282 – Side Story – New Emperor (2)
From Noble mtl dot com
In Joseon, most coronation ceremonies were held for the crown prince to become the new king at the same time as the funeral of the previous king.
Therefore, during the coronation ceremony, which was an auspicious ceremony for the birth of a new king, mourning clothes were removed and formal attire was worn, but it was celebrated simply with only the minimum necessary formality.
But not only was the empire I ruled as emperor not Joseon, but it was also because I, the emperor, lived well and handed over the throne to the crown prince.
Nantes, the capital of the Kreutel Empire, was covered in more extravagant decorations than ever before.
Throughout Nantes Castle, paintings, tapestries, and banners depict Ciel von Kreutel’s achievements from the time he was 15 years old as heir to the baronial family until he stepped down from the throne at age 58.
Musicians holding various instruments play music inspired by looking back on their lives.
This is because the nobles came out wearing fancy armor and robes to greet William and me, who would become the new emperor.
At a feast, it is necessary to provide the people with not only spectacular things to see and hear, but also delicious food.
One of the royal treasuries hidden throughout the empire was stolen and various food stalls were prepared so that the people who came to the capital to see William could eat their fill and enjoy themselves.
Fried chicken, pizza, various meat-based foods, and crepes and snacks made with candied fruit that were barely recreated a few years ago.
In addition, ice cream has been very popular in areas where nobles live for several years.
We plan to give it out for free on the day of the coronation ceremony and for about 2-3 days after.
When I went out to the street where the food stalls were for my final inspection as emperor, I saw children and a couple wearing slightly tattered clothes.
The children were staring at the food at the food stall, as if they were hungry.
“Are you hungry? Today, His Majesty the Emperor is giving away all food for everyone, including you, to eat and enjoy. “Just wait a moment.”
The vendor of the food stall said so while handing over as much food as the family could eat to the people selling bread and meat nearby.
“You can return the bowl and fork after you finish eating here. After you finish eating, do you see the food stall with the word “Ice cream” Written on it and a white square drawn at the bottom? It’s said to be an ice cream that nobles enjoy, and it’s amazing when you eat it with bread and meat. It’s sweet and refreshing. Be sure to return the bowl and get the ice cream. “I will really regret it if I don’t eat it.”
When the poor father heard that, he asked with a shocked expression.
“Is it really okay to receive such precious food without paying? To be honest, I thought they would share food since it was a coronation ceremony, but to this point…”
“This is given to you by His Majesty the Emperor. You don’t have to pay, so eat everything and take more if you want. “You can eat as much as you want, except for the ice cream.”
After hearing those words, the children began to eagerly eat the delicious food that was difficult to see in normal times, and the wife and husband watched and laughed.
Afterwards, I enjoyed this time with the children at the famous feast, where there was plenty to eat.
The coronation ceremony for emperors of other empires often ends with giving meat and bread to the citizens of the city.
In our empire, special meals are probably being provided by now not only to citizens but also to local poor and orphanages.
A few years ago, I looked at this scene with satisfaction, thinking that I had made it this far, but now that I have announced my abdication, I feel regretful.
If you say this, Lauren, who became Prime Minister, will say this.
‘You want to do better here? When other imperial emperors hear this, they will be shocked to death. And how are you going to improve it further? Do you plan to allow the people to eat white wheat bread three times a day and meat every day?’
It may be difficult to improve the food situation to the level he mentioned, but if you use the ‘spinning machine, weaving machine, and loom using a flying drum’ that Martin gave you a few days ago by connecting it to a steam engine…
Reports of people shivering from the cold in winter will definitely decrease.
Of course, that achievement will belong to William, not me.
But wait… There hasn’t been a harvest famine recently, so why are these kids’ faces so skinny?
At that time, an administrator who was passing by saw the children’s faces and asked their father, who was engrossed in eating.
“My name is Second Secretary Thomas Moore. I’m enjoying my meal, but could you please excuse me? Where are you from? “It’s because the kids look very skinny.”
After hearing those words, the father looked at the young administrator and responded in a frightened voice.
“I come from the village of Sands in the Nantes region. Not long ago, there was a landslide in our village and we lost all of our fields. “Bailiff Hans provided me with at least one bag of wheat, but…”
When the administrator heard that, he became angry.
“If you didn’t starve because you didn’t work and lost your field because of a landslide, your family would need to receive two bags of wheat every year! As soon as the coronation ceremony is over, I have to go rob that bastard myself. I’ll give you this wooden paddle. If you take it to the nearby castle, I’ll exchange it for enough money to buy a bag of wheat, so keep it handy. “You can’t let your children go hungry.”
No matter how much the empire’s administration says to not let working people starve, it is not possible to eat properly in the countryside due to limitations in communication and transportation.
Since the lower level educational institutions of the Academy have not yet been created, the Bayleaf in particular has been left as a hereditary position that is closely monitored by administrators…
It is said that the serf family was deprived of half of the welfare benefits they were entitled to by the bailiff, but it was a good thing that they came to the capital to see the coronation ceremony and were noticed by the administrator.
Also, it is said that administrators have a duty to take care of the people so that they do not starve, but it is rare to see such an active person.
I should at least mention his name during the abdication ceremony speech in an hour.
Then, after William ascends to the throne, the officials will turn on the eyes of the corrupt bailiffs and village chiefs like that guy in order to be recognized by the emperor.
Meanwhile, poor serf families were moved to tears by the administrator who had solved their family’s problems without expecting anything in return.
“When I was young, even in good harvests, it was difficult to eat porridge for two meals a day, and even in bad harvests, it was common for children to starve to death. The landslide ruined the entire crop and the field was gone, so we were in a desperate situation, but they gave us a bag of wheat, so this alone will keep us from starving to death. I live with gratitude to Your Majesty every day, but I can’t believe that someone as high as the administrator who serves Your Majesty gets angry and helps me because of such a lowly person. “I can’t believe a world like this is really coming.”
**
I was looking around during my spare time.
When Nantes Castle was the capital of the county, the square was filled with 2,000 to 3,000 people, but has now been expanded to accommodate nearly 100,000 people, excluding the space for ceremonies.
The place was already filled with nobles and citizens who had come to watch the new emperor ascend to the throne and me abdicate.
Usually, most of the people who come to such events are mobilized, and even the nobles often sit with a blank expression on their faces.
When I went up to the podium to prepare for my final speech, everyone cheered.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing me to live without being hungry. I don’t know how I can repay this favor.”
“Long live your Majesty the Emperor! May you live forever!”
“Long live the Kreutel Empire! Long live His Majesty Ciel von Kreutel!”
And especially, the common people who were mixed in were so thankful that they were free from hunger thanks to me that they couldn’t say anything, and I often saw people just shedding tears of joy and raising their arms to cheer.
I thought as I looked at that scene.
‘To receive this level of gratitude and welcome from the people, I really feel I have done everything I had to do.’
Now I put down the script written by the baronet in charge of protocol that was on the lectern and spoke.
“Nasiel von Kreutel said this when he was crowned emperor. I am your best errand boy. I held those words in my heart and never forgot them for a moment. So, rather than ruling over the people like other emperors, I have been thinking day and night about how my people can live happier lives.”
If I hadn’t lived that way, in the world before the rare genius called Fritz Haber created nitrogen fertilizer, it would have been difficult to see an administrator who got angry at the sight of ‘the people starving’ rather than ‘starving.’
Even now, there are many people who do not even know that if the number of serfs starving outside the empire is not too large, it is a problem.
“Now, all the people of the empire could eat their fill of rye bread, and we were able to create a country where children like orphans did not wander the streets begging because they had nowhere to go. But the empire is still sorely lacking.”
When I said this, I could see the pupils of the high-ranking nobles and high-ranking administrative nobles standing near the podium shaking.
“Today, while I was looking around the square for the last time as emperor before abdicating to William, I heard that a family of serfs living near Nantes Castle was hungry. And the reason was because there was a guy in his village named Bayleef Hans.”
There is hardly anyone among the people of the Kreutel Empire who does not know the story of when I first met Ella.
Bayleaf’s embezzlement is often punished more severely than his superiors, such as clerks and inspectors, who committed similar crimes.
So, if I say this here, as soon as the coronation ceremony is over, the lords, supervisors, inspectors, and secretaries of each region who do not want to go against my wishes will open the local administrative ledgers and criticize all the corrupt rural officials.
“But a scribe named Thomas Moore noticed a skinny child suffering from hunger who was eating at a food stall I had prepared. Although he did not have to do it himself, he imitated the spirit of the emperor, who considered himself the nation’s errand boy, and served the people by solving the problems of the poor child and the family. “He, the officials of the empire, and even William, who will succeed me as emperor, should imitate the same mindset and always keep it in mind.”
When I said this, all the nobles knelt down and bowed their heads to receive my order, and William came up to the podium accordingly.
Then he stood right in front of me, bowed his head in respect and answered.
“I, William von Kreutel, Crown Prince of the Kreutel Empire, will inherit the ruling ideology of Emperor Ciel von Kreutel and live as the best servant of the people no matter what. “I will.”