abcnovels
Chapter 451
Chapter 451
Chapter 451
A year later.
The Empire and the Kingdom had ceased hostilities, and the continent was enjoying a temporary peace.
Since then, no wars had erupted, and each nation had been focusing on its internal affairs.
And, this was no exception for the vassal states.
"Count Arthur, you are under arrest."
"What for!? Prime Minister!!"
A perfectly ordinary middle-aged man that was Count Arthur.
I barged into his mansion with my soldiers and detained him. Count Arthur was an inconspicuous nobleman of the vassal state.
"You bribed senior officials during the previous king's era, getting your son promoted and even expanding your territory. If this is not corruption, then what is it?"
"In the previous king's era, that was the norm! Without doing so, my son wouldn't have been promoted, and our territory would have remained small! We couldn't feed the people if we stayed small!"
"That does not mean I can ignore corruption. The current king aims for a clean vassal state. It's my job to eliminate the stains from the era of the previous king."
With that, I ordered the arrest of not only Count Arthur, but also his entire family.
"My family has nothing to do with this!"
"Do you know how much the people have suffered in this vassal state? If the family of a corrupt noble is involved, they are equally guilty."
"Nonsense! There's no noble in this vassal state without flaws! Everyone suppressed their conscience and followed along! Are you going to track down the flaws of these nobles and arrest their families too!?"
"Corruption is corruption. It must be corrected."
"You, a worthless prime minister who possesses not a single virtue of your younger brother! Just because you're the king's brother, you throw your weight around! What you're doing is no different from the previous king and his senior officials who ruined this country! It's tyranny!"
"Is that all you wanted to say? Take him away."
I smirked and issued the order.
According to my sources, there was hidden wealth in the mansion. Despite my brother, Trau, asking the nobles for all the help they could provide to restore the vassal state.
Well, there would be various excuses for the people, for unforeseen circumstances.
But ultimately, it comes down to the fact they didn't fully trust my brother Trau.
Marianne spent a long time as a hostage of the United Kingdom and has not yet won the loyalty of the nobles.
And Trau, her companion who became the Vassal King, shielded by the majesty of the Empire, has also not won the loyalty of the nobles yet.
It's a difficult problem.
All we can do is take it step by step.
"Sir! We've found the hidden wealth!"
"Take it all out! We have others waiting! Hurry!"
While arrogantly giving instructions, I scanned the documents in my hand.
The document contained the names of the nobles of the vassal state.
Those who had cooperated with the corrupt politics during the reign of the previous king.
Those who are still not actively supporting my brother Trau.
My current job is to arrest them and send them to the Royal Capital, Coal.
As the prime minister, Trau is running the country. I am supposed to assist him, but Trau quickly surrounded himself with natives of the vassal state.
They will be the ones building the country with Trau. I am just a temporary prime minister. Once the system is in place, I will return to the Empire.
Trau is not so foolish as to create an organization that depends on me.
Thanks to that, I am free to act.
At present, Trau can only exercise absolute power in the royal capital.
He has not yet gained control over the nobles in various places.
That's why I'm running around like this.
It's all for my brother Trau.
"Let's go!"
A week later.
After sending many nobles to the Royal Capital, I returned to the castle triumphantly.
But the report waiting for me was unexpected.
"Everyone was released!?"
"Ye, yes... His Majesty made that decision..."
"Again!?"
This wasn't the first time.
Last time, Trau released the nobles I had captured based on his judgment.
I'm at a loss for words.. Dumbfounded, I headed towards Trau nii-san.
As I approached the throne room, Traunii-san was speaking with a young man.
A bespectacled bureaucrat.
That man, distinguished by his sharp eyes hidden behind his glasses, was named Brad von Olcott.
He had inherited the title of Count Olcott.
The Count Olcott had been a high-ranking official during the reign of the previous king. This man was his son.
He was at Trau nii-san's side because he had rebelled against his father.
A man who refused to accept tyranny and sought to change the feudal lordship, that was Brad.
Of course, his efforts had not succeeded, and Brad had gone through a period of hardship, but the feudal lordship was occupied by the empire, and the king changed.
Trau nii-san sought young people with a future, and Brad had become the leader of these young people.
He now served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, assisting Trau nii-san.
Upon seeing me, Brad clearly furrowed his brow.
"Trau nii-san, please do not release nobles on your own. There were many things I wanted to ask."
"Prime Minister Arnold. Even if he's your brother, there is a master-servant relationship between him and His Majesty. Please remember that."
"I address His Majesty the Emperor as my father. I would appreciate it if you could keep your opinions to yourself."
With that said, I shifted my gaze to Trau nii-san.
Trau nii-san, sitting on the throne, had a troubled expression on his face.
"The investigation is complete. There is no issue with them."
"Even though there were bribes and hidden assets?"
"Including that, I admit I was not thorough. From now on, I asked them to help and returned them to their territory."
"Such lenient treatment will only make the feudal nobles more arrogant."
"I am the feudal king. It is my place to trust them."
"In case of emergency, we can just replace them. There will be many imperial nobles who will be happy if we give them feudal lands. Second and third sons cannot inherit lands."
"Prime Minister Arnold! That's intolerable!"
Brad raised his voice.
But I gave Brad a cold look.
"If you find it intolerable, then make the feudal nobles kneel promptly. There are still nobles who haven't come to greet Trau nii-san, you know? Don't forget that I'm going around because you failed to persuade the nobles."
"I admit I failed. It's also true that the feudal nobles were rude. But! I would like you to refrain from making light remarks about them!"
"If they don't want to be taken lightly, they should show their power. The defense of the feudal lordship and the cost of national reconstruction are all done by the empire. It's laughable that they don't want to be taken lightly when they can't even reconstruct their own country properly. Let me make this clear. The feudal lordship was corrupt because of such nobles. The pus should be removed when it can be."
"......"
Brad fell silent.
What I said was correct.
I shifted my gaze from Brad to Trau nii-san.
"I can't help it this time. But don't let your feelings sway you again. There's no gain in showing a soft face."
"I understand, Arnold."
"Then, excuse me."
With that, I left the throne room.
As I walked through the castle sighing, several nobles approached me.
"It's tough, isn't it, Prime Minister Arnold?"
"Even though you're the one who cares about the feudal lordship the most."
"His Majesty is still too soft."
These were the relatives of the high officials who had served the previous king.
Trau nii-san, whose base in the feudal lordship was still weak, couldn't just purge all of these families.
He had given them positions and was using their power.
These people did not like the emerging young power.
So they were trying to curry favor with me, who was in conflict with them.
"Your Excellency, we are hosting a banquet at our house today. How about it, Your Excellency?"
"A banquet, that's not bad. I'll attend."
"Thank you very much! It's an honor!"
Seeing them bowing over and over again, I smiled with satisfaction.
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