met free Chapter 539 Refusal
Chapter 539 Refusal
Chapter 539 Refusal
"Where is the Earl?" Caroline asked.
“He is ill,” responded Alain Barlow, the Earl’s son. “I will act on behalf of my father and handle all communications with the officers.”
"Barlow's current boss is really a coward," Caroline judged. "When faced with problems, he doesn't dare to confront them personally, instead pushing everything onto his son."
Caroline looked at Alan in front of her. He had medium-length hair, which was tied into a braid at the back of his head, with only a fringe left in front of his forehead.
He has a resolute gaze and a very masculine face. He looks about eighteen or nineteen years old. His only shortcoming is that he is not very tall.
The other person kept staring at Caroline, seemingly still a little nervous.
Don't be nervous, young sir. As long as you do as I say, you and your family will be fine.
Caroline nodded slightly to him, and then he invited her inside.
"Then, all of you, go in," Caroline said. "Sir Diego, stay with me. General Finley and General Lucien, you two bring your men too."
Both of them looked puzzled, exchanged a glance, and then looked at Caroline.
Lucien spoke up, "Master Annie, what do you need us to do?"
"Take your soldiers and tour the city, assessing the family's financial situation. If the Barlow family tries to refuse to pay taxes under any pretext, we'll know if they're lying."
Finley's expression became visibly tense: "Excuse me for being frank, Master Annie, we're not here to investigate; we're just here to get the money."
Caroline nodded and said, "That's right, I don't intend to listen to their explanations, but this is the procedure. After all, I'm here on behalf of the Heraldry to collect taxes, and it concerns the face of the royal family. Although it's true that the Barlow family is in arrears with taxes, we must not give them any ammunition to criticize us."
Upon hearing this, both of the people in front of him looked puzzled.
Caroline's words make some sense; if they refuse, she will also have to bear some responsibility.
Even if they suspected Caroline was planning some kind of trick, these two slippery guys probably wouldn't dare to interfere easily.
Caroline has learned that when you have little influence, you should honestly play the role of a weed, bending whichever way the wind blows, so that you won't be noticed by the sheep.
This is probably how these people survive.
Caroline's goal was to have them act as the eyes and ears of the person behind the scenes.
Let them see the current state of the Barlow family, and Caroline has not done anything improper.
According to Caroline's understanding, the Barlow family probably doesn't have many luxury items left now.
However, these two were not the only ones who were nervous.
The young man in front of me was the same.
He took a step towards Caroline: "Master Anne, I want to talk to you—"
Caroline reached out her hand to stop the other person from continuing.
He must have come to ask if Caroline's plan was feasible.
Young people are always like this; they can't see the real power struggles beneath the surface, yet they're eager to control everything.
Little did they know that blindly exploring was also a reckless act.
Of course, Caroline is much younger.
But she would never use her age as an excuse!
Caroline must maintain her image of impartiality so that those powerful figures have no reason to attack her.
Of course, once Caroline reveals the whole plan, they will know that it was Caroline, and even Jonas and the Herald who orchestrated it all.
However, they had no evidence to substantiate these claims, and ultimately had to keep their suspicions to themselves.
Therefore, Caroline absolutely had to avoid any private contact with Alan Barlow: "Sir Alan, you go in with these two. I'll wait outside the city. Once they think they know enough about the castle, you can come with them to find me."
So everyone looked at each other, wondering what Caroline was up to.
But if they cannot find a legitimate reason to refute Caroline, they will have no choice but to act according to Caroline's plan.
After that, everyone went through the city gate, leaving only Caroline and Diego sitting on their horses.
Diego was a competent Guardian Knight, silently following behind Caroline without uttering a single word.
About half an hour later, everyone returned.
Caroline asked, "How are things, you two?"
Finley shrugged. "I've never seen a more shabby earl's mansion."
"They didn't even throw away the worm-eaten cheese," Lucien said with a smile. "I'm curious to see their expressions when they eat it."
"However," Finn said, staring directly at Caroline with sharp eyes, "Sir Herald, please remember your duty. You are not here to exonerate his family."
Finley is definitely on the Eldest Princess's side, while Lucien, who is observing Caroline's actions, is loyal to the Eldest Prince.
The latter will not easily interfere, so that it is easier to shift the blame to the Herald Academy.
Look! It was clearly the Heraldry who helped the Finance Department! But these people are plotting to harm their benefactor.
But that's the rule of power. If Caroline is still making a fuss, then it would be wise for her to back out as soon as possible.
"I understand, General Finley."
Then, Caroline looked at Alan Barlow and said, "Well then, Sir Alan, as the representative of the family, you must have already prepared the taxes, right?"
Alan glanced at Caroline and immediately nodded, "Yes, sir."
Oh! Caroline smiled, "Good girl!"
Finley's eyes widened. "How is that possible! I've searched the entire castle, and the most valuable thing I found was a silver fork in the kitchen! And the other nobles wouldn't lend or help you. How could you possibly have scraped together such a large sum of tax money?!"
Be careful what you say, General. Doesn't your words reveal that someone is interfering with the Barlow family's social interactions?
In other words, someone deliberately made it so that the Barlow family couldn't pay their taxes.
However, he is just a nobody who could be discarded at any time, so finding fault with him won't have much impact on the final situation.
Therefore, Caroline did not confront the other party about what he had said.
Looking at Lucien, he exclaimed with delight, "Perhaps old Barlow has some money hidden away to support his mistress, and now he has no choice but to hand it over!"
From his perspective, the most perfect ending would be for the Barlow family to cover their losses.
But don't you think about it? How could they possibly have the money?
Hmm—the skill level is really low.
This rendered all of Caroline's prepared rhetoric useless.
Caroline turned to Alan Barlow: "Then, please hand over the taxes to me, Sir."
"Please allow me to refuse!" Alan said decisively.
"Insolence!" Lucien cursed.
Finley, standing to the side, was chuckling to himself.
Caroline then said, "My lords, please be patient—Sir Alan, could you explain your reasoning?"
"The Barlow family does have an obligation to pay taxes, but we are only accountable to the Royal Family and the Treasury. However, you are not among them."
"We are the agents of the Treasury!" Lucien roared.
Caroline raised her hand, and Diego urged Lucien to quiet down.
Then she asked, "In that case, what do you want to do?"
"I'm willing to pay taxes, but I won't give them to you. This gold is practically the Barlow family's life savings; we can't afford to lose it. Therefore, I must ensure its absolute security."
Alan's voice grew increasingly firm as he spoke, "I want to hand it over directly to the King or the Treasury!"
A fleeting smile, imperceptible to everyone, crossed Caroline's face.
all the best!
Caroline glanced at the two people beside her: "What do you two think?"