The Marquis’ Eldest Son’s Lascivious Story

[Even so, the idea of disclosing the business situation... that's really interesting...]

Ramon must have been very shocked by this, as he had been groaning non-stop since then.

I only know the basic structure of a corporation, so I can't answer any deep questions. I talked about the superficial aspects for now, and asked him what we s hould do if we were to do it in Nambonan City.

The main topic of the day was about the guesthouse, but the conversation continued without interruption about the structure of stocks and the establishment of an exchange.

[If a capable merchant becomes a shareholder, we can use his knowledge...]

Ramon said that most heads of trading companies are good at hiding their business situation. If it is revealed that they are making a huge profit, they will be ha rassed, or rather, the local government will force them to pay a special tax or just confiscate it away. I know I should say it, but it's quite unreasonable.

That's why merchants are trying all sorts of ways to protect themselves, developing and practicing various fraudulent techniques to conceal their assets.

[So basically, the people who are most knowledgeable about fraudulent methods will be the ones in charge of monitoring.]

Ramon gave a wry smile when I said that so bluntly.

They say that the snake sees the snake, but the merchants know the methods that merchants are likely to use best. They would be perfect for auditors.

[And the reasoning that they're disclosing it for the shareholders is also really clever...]

A joint stock company is a system that assumes that information is disclosed to shareholders. Normally, merchants would hide data about their management, but Ramon said that it's quite an interesting situation, since these people have become shareholders and are demanding disclosure of information.

[If this new trading company that operates under this joint stock company system becomes widespread, it will be convenient for the noble.]

Indeed, now that he said it, it does seem like it would be easier for the tax collectors.

The management of a trading company is largely a black box, and the lord has no idea whether it is really collecting the right amount of tax. It is very difficult t o know the true management situation from the outside.

In that respect, if it is a joint-stock company, they will disclose their management situation voluntarily, and in some cases, commoner shareholders will scrutini ze the finances and management for their own benefit.

If a rule is made that the documents disclosed to shareholders are also submitted to the stock exchange, the local noble can get accurate data by simply waiti ng. Well, it can't be said that it is completely trustworthy, and it is not something to rest on one's laurels, but if you think about it like this, it is a convenient syst em.

[If you say so, the Nambonan merchants will likely think the same way. But, will they accept a system that is convenient for the nobles?]

[In that respect, there is no problem. There will be opposition if all trading companies are replaced by joint-stock companies, but most people will welcome it if it is just a new form of trading company that increases. Nambonan merchants like new initiatives.]

And, he continued.

[Furthermore, this new company has an advantage that no other company has. The chances of imposing an unfairly heavy tax will be much less than the existi ng companies.]

The officials in charge of tax collection seem to have a tendency to think, [The merchants are probably cheating behind the scenes to make a lot of money an yway, so it's okay to inflate the tax a little].

...I wonder if the nobles are imposing extra taxes with that kind of thinking, so the merchants are pretending to be cheating as a countermeasure. Or maybe th e merchants were always like that, so the nobles started to look upon them with suspicion from the beginning. It's like a chicken-and-egg question.

Anyway, as the number of "new companies" that operate within the framework of a joint-stock company increases, people start to think, "The existing compa nies that don't disclose their management situation like the new companies are suspicious. They're probably doing bad things behind the scenes".

This will make the existing companies the target of criticism, and makes it easier for them to be taxed excessively. Having something to compare them to mak es them stand out.

[...There may be merchants who voluntarily switch to the new company, rather than letting the nobles know about their business information and avoid unnec essary suspicion. This is not something that will happen next year or the year after, but something that will happen in decades or even a century.]

[I think that is quite possible.]

[If this trend accelerates, the wave of change may eventually hit the old-fashioned companies as well.]

[Yes. Not all companies will follow the example of the new company, but they will be asked to reorganize and reform their organizations.]

He said that efforts to make accounting clearer will progress little by little so that they can make an excuse to the nobles.

[Depending on how you look at it, it seems like merchants' freedom will be restricted. Will that be fine?]

It may be great news for city officials, but it's probably not very pleasant for the son of a merchant. It's more or less like the noble is looking into your wallet. When I asked him this, Ramon smiled fearlessly.

[That's what I hope for. Companies that are good at managing things and responding well should survive, rather than companies that are good at fraud and de ception. Besides, Nambonan is a city that has grown strong by adapting to changes in the world around it. Nambonan merchants were born there, so they sho uld be able to adapt to changes in the system, and that's how it should be.]

Nambonan merchants can keep up with the future that the Mayor envisions, he asserted.

By the way, I'm not really imagining a future for the merchant world. Ramon is just excited about the system of corporations and dreaming of a new society. Ramon probably thinks that Nambonan will develop further if it becomes a society where capable merchants and companies can compete freely, and he's pro bably been searching for the necessary steps to make that happen.

In that sense, this story struck a chord with me. I think he finds it interesting not just about corporations themselves, but also about the changing predictions fo r the future that result from them.

[We will work out the details, such as the exchange system and how to disclose the business situation. Please leave it to me.]

I could feel his enthusiasm. He was very motivated.

I honestly felt that a person who has taken on a new, rewarding job that will allow him to utilize his own abilities and lead to the future will have a good voice. H e looks like he will be flying back to Nambonan City at any moment.

[Yeah, I'll leave the details to you. So anyway, that's how it goes. I want you to start preparing a company that will handle meat.]

[...Pardon me. Are there any specifications for the livestock that will be raised?]

The original topic was about procuring meat. So I said as if it was nothing.

[Yeah, let's go with thick-haired rabbits.]

I think he's a Nambonan employee, but there's an old man I've never seen before at this meeting. I felt that it might be a little bad for security to suddenly talk a bout the ingredients of the whiteware here.

It would have been troublesome if he asked me why I was raising rabbits instead of chickens, but he didn't have any strange reaction. It was probably a safe c hoice.

[I understand. Rabbits can't produce eggs like chickens, but they can be sheared for furs. A standing army needs not only food but also clothing, so I don't thi nk we'll have any problems finding a use for them.]

I'll call Ramon later to discuss how to effectively collect the rabbit bones. At that time, I can also talk about the whiteware.

As long as I take good care of Koharii, Ramon won't betray Quordenze. There shouldn't be any problem if I tell him about the raw materials. And he already has a wife from the Bermakan family.

[First of all, I'd like to reach out to someone in that line of work. A trading company with a completely new structure, a large-scale livestock industry that has n ever been seen before...the person who manages this will need a lot of passion.]

It seemed like a difficult task, but he spoke in a cheerful tone.

[You sounded like you are having fun.]

[It's a difficult job, but I think it's worth it. If we can lead the new company to success, it will attract more attention to the corporate system itself.]

There are certainly a number of merchants who are not interested in dreams, ideals, or armchair theories, and simply value the means and information they ca n use to make money now. In order to capture the hearts of such people, performance is the most important thing.

[If stock-based entrepreneurship becomes widespread, even people with no capital will be able to take on challenges as long as they have the ability. First of all, I want as many people as possible to know about it.]

It seems that there are many young people in Nambonan who have the ability and drive, but still lack the funds to start a business. Ramon seems to think that i f he can provide these people with a new path to challenge themselves, it may be possible to create a large trading company in the future.

Probably, he wants to indirectly protect the autonomy of Nambonan by showing the vitality of the private sector in this way. This guy probably dotes too much on his sister Koharii, but at the same time, he has deep feelings for his hometown.

[It will be the first trading company to be handled at the exchange. It will attract attention whether we like it or not.]

As I said this, I thought that for now, the only stock certificates that will be available at the exchange are those of this provisionally named "Thick-haired Rabbit Co., Ltd." That seems a bit tricky in itself. If it were a new game console, they would probably have several software titles as launch titles.

[...It's sad that there is only one company's stock certificate to be the centerpiece.]

[That is certainly something to be concerned about. However, if we suddenly accept everyone, we will end up with a proliferation of shoddy new trading comp anies, and the very idea of a corporation will be called into question.]

[I guess there needs to be some kind of standard and screening. In that case, it may not be possible to get them in time for the exchange's opening... but well, if we can get them in time, it might be alright to just add them.]

The moment I concluded that, an old man smiled fearlessly. I think he was a Nambonan city official, but he was an old man I hadn't met before.

And his smile was somewhat similar to Ramon's.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!