Chapter 655 The Merchant Earl
"..—What? Poison!""
Qiqiao was shocked by his companion's sudden idea.
"Yes, poison. As long as we can poison the wine at their banquet tomorrow, we can get rid of the Northland Earl. We can also eliminate all the traitors in these autonomous city-states in one fell swoop, reminding those who are still trying to secretly collude with the northerners. As long as the Northland Earl dies, the Burgundians will naturally retreat." The companion clenched his fists, with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.
"But, brother Yoren, how do we mix poison into their drinks?" Qigong asked in confusion.
This guy named Yoren laughed evilly, leaned close to Qiqiao's ear, and whispered: "Let's do this——"
Qi Qiao listened quietly, nodding her head~
..——·At that time, we can sneak in and pour poison into their drinks. With just one bite, none of them can survive! ”
After saying that, Yoren showed a look of pride on his face, seeming to be quite satisfied with his flawless plan.
"Brother Yoren, you are still smart~" Qi Gong couldn't help but sigh after hearing Yoren's assassination plan.
"Stop talking nonsense, we don't have much time left, let's leave for the guild immediately."
"Yes!"
A moment later, the two of them walked towards the mansion where the Lavati Commercial Guild was located under the cover of darkness. At this time, Art and others, led by Mario, the leader of the commercial guild, had arrived at the door of the widest room on the second floor of the tavern.
With a sound, the servants who had been waiting outside the door pushed open the two beautifully carved wooden doors.
"Count Art, please come in." Mario looked at Art, bent down and made a "please" gesture.
Matt nodded and smiled in greeting, and his gestures were very aristocratic. Then he stepped across the threshold and walked straight towards the main seat of the long table. Ron, who was following closely behind him, took two steps and gently pulled out the big chair under the table.
Angus, as the deputy commander of the legion, sat next to Art on his left. The leader of the commercial guild sat in the first seat on the right side of the main seat, and the other ten people sat on both sides of the wooden table according to their status.
After everyone sat down, Mario, the leader of the business guild, patted his palms twice, and the steward who had been waiting outside the door walked in with three steps and two steps.
"Mr. Mario!"
"Send the wine, meat, meat, fruits and vegetables immediately. Count Art must have been hungry from the long journey. Hurry up!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Sir, wait a moment, I will make arrangements immediately, make arrangements immediately!" After saying that, the steward left.
"Mr. Mario, thank you for your kind invitation. This time I went south, I specially prepared a gift for you all~" After saying this, Art looked at Ron.
"Yes, sir."
Ron quickly walked to the door and shouted to the guard, "Bring it in!"
Then eight or nine guards walked in one after another, each holding a beautifully wrapped gift box, and then stood in a row, holding up the gift boxes in their hands.
At this time, Art stood up and came to a guard. He took the gift box with "For Mr. Mario" written on it in his hand. He walked to the head of the commercial guild, Mario, and said, "Sir Mario, this first gift is yours——"
At the same time that Art reached out to hand the gift box to Mario, the head of the business guild immediately stood up, took the generous gift from Art's hand,
said with a smile: "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Count, Lavati is always at your disposal—"
Then, Art gave the gift boxes in the hands of the guards to the Lavati merchants and nobles present one by one.
After taking the gift box, these guys expressed their heartfelt thanks. At this moment, the Earl of Northland left a good impression on them. In their eyes, a high-ranking nobleman who was decisive on the battlefield would look down on businessmen like them who made their fortune from trade, even if the nobleman also cherished money. But the Earl of Northland in front of them not only had the temperament of a businessman, but also knew the communication methods between businessmen very well, which made them look at him with admiration.
When the Welsh Army first occupied Lavati, these merchants and nobles had already prepared to be plundered, but Yete did not order the city to be plundered, but treated them with courtesy. At first, these people thought that Art was showing off and there must be some unknown conspiracy behind it. But after the Wells Army retreated, these merchant nobles did not suffer any losses until the Duke of Lombardy led the cavalry to plunder, causing them to almost lose their lives -
Now, the Lombard army was defeated and retreated to the line of Solenberg. Lavati returned to the hands of the Northland Earl again. They thought that Lavati would be hit by another disaster soon, but what they were waiting for was a broader market in the north and a meeting gift from the Earl of Northland, which really surprised them. At the same time, the uneasiness and doubts in the hearts of these merchants were dispelled at this moment.
After the guards exited the door, Mario, the leader of the commercial guild, cleared his throat and said: "The world says that the Burgundy people value agriculture and despise commerce, but in my opinion, these rumors have been self-defeating today."
"Yes. Ah, Count Arter is completely different from the nobles of the Burgundy Court. In him, I see more of the characteristics of a businessman, rather than the special preference for land of aristocratic gentlemen." Another slightly bald man sitting opposite Mario agreed.
"Yes! Yes -" everyone said in unison.
Hatta, who was sitting at the top, smiled slightly and said, "It seems that your lords' memories are not very good—"
After that, he glanced at the people present.
Looking at everyone's puzzled expressions, Art continued: "Perhaps you have forgotten the fact that I am a Lombard." Even though the story of the Lombard Landless Barons has long been spread to various city-states in Lombardy, it is only a story sung by jugglers and wandering poets, and its authenticity is subject to debate.
But at this time, the protagonist of the story is sitting in front of these people. Their focused expressions are like those who are waiting for someone to unravel this mysterious veil for them when they hear the many doubts in a play under the stage.
For these merchants, the stories of the nobles of the Lombard court and the lords of various city-states were equally attractive to them. Not to mention hearing this story from the protagonist who has been missing for many years and returns to his hometown for revenge as the Earl of the North and South Xinjiang with a family feud, is definitely more credible than the stories heard from those jugglers and wandering poets.
Just as the group of Lavati merchants and nobles sitting around the long table looked at Art expectantly, there was a knock on the door -
.—I'm so sorry. , I have kept you all waiting for a long time -
The steward of the tavern opened the door and walked in, hunched over his waist and apologized profusely, and then led a dozen servants behind him towards the table carrying bacon, wine, and large plates of fruits and vegetables~
Smelling the enticing aroma of the stew soup, Art's stomach growled. Angus, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
He stared straight at the whole piece of roasted deer leg.
After all the dishes were placed on the table, the steward and the servants left. Looking immediately, Mario, the head of the commercial guild, clapped his hands, and more than twenty women in scantily clad clothes, with top-notch postures, faces, and figures came in from outside the door.
Looking at the group of young and beautiful girls in front of them, the merchants and nobles all looked straight in their eyes. You know, this is the most beautiful girl that Mario spent a lot of money to find from Moulin Rouge all over the city, so she is naturally different from ordinary women.
Mario looked at these beauties in front of him that made men want to stop, nodded with satisfaction, and then shouted to the girls: "What are you waiting for, all the adults are waiting for you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the group of women walked towards the people sitting at the table in small groups, linked arms around their waists, and started pouring wine for the guests around him. Looking at the three or four young and beautiful girls sitting around, Art felt a little uncomfortable. Especially the girl sitting on his lap kept touching his face, leaving him at a loss.
At this time, Mario patted the table, stood up and said, "Come, let's drink a toast to Count Art's arrival!" As he spoke, Mario had already raised his glass and looked at Art.
Matt pushed the woman on his lap away, picked up the wine glass and stood up. But for some unknown reason, Art felt hot all over, sweating profusely, and his heart was pounding.
「干杯！」
「干杯！」
众人一饮而尽。
After drinking a glass of wine, Art felt a sense of relief. He asked Mario on the side: "Mr. Mario, your wine tastes more refreshing than the one I drank in the palace of Besançon. Where is it brewed?"
After saying that, Art picked up the fork and put a piece of juicy stew into his mouth, chewing it with relish. The rich aroma of the stewed meat and the delicious juices greatly satisfied Art's taste buds. In his opinion, this was definitely the most delicious stew he had ever tasted. Even the cooks at the Besançon palace could not make it taste like this.
Mario held the slender waist of a girl next to him with his left hand, turned his head and swallowed the bacon that the other girl fed to his mouth. He didn't have time to wipe the juice from the corner of his mouth, and replied with a smile: "Count Art, you are really discerning. I got this from an island in the south. To be honest, the wines in the entire southern continent are not as delicious as those brewed there, and even the important officials of the Lombardy Palace may not be able to take a sip——
Looking at the confidence on Mario's face, Yete couldn't help but sigh. It was indeed extraordinary that this humble guy in front of him could get something that even the important officials in the Lombardy court could not get. If these valuable commodities can be sold to the Northern Continent to the royal family and nobles, they will surely receive several times the return.
Thinking of this, Art was glad that he had not robbed Lavati completely. If he can control the circulation of valuable goods from the north to the south, he will not only bring huge wealth to himself, but also provide an endless supply of power for the expansion of the Province of Wales.