the stars in the sky, could you please invite me to dance for the first time?"

With his left hand behind his back, he bowed slightly, and his right hand reached out in front of Madame Maria.

This was the standard feature of the aristocratic ball, and Madame Maria placed her left hand on the outstretched right hand of Cepes.

The music played, and Tsepes and Madame Maria danced on the main stage.

Court dance, in this era, only belonged to the aristocracy, after a certain hapless French emperor was cut off his head, it gradually entered the folk and became a later ballroom dance.

At the end of the song, Lady Mary carried a long skirt and leaned slightly.

Tsepes crossed his feet and bent his arms out in a gesture that looked awkward.

He once thought that this action should have been invented by someone who was in a hurry to urinate to relieve the pressure on the bladder.

Although the action is ugly, the applause is definitely indispensable, but the nobles applaud and have to be well measured, so it doesn't seem very enthusiastic.

After the first dance, according to the normal process, it should be the time for the nobles present to dance freely.

Suddenly, however, a man walked to the foot of the steps next to the main stage, bowed first, and then said:

"Aunt Maria, please forgive me for my recklessness.

I have one thing that I would like to announce to everyone, I don't know if I can get your permission. ”

It was naturally Duke Da'an who came out, and he didn't dare to forget about the salary cut.

"If you have anything to say, as the prime minister of the country, you have this right on any occasion."

As she spoke, Madame Maria took a step to the side and gave up the place beside Tsepes to Duke Da'an.

The Duke of Daan saluted Tepes and Madame Maria again, and then took the main stage and announced:

"I believe that Wallachia will have a bright future, but the road to the light will be full of thorns.

For the sake of a bright future, I, as Prime Minister of Wallachia, am here to announce to everyone that from this moment onwards, I will receive an annuity of only one gold coin per year. ”

Duke Da'an has practiced these words many times in front of the mirror, so he is very tense.

Everyone present only thought that he was from the heart, and no one would have thought that Cepes would play a role in it.

"Applause for Duke Da'an!"

Tsepes raised his hands above his head and slapped them lightly, and he led the dance floor to a sparse round of applause.

Minister of the Interior, Minister of the Exchequer, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Health, Minister of the Army......

These high-ranking official positions are all held by nobles, and they have always been a group of very sensitive people.

They were thinking about how to respond at the moment, and as a result, Duke Da'an's righteous and awe-inspiring voice sounded again.

"I propose that for the sake of Wallachia, all high-ranking officials, should take the initiative to ask for a reduction in annuities.

I don't ask you to just one gold coin like me, but I hope that you can cut your existing annuity in half.

Of course, if anyone doesn't want to do this, I won't force it, and I believe that the Grand Duke and Aunt Maria will understand the choices you made. ”

Duke Da'an's words were very well spoken, and they were completely in line with Tsepes's expectations.

And the other high-ranking subordinate officials, in front of all the noble ladies and noble ladies, they are embarrassed not to follow the salary cut.

"As Chancellor of the Exchequer, I also ask for an annuity of only one gold coin a year."

The Marquis of Deyo, who was not short of money, immediately responded.

The nobles present also applauded him.

"As Home Secretary, I took the initiative to cut my salary in half."

"I as ......"

All the high-ranking bureaucrats present took the initiative to ask for a salary cut, some of them only received one gold coin, and some of them had their salaries halved.

Tsepeche's gaze skipped over the officials, and finally, he looked at the silent health officials.

The so-called health officials are mainly responsible for organizing people to clean Harvest Square and some of the main streets in the city.

Unclaimed bodies, and homeless dying people, are also disposed of by the department he leads.

The corpse finds a place to bury it, and the deceased is sent to a hospice, and occasionally it happens that the person is buried directly before he has his last breath.

Seeing this guy, who was silent all the time, Tsepes spoke:

"Viscount Imre, is the hospice in the city functioning normally?"

Tsepeš didn't talk about the pay cut, because it was the proposal of his cousin, and no one would think much about asking about the job of a health officer.

Viscount Imre, hearing Tsepes's question, said with a nonchalant face:

"The hospices in the city are operating normally, and those who are homeless and dying are well cared for."

"Oh? Is that so? So how many people live in all the hospices in the city?

How many people have moved in and how many have left this world this month? ”

Tsepes continued to ask, and now Viscount Imre became a little overwhelmed.

However, he still said confidently:

"At the hospice, there is a person in charge, and I don't know the exact number.

If you want to know, I'll go find the person in charge, and I can't give you an answer. ”

"You don't need to bring someone here, you go back to your own territory, the person you said knows the situation, let him take your place."

Tsepes spoke very politely and dismissed the health official on the spot.

The Safe Water Act is about to be promoted, and this kind of guy who doesn't know anything about it and is still upright must not be tolerated.

Imre retorted with a look of surprise on his face:

"My lord, that guy is just a civilian, how can he let a civilian be a high-ranking official, I object!"

"Opposition is invalid, I just need someone who can work for the country, a good-for-nothing guy like you, go home and eat!"

Cepes was angry, and after angrily scolding the guy, he slowed down and continued:

"I'm sorry guys, I was rude just now, please keep up the good time."

After speaking, Tsepes asked the musicians on the side to start playing music, and the atmosphere in the ball hall suddenly became lively again.

People are looking for dance partners to dance, and the angry former health officer, Viscount Imre, is ignored by everyone.