In the evening, Duwei asked Mader to decorate a small banquet hall and asked the kitchen to prepare some exquisite dishes. He was in the restaurant very early, waiting for the arrival of the Marquise.
When the servant opened the door and led Mrs. Lister in, Du Wei couldn't help but be dazzled for a while when he saw the woman coming.
Mrs. Lister had an elegant smile on her face and was wearing a red evening dress that made her look like a delicate and blooming rose. The well-tailored style fully revealed her slender waist.
That elegant demeanor, coupled with the face of a girl, seems to combine the two completely different charms of innocence and maturity in her body in a complex and perfect way. Such a devilish figure, coupled with
With his perfect face and charming grace, Du Wei felt a little distracted for a moment.
As her eyes flickered, Mrs. Liszt looked at Du Wei and smiled. Her body bowed and she said softly: "Your Majesty, am I too late?"
Du Wei coughed slightly, stood up, pulled out the chair for her personally, and said with a smile: "No, no. It's just that I just saw Madam's charming style, and I lost my temper for a moment."
Mrs. Liszt glanced at Du Wei faintly, her eyes filled with a kind of heart-warming resentment, and whispered: "I'm afraid that the Duke didn't mean what he said. I have been in the northwest for so long, and this is the first time you have invited me alone.
I’m having dinner with you.”
Du Wei turned his head and pretended to get the wine bottle on the table, avoiding Mrs. Lister's eyes, and then waved the waiters in the room to go out.
When the door was closed, Du Wei was already standing calmly beside Mrs. Liszt, filling her a glass of wine with his own hands. Then he smiled and said: "Madam, you are blaming me again for neglecting our distinguished guests. If the word spreads, if the people of the imperial capital are allowed to
If the nobles know that I dare to neglect the most beautiful woman in our Roland Empire, I'm afraid I will be drowned by people's spit."
Then Du Wei walked back to his seat and sat down. He raised his wine glass and signaled from a distance: "I'll give you a drink first, Madam. I just want to express my apology for neglecting the beauty."
Mrs. Liszt smiled, and the two raised their glasses to signal. Duwei drank it all in one gulp, while Mrs. Liszt only tasted it briefly.
Du Wei then poured himself a second glass of wine and said with a smile: "This second glass is to wish my wife eternal beauty, and to wish my Tulip family and the Liszt family eternal friendship."
The Marquise chuckled and drank a little too much from the second glass.
After two glasses, Du Wei poured the wine again, raised his glass and said: "The third glass is to express my gratitude to you... Dardaniel told me..."
Before Du Wei could finish speaking, Mrs. Liszt interrupted him. The beauty covered her mouth slightly and glanced at Du Wei with a half-angry and half-resentful look. Her eyes were charming and her voice was as soft as if she was dripping water.
: "Duchess. You have it all. You don't want to get me drunk."
"Where!" Du Wei's face didn't change, as if he was not intimidated by the other party's glamor at all: "The third cup is to express my gratitude to you, thank you for giving me a good idea. Well, you can take this cup
There’s no need to drink, I’ll just drink it myself.”
After three glasses of wine in a row, Du Wei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, then put down the glass, looked at the Marquise, and said: "Actually, in addition to thanking you, I also admire your lady's talent. If
You didn't come up with this idea, but I don't know how long I will have a headache."
The Marquise pursed her lips and smiled, then said calmly: "Your Majesty the Duke is so smart, what can be difficult for you to do? I'm afraid I came up with a random idea and made you laugh. I just hope you don't blame me for talking too much. I understand myself.
As a woman, I don't have much knowledge, so I can't say it directly. I can only ask Lord Dardanelle to do it for me."
"I deeply appreciate Madam's thoughts." Du Wei solemnly said this.
The Marquise suddenly stared at Du Wei with a pair of eyes. The waves in her eyes were hazy and profound, which made Du Wei feel a little overwhelmed. However, before he could change the topic this time, the Marquise had already started to smile.
He smiled and said: "I think the reason why the Duke invited me to dinner tonight was just for this matter. If it hadn't been for this matter, would you have ignored me?"
Du Wei coughed, smiled, and was about to speak...
"Well, Your Majesty the Duke." Mrs. Lister turned her head and thought for a moment and had to admit that her action was really charming. It took a lot of perseverance for Duwei to look away. "Your Majesty the Duke... If you still
If you want to express your gratitude, there is no need. If you really want to express your gratitude, then I want to ask you something. I wonder if you can agree to it?"
Du Wei had a sudden thought... Could it be that he was proposing again? Well, probably not.
"As long as it's within my power." Du Wei sighed, but finished his words first.
The Marquise chuckled and glanced at Du Wei with a charming look. There was something playful in her eyes, which seemed to mean: I knew you would say this.
"Don't worry, what I ask for is not difficult. You can definitely do it."
Du Wei felt uneasy, and suddenly felt a bit regretful: I was fine, so why did I go to trouble to invite this woman to dinner? When it was really daytime, my head was spinning.
Only when you are alone with this woman can you feel the compelling beauty and heart-stirring charm of her.
"You must also know that my Liszt family is a business family. Although I...well, although my life was miserable and my husband died young, Your Majesty took pity on me and gave me the title of Marquise. But this is only a lifetime title.
, not hereditary." The Marquise murmured softly: "My Liszt family is not a noble lord, so we don't have our own territory. Before, I didn't like liveliness, and I wasn't tired of the troublesome things in the imperial capital.
, I have been living in my home in the north. Although my Liszt family has no territory, it still has some foundations over the years. There is a castle and manor in the north. In addition, there are two farms. On weekdays, they are just a cover-up.
That farm also allows the White Feather Knights to station themselves on the training ground."
Du Wei couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her suddenly talking about his family affairs. However, he became confused in his heart.
"...Your Excellency, Duke, you know that our Liszt family started from maritime trade, but in recent years, the empire's military expenditures have been reduced. The expedition to Southeast Asia has not been carried out for several years. I am afraid that the policy strategy of Prince Guanchen will still be...
It will deliberately reduce military expenditures. I am afraid that in the short term, the empire will not use troops in the South Seas. In the South Seas, there is not much potential for current trade profits to be tapped. If there is no support from the imperial expeditionary force, I am afraid that it will be even more unprofitable in the next few years.
But I have decided to gradually reduce this maritime trade." At this point, she paused slightly and glanced at Du Wei deliberately. She slowly picked up the wine glass and took a sip. She originally
His face, as white as jade, seemed to be stained with a layer of rouge as soon as it was evaporated by the alcohol. His eyes were even more blurry and intoxicating.
I'm afraid that's what the so-called "smoke looks like beauty".
Du Wei cleared his throat and said slowly: "It's admirable that Madam has such a decisiveness. The trade in Southeast Asia is huge, but Madam can focus on the future and give up when things are good. This is a vision that ordinary people cannot match."
The Marquise chuckled, and then glanced at Duwei again: "Duke, don't say your compliments too early. I'm afraid you will frown after what I say next."
Du Wei pondered for a while, then picked up the wine glass and took a sip: "Madam, what you just said you want me to do...does it have anything to do with the family business you mentioned?"
"That's right." Mrs. Liszt sighed deliberately: "I am a woman. Although I am the head of the family, I have finally lived up to my father's entrustment over the years. However, as time goes by, I feel very tired. My brother
My sister is young. Over the years, I have been supported by myself, but a few people know the pain in my heart... Sigh. No matter what, I can't watch the decline of the Liszt family, and I can't bear to see the foundation left by my father decline.
Be able to work hard step by step."
Du Wei didn't interrupt, he realized that what the other person said next was just a joke!
"Sea trade is shrinking day by day. I thought about it... During this trip to the northwest, I saw that the Dessa Province was rising and prospering under your governance. And although the relationship with the grassland people is still a little tense,
Within Duanqi, it is still stable, and you are sitting at the border, and the entire trade with the grassland must pass through Dessa Province. There are also many business opportunities here. Well... So, I thought about it for a long time before doing it.
I hope you can support this decision."
Du Wei's heart suddenly moved, and he vaguely guessed the lady's intention, and couldn't help blurting out: "Do you mean..."
"I plan to move the Lister family to the northwest!"
Hearing the Marchioness say these words in a serious tone, Du Wei couldn't help but be stunned.
The Marquise looked at Du Wei's expression and suddenly smiled: "Look, what I said is right. You frowned when you heard it."
Du Wei couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed, but fortunately, the Marquise didn't mean to pursue the matter. She smiled softly and continued: "There will be many business opportunities in the northwest in the next few years... Moreover, to say something disrespectful, even if the empire wants to attack the grassland in the future,
For military use, the two provinces of Dessanulin in the northwest are important war preparation areas. Whether it is weapons or ammunition or food, grass and tents, our List family is involved in these businesses. It is better to plan early and take root here now so that we can occupy it in the future.
Opportunity."
Du Wei pondered for a while, and the reason was correct. However, Mrs. Lister’s request was probably not just for business reasons!
"Your Majesty the Duke, you alone make the decision in the Province of Desa. Since I have decided to move my family here, I have to rely on your full support."
"Of course." Du Wei agreed immediately. Under such circumstances, he couldn't help but refuse.
"Well, I believe in the Duke's Chrysostom. However, you still need to worry about some things." The Marquise thought for a moment and smiled: "I have a few small requests, and I hope you can agree to them.
"
Du Wei sighed: "Please tell me."
"First of all, I request to set up a house in Loulan City to serve as the residence of the family. Although my Liszt family is not too big, the number of people in the family, including the stewards, servants and grooms, is three or five.
There are still hundreds of people. Hmm. It's best to stay close to the Duke's Palace. The streets here are wide and the public security is good. I can bid to buy the land from the City Governor's Palace. The price is the official price."
"Secondly, since I moved my family here, my family's White Feather Knights will naturally follow me. Although the White Feather Knights are called Five Hundred, in fact, you and I both know that it is just a cover-up to avoid the laws of the empire.
.Including those knights' retinues, there are about two thousand people in total. These two thousand cavalry cannot be stationed in the city...and..." At this point, Mrs. Lister smiled slightly: "Since I am willing
By joining forces with the Duke, I naturally trust him absolutely. In the past, when I was in the north, I naturally needed some force to protect myself. But from now on, I will be entrusted to the Duke's territory. There is no need for this family knighthood to exist. Anyway, I
I thought that if something happens, the Duke will naturally protect our family. So, I thought about it again and again. These two thousand White Feather Knights no longer need to be stationed in the city. Please ask the Duke to set up another battalion in the military camp outside the city.
, I will let these White Feather Knights wear the armor of the Tulip family from now on. It is enough to leave thirty or fifty people with me. The rest will be deployed by the Duke from now on. As for military expenses... From now on, the White Feather Knights will
My Liszt family will still bear half of the military expenses every year."
"Is there a third party... I know that the Tulip private army, weapons and armors under your command, Lord Duke, are all purchased from the guy from Delan Mountain Warcraft. Although my Liszt family is not as good at the weapons business as that fat man
It's a big business, but it's still small and large-scale. From now on, just think that I've taken advantage of you. From now on, the Tulip family's arms business will be left to our Liszt family. I think the guy who came to Delan Mountain has a good relationship with me.
He shouldn’t resent me for taking away his business. As for the price, it should be half a percent lower than that fat man’s price.”
"And the fourth..."
The more Du Wei listened, the more frightened he became, and the expression on his face showed!
This...this woman!
How is she asking me to do something? It’s clearly a huge loss-making sale... No! It’s simply a huge loss-making gift!!!
After all, although the name is to move the family to the province of Desa, it is also a gift to themselves (the arrival of such a business family will inevitably stimulate business and tax revenue will increase sharply), and it is also a gift to others.
(A member of the White Feather Knights gave it to me!). In the end, they also provided military weapons and equipment at low prices!!
I am afraid that any local official or lord of the empire, as long as they are not idiots, will never refuse such a good thing!!
This Mrs. Liszt is so courageous. Is she so bold and decisive to stick to the Liszt family and herself?!
"Madam." Before the Marquise could say the fourth item, Du Wei had already waved his hand and looked at the other party with a half-smile: "The conditions you mentioned... I think as long as you are not a lunatic, they are all what you want.
.But, in this way, I am taking too much advantage, and I feel a little uneasy."
"It's just business." Mrs. Liszt smiled slightly: "Although I seem to have paid a lot, I believe that the Duke is talented and wise. All my efforts can only be regarded as investments. With a big tree like you, Li Si
The Te family will definitely take root in the northwest, and it will naturally pay off in the future."
"In this case..." Du Wei pondered for a moment and said: "I can't accept it completely, otherwise, I'm afraid others will accuse me of being too greedy. If Madam moves her family to the northwest, within a year, Li Si
All businesses of the Te family are tax-free. Within three years, the taxes will be halved! After three years, they will only charge 80%!"
After saying this, the Marquise's face dimmed, and she stared at Du Wei for a moment, and then sighed softly: "You... just don't want to accept my kindness, are you?"
On such a good night, with the wine in front of him and the beauty sighing, Du Wei couldn't help but feel shaken in his heart. Looking at Mrs. Liszt's face and resentful eyes, he couldn't help but cover up and took a sip of wine before speaking insincerely and changing the topic with a smile:
"Tonight's staple food is the best cook in the city that I asked Made to specially invite. I will ask Madam to taste it later."
Mrs. Lister's eyes did not change, but she lowered her head. After a while, she raised her face, picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp. She glanced at Du Wei again and suddenly said: "I...it's very stuffy here, Duke.
Sir, please accompany me for a walk in the garden."