At dusk, in the western palace, he was received in a side hall.
"In just half a month, it will be the anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The government has prepared a budget for the event, including the Citizens' Filial Piety Drama Festival, 'The Dewy Lice…'" Huggins glanced at the absent-minded Todd and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty? Are you listening?"
Todd opened his eyes wide and hurriedly said, "Yes, I'm listening, I'm listening."
Huggins shifted his gaze back to the report in his hand: "The budget is divided into three main parts, with the largest expenditure being personnel salaries. Regarding this expense, the State Council suggests that you..."
"Huggins, have you ever had an intimate relationship with a woman in your mind?"
Huggins' report came to an abrupt halt. He struggled to raise his head, looked at Todd who was looking serious, and forced a smile, saying, "Your Majesty, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Todd pointed to his head: "Consciousness, you understand? It's not about having sex with women in the real world."
Huggins put down the report in his hand and thought about it carefully: "Like a dream?"
"It's somewhat like a dream, but not entirely." Todd himself was a little confused: "It's more real than a dream; I remember holding hands after waking up."
Huggins affirmed, "I've had that experience."
Todd's eyes lit up: "Really?!"
"Yes, when I was young, I was always having relationships with women in my mind. Sometimes it was one woman, sometimes it was a group of women."
Hearing the other person's words, Todd's eye twitched, and he almost fainted: "I don't think we're talking about the same thing. What you're doing is called fantasizing..."
When talking about topics that interest him, Huggins becomes quite talkative: "I can picture the characters, lines, plot, costumes, and even poses in my mind..."
"Wait, wait!" Todd reached out to stop him, thought for a while, and then reorganized his words, saying, "Perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly. I mean, when we have to have sex, we both know clearly that we've been intimate."
Huggins was stunned.
"Your Majesty, do you mean... both sides know what happened?"
Todd counted the change.
Huggins gasped, "Your Majesty, believe me, this is definitely not a good thing. If the two sides meet after the dream ends, it will be extremely awkward."
Todd leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm worried about."
Huggins glanced at Todd and said, “Your Majesty, if this really happens, I think the key lies in the relationship between the two and Peter’s attitude.”
Todd sat up straight: "Look."
"If the two people are already in a relationship, then there is no problem."
Todd pressed further, "But what if the relationship between the two isn't clear?"
"Unclear?" Huggins swallowed hard. "Then may I ask, who initiated this?"
Todd first covered up his embarrassment with a cough, then replied in a low voice, "It was the woman who made the first move."
Huggins glanced at the King, stroked his beard, and said, "That makes things easier. Just find an opportunity to ask him face-to-face. Generally speaking, if the woman takes the initiative, it usually means the other person is lucky."
Todd rested his chin on his fist and nodded thoughtfully.
Having moved on from that topic, Huggins got back to the main point. He finished reading the report in his hand, folded the page awaiting approval, placed it in front of the king, and then picked up another report from the table.
Todd stared at the thick stack of papers in front of him, his scalp tingling, and asked Huggins, "How many documents are still pending processing?"
The latter turned his body to the side, revealing a stack of official documents, a full twenty centimeters thick, on the wooden platform behind him.
Todd rubbed his temples: "There's still so much?!"
Huggins moved away again, and only then did Todd realize with despair that there were still several stacks of documents neatly arranged on the ground.
Seeing Todd close his eyes in pain, Huggins comforted him, saying, "Your Majesty, you have been away for several months, and there are a large number of official documents from across the kingdom that require your review."
Todd glanced at him sideways: "If I remember correctly, wasn't Emerson already appointed as the Kingdom's Chief Privy Councilor? He can easily review these official documents on his behalf."
Huggins smiled wryly at the king and said, "It is precisely because of Lord Emerson as the Kingdom's Privy Councilor that you have only a little over a hundred official documents in front of you. Without him, the political documents that urgently need your attention would fill this room."
Todd sighed deeply, resignedly opened the budget application report in front of him, and after only one glance at the lengthy forms and complex data, he completely lost interest and closed the report again.
"Pass down the notice that a meeting will be held the following morning in the Royal Garden of the Royal Palace, and all officials of the Kingdom's administrative departments at the vice minister level or above are required to attend."
Huggins jotted down the schedule in his notebook and then confirmed with Todd, "Yes, Your Majesty, what are the topics of the meeting and the agenda for discussion?"
"There's not much needed. Just tell all the participants that there is only one topic for the meeting—to discuss the future of the kingdom."
Two days later, on the morning of the same day, the winter sun brought a rare warmth to the earth, and the thin layer of snow on the ground reflected a dazzling light.
The palace attendants and maids set up tables and chairs, erected a canopy, and placed various fruits and snacks in the very center of the royal garden.
Standing beside the marble sculpture, Cumberland, unusually dressed in a formal suit, sipped his warm honey wine and said to Emerson beside him, "Why did Your Majesty choose to hold this meeting in the garden? Shouldn't it usually be held in the country?"
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