142 – 146
Several days have passed since Agrippa and William left one morning.
My days start by reading the reports from the Information Division every morning.
“Hmm…”
From Noble mtl dot com
The professor who expounded on communism last time doesn’t have any significant charges by modern standards.
But he has been handed over to the Papal See for the crime of blasphemy.
Apart from that…
The sentence that caught my eye at that moment.
[A man, who introduced himself as Amon, approaches the protest leadership, claiming that the empire needs reform. His beliefs are highly doubtful.]
Amon? Is that Amon?
A man who belonged to the demon worshipers, playing the role of Balorong’s right-hand man in the original work.
He had tried to find Amon in the Grand Duchy, thinking he had a personal connection with Balorong, but ultimately failed.
An unexpected figure fell into the trap intended for dealing with Johannes, which secretly amused him.
If he really is that Amon… If handled well, this could be a way to purge the demon worshipers.
He takes out a white paper from the drawer and writes a command order.
He writes an order instructing to maintain good relations with them, cooperate with the man named Amon behind the scenes, and extract information, then moves on to skim through the reports coming from each department.
Mostly reports about deteriorating public safety due to the protests, and the state treasury running short due to the war.
As expected, with the war, money is flowing out of the treasury faster than anticipated.
He clicks his tongue at the situation where money is draining rapidly considering the costs of scrolls, war materials, and troop maintenance.
“Tsk tsk… We need to end the war quickly.”
But that doesn’t mean the war should end today. When considering the future of the nation, timing is crucial for ending it.
Filling the state treasury with money is not particularly difficult.
First, issuing bonds.
By offering a decent interest rate, one can easily borrow a large sum of money.
There is still a substantial amount of money in the Pieta Company. It might be a good idea for the Pieta Company to buy it back at a low interest rate.
The funds of the Pieta Company, which made astronomical profits from the last market manipulation, are still strong.
“For now, let’s wait for the right timing and then think about it…”
He places the report on one side of the desk and begins his work.
***
Is this really the right thing to do?
He sighs at the complicated situation.
“Haah…”
The once harmonious daughter-in-law relationship has turned sour.
Terra wants to discredit her son-in-law, Devian.
It’s natural for Terra to want to discredit Devian and take over the reigns.
Her desire to become the ruler of the empire herself and the fact that her son-in-law didn’t mention Epirus and Ejebe to us this time are significant.
We trusted and relied on him for everything until now, so it’s unsettling that he kept a secret from us.
I can somewhat understand Terra’s feelings.
Surely, there must have been a sense of betrayal in love.
Still… It’s fortunate that she’s not trying to kill her son-in-law or get a divorce.
To be honest, her son-in-law’s abilities surpass Terra’s by far.
It’s hard to believe that he’s only 24 years old, given his exceptional abilities.
Although he received a lot of criticism, he quickly established the empire in a short period.
He led the nation excellently, navigating through peace and conflict, even though he handed over Epirus and Ejebe, undermining the emperor’s power.
He cleverly turned the crisis into an opportunity, making the internal imperial faction complex and inciting a civil war.
Once the civil war ends, he probably won’t hesitate to oust the imperial faction that had set up without any clear mandate.
He threw a huge bait intentionally for that purpose.
To make them bite and fight each other…
In the end, the situation was not favorable, so the son-in-law bought time and caused a civil war among the imperial family.
Tera always praised the son-in-law. Perhaps she was surprised and praised him after seeing this part.
“He is quite cunning.”
In hindsight, it was a wise decision to promise to hand over Ephirus and Ezip to the imperial family and then hand everything over to Johannes.
By doing so, he would sow discord between the imperial family and Johannes, causing harm to each other and ultimately breaking the momentum of the imperial family, making sure they never rise again.
Devian showed extraordinary abilities beyond his age. He is astute, almost like someone who has survived in the political arena for a long time. It’s hard to express how skilled he is.
It’s like he’s been in this fight for a long time.
In contrast, Tera is still immature.
She is emotional and only judges right from wrong, lacking substance.
Well, that’s unavoidable.
She has never learned imperial studies.
But just because she hasn’t learned imperial studies doesn’t mean she’s not an empress.
“But… is this really the right thing to do?”
He takes a sip of tea while holding a teacup in one hand.
Tera, who is trying to expel Devian.
Of course, I don’t think Tera will be able to expel the son-in-law.
There is no way to defeat the son-in-law other than the name of the emperor.
There are ministers appointed by the son-in-law in Part 5.
It is safe to say that the Roman army belongs to the son-in-law.
Furthermore, the members of the empire would prefer to work with the son-in-law rather than Tera, who has no real power.
But this situation is wrong.
The emperor of this empire is Tera.
Although the administrative system passed by the imperial council clearly states that Tera is above the Grand Duke, Tera cannot actually govern the state.
Of course, she is being advised on various matters, but it is difficult to receive a good evaluation in history if she cannot rule the empire as an emperor.
However, if Tera can make the son-in-law fail, she will be able to give him a suitable punishment.
It would be appropriate as a punishment for handing over Ephirus and Ezip to Johannes and everything he has done up to now.
Simply making him fail is not a bad idea.
If she were to say she would kill the son-in-law, she would somehow stop it, but it would mean making him withdraw from politics for a while, not killing him.
Generally, when a female emperor ascends the throne, her husbands have lived for the empire.
Whether big or small, they were appointed to public office to assist their wives and manage the empire.
No matter how much Tera makes Devian fail, even if only temporarily.
In the end, she will cover the parts that are difficult to handle as a woman.
There won’t be much change just because she makes him fail for a while.
He is Tera’s husband.
That fact will not change.
And the son-in-law is not narrow-minded, so even if there is a temporary conflict, it will soon be resolved.
After all, they are a married couple and will help each other.
And recently, there have been some bad news about the son-in-law’s health.
They say he has been working too hard.
I heard that he works like a man possessed by work.
Lately, there have been rumors among the poets that occasionally he holds his left eye and sheds tears.
I haven’t told Tera yet because I think she would worry, but honestly, I’m worried about my son-in-law.
Thinking about my young daughter becoming a widow at the age of 21 is truly… overwhelmingly bleak.
The recent rumors about my son-in-law indicate that he hardly sleeps these days.
With the recent war, the stress he must be under is unimaginable.
Every time I hear about it, I feel that my son-in-law must be feeling a tremendous burden, just like he did.
But there is a significant difference between him and my son-in-law.
One should rest when needed…
He takes a break when things don’t work out well to gather his thoughts, but my son-in-law, until the issue is resolved, does not rest and focuses on it, trying to solve it no matter what.
I hope he could take a break under the name of fatigue from responsibility.
Of course, it’s just my wishful thinking.
I think it’s impossible for Tera to make him falter.
It would be difficult for him to gain support from the council.
Compared to my son-in-law, who has a powerful army, Tera has no army.
“Hmm… I wish they hadn’t hatched any strange plans with their father…”
By now, they’re probably meeting with their father, right?
Both of them are not kids, so I hope they won’t get into any major trouble.
***
“Grandfather, have you been well all this time?”
Jans Trivian, my step-grandfather.
“hahahaha, as the days go by, our granddaughter becomes more beautiful, resembling your mother more and more.”
Smiling satisfactorily at me, Grandfather’s joke brings a smile to my face as well.
“So, what’s up? Is our granddaughter causing you a lot of trouble these days?”
I chuckle at the light-hearted joke.
“Recently, he’s been up to no good.”
Grandfather chuckles kindly at my joke and pats my head.
“hahahaha, when do I have to go scold our granddaughter?”
“Thank you.”
With wrinkles around his eyes, Grandfather chuckles softly and says.
“So, do you want to reclaim power?”
I nod firmly.
“Well, an Empress can’t just leave everything to her husband forever. Honestly, I don’t quite like the idea of our granddaughter monopolizing power alone.”
Curious about what he means, I ask.
“Is it because he’s not of imperial blood?”
To my surprise, Grandfather shakes his head.
“No. In the history of the Empire, there have been many who weren’t of imperial blood but managed and developed the Empire. That’s not what bothers me. Do you know what worries me the most in politics?”
Curiosity arises from the unexpected words of my grandfather.
Unlike me, my grandfather had been observing the empire’s politics for a long time.
“That is the epitome of unchecked power. A power that grows a group loyal to itself while eliminating all forces that could restrain it… inevitably succumbs to corruption.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Are you saying… it will become corrupt?”
At my words, my grandfather nods solemnly.
“Stagnant water decays eventually. The current Grand Duke is consolidating power for ruling; once the war ends, the imperial faction will likely disappear. Then, only flatterers will remain in imperial politics.”
Cautiously, I challenge my grandfather’s assertion.
“B… but he is not someone who succumbs to flattery.”
In response to me, my grandfather nods with a smile.
“True, even if he doesn’t yield immediately, will he remain unaffected in 10 or 20 years? Or… even if he doesn’t fall prey to flatterers, won’t you and your children be swept along?”
His words leave me bewildered.
“Suddenly talking about children.”
“It’s a metaphor. Even if the Grand Duke doesn’t yield to flatterers, the factions beneath him will inevitably influence each other. In that sense, the late Emperor was truly remarkable for dismantling the factions.”
Intrigued by my father’s story, I inquire,
“How about you, Father?”
“The late Emperor deliberately left some opposing factions unchecked. He maintained a delicate balance to prevent his supporting imperial factions from becoming corrupt… though he fell victim to Baloran’s exploitation, I believe the late Emperor’s actions were right.”
His words leave me thoughtful.
“hahahaha, our dear granddaughter Terra. I seem to have brought up a difficult topic. Just consider it an old man’s rambling.”
“N… no, I enjoyed hearing Father’s stories.”
Nodding slightly at my words, my grandfather says,
“Finding and undermining successors is not easy. But you can restrain. Let’s work together to build your own influence for restraint.”
With a voice lacking confidence, I respond,
“Really… is it possible?”
It’s a dilemma.
Could I really undermine that genius in politics, Devean?
Smiling subtly at my words, my grandfather says,
“It is possible. Soon, the wind will blow in your favor. A wind that will carry you far away…”