Anurāga | The Quiscent Queen

Chapter 6

"Your Highness, the merchants coming from Anga are complaining about the import duties again."

I frowned at the courtier as he scrambled to collect the manuscripts which he then handed over to me for inspection. 

I studied the figures and felt my eyes go wide in disbelief. 

"The annual revenue collection from Anga is almost negligible in comparison to only the export duties which have been levied on Indraprastha! How is this even possible?", I asked bewildered as I took in the numbers scribbled on the piece of fabric hastily. 

The men gathered in front almost snarled at that. 

I could see the rage of sheer helplessness displayed on their haggard faces well enough to realise that the gross mismanagement of the revenue collection of Kururashtra was not a hidden issue at all. 

"Precisely that, My Queen. Anga Pradesh is under Hastinapura's flag just like Indraprastha but they hardly pay any taxes to the Empire. So to manage the inflow, the rest of the Kingdoms are pressurized into balancing the overhead. The maximum cut being ours."

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and compared the revenue figures from the past decade or so and found that their conclusions were completely founded. 

Indraprastha paid not only a hefty amount to Hastinapura but also, it was greater than any other Kingdom under the Kuru suzerainty. 

"His Majesty, Yuvraja Duryodhan lets his friends from the Empire squander away their wealth on lavish parties and hunting trips and seeks to increase his own earnings on the back of our subjects", one of the men from the committee retorted distastefully. 

I shrivelled my nose in disgust. 

"So he lets his friend, Angaraja rule almost for free, which allows him to waive off most of the export and import duties for the travelling merchants while we have to keep it considerably higher for meeting the annual expenses of the Kuru treasury. Correct?"

They nodded their heads in unison and I put my weight on one feet, figures and equations flying through my brain rapidly. 

I had always enjoyed the lessons from the Arthashastra which my brothers had made sure all the Yadava men and women got proficient in. The politics of the Yadava court was one of the most complicated structures which I had studied and observed intensely for years. I have had the displeasure of seeing many greedy monarchs loot from their subjects to continue keeping an unnecessarily wealthy lifestyle. 

But my so called Kuru brother in law had to take the cake. 

Maharaja Yudhishtir in all his benign righteousness has allowed his cousin to bleed him dry. 

'No more', I vowed to myself. I will not let that fiend enjoy the fruits of my husband's labour and my family's struggles. An idea had slowly started to form in my brain and I knew what I had to do. 

"Leave this to me mantriji. Tell the merchants to gather at the sessions today. The King will listen to their grievances."

The courtiers looked suitably relieved at having washed off their own hands from this rather taxing concern and bowed to me in almost synchrony. 

Everyone in Indraprastha was scarily deferential to the Royal family. I was completely unused to such reverence and it ended up flustering me up to no end. The interpersonal relations between the royals and our secondaries back in Dwarka had been much more informal and relaxed. 

I am pretty sure that if I tried cracking a joke right now, the poor courtiers will get mortified and try to offer their own necks in retaliation. 

The sun was overhead and I had a new mission at hand. It was a welcome change after weeks of utter boredom. After having gotten acquainted with my new attendants and the Palace staff, I had approached Panchali for receiving my duties.