My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 31

"...But why do I keep feeling like someone's eyeing my husband lately? That one from Colombia?" Kosiché stood up from her throne, stretched, and then, while combing her new body's tail with a delicate wooden comb, she was puzzled by the inexplicable sense of vigilance that had arisen within her. "Monica? No, impossible. Monica knows her limits, and I already gave my husband permission to deal with her—that Blood Demon? Hmm...where is she?"

Was it that Blood Demon who brought him this strange unease? Kosiché frowned, thinking it probably wasn't.

So, who could it be? She thought and thought but couldn't come up with an answer, so she simply decided to leave it for the time being: this might be a kind of self-protective psychological reaction that suddenly appeared after she had a husband who could accompany her for the first time.

Kosiché gave up thinking about it. She decided to go to the courtyard to find her husband, to take a stroll during her rare break and strengthen their bond. As for how she knew Yang Hao was there?

As a wife, isn't it perfectly normal to know your husband's every move?

... ...

"hiss..."

"grown ups?"

"No, it's nothing... I just suddenly felt like I was being watched by a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, and I suddenly felt a little cold..."

Sitting on a bench in the courtyard, admiring the beautiful scenery of the Duke's mansion, Yang Hao was lamenting the vast gap between the rich and poor when he suddenly shivered uncontrollably.

Was this a warning from Heaven, seeing how miserable his people were while he himself lived so comfortably? He shrank his neck, attributing the problem to his increasingly weak body, and sighed heavily, telling Monica that his work was just too difficult.

“Monica, the minor nobles in the city have actually accumulated a lot of wealth, haven’t they?”

"Yes. They acquired a great deal of wealth from the residents through their own means before the economic crisis—but sir, forcing them to hand over their wealth would seriously affect the stability of the nobility."

"But it didn't say we can't reduce the tax rate for the commoners to 5% and then adjust the tax rate for the nobles to 95%, right?" Yang Hao nodded thoughtfully. After all, it made sense. If the nobles could still rebel if I collected a 95% tax, it meant they still had the money to rebel.

That means their taxes should be increased to 100%, even 150%! If enough taxes are collected, then there will naturally be a reason to abolish those minor nobles—

As for Yang Hao's outrageous remarks... Monica was already used to it.

As long as this gentleman doesn't actually go to that brothel in Kazimierz, then everything will be fine—after all, those minor nobles can't cause much trouble, and Monica harbors hatred towards most nobles, so naturally she won't care what happens after their taxes increase.

“My lord, please consider this carefully. Lord Kosiché’s duchy does not have enough money to spend on military matters right now,” she said, then poured Lord Yang Hao a glass of chilled wine.

"Yes, yes, I know... Oh, it's so painful... We can't touch those minor nobles before the administrative reform is completed, and we still can't touch them after the administrative reform is completed—we have to wait at least several months before we can take action against them, collect their wealth, and use it for work relief... Sigh."

Lord Yang Hao muttered to himself as he accepted the wine. After a while, he drank the liquid in one gulp, and with a comfortable sigh, he seemed to have calmed down.

Instead of dwelling on his work, he began to complain about the food in Ursus, saying he didn't like it at all.

"Speaking of which, Monica—are you Ursus people used to eating such greasy food? The meat on your dishes always seems so fatty, it's strange compared to meat dishes in Colombia or other places..."

“That’s because a large area of ​​Ursus is in a cold region, and to better withstand the cold, our food needs to be rich in oil,” Monica explained helplessly. “If you don’t like Ursus food, I can prepare food from other regions for you next time.”

"Oh, no need for that. I was just venting—by the way, are you in charge of my and Kosic's meals?"

"Yes. I am responsible for everything, including cleaning and maintaining the two lords' bedrooms, cleaning after nighttime activities, and any matters that may involve the safety of the two lords. I am the head maid of the Duke's mansion, and this is my duty."

"...I have a feeling that I've heard something incredible."

Yang Hao's lips twitched, and he decided not to delve into the matter.

The disastrous start for the Duchy of Kosiché put him under immense pressure. He couldn't use the unique national policies, only those he found, the effectiveness of which was uncertain. As for decisions, although he could invite nobles to a gathering, invitations were one thing, but neither he nor Kosiché had a legitimate excuse or justification to attack them...

Militarily, the Duchy of Kosiché's military command is currently in his wife's hands. However, the army and police are already exhausted just maintaining order in the city. So, why not just expand the army by drawing on some of the unemployed population?

"My lord, you'd better discuss the matter of expanding the army with Lord Kosiché."

"Huh?" Yang Hao blinked. Wasn't this what he was thinking about?

“When you’re deep in thought, you might talk to yourself—but since I’m the only one here, you don’t need to pay attention. However, if there were other people around, I would point out your inappropriateness.”

"Oh... thank you."

"It's what I should do."

Looking at the respectful head maid Monica, Yang Hao sighed, wondering if he had developed the bad habit of talking to himself because of too much pressure.

Chapter 79

.....

Then, perhaps more than a week passed. Yang Hao had been in the Duchy of Kosiché for quite some time, and he had gradually adapted to life there. Even when he was taking a bath alone, and the head maid Monica calmly brought in chilled wine, his face did not turn red with embarrassment.

On another note, it seemed unlikely that Head Maid Monica would come in while he and Kosiché were bathing together. Or perhaps he hadn't noticed her arrival while he was half-asleep in the hot water, embracing his wife? In any case, Yang Hao hadn't done much work during this time because—

He has no money.

Although the previous plan had been approved and Kosichek had indeed allocated him a substantial budget, it took considerable time for that budget to be transferred from the national treasury to his hands. It wasn't until the morning of March 4th that Yang Hao finally received his budget, allowing him to finally begin his work.

“This amount…is enough, more than enough! Monica—could you please have Paul come over? We’re about to head to the administration office.” Sitting at his desk in his bedroom, Yang Hao looked at the sum of money in pure gold written on the paper in front of him and breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately had Monica, who was waiting for instructions in the room, hand over his old acquaintance, Paul, one of the captains of the Serpent Scales.

With the money, he needed to go to the Administrative Office first. That department was located within the Duke's mansion's office area. Once there, he could use his authority, along with the activated [Puppet Stage] ability, to effectively solve the problem of insufficient administrative efficiency.

Of course, he could also use the [Puppet Stage] ability directly. However, his other consideration in the past was simply to see if he could trigger an [Event] and gain additional effects.

“Understood, sir. But shouldn’t I inform Lord Koschche before heading to the administrative office?” Monica nodded. “Or do you have other plans?”

"No need, Kosichek has already handed everything over to me—go and call Paul over first. Otherwise, we'll have to wait for the Serpent Scales to come if something goes wrong."

Monica responded twice, and after accompanying Yang Hao, who was carrying the report, out the door, she looked around for a while, and finally called down to Paul the Snake Scales from somewhere on the ceiling.

"...Has this guy been hiding there the whole time?" Yang Hao stared blankly at the ceiling of the corridor, at a corner that seemed barely big enough for one person to stand in... He shook his head, ultimately not voicing his inner question, "Aren't you tired standing there?" After all, that's how things are; what he finds exhausting might actually be enjoyable for them.

Paul joined their group. Yang Hao waved his hand, signaling Monica to lead the way.

.....

This time, Yang Hao's actions were simple: while increasing expenditures at the administrative centers of each mobile city, he would check with the administrative offices to see if he could trigger events that would provide a boost. If so, that would be ideal. If not, it wouldn't matter. His minimum goal was to improve administrative efficiency, and as long as this improvement wouldn't hinder future economic reforms, then whatever he did wouldn't matter.

“Sir, the highest-ranking official in the Administrative Office is Mr. Joseph. He’s an old man from Ursus who has worked here for over 30 years. He’s a former soldier of Lord Kosichä’s army and a trustworthy and capable official.” On the way, Monica was introducing Yang Hao to the highest-ranking officer of a place he had never been before. “His nickname is… Steel. He won’t allow his subordinates to make too many mistakes, and he himself is indeed as tempered as steel, standing firm on the front lines of work—but even such an old man couldn’t stop the economic crisis from worsening.”

“Mr. Joseph, right? I understand. I’ll go see him directly later.” Yang Hao nodded and, without thinking, activated the [Puppet Stage] ability.

Immediately afterwards, a beneficial event popped up in front of him.

[Event: The Iron-Willed Father]

Your partner may have many talented and capable people, but they are ultimately just mortals. No matter how strong their abilities are, they can't compare to you, who have the stage.

Mr. Joseph is a capable and experienced veteran. It's worth noting that he himself came from a poor village in Ursus, so he has always been passionate about improving the lives of the lower-class Ursus—he represents the rank and file of Duke Kosichear's army, the poor of the Dukedom of Kosichear, and all the civil servants under the current administration. You need to be prepared when you deal with him again.

No, perhaps not. You are his boss's husband, so you can give him orders directly—but who wouldn't want to gain the trust of an elderly person?

'I'm going to show this iron-willed father my plan.' Effect: If successful, you will gain Mr. Joseph's trust. He knows many secrets of the Ursus army and how to make his subordinates more professional. Success will also provide an additional 5% administrative efficiency bonus, lasting until Mr. Joseph's death.

Hmm... good news. Yang Hao's confidence in persuading that iron-willed but compassionate father increased even more, because his economic reforms were related to the poor—only when the poor had money could the economy circulate more smoothly and the economic crisis be weathered safely.

Moreover, this seemingly incompetent but actually benevolent father was not of noble birth, which truly surprised Yang Hao... He had assumed that anyone holding a high position in Ursus would at least be a minor nobleman...

Seeing Yang Hao's confusion, Serpent Scale Paul explained:

“Mr. Joseph was once an officer in the Serpent Scales, my senior. But due to an accident, he lost his right leg forever—he chose to take the path of administration to provide his strength to the adults, and in fact, he was indeed more suited to administration.”

"Oh--"

He was once an officer in the Serpent Scales, huh? That makes sense then. It's only natural for Kosiché to provide assistance and positions to his loyal subordinates.

"Sir, we are here."

Just as Yang Hao was pondering his next conversation plan, Monica reminded him and led them to a door leading to the outside world.

That gate separated the office area from the living area. Once Yang Hao stepped through that gate, he officially entered the Duke's office area, which also meant that he would truly begin to provide assistance to his wife.

Should we prepare for a while longer? A slight sense of trepidation rose in his heart, but he quickly dismissed it.

A man should never say "no" when he needs to stand up for himself.

“Monica, please take me to Mr. Joseph’s office—I need to have a serious talk with him about my plans.”

He tugged at his collar, and after making sure he still had the report in his hand, he stepped onto the office floor.

Chapter 80

Mr. Joseph, the Iron Father, is an elderly Ursus man with white hair and beard.

He rose from poverty in his village at the age of 14, became a serpent scale for Lord Kosiché at 22, and then at 30, in a battle with the assassins of Duke Nikolai, his right leg was slashed by a poisoned dagger, forcing him to have his leg amputated below the knee and replaced with a prosthetic to facilitate his daily activities.

Because of his amputation, Mr. Joseph was no longer fit to work on the front lines. He also didn't want to continue slacking off among the high-ranking officers of the Serpent Scales; it would be better for him to get to work than to be paid to relieve himself—and it was with this in mind that he asked Lord Koschche for an administrative job.

He has been doing this for 30 years. Now, at 60 years old and almost 61, the elderly man continues to work as diligently as ever.

The administrative work brought him far more pressure than the work during his snake-scale period. However, this old man, as resilient as steel forged through countless trials, believed that he could still bear it.

If you can't finish your work by sleeping 8 hours a day, then reduce your sleep to 6 hours; that's just right.

If your subordinates aren't professional enough, then set up study groups and demand better performance from them using military discipline, or get rid of them—to be honest, Mr. Joseph has always felt guilty for not giving his young men the generous salaries commensurate with their workload over the years, but considering the economic crisis sweeping across Ursus... there's nothing he can do about it.

“There’s nothing we can do about it…” Mr. Joseph, wearing reading glasses, muttered in a hoarse voice as he tidied his messy beard. “Economy, economy… Ursus is a war machine. Without war, the economy can’t improve—sigh…I wonder if I’ll live to see the economy of Lord Koschei’s territory improve.”

He arrived at his simple office at 8:00 a.m. today. He didn't fall asleep until 2:00 a.m., and for the past twenty years, he has only had a maximum of six hours of sleep.

Even so, with the economic situation getting worse, Mr. Joseph was seriously considering whether he should reduce his sleep by two hours—that way he would have more time to deal with those complicated tasks, which might make Lord Koschche's territory better.

Just as his bloodshot eyes were watching the second hand of the clock on the wall move slowly, and he was about to start his workday in a minute, he heard a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Mr. Joseph was somewhat puzzled: those busy young men had been trained enough that they wouldn't come to him unless it was something they couldn't handle.

In other words, something might be coming that they can't handle, and that means the economy is about to get even worse? Whenever Mr. Joseph thought of this, goosebumps rose uncontrollably: the last time something like this happened, more than 2000 people starved to death in the Duchy; those poor people simply couldn't withstand the horrific effects of an economic crisis. What about this time?

How many people will lose their jobs? How many will starve to death from hunger and cold? Although Lady Koschie has kindly settled remote villages around her territory, giving them the possibility to seek help, even so, some villages that are simply too impoverished will only slowly perish under the negative impact of the declining economy.

Those huge unemployed people, those hardworking Ursus people who refuse to be helped because of their pride, they are all Lord Kosichean's subjects. How can they be allowed to starve to death because of this?

What should I do?

He took a deep breath, straightened his back, and thought that even if he couldn't handle this situation, he should at least do his best to fight the impending crisis.

...

However, Mr. Joseph was wrong. A man did enter carrying a report, but the report had nothing to do with the crisis he had imagined. Moreover, Joseph recognized the woman who followed him in—Monica, the head maid, whom he had seen several times before.

“…This is Lady Kosiché’s husband,” Head Maid Monica said before Mr. Joseph could ask any questions. “He’s here to discuss some matters concerning administrative reform with you—”

"And there are reforms to improve people's livelihoods," the man said with a smile, adding this sentence.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Joseph's expression immediately turned serious: since he was Lord Kosiché's husband, even if he was just Lord Kosiché's husband in disguise, he must be a truly capable person.

Moreover, the presence of Head Maid Monica means that Lord Koschche is certainly very concerned about this matter—so this time, I must seriously and carefully understand the situation and see what he intends to do.

“I understand, please sit down—but I only have two chairs here, Head Maid—”

"I can stand."

.....

"I can stand."

Not long after Monica stood behind him, Yang Hao sat down in the wooden chair opposite Joseph. This office, the office of the highest-ranking administrator of the administrative department, looked so simple and unpretentious.

There wasn't a single picture hanging on the office walls, not even wallpaper. The entire space, besides the desk and chair, was filled with bookshelves overflowing with documents. Bookshelves of all sizes took up most of the office space, even blocking half of the windows.

This office, devoid of any decorations, paintings, or even the cheapest chandelier, and lacking even a small wood carving, gives the first impression of being "simple."

What about the elderly person sitting opposite you?

Yang Hao placed the documents he was holding on the table and pushed them in front of Mr. Joseph. He carefully observed the old man, an elderly Ursus man whose missing right leg did not prevent him from continuing to work.

He carried the sharpness and silence left by his time in the army, and deep down he possessed the warmth, diligence, and seriousness instilled in this old man by his impoverished hometown.

“Sir—” Joseph carefully read the documents Yang Hao handed him, noticing amounts of pure gold and plans for those amounts: things like increasing civil servant allowances, funding for talent recruitment, and most attractively, [reform of the bloated administrative structure]... What exactly is going on here? “What is this?”

In short, was that huge sum of pure gold entrusted to him for his use? He was to use that pure gold to accomplish the aforementioned task?

“The amount of a budget,” Yang Hao explained with a smile. “And a series of arrangements—this territory needs to undergo economic reforms, which requires highly efficient administration. But the problem is, the current administrative efficiency of my wife’s territory is unsatisfactory. It needs to change.”

“But the problem is, this isn’t something that can be changed just by talking!” Joseph frowned and shouted, pointing to the amount of pure gold on the document. “This money—this money might bring about negligible changes to the utterly terrible administrative centers of these four cities, but not everyone is willing to accept reform of the administrative centers! We not only lack experienced civil servants, sir, we also lack the capacity for change.”

Joseph believed he was telling the truth. Take this current administrative office, for example—is there any room for change? Of course there is!

The problem is that this administrative office, located right under the Duke's nose, enjoys the highest level of subsidies (at least that's how it seems to him) and has the Duke's support, is therefore able to change.

What about the other places? The other eight administrative centers? They don't have as many subsidies to back them up, nor do they have the Duke's support to find enough talent. They're already doing their best just to maintain stability; where would they find the room for change?

Even if there is room for change—after seeing such a major transformation in the administrative center during this period of economic downturn, will the people outside still support the Duke's rule?

Without hesitation, Joseph roared out a series of questions in his old, hoarse voice.

Joseph's series of questions were indeed real problems in the Duchy of Koschche, but Yang Hao, whose smile never left his face, was well prepared for his questions.

“Now, Mr. Joseph, please don’t panic,” he said. “—Can you hear a voice now?”

"What's that sound? Besides you and me talking, what else is there—"