Golden Dragon King
"Since Hall Master Lu has asked this question, then I will explain it properly, mainly in the following three points."
"Firstly, all transactions conducted by the Dragon King Hall within the Empire will be exempt from taxes. The Empire will not take a single penny of the profits; all proceeds from the transactions will belong to the Dragon King Hall," Xue Ye said softly, taking a sip of tea.
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but be slightly surprised. Exempting the Dragon King Hall from all transactions in the Heaven Dou Empire from taxes was quite a generous gesture.
It's important to know that the Dragon King Hall's annual transaction volume is an absolutely terrifying figure. When trading between different kingdoms and provinces, a certain amount of tax must be paid to each kingdom and province, and this amount of money is not a small sum.
With Xue Ye's words, the Dragon King Hall within the Heaven Dou Empire would be exempt from all taxes, saving a large sum of money each year. This was undoubtedly a very tempting offer.
Seeing Lu Yuan's slightly surprised expression, Xue Ye smiled and continued, "Secondly, the Empire will strongly support all future transactions of the Dragon King Hall within its borders, giving them priority and waiving all complicated fees. Furthermore, the Empire will officially promote the Dragon King Hall's products."
"Is this the second benefit?" Lu Yuan gently stroked his chin. Although the Dragon King Hall is developing well and even has trade spread to the Star Luo Empire, it is actually still in its early stages because it has only been established for a year and its foothold is not yet stable. Although it has a great momentum of development in the Dragon King Hall Heaven Dou Imperial City, it is still in its early stages of development.
However, although it has a reputation in other places, it is far from being as well-developed as the Heaven Dou Imperial City.
If, as Xue Ye suggests, strong support is provided, and even official promotion is given, then the Dragon King Hall will enter a phase of rapid development. This condition is far more enticing than the first one.
"The third point concerns honor. I, the Emperor, have decided to bestow upon Hall Master Lu the title of Golden Dragon King, a hereditary first-class princely rank, above all officials, granting him the privilege of wearing a sword and shoes in the palace, and the right to not bow before the Emperor. In addition, I will grant him a fief of 5,000 households and 30,000 hectares of fertile land." Before Lu Yuan could speak, Xue Ye presented his third condition.
Upon hearing this condition, not only did Lu Yuan narrow his eyes, but even Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe showed a hint of surprise.
The title of Golden Dragon King is even more prestigious than the title of Ning Fengzhi's teacher.
The imperial titles, from top to bottom, are generally Duke, Earl, Marquis, Viscount, and Baron. The title of King is generally not granted to anyone other than the royal family.
Now, Xue Ye has not only bestowed upon Lu Yuan the title of Prince, but also the highest-ranking first-class prince, placing him above all other officials. This is quite a high position.
Although it was just a nominal title without any real power, the significance it represented was extremely important. Moreover, it included a fiefdom of five thousand households and thirty thousand hectares of fertile land, which was a considerable fortune.
Therefore, both Ning Fengzhi and Qian Renxue were slightly shocked. Xue Ye was quite bold; he had gone to great lengths to win over the Dragon King Hall.
"Interesting. The Emperor's terms are quite tempting," Lu Yuan said softly, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Then I wonder what Hall Master Lu thinks? Are my three points sincere enough?" Xue Ye said.
"That certainly shows enough sincerity," Lu Yuan said calmly.
"What about the cooperation?" Xue Ye asked.
"Let's proceed with the cooperation as Your Majesty wishes. From this day forward, the Dragon King Hall will fully support the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. We will share both good and bad fortune, and we will be in this together," Lu Yuan said.
"Good, Hall Master Lu is indeed a man of few words!" Upon hearing Lu Yuan's words, Xue Ye was overjoyed. His originally pale face seemed to have gained a few blushes. He clapped his hands lightly, and immediately a maid came up with a tray.
On the tray were only two items: a square seal, entirely purple-gold in color, with an exquisite dragon carving on it.
The other item was a token made entirely of shimmering gold. One side of the token featured a snow-white Swan, the symbol of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, while the other side depicted a majestic golden dragon, identical in appearance to Lu Yuan's Golden Dragon.
"These two items are the seal and token of the Golden Dragon King, representing Golden Dragon King identity. Please accept them, Hall Master Lu," said Xue Ye.
"Then I'll accept it without further ado," Lu Yuan said with a faint smile.
"Haha, Hall Master Lu, oh no, I should call you Golden Dragon King now. I have prepared a banquet in the Shunde Hall. Golden Dragon King, please join me at the table, and we can chat while we eat." Having successfully reached a cooperation agreement with Lu Yuan, Xue Ye was quite pleased. With the support of another super power, the Heaven Dou Imperial Family could be said to be even more secure.
Moreover, with the support of the Dragon King Hall, which boasts five titled members, including the Ultimate Douluo Long Xiaoyao, even the Spirit Hall is no longer a threat to Xue Ye. Overjoyed, he directly invited Lu Yuan to take a seat.
"That's excellent," Lu Yuan said with a soft laugh.
"Golden Dragon King, please!" Xue Ye extended his hand.
"Your Majesty, please go first!" Lu Yuan said with a smile.
"Hahahaha!" Xue Ye laughed heartily and walked ahead, while Lu Yuan's lips curled slightly as he followed behind Xue Ye.
The Crown Prince Estate!
Qian Renxue's study.
"Why don't you go to your boudoir?" Lu Yuan leaned over Qian Renxue's desk, his Double Pupils fixed on Qian Renxue.
"What do you want to do, coming into a woman's room in broad daylight?" Qian Renxue her eyes at Lu Yuan and said.
"Don't you know what I want to do?" Lu Yuan blinked and said.
"Pah, you lecherous scoundrel, all you ever think about is doing bad things," Qian Renxue spat, scolding him angrily.
"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. My Xue'er is just too beautiful, I can't resist her." Lu Yuan shrugged and said, pretending to be somewhat helpless.
Upon hearing this, Qian Renxue blushed slightly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. She was actually quite pleased that Lu Yuan was so infatuated with her.
"Alright, stop fooling around and let's get down to business," Qian Renxue said, her expression turning serious.
"Let's get down to business? Okay, go ahead." Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Lu Yuan also dropped his playful demeanor, sat up straight, and his expression became serious.
In a way, Lu Yuan and Qian Renxue are quite similar. They are both the type who can be playing around one second and then immediately get into a serious work-related conversation the next.
No wonder they got together.
"Xiao Yuan, now that your Dragon King Hall has joined forces with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, our plan can begin slowly," Qian Renxue said.
Here are two chapters to start, and another one will be released around 5 PM. That's six chapters today!