I was a charlatan in India

"It's just bluffing, what else can you think of it?"

An Shu, sandwiched between the two girls, tried her best to tighten her shoulders and avoid contact.

But the girls went to them.

This was something Surya had instructed in advance.

How can a good brother not be good at dealing with women?

Practice, practice more!

Of course, the most important thing right now is Dana's actions, which is also the reason why he asked Anshu to come.

Surrey asked, "Should we issue a statement or send someone to intervene?"

"There's no need."

An Shu sat upright, sandwiched between the two girls.

"Now whatever you do will be seen as an attempt to cover up something, or as internal power struggles within the Kshatriyas, which will only confirm the rumors."

"After all, there is a natural antagonism between different castes, and what we deny, they are more willing to believe."

Upon hearing this, Surrey felt an indescribable sadness.

"Are we just going to watch him run amok under the banner of Kshatriya?"

Although he wasn't the only Kshatriya, as a top figure in Varanasi, he undoubtedly felt seriously offended.

"Now, a mere Vaishya's plan dares to include the Kshatriya Empire in its scheme, without even giving a warning!"

"Today he can use our influence to deceive businessmen, but tomorrow can he use my name to incite the common people?"

His tone became increasingly certain.

"Anshu, if we do nothing, where will the authority of the Kshatriyas be? Won't even more audacious individuals emerge in the future?"

This is an area that cannot be offended by any ruling class.

Anshu straightened his curly hair. He could understand and even sympathize with Sulier's emotions, but their approaches were completely different.

"Hmm...we actually do have something we can do."

"Look, he's set up such a huge operation, all he can get is the defection of other businessmen."

"In other words, in the short term, he may become the spokesperson for the city's merchants."

"And these titles aren't used very often. I think that in the near future, he'll take the list to some Brahmin to cooperate with, or to negotiate with us."

"For example... discussing market share, taxes, and ultimately, living space in the name of merchants."

Anshu's tone was somewhat hesitant, after all, this was speculation rather than intelligence.

However, Surya believed it wholeheartedly.

This friend's predictions are usually very accurate, otherwise he wouldn't have listened to them so readily.

Surrey urged, "And then?"

"Then, they will probably take the majority of the share and feed him first, leaving only scraps for the merchants."

"So, what should we do... um, deal with this?"

Anshu sighed: "Sulliya, Dana is not our enemy. There's no need to target us in every situation, at least not right now."

"Anyway, the full moon festival will generate these businesses. Whether he makes money alone or a large number of merchants make money, the only difference is how many tax revenues can be generated."

"And this Dana... as long as he's not completely stupid, he'll definitely leave some leeway for other merchants, so we can use it as a reason to collect taxes."

"He should know that if taxes are affected, his plans will immediately face annihilation."

Surrey slammed his fist on the table: "Wouldn't that just give him an opportunity to collect taxes from us like charity!"

"Sullier, don't be so quick to get angry."

An Shu shook her head: "His life is still in your hands."

"If things develop as I predict, the time to make your move will be after the goods actually arrive in the city."

Surrey put down the grapes in his hand, pushed away the girl's hand beside him, and straightened up: "What do you mean?"

"There are two key points in this matter."

"First, the goods are mostly transported under the names of various merchants to transport their own goods, or are smuggled in with their own goods."

"If you want to interfere, all you have to do is issue a notice, clearly stating how much quota each family has been allocated for the purchase and allocation of supplies for the Full Moon Festival, and he will be utterly defeated in an instant."

"Because in this way, Dana will either have to grit his teeth and give back the quota for nothing, or he will become the target of everyone's criticism and his business will be ruined by his competitors."

Surrey slapped his thigh: "Brilliant, just like that..."

"Wait, I haven't finished yet."

An Shu rolled her eyes at him.

"Suriye, I must emphasize again, Dana is not our enemy."

"He was even the main contributor to this tax payment, so there's no benefit in taking him down."

"I raise this possibility merely to point out that it is one of the means of deterring him."

"deterrence?"

Surya frowned. A Vaishya could be wiped out with a flick of the wrist; what need was there for deterrence?

If An Shu hadn't said these words, he probably wouldn't have had the patience to listen anymore.

An Shu could also see that he was somewhat emotional, so she comforted him.

"Of course, in essence, it means you're allowed to run around making money for him, but afterwards you can still do whatever you want with him."

Surrey nodded, indicating that was more like it.

Anshu continued her analysis.

"You can use this as a reason to send someone to discuss the distribution of the harvest and various taxes."

"At that critical juncture, he had no choice but to bow his head and obediently give up the profits."

"Taking taxes from him alone is much easier than arguing with all the merchants in the city like catching rats."

Surrey nodded slightly.

Seeing this, An Shu continued.

"Of course, we can also squeeze some profit out of the other merchants."

"As I just said, Dana probably wouldn't dare not help them transport any goods at all, otherwise his business would be attacked by all sides and he wouldn't be able to operate at all."

"What really matters is what happens after the Full Moon Festival ends."

"After it's over?"

"right."

An Shu picked up the fruit syrup and took a sip: "The other merchants will realize this sooner or later."

"So, if I were Surrey, I would have considered a backup plan when formulating this plan."

"For example... cashing out and withdrawing from Varanasi."

Surrey slammed his hand on the table, causing the fruit juice to spill out.

"Absolutely not! He has to stay in the city and continue paying taxes!"

"No, he has no further use to us."

Anshu picked up a cloth and wiped the table while shaking her head.

Seeing this, the girl next to him quickly and tactfully took over the job.

Anshu continued, "If Dana is really as I suspect, he will undoubtedly offend all the merchants in the city, and even if he stays in the city, he won't be able to do business in the future."

"However... we can't let him take all the property with him. That would leave a huge gap in Varanasi's economic structure, and it probably won't be able to be filled in a short time."

"Kill him as soon as the full moon festival ends?"

Surya's face turned fierce.

An Shu opened her mouth: "Uh, what I mean is... to stop him from cashing in, to seize the business and goods, it doesn't necessarily have to result in someone's death."

"Of course, if things are beyond our control, killing is not an option."

"In short, let's deal with it after he's made money for us. That way, others will know that the name of the Kshatriya isn't so easy to borrow."

Anshu paused, then emphasized again.

"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that I'm not mistaken."

"It's also possible that Dana has indeed opened up certain channels, enabling them to reliably deliver goods."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

On this point, Surya was adamant.

"I've spoken to everyone involved, from the river defenses and city gates to even the sacrificial altars."

"It's one thing for a rat to slip in, but to transport goods on a large scale without my knowledge, it would be impossible unless it could conjure them out of thin air..."

Surrey suddenly stopped.

In the past, he would have been undoubtedly confident in his control measures.

But after the Shenhe incident, he couldn't help but wonder about the possibility of supernatural powers.

"Anshu, do you think it's possible...?"

His tone was somewhat hesitant.

"Is it possible that a high-caste family has actually obtained some kind of blessing power and is manipulating this matter behind the scenes?"

"For example... Saraswati, the one he's planning to marry?"

An Shu looked at her friend and suddenly became interested.

Why did I suddenly think like this?

"Is it because of the divine eye that appeared a while ago, or...?"

"Have you come into contact with some kind of extraordinary power?"

Surrey touched his nose, a habit he had before lying.

"Yes, yes, it's that divine eye that appeared a while ago."

An Shu was clearly well aware of her friend's subtle actions.

But he didn't expose it; he just shook his head helplessly, picked up the fruit juice, and took a sip.

"Suriye, we are all mortals."

"If there really is a supernatural force involved, then we can only ask the gods for help."

The fruit juice swayed, reflecting An Shu's face.

Chubby and harmless, with not a trace of shrewdness in his eyes.