Volume 2 Chapter 30 Raising rent
Even after hearing Count Sean’s analysis, Xu Yi was much more assured, but if he had to completely ignored Viscount Leslie’s successor, it was impossible.
After all, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s main factory was on land rented from him, so Xu Yi had to give the other side some face.
So before seeing Baron Belil Stagg, Xu Yi maintained a bit of respect for him in his heart. Even if the other side looked down on the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, as long as he didn’t move against them, it wasn’t a problem.
But this bit of respect he had in his heart had disappeared after he met Baron Belil.
“You are Xu Yi?” Seeing Xu Yi come in after Butler Brunei, Baron Belil looked over him and revealed a look of contempt.
Based on his appearance of leaning in his chair with his crossed legs and his careless look on his face, he seemed like a hoodlum, but he also seemed like a Baron that came from a noble family. Xu Yi couldn’t help knitting his brows, only simply saying, “Yes.”
Based on Baron Belil’s appearance, Xu Yi found that his idea of trying to solve things peacefully would fail.
This Baron Belil without the Stagg Family, he wasn’t some bright bulb.
As expected, after Baron Belil looked over Xu Yi, he didn’t invite Xu Yi to sit. He grabbed a fruit off the table to casually eat before looking over at Xu Yi, looking like he had just thought of something.
“Oh, that’s right, there isn’t anything special for calling you over, it’s just that I wanted to tell you something. Butler Brunei could have told you this matter, but I was a bit curious about you, so I called you over to take a look. Only now that I’ve seen you…..” Baron Belil shook his head and clicked his tongue, looking very flippant, “There isn’t anything special, I don’t know know Leslie was that courteous to you. Really, this is simply losing face for our Stagg Family.”
Xu Yi knit his brows again at this time and calmly asked, “Lord Baron, I wonder, what is it that you wished to tell me?”
“Oh? Oh, it’s like this. I have replaced Leslie to manage the family’s land here. Your Frestech Chamber of Commerce has been renting a hectare of land from Leslie, right?”
“Yes.”
“Un, how much is the rent each year?” Baron Belil looked at Butler Brunei.
“Fifty gold coins each year, Lord Baron.” Butler Brunei replied with a respectful bow.
“Peng——”
Baron Belil suddenly slapped the table and said in a loud voice with wide eyes, “Only fifty gold coins? This is just too little! Is our Stagg Family’s land not worth any money?”
Butler Brunei lowered his head and didn’t speak.
Xu Yi looked at Baron Belil and looked down on his shoddy performance. He acted like he was worried as he asked, “Lord Baron, your meaning is……”
“You can’t even see my meaning? You’re this stupid, how can you be a chairman?” Baron Belil cut off Xu Yi without any courtesy, “It’s very simple. Now that this land is managed by me, the lease agreement you signed before with Leslie has been nulled. I am the one in charge, so this large piece of land being rented out for fifty gold coins each year is too little, it’s no different from giving it away. From this day forth, the rent will increase, so I called you here to sign a new contract. Butler Brunei, come, give him the new contract and have him sign it.”
Butler Brunei took out the contact that was already prepared for Xu Yi.
Xu Yi didn’t reach out to take it, rather he asked Baron Belil, “Lord Baron, when I signed the contract with Viscount Leslie last year, it was written that I was renting land from the Stagg Family, so that means it belongs to the Stagg Family. Although Viscount Leslie has already left this place, it was signed by Viscount Leslie representing the Stagg Family, so it can be considered a deal between the Stagg Family’s representative and our Frestech Chamber of Commerce. Lord Baron, can you…..represent the Stagg Family?”
“Can you if I can’t?” Baron Belil looked at Xu Yi and said with a laugh, “You are just a little merchant and you dare say that you have discussed this with the representative of our Stagg Family, who do you think you are? Stop wasting words, accept the fact that I’ve changed the contract. You’re not afraid of me announcing the contract is void and taking back the land?”
Meeting this unreasonable person, Xu Yi could only helplessly shake his head. He took the new contract to look over.
But when he saw it, Xu Yi couldn’t take it anymore. He looked at Baron Belil in surprise, “A hundred thousand gold coins each year? Lord Baron, even if you increase the rent, you can’t increase it like this, right? This is more than two thousand times!”
Baron Belil coldly looked at Xu Yi, “You don’t understand my meaning? I called you here to sign this new contract, not to discuss this with you. You can either sign it or I’ll announce the previous contract is void and will send people to take back the land tomorrow, it’s your choice.”
Xu Yi smiled out of anger as he looked at Baron Belil’s casual appearance. He thought, was this fellow really stupid? Or was he doing this on purpose?
Based on the fact that he wasn’t even twenty and his appearance, Xu Yi really wanted to think that he was stupid.
But he was still a direct junior from the Stagg Family and Viscount Leslie’s cousin. Being born in the Stagg Family, he had been educated well since he was young, so he shouldn’t be this stupid.
But if he wasn’t stupid and did this on purpose, this made Xu Yi even more confused.
Just what was the Stagg Family doing?
According to Count Sean’s analysis, the Stagg Family had scruples so it was impossible for them to directly move against the Frestech Chamber of Commerce. But now Baron Belil had suddenly increased the rent of fifty gold coins to a hundred thousand gold coins and had acted with incomparable disdain for Xu Yi, this clearly meant that he didn’t want to show any mercy to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
But what benefits were there for the Stagg Family in going against the Frestech Chamber of Commerce?
Xu Yi really couldn’t understand it.
He looked down at this new contract that increased the rent and enforced various strict conditions. Xu Yi thought about it before taking a deep breath to calm himself and say to Baron Belil, “Lord Baron, this matter is important, so can you give me a few days to discuss it with the other people in my company before I respond?”
“Discuss what? Aren’t you the chairman? Could it be that you don’t make the decisions? Then why are you the chairman?” Baron Belil impatiently said.
“The company isn’t made up of my alone, so I have to talk to the others. Than again our Frestech Chamber of Commerce is a small company and a hundred thousand gold coins is a large amount, so it means a lot to us and we can’t casually agree. I ask the Lord Baron to bend the rules, can you give me a few days?” Xu Yi calmly said.
Baron Belil looked at Xu Yi with knit brows and thought about it before waving his hand, “Alright, a hundred thousand gold coins is indeed as large amount for a small company like you, so I’ll give you some time to consider. But it is impossible to give you a few days, I’ll only give you one. You must give me your answer the day after tomorrow, I don’t have the free time to wait for you, do you understand?”
Xu Yi considered it before nodding, “Alright.”
“Alright, you can leave. Next time you come, it’s best if you prepare the money.” Baron Belil waved his hand, driving Xu Yi away like he was a fly.
After leaving the manor left by Viscount Leslie, Xu Yi turned to look at this manor that used to be familiar, but now seemed unfamiliar. He shook his head with a bitter smile and after a bit, he called, “Agnes.”
Agnes appeared out of thin air and curiously asked Xu Yi, “Chairman, did you have me hide myself and not meet this person, was it because you already knew that he wouldn’t be friendly?”
“I was just guessing, but I never thought it would be right. This seems a bit troublesome.” Xu Yi said with a bitter smile, “Agnes, I might not be able to leave Banta City for now. How about this, you have nothing to do over the next few days, so you can just go in my place.”
“Ah? Is this alright?” Agnes said in surprise, “Chairman, there are many things I don’t understand, so I can’t represent you.”
“It’s fine, this matter isn’t difficult. Listen well……”
Xu Yi carefully said a few things to Agnes and after confirming that she understood, he gave her the bag on his back,
“If possible, come back as quickly as you can. I need your report to make my decision.” Xu Yi said this and then seeing the serious face on Agnes’ face, he couldn’t help smiling. He patted Agnes’ shoulder and said, “It really is a pity. I thought that I could go on a business trip with a beauty, but I never thought that it would be ruined.
Agnes naturally didn’t understand the meaning in Xu Yi’s words, she just revealed a smile and said, “As long as the chairman is willing, I can go on a business trip with you any time.”
“Let’s not, otherwise Still will definitely kill me.” Xu Yi shook his head before having Agnes set off.
Watching Agnes disappear into thin air, Xu Yi turned to look at the tightly closed manor gates before heading to Banta City.
Half an hour later, Xu Yi appeared at the gates of the City Lord’s Manor.
Seeing the familiar open gates of the City Lord’s Manor, he couldn’t help thinking of how he had ran to Count Sean after Baron Belil refused to see him, so he was calmed down by his analysis. Now that his heart was unsettled again after meeting Baron Belil, he ran to Count Sean again. Xu Yi couldn’t help laughing at himself.
“Why do I feel like an elementary student who’s running to the teacher to tattle after being bullied by a classmate?”