Haimavati
"Who are they?" Haima asked, running the tips of her finger across the footnotes printed at the bottom of the newly drafted palm leaves for the Book of Law.
The reply came instant. "Traders."
Haima looked up sharply. There was no immediate response from her and she quietly stared at the adviser, his eyes wandering and not meeting hers. "It's a gang of twenty from Dakshinpur," he replied to her unasked question. "They don't seem to have valid authorization to set up a business in Purvachand. Our knights caught this gang transferring liquid medicine in water containers. We have them in our custody right now. What is it going to be? Seven years imprisonment?"
"And community service till death. For free," she added and leaned forward placing her hands clasped on the table. "Traders. Sneakers. Illegal Peddlers. Based on recent activities these so-called businessmen are making quite a dent in the market share. Sir, what's going on in my country?"
He gently shook his head, seemingly struggling to give an answer, his head down. She bristled at the silence. Speak up! She demanded and the old man winced straightening himself in the chair. They feared her magic. Good.
"Trading business came to a stand when the High King authorized the decree to stop cultivating Vrindahina trees in the gardens and backyards. The vast majority of small businesses went under after that and the bulk production of the medicines too."
"Trees of Vrindahina are sacred. The leaves are meant for traditional medicinal purposes only. Using them to swindle money is a crime against nature." She used more and more of her magic to read the adviser's mind. "Aren't these trees now being cultivated in the well-known, designated places only? That means these gangs cannot wander anywhere around the vicinity unless they have acquired help from an outsider. This opens up the possibility of...the nobility being involved. Am I right?"
The elderly man remained silent, his lips quivering slightly. The worried expression on his face was enough of a confirmation. She gritted her teeth and said, "These nobilities are sweeping away the nation with their petty criminality and are financing such illegal activities. Everyone knows who in particular it is, but we are not going to raise our voices against them, are we? Hmm...for shame."
"Deity Vrindahina and her decision govern all, Milady," the adviser said, clearly offended. "Lady Chandrika is chosen by her. Going against her will is also a crime against nature."
"A very convenient excuse," she commented and tossed a sly smile, leaning back. "Anyway, we cannot grow complacent regarding this matter anymore. Cease the raids, they have been done enough. We've to come to a solution that stops these illegal activities from thriving once and for all."
"Let's be practical," he said. "This can happen only if we cut down the cultivation of these trees a furthermore."
"Oh, dear me! No!" she said. "The High King reduced the production in the local areas. While this approach turned out to be more effective, it's also the fact that the lack of easy availability has cost more lives of people than we can count. Cutting down the number of trees is out of the question."
Haimavati tapped her fingers against the table, a few moments to think, that was all she needed. Behind the man, on the tapestry was her late husband's portrait that she had painted for him. She stared at it, stared hard, remembering his lessons on diplomacy.
"Trading," she then said. "Had there not been such a vast difference in taxes amidst the provinces, the trading system wouldn't have existed in the first place. There is only one way to eradicate these illegal traders once and for all." She pushed the manuscripts with new amendments toward the old man. "I'm willing to change the system once again. And do not imprint unless it's finalized. I want to issue an edict stating that taxes shall be paid according to the clan. No more deception in the name of equalization. Higher the income, the higher the tax. The same policy shall be regulated by every province."
YOU ARE READING
(Book 6) Hayden Mackay and The Third-Eye of the Pancharatna
Fantasy"Mrs. Zutshi, how different was Zarina Khan from you? She was a clairvoyant, that makes her a witch too, right?" "Mages have their own history, Hayden. They have categories too. Since the time of Lady Chandrika's authority over the sections of the p...
