eastern european eagle

Chapter 580 Wedding Preparations
Although the Hussites were divided, they could still hold out for a long time with the help of foreign aid.

Hungary was the most diligent in supporting the Hussites. Mary was very happy to make trouble for her ex-husband. In addition, the Hungarian hero Prince Pozzoni was "killed" by them, and the whole country of Hungary was very angry with the Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, the queen was also very supportive of the nobles who supported the Hussites.

Hungary has transformed from a Catholic country to an Orthodox country. The queen ordered the Catholic Church to hand over all its property and expel missionaries. With the help of Rome, Hungary stabilized its economic situation and exported a large amount of agricultural products.

Like Poland, Hungary's main exports are agricultural products. The only difference is that Hungary has the support of Rome, while Poland is isolated in Eastern Europe.

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The first thing Mason did after becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer was to review the economic situation of the past few years. The financial situation of the mainland was very stable, but the income from the colonies depended on the rate and year of tribute. Even without the income from the colonies, there would still be a surplus of 10 to 20 lei per year.

When Baptiste handed over his work, he asked him to promote the inheritance tax throughout the country. This is a basic national policy.

Mason did some calculations himself and found that if the tax rate was implemented, his family would have to pay 50 lei in taxes after his father's death. That was reasonable.

Since His Majesty approved it, he had to implement it. Currently, it was being implemented smoothly near Constantinople, and the grassroots people welcomed this policy, which would reduce their burden.

As for the upper and middle classes, they also had some dissatisfaction, but they also gained huge benefits from it. As long as they paid a little money, the emperor would not bother them, and that would be it.

The old model of holding power is gone forever. They can only live better than the common people economically and culturally. They employ a large number of artists, musicians, and bards, which makes them different from the common people culturally.

“Thus, inheritance tax was introduced in the provinces of Kiev, Dnipro, Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv, as well as Smyrna and Nicaea.”

"what?"

This surprised the deputy. Wouldn't it be a problem to implement inheritance tax in so many places at once?
"It is easiest to implement policies in new places. The northern regions have only been members of the empire for a short time, so we can give it a try. If it doesn't work, we can withdraw it."

Since the Chancellor of the Exchequer said so, they gave it a try. A new government naturally brings a new look, and a different way of handling things allows the country to be in a better state to meet new challenges.

Since war with the East and the West was about to resume, material reserves and fiscal revenue had to be increased. Mason gave the chancellor a suggestion: increase the wine consumption tax.

If wine, the most consumed beverage, is taxed at a quarter of a lei per barrel, it will raise 125 million lei in tax revenue each year. This is a considerable tax, but it is very difficult to calculate, and if this policy is implemented, there will definitely be underreporting and even smuggling, which will not be worth the loss.

Raising taxes is not an option, so we have to think of other ways. However, the Crown Prince's wedding is approaching, so we have to deal with this matter first and think of other options.

Recently, more and more ships have come to Constantinople, and citizens have also noticed that the number of nobles coming here has increased a lot. They are all here to attend the wedding of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince became the Emperor's right-hand man, helping to govern the empire and becoming well known to the people. His marriage partner was Elizabeth, the daughter of the Duke of Bourbon in France. Although she was not as well-known as the Duke of Burgundy and the Duke of Orleans, this marriage also made more people know about the Bourbon family.

The guests invited from England to Moscow were all there, and it was a wedding of the century. Michael's son Alexei had already arrived in Constantinople, and he needed some time to deal with his affairs before he could arrive. Theodore, who had returned from Sipania, played with Alexei and talked about many things.

Lajos from Hungary also came, but he came to see Alexander. He congratulated his close friend and invited him to visit Buda again, and Alexander agreed and promised to do so.

After seeing Lajos off, Alexander turned around and saw Peter standing behind him, and immediately greeted his father.

"It's almost your most important moment. Do you feel nervous?"

"Yes, somewhat."

Alexander was still a young man at this time and had never experienced such a major event as marriage, so he was naturally nervous.

"It's okay. Your mother and I had the same marriage. But we didn't have these conditions back then. The wedding was held in Bukuriesti. It seems like it happened more than 20 years ago."

Alexander has heard a lot about the wedding these days. The wedding will be held in Hagia Sophia and presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Then his father will give them a honeymoon and let them go to other places before returning to handle government affairs.

"You have to remember that you will have more responsibilities after the wedding. A man must keep the promise made at the wedding and love his wife for the rest of his life. Until death separates the two."

Alexander had heard a lot from Peter, but he had already heard it all. He really wanted to meet his future wife, but he had to wait.

Elizabeth had already returned to Constantinople with her parents. The Duke had finally gathered together her dowry and brought a lot of people with him.

Elizabeth's mother took her to sit beside the bed, pointed at the items on the bed, and said, "This crown and necklace were made by the best craftsmen. The earrings are the dowry that mother brought with her. Today, I officially give them to you."

The necklace is made of a silver chain, with gold tassels and a huge orange-red amber on the front, which is very dazzling; the earrings are two small and exquisite silver nails, each with a milky white pearl emitting a halo.

Elizabeth took it in her hand, looked at it again and again, and couldn't let it go. She wanted to wear it immediately. She couldn't help but say, "It's so beautiful!"

"When I first married your father, everything was so hard. I even thought I would have to enter a convent. Fortunately, I made it through, and today is the day to welcome happiness."

Elizabeth hugged her mother and said, "Mom, I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"My child, I can't always be with you. From now on, you will be alone. Don't worry, I will always support you."

The upcoming wedding made them nervous and they didn't know how to face each other. With the guidance of their family, they have gained some understanding and understood what they have to do.

(End of this chapter)