Chapter 76 Heinrich's Methods Lilith thought about Heinrich D...
Lorenzo returned to Venice in mid-October. While at his country villa, he had already received news from Venice that Lilith, for some reason, hadn't become a slave girl or a captive, but had instead regained control of her bank in a triumphant manner. He couldn't help but regret not killing her then and there. Knowing her personality, she would never let him off so easily.
Lorenzo never expected to be attacked on his very first day back. A crowd gathered on the dock, blocking the gangway leading to his ship and pointing fingers at him, calling him a traitor. Lorenzo could only send his servants off the ship first, and after the law enforcement officers came and drove the crowd away, he could then mingle into the throng, put on a mask, and slink off the ship to go home.
"What's going on?!" Lorenzo asked his attendant angrily. Although he was not in the city, the Condalini Bank had not completely shut down, so how could these people remain indifferent to such a terrible public opinion?
"It must be Lilith, the loan shark..."
"Nonsense. Of course I know it was her. What kind of trouble has she caused in the month and a half I've been gone?"
"She did a lot of charity work, first by distributing bread for free, and then by leading fundraising efforts for postwar reconstruction..."
"It's all an act. Let's get to the point. War and plague have severely impacted the remittance business. Where did she get so much money?"
"She introduced two new financial derivatives. One is called Fair Securities, a type of security that distributes dividend rights, allowing small businesses to pool their wealth and invest jointly, then distribute dividends according to their investment ratio. This type of security can be publicly sold on the market. The other is called Dry Exchange, a variant of foreign exchange trading..."
Lorenzo frowned in exasperation, trying to understand what the servant was saying. In the end, he decided to disguise himself, put on simple clothes and a Balta mask, and enter the market anonymously to investigate.
He arrived at the entrance of the Knarro Bank and saw Lilith speaking to a client, dressed in a very simple white dress. Her long, burgundy hair was braided into an intricate updo and adorned with lace hair accessories, making her appear like an unmarried woman, a far cry from her former widow attire.
Standing next to Lilith was a portly middle-aged man. Lorenzo recognized him; he was Mr. Orso, the head of a newly risen family of wealthy merchants who had caused a scene during the burning of the Condalini family's spice warehouse. Lorenzo pretended to pass by and eavesdropped, hearing Lilith seemingly explaining what dry exchange transactions were.
“Previously, exchange transactions required delivery in different locations. Now we can exchange bills of exchange for bills of exchange, and deliver them locally directly, meeting more diverse credit needs.” Lilith smiled warmly and generously as she explained to Mr. Orso, “For example, in the past, if you borrowed a ducat in Venice, you had to go to Florence to get your florin back. But now, you only need to stay in Venice, buy a bill of exchange for florin to redeem a ducat, and you can carry out the lending transaction directly in Venice.”
Lorenzo was taken aback. Through this two-tiered bill of exchange method, Lilith could not only continue to profit from the floating exchange rate difference, but also greatly reduce transaction costs and trading markets, without openly charging interest, and thus achieve lending within the scope permitted by church rules.
No wonder she was able to raise enough funds to confront him head-on in such a short time. Lorenzo sensed something was wrong and decided to listen a little longer to gather more information.
"Mrs. Schmidl, I heard your husband miraculously survived?" Mr. Orso asked casually.
"Thank you for your concern. Yes, I have reunited with my husband. Although he was injured, he is generally well." Lilith's smile contained a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment and discomfort.
"Then the two of you will soon be holding a grand formal wedding! A young and talented woman of noble birth like yourself, who has made such a great contribution to the commerce of Venice, I am sure that His Holiness the Bishop of Daluca will be able to officiate for you."
“My husband… he has some urgent business to attend to back in Frankfurt, so we’ll have to wait until he gets back.” Lilith’s smile froze, and she quickly changed the subject. “By the way, I heard your daughter’s wedding is coming up soon, is that right?”
“Yes, she is my youngest daughter.” Mr. Orso’s expression changed from his previous excitement to a more serious one. “I almost married her off to the Condalini family. Fortunately, this war has shown us the true colors of the Condalini family patriarch. They actually profited from the war and bleed us other merchants dry. They are truly heinous!”
"In general, the war dealt a huge blow to our financial industry, but only Mr. Lorenzo's war bonds and insurance business made him a fortune." Lilith's eyes curved into crescent shapes as she replied noncommittally, stating only facts without expressing opinions, carefully avoiding leaving even the slightest handle against her.
"You must have heard the rumors, right? The rumors that he has secretly allied with the Paduan rebels," Mr. Orso asked, pretending to cover his mouth, but his voice didn't lower at all, because it was already common knowledge in the market.
“I’ve heard about it. But I think Mr. Condalini might just be confused for a moment.”
"You're still thinking too kindly of people. Damn it, that guy, I've disliked him for a long time!" Upon hearing Lilith's feigned innocence, the middle-aged man was immediately aroused with the urge to lecture the young woman, wanting nothing more than to give her a good lesson. However, before he could say more than a few words, Lilith used the excuse that she was too busy with work to continue entertaining him.
Before leaving, she glanced meaningfully at Lorenzo, who was eavesdropping, and gave him a mocking smile, sharp enough to be a declaration of war. Lorenzo, realizing his disguise had been discovered, didn't linger and hurried away. This wasn't his battlefield. He would end it all in court and send this wicked woman to her grave.
"Why is it that some people, even when wearing masks and cloaks, exude a terrifying aura, like nightmares in the night, while others appear wretched and comical, like rats in a gutter?" Lilith asked Hannah beside her jokingly. "What do you think is the reason for this?"
Hannah didn't know how to answer, nor did she know whether the words were an insult or a compliment to Heinrich. She could only awkwardly brush it off with an "I don't know."
“Let’s go. Let’s go see the client.” Lilith pictured Heinrich standing beside her in her mind, wearing a mask. She had to look up to see the shadows under his eyes and the stray strands of golden hair hidden beneath the black brim of his hat.
Heinrich, wasn't that exactly what he did? He used Lilith's Knarro Bank as a pawn, pushing her dispute with Lorenzo to the forefront, while secretly cultivating his own power, allowing Fugger Bank to rise unexpectedly.
That's awful. Absolutely awful. I'll have to punish him properly when we meet again. But before that, Lilith wants to use his methods on herself.
She secretly spread rumors that Lorenzo was colluding with the Paduan rebels, drawing everyone's attention to him and making him a target for venting their frustrations after losing money in the war and plague. The rumors spread faster than anything else; Lilith didn't need to deliberately fan the flames, and the news reached the entire market.
As for Lilith, the kind-hearted woman who was persecuted by Lorenzo, although she took the lead in doing charity work and reconstruction, and secretly made a fortune through new products behind the scenes, she actually lost a lot of money. Not only was her original home burned down, but she didn't even have enough money to furnish her new home.
Such a kind and pitiful victim was relentlessly pursued by Lorenzo. The public naturally has their own judgment on who is the "good guy" and who is the "bad guy".
Whether Lorenzo's connection to the war was true or fabricated, once people believed it, even the false became true. Even among the forty-member committee who were old acquaintances of Lorenzo, if they knew their "former friend" was the culprit behind their devastating losses, would they still be willing to help him in court?
That's how it is in the business world: there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. But love doesn't work that way. No matter how terrible Lilith did to Heinrich, even though she had tormented him to the point of being broken in body and mind, he still loved her wholeheartedly and was even willing to let her go for her freedom.
Heinrich… she hadn’t seen him for over half a month. Lilith had to suppress her longing whenever she drifted off during work breaks. Only after finishing a long day of work and returning home did she finally have time for herself.
She washed away the dust that had settled on her after a long day, changed into a comfortable silk nightgown, and went to bed early, snuggling into the covers and holding the doll that Heinrich had sewn for her.
For some reason, some ambiguous and alluring images surfaced in her mind. She thought of Heinrich's aggressive, demanding kisses, his intense movements and sticky, soft entanglement. Lilith couldn't help but feel a honey-colored ripple in her heart. Just as she was about to do something to perhaps distract herself from thinking about him, she suddenly heard someone knocking on her door.
"What's wrong?" Lilith asked, somewhat annoyed, straightening her skirt under the covers. "It's Hannah, isn't it? Go tell Ivanka I don't want to eat dinner tonight; you can share it as a midnight snack."
“It’s me,” Cecilia said. “It’s a message from your father. He wants to invite you to dinner at the Knarro family’s main house later.”
"That old geezer," Lilith cursed inwardly. Before, when war and plague struck one after another, and Lilith was beset on all sides, not a single member of her family, except for Aunt Elena, had ever cared about her. Even when her house burned down and she was missing for a whole month, they hadn't sent anyone to look for her. Now that she had finally caught her breath, she suddenly remembered her. What, did they want to ask her about the third quarter's dividend at the end of September?
"Come in," Lilith said to Cecilia. "Help me with my hair and makeup."
An hour later, Lilith, now fully dressed, arrived at the dock in front of the main palace of the Knarro family by boat. She wore a newly made green dress, her long hair adorned with a luxurious pearl hairnet, and an expensive emerald necklace gleamed against her snow-white skin.
She swaggered into the dining room and found that all the important elders except Elena were present: the patriarch Massimo, her father Bruno, and her uncle Francisco, each sitting upright with serious expressions. However, none of their female relatives were there. Lilith had a bad feeling; just as she had suspected, tonight was definitely not a family gathering to foster relationships. These people had specifically sought her out—it couldn't be anything good.
But that's fine too. If there were women present, Lilith would inevitably have to engage in some polite formalities. Since there were only men, Lilith didn't need to stand on ceremony. She was already in a bad mood because her good time had been interrupted, so she could take it out on these old men.
“Oh, Uncle Massimo,” Lilith pulled out the last chair and sat down in front of them, her eyes fixed on Massimo’s completely bald forehead. “It’s been almost half a year since I last saw you. You look great. This new hairstyle suits you very well. It makes you look very knowledgeable and especially energetic.”
Massimo frowned deeply, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.
"Father, long time no see! How have you been? Has Mauro paid off his debts? You've had a tough time, old man. If you really can't pay them back, I can help you out and lend you money at a favorable exchange rate. Ah, Uncle Francisco, good evening! Your beard has grown even longer, making you even more handsome. Have you found a girl worthy of you that you're planning to marry? Have you heard the rumors about Lorenzo, who is also still unmarried, and his friend Antonio? Oh dear, that's so embarrassing! You must be careful!"
The three elders, after being subtly praised and criticized by Lilith, all wore unpleasant expressions, yet none of them directly expressed their anger. Lilith was somewhat surprised by this. Their attitude was so polite; it seemed they hadn't come to reprimand her, but rather to ask for her help.
“Liliana,” Massimo cleared his throat and said to her, “I heard your fiancé, Heinrich Schmidl, is not dead? You met with him and secretly decided to dissolve your engagement?”
“Yes.” Lilith frowned. “Why ask that? It was a mutual agreement between us to break off our engagement. He had no objections. Now that he knows what kind of woman I am and doesn’t want to marry me anymore, you can’t force him, can you?”
“In that case,” Massimo said, for some reason, he breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Lilith’s words. “Then we hope you can introduce your cousin Adelaide to this Mr. Schmidl and help to reunite the two families through marriage.”
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Author's Note: As the story is nearing its end, I've called back a lot of supporting characters who appeared before, haha. In the next chapter, Lilith will give all the old Dengs in her family a good dressing down.
More updates tomorrow!
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