Blood Emperor Throne

For these commoners, as long as the newly appointed lord is not so harsh as to forcibly requisition the grain they use for autumn planting and winter, then it doesn't matter much who becomes the lord.

For merchants, as long as the new lord doesn't raise the road tax and transit tax from the original one-tenth, changing lords won't have much of an impact.

But as it turns out, the newly appointed Countess Osalia is no longer without influence over the common people of the entire Earldom of Dorne.

On the third day after the consolidation of the territory, the Countess's new policies spread throughout the villages and towns of the Earl of Dorne.

Tax reductions and exemptions, exemption from land rent, exemption from road tax, and abolition of labor service tax.

Once these four new policies were announced, not only were the commoners and merchants throughout the territory stunned, but even the nobles and lords in the surrounding areas couldn't sit still after seeing them.

The first point, tax reduction and exemption, seems like a mild policy to appease ordinary people in a turbulent situation. However, when these people at the bottom of society saw the remaining tax rates after the reductions and exemptions, they were all stunned.

The Earl of Dorne's previously harsh and miscellaneous taxes were reduced to the most basic ones: land tax, one-tenth of the agricultural tax, commodity tax, fishing tax, property tax, trade tax, salt tax, iron tax, and tithe.

What does this round of tax cuts mean?

Before the tax reduction, the Earldom of Dorne had nearly fifty different taxes of varying sizes.

The most basic taxes included: mill tax, meat tax, land tax, salt tax, iron tax, tax on six out of ten agricultural yields, house tax, window tax, livestock tax, windmill tax, fuel tax, street vendor tax, commodity tax, road tax, forestry tax, fishery tax, wheel tax, and trade tax.

Furthermore, every winter, those who had to work unpaid for two months for the lord were subject to various taxes, including labor tax, marriage tax, divorce tax, adultery tax, excrement tax, corpse collection tax, protection tax, hunting tax, iron tool tax (based on the number of tools possessed), and horse tax.

During wartime, additional taxes will be levied, including war taxes, taxes on conscripted farmers, taxes on the extermination of wild beastmen, war food taxes, and honorary donations.

It can be said that, apart from breathing and giving birth, the commoners in the territory have to pay taxes for everything they do.

The reason why there is no tax on childbirth is simply that population means wealth to a lord. However, after a child is born, a naming tax must be paid for the lord, otherwise the child will be taken away and sold to a drow elf to pay this tax.

What does it mean for ordinary people after all these miscellaneous taxes have been reduced or exempted?

This means they no longer have to meticulously calculate every grain of wheat to ensure they don't starve this winter; it means they no longer have to eat hard bread mixed with sawdust or bark; it means they won't have to hand over six-tenths of their harvest to the lord, and they can keep nine-tenths of the harvest; it means they won't have to pay extra mill tax for grinding an extra bag of flour.

At the same time, it also means that they will not be taxed by the lord for opening more windows, will not freeze to death the next day for burning more firewood in winter, will not be forced to pay war taxes for the lord and nobles' wars, and will not have to worry about being conscripted in winter to repair the lord's castle and manor, or to take care of their orchards for free.

It also means that they can have food reserves to face natural disasters and beast tides, can burn an extra pile of firewood for warmth in winter without worrying about freezing to death silently in the winter night when the firewood runs out, can avoid eating sawdust bread that must be soaked in soup to soften it before swallowing, and can avoid having to wear thin linen shirts in the cold autumn to rush to harvest wheat in the fields to pay the lord's taxes.

These taxes, which only enrich the nobility, mean the fate of the common people—whether they can survive the winter.

This tax reduction means that ordinary people at the bottom of society are unlikely to voice even the slightest opposition to the newly appointed countess.

The common people are foolish, blind, and conformist. They are difficult to distinguish right from wrong when provoked, extremely difficult to unite, and of no value to the princes and nobles.

But what led to all this was the harsh taxes imposed by the nobility, the blind obedience they had to maintain in order to survive, the church's monopoly on knowledge, the survival instincts that arose from a harsh living environment, and a numbness to death.

For these farmers and ordinary people at the bottom of society, they can and only need to distinguish one thing: who is good to them and who is bad to them.

A lord who can feed the common people will have no reason to worry about his reputation among them, whether it's the entire human empire or the world at large.

It was obvious that after the tax reduction policy was introduced, public opinion at the grassroots level surged rapidly. For the first time, commoners who were considered extremely lowly and worthless in the eyes of the princes and nobles spontaneously supported the new Countess Osalia.

When the nobles and lords saw the new policy, they first scoffed at it, but soon their smiles turned into fear.

Because they discovered that even the merchants were beginning to support the new countess.

The common people's support was not unexpected. After all, after the countess promulgated this tax, not only the common people of the Earl of Dorne and the Earl of Castelia, but even the lowly people under their jurisdiction began to stir after hearing the news, thinking of rushing into the Earl of Castelia and the Earl of Dorne.

But the merchants couldn't understand why they supported her, since the Countess's new policies shouldn't have any impact on them.

However, these nobles and lords seemed to have forgotten their insatiable road taxation and complete inaction in maintaining order in their territories when dealing with these merchants.

Within the fiefdoms of nobles, merchants wishing to pass through were required to pay a toll, which was typically about one-twentieth of the value of the goods.

It may not seem particularly strict, but this is only the tax that a nobleman needs to pay.

Merchants typically have to pay at least three taxes when passing through a large earldom, and this is just a simple transit tax.

As for your goods being robbed by bandits or stolen in town?

I'm sorry, we need to help you retrieve the goods; that incurs additional taxes.

Even after arriving at the market, one still needs to pay taxes such as commodity tax and trade tax in order to conduct trade.

After this trade, many merchants not only failed to make money, but they might even have lost money after completing the trip, while the nobles and lords did nothing but eat their fill.

Merchants pursue profit; it's in their nature.

For merchants, if they had a territory where all road taxes were abolished and the security along the way was extremely good, with no bandits or wild beastmen running rampant, they would not have to pay road taxes when passing through, and the commodity tax and trade tax would be only one-tenth of those in other territories.

Only a fool wouldn't trade on this land. (The last two lines appear to be random characters and do not translate directly.)

Moreover, Castella and the Earldom of Dorne were not commercially impoverished places to begin with.

Castella has a long history of trade in furs, leather, alum, and forestry resources, while the wealthy Earldom of Dorne has a significant trade in commodities such as grain, fisheries, salt, iron, and wine.

All you need to do is send coal, livestock, dairy products, wool, porcelain, spices, and silk fabrics here to exchange for a large volume of commodity trade. Why not do it?

What surprised these merchants the most was that the new Countess Osalia had managed to eliminate the beastmen and bandits who were running rampant in the entire territory in just one month. The security was so good that there was no need for guards. The Countess would personally dispatch knights and soldiers to patrol the trade routes.

All things considered, trading between Castella and the Earldom of Dorne is practically a sure-fire way to make money, and it's incredibly benign compared to those cannibalistic nobles and lords.

As a result, the Countess's new policies gained extremely high reputation among the common people and merchants at the bottom of society, leaving only the noble class to grit their teeth in resentment.

What alarmed them most was that the Countess's new policies were not only highly efficient, but also showed no signs of corruption or double-dealing. This demonstrated the high efficiency and political stability of the Countess's new political system.

If war were to be launched with such high efficiency...

The surrounding nobles and lords began to lose sleep.

After all, in their eyes, Castella's recent reforms to the military system were even more alarming.

At dusk, in Castellía, at the lord's castle.

"Hmm~ Oh...you~bad guy?~The report isn't ready yet...huh?~~"

The slightly muggy, pale orange sunset slowly streamed into the castle's study, casting a soft, warm glow while adding a touch of alluring, ambiguous peach.

At this moment, on the sofa in the study, a stunningly beautiful and sexy woman, dressed in a black silk stockings and a white shirt, was being ravaged by a tall, strong, and muscular man. Her juices were splashing everywhere, and she was moaning softly and seductively.

This noble and aloof woman in black stockings was being shamefully violated by a man in a position where he was impregnated. He lifted her long, sexy, and glossy black stockings above his head, and thrust his hips repeatedly, causing her moist, black-stockinged buttocks to ripple with soft, intoxicating waves.

Her exquisite and sexy silk-stockinged feet, at this moment, resembled those of a noble and beautiful black silk queen, draped with a pair of elegant black and red-soled spaghetti strap open-toe high-heeled sandals, softly hanging on the man's shoulders, swaying uncontrollably with his intense and heavy thrusts, the bright red soles facing upwards.

Those delicate, glistening black toes, adorned with alluring light blue nail polish, clung tightly to the slender straps of open-toe stiletto sandals, sometimes stretching out, sometimes curling up.

The tight, white shirt, revealing her skin, had been roughly ripped open by the man. Two plump, white breasts, like ripe, juicy peaches, were wrapped in an extremely alluring black semi-sheer lace bodice. They trembled and jumped out of the shirt, swaying up and down like two moist, creamy peaches, creating ripples of milky fragrance.

Her exquisite and alluring face was flushed with a mesmerizing blush, and her full, luscious red lips couldn't stop uttering seductive moans. Her tongue was half-protruding, and her pair of cold, proud, aquamarine eyes rolled upwards.

"Mmm~~No, no? Guh~~You're~mmm~using this position again~mmm?"

As the man on top of this aloof and elegant noblewoman assaulted her like a brutal and savage beast, he grasped her beautiful, delicate feet in glossy black stockings and red-soled high-heeled sandals.

He pressed her long, sexy, and alluring glossy black stockings together, layering them over her half-open, sheer blouse, revealing her swaying, snow-white breasts to the ravaging beast.

This aloof and elegant noblewoman in black stockings was finally utterly defeated by the rampaging beast. She bit her full, luscious red lips, rolled her alluring eyes, and cried out incessantly.

Her pair of gorgeous, elegant black-stockinged, red-soled high-heeled feet, enough to make any man crumble on the spot, became his best weapon in the man's hands, his large hands grasping and thrusting her waist in wanton violation.

And finally, like a wild beast marking its territory, after sending this cold and beautiful noblewoman to countless climaxes today, he finally marked this cold and sexy woman in black stockings as his possession once again.

Chapter 45 The Nighttime Mistress, Katharina

"pat-"

The crisp, elegant sound of high heels echoed as Katharina's beautiful, glossy black silk stockings adorned her elegant black and red-soled strappy open-toe high-heeled sandals, gracefully cascading from the bright red sofa onto the wooden floor.

This elegant and aloof lady in black stockings, who was always noble and aloof in public, rolled her eyes at Asmodie with a hint of resentment. She maintained her disheveled and charming posture with her thin, see-through white blouse half-open, while smoothing her waist-length chestnut wavy hair that had been messed up by the man, and gracefully stood up.

Behind the desk, Asmodeus rested his chin on his hand, fiddling with a report, watching his secretary, dressed in black stockings, straighten her disheveled clothes after their lovemaking.

The half-open, sheer white shirt, slightly seeping through after being soaked with fragrant sweat, clung tightly to the graceful, taut waist of this stunning beauty, outlining an extremely voluptuous and sexy figure. The loose collar was stretched open by her proudly perky, snow-white breasts, which were so juicy and tender that it was difficult to button them up again.

Even with the shirt buttoned up, her plump, snow-white breasts still trembled like two juicy, ripe mounds, straining against the shirt to create an unbearable curve. A tiny gap appeared between the buttons, revealing her snow-white, spring-like skin.

In response, as a noble and aloof beauty, Catherine, the behind-the-scenes power holder who currently controls Castria and the Earl of Dorne and leads two territories, could only wear a seductive semi-sheer lace bodice, tremblingly revealing most of her snow-white breasts. The warm and deep cleavage was also adorned with a platinum cat's-eye pendant, which dangled deep into the fragrant and warm cleavage, making people drool.

Beneath the half-open, sheer white blouse, was a sheer, form-fitting silk skirt that barely covered her hips. This thin, close-fitting skirt not only barely covered her plump, round buttocks, but its extremely cool edges could only be described as barely holding them in place.

If Catherine were to lift her hips slightly or bend over, her snow-white, heart-shaped buttocks, encased in glossy, sheer black stockings, and the extremely cool, tantalizingly exposed vulva, outlined only by a thin black lace camisole, would be completely exposed to Asmody's eyes.

This tiny black lace camisole, barely the size of a palm and held together by only two thin straps, was not only extremely revealing and cool, but even the small black lace itself was openwork, adorned with a string of delicate, deeply embedded white beads that resembled peach-shaped honey abalone.

Whenever Katharina walked in front of Asmodée with her sexy, alluring, glossy black stockings and elegant black and red strappy peep-toe high-heeled sandals, the string of jade beads would embed itself deeply into the smooth, white crevice of her vulva, grinding against it. This caused Katharina's exquisitely beautiful and aloof face to always be flushed with a drunken blush whenever she was handling state affairs for Asmodée.

This typical black silk blouse and pencil skirt secretary outfit, when handling government affairs, is just as capable and charming as the secretary in my previous life.

At times, this elegant and aloof secretary in black stockings had other duties besides handling the political affairs of the two territories.

"Hmph, you naughty man who only knows how to play tricks." Catherine gently pushed up her gold-rimmed frameless glasses with her delicate hand, gave Asmodie a shy and reproachful look, and after pulling down her black bodycon silk skirt, she bent down and put on a pair of elegant and beautiful black and red-soled strappy open-toe stiletto sandals on her black silk stockings.

In these days, this noble and aloof beauty has become even more charming and gorgeous. Her clothes have also changed from the original elegant and luxurious silk dresses to various extremely cool and sexy outfits.

This secretary's outfit features a fitted blouse, a black pencil skirt, glossy black stockings, black and red strappy open-toe stiletto sandals, and glamorous gold-rimmed frameless glasses.

Then came the fiery red spaghetti strap deep V-neck silk dress that exposed her breasts and hips. The extremely cool, bright red lace collar made her two plump, snow-white breasts seem ready to tremble and jump out of the dress whenever she bent over.

The hem of her silk skirt, which reached her hips, could barely cover a small portion of her snow-white, moist peach-shaped buttocks. Whenever she arched her back and lifted her buttocks, her bright red lace-trimmed black openwork panties, barely held together by two thin ribbons, would be deeply embedded in her snow-white, moist, and plump buttocks, exposed in a manner as vulgar as a prostitute.

Paired with alluring bright red pointed-toe strappy high heels, she looked every bit the glamorous mistress having an affair.

Sometimes, this man would make her change into that luxurious and elegant fitted light blue silk dress, but this silk dress was a specially modified style. In front of her snow-white and proud breasts, there was only a hazy, transparent white lace that barely covered them, exposing most of her snow-white skin and even her warm and alluring cleavage.

This light blue, belted silk dress for a wealthy woman is extremely form-fitting and tight. While outlining her graceful and sexy figure in a mature and juicy way, the white lace hem unsurprisingly only reaches her hips.

Paired with those elegant, translucent, light blue, pointed-toe crystal stiletto heels and alluring black lace-trimmed stockings, she could be described as an elegant and sophisticated aloof lady, but in reality, she was no different from a seductive mistress.

If there's any difference between this noble and aloof black-stockinged beauty and those adulterous mistresses these days, it's that those adulterous mistresses wouldn't be led by Asmodie, holding her by the platinum chain around her jade neck, into deserted alleys of the castle, forests in the wild, city gates, artisan workshops that are closed late at night, or under notice boards in the square, all while wearing only an almost transparent bright red, low-cut silk dress that reaches her hips.

Beneath that extremely revealing bright red transparent silk dress, her moist, snow-white breasts, her plump, round, and moist peach-shaped buttocks, along with her smooth peach-shaped clitoris, were in an extremely lewd and arousing vacuum.

She wore only a transparent, extremely revealing bright red halter-neck silk dress, her plump, rounded buttocks, as smooth and juicy as snow-white flesh, encased in glossy, translucent bright red lace-trimmed long black stockings, and a pair of bright red, transparent crystal-strap stilettos that were as vulgar and alluring as those of a prostitute.

Just as elegantly she had during the day when she toured her territory, Asmodie led her by the platinum chain around her jade neck as they wandered through the commoner alleys within the castle.

She walked gracefully and elegantly in those tacky, bright red crystal-strap stilettos that even the most despicable prostitutes wouldn't wear, led by Asmodie, like a black-stockinged beauty roaming in the dead of night, through the alleys, squares, towers, and groves outside castles.

Just thinking about how Asmodeus had been debauched and ravaged by her recently made her wanton and seductive manner made Catherine feel that her body, which had already taken the shape of Asmodeus, was becoming even more sticky, hot and languid. She let out a soft hum and walked around to Asmodeus's side with alluring steps.

"What? Still considering which beauty's invitation to accept?" Katherina bent down slightly, looking at the two letters beside Asmodeus, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.

The style of the writer can be seen from the envelopes of these two letters.

One of the books is snow-white, with a soft cover and superior paper, adorned with sacred gilded patterns, exuding a holy and pure charm.

On the book cover, a snow-white wax seal with a double-winged laurel wreath is placed, clearly made of rare beeswax.

The emblem of this winged laurel wreath is the church seal of the Carolant Empire, and the owner of this emblem is none other than the Archbishop of the Scalant Electorate, the White Silk Beauty.

The other one is a rather ambiguous and alluring bright purple. The cover is luxurious and gorgeous. From the black lace band wrapped around it to the extremely ambiguous bright red lipstick on it, it exudes a seductive charm full of love.

The letter, a vibrant purple, was adorned with a wax seal depicting a white lion wearing a laurel wreath and holding a rose and a longsword. Catherine knew this wax seal all too well; it was the seal of the Grand Duke of Bordeaux.

This made her quite jealous of Asmodeus. In recent days, he had not only made her more and more wanton and depraved, but even when she went to war, she was able to seduce a beautiful archbishop in white stockings and the wife of the Duke of Bordeaux.

"Speaking of which, I'm not familiar with these two." Asmodie's warm hand covered Katherina's sexy, smooth black stockings, feeling the smooth and warm touch of his fingertips, which made the cold and beautiful noblewoman bite her full red lips and pant hotly.

This aloof and elegant lady in black stockings, with her long, lustrous black stockings, whether it's the smooth, white skin beneath the glossy, sheer black stockings, or her graceful, alluring curves, exudes a noble and glamorous charm. Paired with these alluring, glossy, sheer, body-hugging black stockings, they are truly exquisite.

Every time he pinned this noble and aloof black-stockinged beauty down beneath him and ravaged her at will, he especially liked to lift her long, alluring black stockings together, play with her exquisite and beautiful black stockings and red high heels, using them as the most intoxicating cannon frame to thrust his hips and ravage her.

“You… ugh? You bad thing~ mmm…” Asmodie’s large hand made Catherine’s alluring eyes involuntarily fill with pink hearts. Underneath her waist-length, glossy, sheer black stockings, the pink genital mark radiating a soft, enchanting light shimmered with an increasingly alluring blush.

Her heart-filled, alluring eyes rolled her eyes at Asmodie, suppressing her soft, languid, and intoxicatingly passionate charm, as she lazily replied.

“Irelia, yes, umm?~The Archbishop of the entire Electorate of Scalant, responsible for the management and coordination of all churches in, umm?~Scalant.”

"Generally speaking, you can understand it this way, hmm?~, she controls, hmm?~ the entire Electorate of Scalante, the management, dispatch and appointment of all bishops, priests, monks and nuns?"

"She's looking for you~ Huh?~ It's probably about those demon hounds that have appeared in the Earl of Dorne recently, hmm?~"

With a seductive moan from Kasrina, Asmody suddenly pressed her down onto the desk, forcing her long, alluring black stockings to stand straight in her exquisite, bright black and red strappy stiletto sandals. His large hand grabbed her already half-open, sheer white shirt and roughly ripped it off.

Her already alluring, snow-white breasts, barely concealed by a black, semi-sheer corset, now resembled two ripe, juicy white peaches, trembling and leaping out of her shirt under Asmodé's extremely rough movements.

"Ugh...you~ ugh?~ You bad guy~ uh-huh~~ wait until I finish talking before you...uh-uh-~"

“You can speak slowly.” Asmodeus said with a mocking smile, his warm hands sliding into the already extremely cool and revealing lace bodice, gently kneading one of the smooth, moist breasts in each hand.

Before Catherine could recover from the intoxicating spring breeze, Asmodie lifted her newly adjusted bodycon skirt, and his ferocious, savage beast pressed against her honey-smooth, glistening, and lustrous black-stockinged buttocks.

"Hmm~~ You~ are at the desk again... Hmm~~ Oh...?~~"

With a hint of resentment and shyness, Kasrina's voice transformed into a seductive and wanton moan as Asmodie's hot and muscular beast parted her already extremely cool, thin straps of black jade beaded lace.

The sticky, slippery sound of flowing water was not from her sweet, moist spring, but from her shy, soft, delicate, and secluded valley.

Asmodeus, this savage and robust beast, after stepping into that soft, smooth, and secluded valley, slowly cultivated this soft, secluded source he had just entered, amidst the increasingly seductive and wanton spring cries of the aloof noblewoman, and under the sticky and glistening nectar of the noblewoman.