Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 237

Ronan quickly moved aside and circled around her in the room, taking the opportunity to misbehave by tugging at Isabel's nipples twice.

After chasing Ronan for a while, Isabel, somewhat embarrassed and angry, still couldn't hit him. She stopped, smiled wryly, and laughed at herself for being so childish, fooling around with this man.

Isabel stood there. "Ronan, you're over forty, and I'm in my thirties. We're the administrators of this country. Can't you be a little more mature?"

Ronan still had a slightly playful smile on his face. "Isa, work is work, and life is life. You should learn this from Anri. Life is about taking it easy."

"Boring." Isabel snorted and walked towards the place where clothes were placed.

She hadn't taken two steps when Ronan grabbed her from behind and said, "Isa, seriously, the country is really short of money."

“I know.” Isabel’s voice softened, and she stopped giving Ronan a hard time. “But you should also know that the core members of the Security Bureau are all low-level orthodox mages, especially the remnants of this operation. They were originally mid-level managers in some chambers of commerce. Their respect for society and the country is based on their belief that they are respected by the country and society.”

Translation is all about making sure the money is right and that you don't feel wronged.

"Five-five, is that alright?" Ronan asked with a smile.

“That’s more like it.” Isabel forced a smile.

Ronan chuckled again.

Isabel was furious, but Ronan was still teasing her.

Enraged, Isabel didn't raise her fist to hit anyone this time; instead, she used magic.

"No, no!" Ronan quickly stopped him. "I was wrong, don't damage this place. It's 70/30, you get 70% and I get 30%, but we need to establish some internal rules." Actually, after listening to Isabel's suggestion, Ronan was prepared to promise 70/30. Of course, the premise of a high share was that all actions needed to be approved and submitted to the Ministry of the Interior for distribution. He was absolutely not allowed to do anything privately to earn extra money or embezzle profits.

It is unavoidable that intelligence agencies will abuse their power for personal gain. It would be better to use this operation to establish a relatively acceptable rule or practice.

Isabel withdrew her magic. "Of course, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble these mad dogs will cause in the future."

Ronan walked over and hugged Isabel from behind. "This operation is not only about making money, but also about setting a precedent."

"Mmm." Isabel had just responded when suddenly Ronan thrust his hips forward. "What are you doing?"

“Fuck you,” Ronan replied.

Chapter 538 A Duet Dance, Not Paper, Dogs and Women

With that, Ronan slammed Isabel against the wall and began penetrating her from behind.

“Director, oh no, Director, you’re still so tight,” Ronan whispered, his lips close to Isabel’s ear.

"Uh, if you don't talk, ah, you'll die, oh, won't you?" Isabel said reproachfully with a groan.

"You still have the energy to talk back?" Ronan gripped Isabel's waist with both hands and began to increase the force, thrusting in and out with greater intensity.

Soon, the sound of slapping could be heard from inside the room.

Two days later, at night.

In the wooden ballroom of Ronan's Rhine estate, Ashley is leading Ronan in a dance.

However, their dance was somewhat unique.

Ashley wore a single ponytail tied with a lace-trimmed hair tie, a fiery red halter-neck mini dress that resembled a vibrant red rose, and tight, glossy black pantyhose that were both sexy and alluring. The pantyhose were open at the crotch, allowing Ronan's penis to be inserted inside and pressed tightly against her. Ashley wasn't wearing shoes, but her dance steps remained steady as she led the rather amateurish Ronan through this duet.

Just then, Isabel stormed in, furious.

"Heh, you two, you're quite the player," Isabel said in an unfriendly tone from the start.

The two stopped dancing, but didn't separate. Ronan asked, "What's wrong?"

"What else do you want from me?" Isabel glared at Ronan, then threw a stack of beautifully printed leather-bound notebooks on the ground. "I asked you for an advance on some funds, and you sent me a pile of paper."

“What do you mean by paper? This is a bankbook,” Ronan emphasized. “You can withdraw money anytime.”

“Okay, let me take them all out,” Isabel said.

"This..." Ronan was speechless for a moment.

"This is paper!" Isabel drew a spiked arrow from her waist and walked over. "I'll stab you to death, you bastard."

Seeing that things were not going well, Ashley rushed over and hugged Isabel, "Your Highness, calm down, calm down."

"Let me go, let me stab him to death!" Isabel shouted as she struggled.

Ashley had no choice but to say to Isabel, "If you want to stab someone, then stab me. This was my idea."

Ronan, of course, couldn't let Ashley take the blame for him, and quickly said, "Let's discuss it together, let's discuss it together."

Isabel stopped what she was doing, but the anger on her face did not subside in the slightest. "I should have known that nothing good could ever happen between the two of you."

Ronan had to explain, "Isa, you know we'll have to send troops sooner or later. The soldiers' quality is so-so, but this military operation is different. We're going to 'liberate' the Rhine region. We can't let them burn, kill, and loot. For that, sending people to strictly enforce military discipline is one thing, but we also need to pay them. And such a great achievement as territorial expansion deserves rewards, which all costs money. Although the economy has developed well in recent years, the national treasury can't handle spending so much money all at once. Moreover, after occupying the Rhine region, the subsequent reconstruction will require a huge sum of money. Can you please understand my situation?"

"So, the military will also issue bankbooks at that time."

The reason for issuing passbooks instead of paper money is that the conditions for issuing paper money are not yet in place.

In the morning they said they'd issue paper money, and in the afternoon the common people of the capital collectively rebelled. Believe it or not.

When the war breaks out, Ronan will be the logistics commander on the front lines. He will find a way to allow the soldiers on the front lines to exchange their passbooks for fixed-amount checks and use the checks to purchase services. These fixed-amount checks, which are linked to the passbooks, are actually paper money.

When used on the front lines, the entire process does not require withdrawing silver or gold coins from banks in the rear, so there is no need to worry about a bank run.

Once the initial stage is over, the rest will be much easier.

At the same time, the state can use the money in banks that should have been directly given to these people for lending.

Over time, people will find the combination of passbooks and fixed-amount checks too troublesome and simply switch to paper money.

That will be the time for the country to issue paper money.

Of course, paper money must still be linked to gold and silver; it can't be done arbitrarily.

In this era, it is not yet possible to create a true credit currency.

“Isa, trust me, there’s no problem,” Ronan said sincerely.

“That’s right, Your Highness, this isn’t a bad thing…” Ashley chimed in, “In this Security Bureau operation, codenamed ‘Flower,’ we will first deposit the money into a bank and then have the participants use these passbooks. This will facilitate transactions and also make this thing widely known.”

This was something she and Ronan had planned together. Even making money became secondary. The important thing was to make the combination of passbooks and fixed-amount checks widely accepted, paving the way for the future issuance of paper money.

"Do as you please, I'm leaving. I can't control this matter," Isabel said, preparing to leave.

Ronan gave Ashley a look, and Ashley immediately hugged Isabel tightly, saying, "We're already here, why are we leaving?"

Isabel moved Ashley's hand away from her thigh, which was rubbing against her stockings. "I can't handle your fancy stuff."

She knew that Ronan and Ashley were very adventurous. The conjoined doubles dance they just did was nothing compared to their fancy moves like the splits, the inverted deep throat, and the wooden donkey. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

"I promise I won't play any tricks," Ronan chuckled as he promised.

Isabel snorted and took off her dress and shoes, revealing a milky white bra and panties, and a flesh-colored matte suspender stocking.

Fifteen minutes later, Isabel, who was riding on Ronan, was suddenly pried open by Ronan's hands, followed by a loud scream, because in that instant, Ashley, with a double-headed dragon covered in lubricant, thrust into her anus.

Isabel gritted her teeth and punched Ronan in the chest a few times. After catching her breath, she said, "Can't you keep your word?"

"This can't really be considered a flower," Ronan said with a forced smile.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Ashley chimed in from behind.

Isabel turned and glared at Ashley, "Ashley, you just wait, I'm going to fuck you to death."

"Tsk tsk, I'll be waiting for you." With that, Ashley suddenly straightened her back.

Half an hour later, Isabelle, sitting down, was sandwiched between Ronan and Ashley, panting heavily. "Ronan, are you crazy? Why aren't you... why aren't you coming?" She was about to be ruined by this pair of scumbags.

As Ronan stroked Isabel's face, he said, "My little Isabel, don't you know that when I get serious, I can easily last for more than an hour?"

Ashley pulled it out, tossed the two-headed dragon aside, and reached her hands under Isabel's armpits to grab it. Ronan then began an even more ferocious assault.

Half an hour later, Isabel, who had become limp from exhaustion, was held by Ronan's cheeks as he ejaculated all of his thick, white semen into her mouth.

“You’re still not good enough, Isa,” Ronan said, suppressing a laugh.

Isabel lay there, grabbing Ronan's arm. "Let me rest for five minutes, just five minutes."

Ronan grabbed Isabel's legs. "Then you don't need to move. I'll use your legs first, and we'll come back in five minutes."

Chapter 539: It's a savings account and a government bond; what is the market? The future is bright.

A few days later, Ronan and Ashley went to the Heidi people's place.

On the way, Ashley suddenly exclaimed, "You really fooled the princess terribly." The word "princess" had become Isabelle's nickname.

“I’m telling the truth, how can that be called lying? Besides, you did it too,” Ronan said.

Last night, Ronan did not explain the true nature of the "passbook" to Isabel, and one could even say he misled her.

In reality, this passbook is essentially a government bond.

Next, the spies involved in the operation will receive three things: first, a sum of money, in the form of real silver coins; second, an IOU of the same amount; and third, a special savings account of the same amount.

Specifically, it means that the government gives you a savings account containing your funds, but considering that you cannot exchange it abroad, they can only issue you silver instead. However, this silver is not yours; it is a loan from the government that you will have to repay later.

In the future, the soldiers on the front lines will only receive their pay through a savings account with a check attached, though the amount will be slightly more than their regular salary.

While they can't be redeemed at the front lines, they can be used for consumption. Ronan's logistics team will provide services to the soldiers to prevent them from doing things that soldiers of this era like to do.

This is essentially equivalent to the country borrowing money from the soldiers first, borrowing the military pay that should have been directly paid to them, and then giving it to them after the war is over and the country has made money.

"Didn't our Prime Minister get furious about this?" Ashley asked.

Ronan replied, "After I showed her the logistics budget, she had nothing to say."

Soldiers' salaries are nothing compared to logistics, which is the real expense.

At that time, the workers responsible for producing military supplies such as gunpowder, firearms, cannons, uniforms, sheets, and canned goods will also have to collect "savings accounts".

“I’ve been thinking about something, why not just issue government bonds?” Ashley asked.

“Because most of the national debt will be subscribed by those damned capitalists and those disgusting nobles. They’ve already made money since the war started, so we can’t let them take too much,” Ronan said. “So, don’t be fooled by the fact that this special savings account I’ve set up seems to be forcibly allocating national debt; it’s actually giving them welfare.”

A few days ago, Ronan convinced Dinia with just this one sentence.

What Ashley admires about Ronan is this: everything he does is righteous.

Not long after, Ronan and Ashley arrived at the Seapiper people's place and saw the flower.

Isabel named it Purple Cross because no matter what color the flower itself is, there is a purple cross pattern in the center.

It was beautiful and sacred. The Haidi people didn't pay attention to it at first because people didn't take the cross seriously.

Ronan had a few more requests regarding the Purple Cross.

First, the bulb itself must be able to mutate, and this mutation must be random. When you buy the bulb, it will be like opening a blind box. You will buy a bulb that looks like an onion, and you will have no idea what it will look like after you grow it.

This way, the finished product can be hyped up.

Secondly, it needs to be easy to grow, the bulbs need to be easy to survive, and the bulb cultivation cycle cannot be too short or too long. If it is too short, it is impossible to conduct futures trading; if it is too long, is it still a blind box?

This thing is a blind box that can be traded as a futures contract.

Third, breeding must be kept extremely secret. No one can know that this thing is not mysterious at all and can be commonplace at any time.

When the time comes, once we've made enough money, we'll detonate the bomb all at once.

Once it's done, then it becomes a matter of storytelling.

For something to be valuable, it must have a story.

Ronan had already arranged the story. It was he, the Marquis of Rhein, who unexpectedly obtained the rare flower from Suleiman, brought back the seeds and gave them to Ambrina. Ambrina successfully grew the plant, discovered a method for propagating it from bulbs, and fell madly in love with the flower.

A month later, the Heidi people created the purple cross flower that matched Ronan's vision.

Two months later, in October, a craze for buying this flower had swept through the wealthy in the capital of the Kingdom of Phos.

Another month passed, and in November, thanks to the efforts of some people, the trend had spread overseas, especially to the newly rich in the Netherlands. Many wealthy people were willing to spend a lot of money to get one to show off their status. As for the very rich, they would of course buy rare varieties to show off their taste, not money.

In less than a month, a large number of scalpers emerged in the Netherlands.

Before the spies sent there could even be dealt with, the Dutch, with their high aptitude for capitalism, had already built up the market themselves.

Slater de Witt, 41 years old, a Dutchman, a businessman.

My grandfather made his fortune by opening a sailor's tavern, and later started doing some construction work. My father took over the business and expanded it. But he doesn't build houses; he sells them.

How much money can you make from construction projects? You can only make money by reselling real estate in the harbor.

However, as the new year approached, he sold off several properties at low prices to raise funds to make a good profit from the purple cross flower business.

He wouldn't buy bulbs himself; that's something only gamblers do. If he bought them and they turned out to be of any quality that wasn't rare at all, wouldn't he lose a fortune?

He wouldn't be a scalper; scalpers earn hard-earned money, and his grandfather had already endured all the hardships the DeWitt family should have. He couldn't possibly endure hardship.

What Slater did, of course, was to buy low and sell high. He bought futures contracts at low prices and then sold them at a higher price, knowing that no one would be left holding the bag.