I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 14

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I’m a Mother-in-Law, But I Don’t Want Family Conflicts Episode 14

“Thank you.”

Jane slowly lifted her teacup and savored the taste of the tea. After taking a sip, her blue eyes flickered slightly.

“This is…”

“Quince. Is this your first time trying it?”

“Yes, it has a unique fragrance.”

“It’s good for colds.”

I wondered if there was a continent similar to Asia in this world too, as I had discovered imported quince syrup in the food storage warehouse.

Following Anna’s advice that expensive ginger shouldn’t be served to just anyone, I had deliberately brought this out instead.

Jane stroked her throat with her hand, then slowly continued drinking the tea.

“…”

I had told her to try it, but I hadn’t expected her to remain silent until she finished the entire cup.

A strange silence settled between the two of us.

“…I heard you wanted to propose a business venture.”

Jane was the first to speak. She set down her empty teacup and spoke with her hands neatly folded on her lap.

“Like Goldrail’s family motto, I’m always prepared, but I’m just a lowly subordinate, and I worry I might not be able to handle the Grand Duchess’s discerning vision.”

Even though I hadn’t brought up the business topic yet, a polite rejection came back.

‘She’s not being sincere.’

A lowly subordinate, the Grand Duchess’s discerning vision… it was obviously just formality. Her true intention of not wanting to get involved with troublesome nobility was plain to see.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. I didn’t call you here to partner with you.”

“Pardon? Then…”

“I want to invest in your business.”

When I asked Johan to deliver the letter, Jane seemed to have understood it as ‘a noblewoman wants to start a business.’ It was completely different from what I meant.

‘Why would I start a business?’

Whether in this world or the previous one, starting a business was no different from buying a lottery ticket. Besides, why would I start a business that would make my life busy if it succeeded?

I preferred peace of mind. Being an investor who gives money to capable people and lets them handle it was perfect for me.

“…I apologize, but do you know what kind of work I do?”

“Speak comfortably. I know. You sell grains and seasonings, right?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t that grain shops couldn’t make money, but unlike shops dealing with jewelry, fabric, or stones, their sales were modest.

It meant they could make steady money, but couldn’t strike it rich overnight.

That’s why Jane had conducted all sorts of bizarre advertising to break through those limitations.

She held tasting events to compare grains from different regions, invited chefs for sugar crafting, sold homemade seasonings, and other marketing strategies that were ahead of their time.

‘The problem is being too far ahead.’

This is why starting a business is difficult. You need a hundred reasons for success, but just one cause is enough for failure.

No matter how unique the marketing was in a shop targeting commoners with limited purchasing power, it couldn’t achieve great results.

She had brilliant ideas and intelligence, but lacked the wisdom to blend them properly.

Or perhaps her good initiative had actually held her back.

‘Either way, that’s a good personality trait for me.’

Having a challenging spirit and bold decisiveness means she can listen to advice from an outsider like me without prejudice.

“I heard you’re selling flour cheaply to Johan and the other orphans? Considering that kindness, I’d like to make a small investment.”

The important thing here was that it was an investment, not sponsorship. While it’s true I have goodwill toward you, I emphasized that our relationship is business.

‘She wouldn’t listen if I mentioned business ideas right away.’

I had a few things in mind, but since she’d be wary of me, I had no intention of speaking rashly.

Once we build some rapport and trust increases, I’ll talk about it slowly.

“I under… stand. I’ll work hard to meet your expectations.”

What merchant would refuse when someone offers to just provide money without interfering in their business?

Jane bowed her head with a reluctant expression.

“I just hope the principal isn’t damaged. I’m not expecting big profits from the start.”

“What? Of course, damaging the principal would be a crime, wouldn’t it?”

“…What?”

Wait, there are such investment-friendly laws? When I asked back in surprise, she explained in an awkward tone as if wondering how I didn’t know this.

According to her, when merchants receive investments from nobles, they write a pledge not to damage the principal.

Having to dispose of the merchant’s personal assets to repay when damaged was the same as on Earth, but in this case, they also face imprisonment.

There are no nice systems like personal bankruptcy or asset forfeiture.

They implement collective punishment, making even the children’s children bear the debt, and if there are no assets, the entire family goes to prison. They spend their lives doing hard labor with a permanent stigma.

‘Wow, witnessing the collapse of a romance fantasy.’

Surviving as a wealthy merchant in such a world was an ambition I couldn’t even dream of.

“If the principal can’t be damaged… wouldn’t funds become too tight?”

“That’s why trading businesses that receive large investments are also called life-or-death gambling. People who don’t want to bear such risks prefer stable trade routes.”

Afterward, I had a conversation with Jane about the Empire’s commerce. It was quite different from the desk-bound administration I learned at the Academy.

The basics of economics I briefly learned in the Political Science Department were mostly just fragmentary knowledge about noble territory management and taxes.

‘This is quite beneficial.’

An expert’s explanation was definitely different.

It was a much more realistic and beneficial conversation than professors stuck only in the Academy.

“They don’t even properly inspect accounting books? …This would make Creative Accounting possible.”

“Creative Accounting? What’s that?”

As if hearing the term for the first time, Jane’s eyes widened.

Thinking it was probably a concept that existed in this world too, just with a different name, I casually explained further.

And the more I did, the more Jane’s eyes began to visibly waver.

* * *

The first impression I got from seeing Wilhelmina was of a desert flower blooming in the prairie.

She was a woman with peculiar charm, boasting unique beauty but not matching the surrounding scenery at all.

‘Still, she’s just a young noble.’

When Jane heard Wilhelmina say she wanted to do business, she scoffed at it as a childish attempt by a young noble.

One of the futile challenges that newly adult noble children undertake was creating a trading company.

Thinking this was another such case, Jane planned to just humor her appropriately and slip away.

Although Wilhelmina had stepped forward to invest, I planned to return that money as it was after some time passed.

But Wilhelmina was quite different from ordinary nobility.

‘She’s sharp.’

It was a rude thought to have about nobility, but from Jane’s perspective, it was the highest compliment.

Wilhelmina had followed the conversation with Jane without difficulty.

At first, I thought she was someone ignorant about economics, but as the conversation progressed, her understanding speed grew faster and faster.

It felt like I was facing a scholar rather than nobility.

Then, a concept I’d never heard before came from her mouth.

‘Creative Accounting?’

To summarize briefly, it was the act of manipulating a trading company’s business performance to gain profit.

Jane was well aware of foolish merchants who exaggerated their performance to receive more investment. Their end was naturally not good.

“That’s not all there is. There’s also Reverse Creative Accounting.”

“Reverse?”

But what Wilhelmina had in mind wasn’t just that. Reverse Creative Accounting was a method of actually lowering performance.

“Why? Then you can’t receive investment.”

“No. You moderately lower it, then deceive them into thinking you’re growing.”

Saying she’d give an example, she brought over the sugar cube container that was on the table.

Then she placed sugar cubes on an empty plate. 1, 2, 3, 4 sugar cubes were lined up on top, and 2, 3, 2, 3 were placed below.

“Both made the same money over 4 years. Jane, where would you invest?”

Naturally, the top row where profits increased sequentially. The bottom was unreliable with profits fluctuating up and down.

“But what if the bottom was actually the real profit earned, and the top was false records?”

“Ah…”

“Someone looking to the future would invest in gradual growth. That’s why they deceive. Of course, there aren’t just such simple benefits… you mix Creative Accounting and Reverse Creative Accounting.”

It was a shock like having cold water poured over my head.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t a remarkable method. There were several trading companies I suspected of engaging in such acts. Most were well-known trading companies.

I didn’t know how they achieved such perfect growth, how they received investment for every business they launched… but finally, it felt like that method had been revealed.

No one teaches such tricks. Since it’s their secret among themselves, it was a structure where novice merchants like Jane had no choice but to fall victim.

“B-but if you fail, you become a fraud, don’t you?”

“It’s a life-or-death gamble, thinking ‘I’ll just win and pay it back.'”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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