Emerson shrugged, took a bite of the cheese pastry the servants brought him, and then frowned as he put it down.
Terrence and Ulysses stood together. Terrence frowned as he looked at Wayne, who stood alone not far away, and asked Ulysses, "What's he doing here?"
"His Majesty intends to consolidate the Kingdom's Heterogeneous Association and establish a dedicated Heterogeneous Affairs Department, with Lord Rachel as the chief official and Wayne Dunlop as the deputy chief official," Ulysses said.
Looking at Wayne, who had a blank expression and didn't even greet anyone, Terence shook his head: "He is an excellent scholar, but not a competent person in charge. In His Majesty's words, his empathy is so low that it is worrying."
Ulysses leaned closer to Terence and whispered, "I heard that Wayne found a group of people willing to participate in the 'Soul Experiment' through the swimming."
"How is this possible? It's only been less than a month, and he's already found volunteers?"
"He seems to have used the name of religion to make many seriously ill and dying people believe his words without a doubt."
Does His Majesty know about this?
"They should know, but it seems they haven't taken any action."
Terence waved his hand dismissively, "Let him be. Since His Majesty hasn't stopped him, why should I interfere?"
In another corner of the garden, Huggins, leaning on his cane, stared at the couple before him and said solemnly, "His Majesty is magnanimous and has given you both a chance to redeem yourselves. I hope you will not repeat the mistakes you made before."
Mrs. Raglan nodded repeatedly, saying, "We both understand now that the reason we made those mistakes in the past was because of greed. From now on, we promise that we will never make such a mistake again!"
Mr. Raglan looked at Huggins and said sincerely, "Actually, the commission His Majesty promised us is enough to ensure we'll live comfortably for the rest of our lives. We don't need to take any risks at all, alas..."
Just as Huggins was about to say something more, a servant's shout came from afar.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Dressed in fine linen and purple satin, Todd walked out of the palace gates and, accompanied by his attendants, walked around the hall, exchanging a few pleasantries with everyone.
After exchanging greetings, Todd invited all the attendees to take their seats. Then, he asked Huggins beside him, "Is everyone here?"
The latter bowed and replied, "Brynhildr, the Grand Master of the North Island Knights, has returned to North Island to mediate the internal strife at the kingdom's request; Lord Rachel is out and has not returned. Apart from these two, everyone else is present."
Todd nodded, took his seat, and signaled that the meeting was officially beginning.
"Perhaps you are wondering why this meeting is being held here?" Todd, seated in the main seat, accepted a pomegranate juice from a maid and addressed everyone, "Because the matter to be discussed today concerns the future of the kingdom, so out of respect, I have chosen this venue."
The crowd below began to murmur, everyone speculating wildly about what the king had said that concerned the future of the kingdom.
Without any intention of beating around the bush, Todd stated directly, "I intend to establish a cabinet for the Kingdom of Muxi."
While the others were still confused by the unfamiliar terminology used by His Majesty, Emerson was the first to ask, "Your Majesty, what is the Cabinet?"
“The Cabinet is an institution composed of the heads of the various government departments of the Kingdom.” Todd tapped the armrest lightly with his fingers and looked around at all the officials. “In other words, the members of the Cabinet are all of you here.”
Emerson continued, "The kingdom already has a government council and a privy council. How is this cabinet different from them?"
Todd smiled and said, “That’s a good question. The Government Administration is the executive department of the Kingdom’s administration, the Privy Council is the advisory body that assists the King in handling affairs, and the Cabinet, in a sense, is the decision-making body for the Kingdom’s affairs.”
Terrence's beard trembled slightly as he heard a crucial word from Todd's mouth—decision.
Todd continued to explain: "The cabinet has a prime minister who presides over cabinet meetings, oversees all affairs of the kingdom, has the power to recommend cabinet members to the king and directly appoint or dismiss senior officials, and is responsible for formulating and implementing major domestic and foreign policies of the country."
Emerson's mouth dropped open in disbelief: "Overseeing all kingdom affairs? Appointing and dismissing high-ranking officials?! Your Majesty, this is..."
Todd raised his hand to interrupt him: "That's right, the cabinet has effectively acquired some of the king's power, but it has also avoided the mistakes that autocracy might cause."
After a pause, Todd continued, "Moreover, the power of the cabinet is not unlimited; its existence is constrained by the monarchy. The king still retains the following five powers: the power to appoint and dismiss the prime minister, the power to pardon any person's crimes, the power to declare war on foreign powers, the power to sign and amend laws, and the power to mobilize the kingdom's army and law enforcement agencies."
Cumberland listened and nodded, finally asking, "Your Majesty, how was the Prime Minister of this cabinet selected?"
Todd reviewed the situation in his mind and realized that the current situation in the Kingdom of Muxi was unique, and he couldn't simply apply his past experiences. So he devised a workaround: "The first prime minister will be appointed by me, with a two-year term. After two years, a vote will be held within the cabinet, and the person who receives more than half the votes will become the new prime minister. If no one receives more than half the votes, the prime minister will still be appointed by the king. No one can serve two consecutive terms as prime minister, and after their term ends, they cannot run for prime minister for a third term."
It sounded a bit complicated at first, but after thinking about it carefully, everyone could understand the rules.
Todd turned to Emerson: "Do you remember the first time we met?"
The latter nodded with deep emotion.
“There are no perfect souls below, and naturally, no perfect kings. Every decision made by the person with the highest power is tinged with personal subjective preferences and emotions. The impeccable, wise and sagacious arbiter can only exist in dramas, which is the original intention and reason for establishing a cabinet.” Todd stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the crowd: “I hope that everyone can stand together, pool your wisdom and abilities, and make the Kingdom of Muxi the most dazzling jewel in the world.”
Encouraged, the officials rose to their feet, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. Amid cheers and oaths, Todd approached the old man who had once been Earl of Silver Ring, grasped his hand, and said sincerely, "Now, I declare that the first Prime Minister will be Emerson, the Privy Councilor of the Kingdom."
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