Chapter 43 Arrogance "Your Majesty, let me test you—"...
After Jiang Chuge asked, "Why didn't you bow to me?", Shi Wei turned on the recording.
To ensure the integrity of the recording, she even imitated the noble young master's contemptuous and casual tone, drawing out the last syllable and sighing arrogantly, repeating it once—
Why don't you bow to me?
Shi Wei's face was stern, like the headmaster of a prestigious high school: "Your Majesty, let me test you—what thoughts and feelings does this sentence express? What is the factual basis for his statement? What kind of historical context does it imply?"
"Pfft—ha!" Laughter could be faintly heard, but His Majesty neither laughed nor answered.
Seeing that His Majesty was uncooperative, Shi Wei had no choice but to answer herself: "It expresses the protagonist's contempt for commoners. His status as a high-ranking noble is an indisputable fact. As for the historical context—uh, Your Majesty, please don't look at me like that. I didn't mean to criticize you. In fact, this issue already existed during the time of Emperor Sklag..."
Shi Wei's voice grew softer and softer, while His Majesty's expression remained eerily calm.
Secretary Jiang, who was not far away, seemed to be doing well, still smiling with a hint of apology, as if he wanted to say something.
His Majesty finally spoke, his tone softening: "Anything else? There must be more than just these people who came to me specifically to complain?"
Defense Minister Aker, who had just laughed out loud, raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jiang Guyuan.
Shi Wei, full of energy and with rosy cheeks, said, "Your Majesty is truly wise and mighty! There's even more interesting stuff to come!"
She continued playing the recording.
Then came a long silence of twenty minutes.
His Majesty's expression grew increasingly gentle, while the handsome Shi Wei kept grinning foolishly.
She wondered if she was still drunk, because she kept hearing intermittent laughter coming from His Majesty's side.
Upon hearing the phrase "climbing the social ladder by relying on men," Jiang Guyuan took a deep breath. His foolish nephew had inherited the same ignorant and arrogant character as his father.
Some things are one thing if everyone knows them, but saying them aloud changes everything!
Those present clicked their tongues inwardly, and when they heard Omega's surprised remark, "Didn't you also rise to power by relying on men?", they couldn't help but smile knowingly—that's very true. Which of these people didn't rely on the glory of their fathers and mothers to take over the power from their hands and trample the common people under their feet?
Anthropologists have long since studied these things thoroughly: In Manla, what does it matter if someone is a genius? How can one person challenge the nobility—challenge the established rules of the great nobility and the imperial power?
Drink less chicken soup and eat more rice. Even Asta, whose strength is close to that of a god, only consolidated his rule by winning over some power and suppressing others.
Moreover, her success model is impossible for ordinary people to replicate. Whether it's becoming a god or creating a god, it's all about establishing oneself—if you can't enter the aristocratic class, then create a new one.
"...Relying on having a good uncle, I remember Secretary Jiang is a man, could he be a woman...?"
The girl's feigned surprise echoed throughout the room, even causing the virtual intelligence chief in the online meeting to chuckle.
Aker brazenly stared at Secretary Jiang's chest and lower body.
Although the differences between men and women are not significant in ABO societies, these traditional old nobles still retain their own sexual characteristics.
Secretary Jiang glared at Aker, considered his words carefully, and prepared to offer a brief explanation when he heard the Omega's excited voice: "And there's more! Your Majesty, please continue listening!"
No way, what else can this idiot nephew say?
So far, the content of the recordings has been relatively minor, and Jiang Guyuan is not worried.
It's just two young kids bickering; even if His Majesty were to stand up for his mistress, he would only scold her a few times.
What, you dare to do it but you can't let others talk about it?
Listening to the noise in the recording, Secretary Jiang even felt like changing her tea, until the Omega started mocking Chu Ge for not making any contributions, yet still being granted a title by His Majesty.
Ha, ignorant Omega. Even if his nephew is just an incompetent nobleman his whole life, he is still worthy of this title just because of the Jiang family.
Merit? Ha! How much has the Chiang family made for the empire generation after generation?
However, his face quickly turned green, because Shi Wei was mocking the marriage between Jiang Chuge and Miss Mo Lan:
"Ah! Such a rich woman! Jiang Chuge is so lucky!"
"Your Majesty, just how rich is Miss Moran? I heard she's the only direct descendant; does that mean all the family's money will go to her in the future?"
Upon receiving His Majesty's affirmative answer, Shi Wei gritted her teeth and said, "Wouldn't that be a bargain for Jiang Chuge? If it weren't for his good uncle, he would never have earned so much money in his entire life! Why didn't the rich woman set her sights on... cough cough!"
Shi Wei guiltily avoided His Majesty's gaze. She was so jealous—why did some arrogant and rude noblemen get married to rich women without doing anything? Although she had managed to woo His Majesty, she only got this fate because she had escaped death from the Security Bureau.
How awful! She's so jealous!
The virtual spy chief's gaze fell on Jiang Guyuan, and he mimicked the girl's tone: "Why isn't that rich woman interested in me... If I had that much money, I wouldn't have to risk my life in all this wind and rain, sigh—"
Secretary Jiang retorted sarcastically, "Then shall I introduce Miss Moran to you?"
Lu Qi smiled and said, "That wouldn't be good. They're so rich, they wouldn't even look at me."
Secretary Jiang sneered, "What, you know she wouldn't like you? A beautiful flower for an old man, Lu Qi, you—"
His voice trailed off abruptly. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he looked at the spy chief's sinister smile and felt like cursing.
But an even colder gaze fell upon him.
The fearless Defense Minister Aker chuckled and said, "Secretary Jiang, you just said flowers go with what? Well, when I got married, my father-in-law said that older women are better because they'll be more caring... and sure enough, he took a liking to me at first sight."
Secretary Jiang spent five whole years persuading his father-in-law before finally succeeding, but in the end, it was his mother-in-law who got fed up and approved the marriage.
Secretary Jiang ignored his smugness, her eyes filled with sincerity, and said to His Majesty, "Actually..."
His Majesty ignored him and looked away.
This person is genuinely angry.
Hmm, this is a bit tricky.
He spoke too quickly and forgot that there was a real "flower paired with an old man" here—this kind of thing is quite common among nobles, you know. His grandmother married a boy who was not yet an adult when she was 150 years old.
He really wasn't mocking His Majesty.
Aker winked at Luzi: the old man's heart was broken.
Lu Qi smiled slightly.
Shi Wei noticed that His Majesty's mood was getting worse, so she had the paused recording resume playing.
"Of course I don't need an Omega... and I certainly don't need to rely on Your Majesty!"
The boy's spirited roar pierced through the signal.
It was a resounding statement.
Shi Wei clapped her hands, which overlapped with the recording.
"...As long as I can rise to power without relying on Omega or His Majesty, you can scold me however you want in the future."
The recording was turned off, so there's no need to release Jiang Chuge's subsequent attempts to justify himself.
Shi Wei looked at the Emperor's somewhat sour face and burst into laughter: "Your Majesty! Did you hear me—"
"He said he doesn't need to rely on you! He doesn't need you!" The girl, her hair disheveled, exclaimed excitedly as she sat on the bed. "As the most loyal descendant of the empire's nobles and the successor to Your Majesty's trusted minister, Jiang Chuge has made it clear that he doesn't need to rely on you! Then who does he rely on? The Alliance President Varda Cage? The mercenary commander?"
Secretary Jiang: "..."
Seemingly feeling that such an explanation was too much of a mudslinging tactic, Shi coughed slightly: "Of course, this is only the worst-case scenario. After all, the Jiang family is deeply rooted in Manla and shouldn't be considered a traitor. But to express such direct dissatisfaction with you..."
The lingering alcohol clouded Omega's mind, and Shi Wei's eyes lit up: "I know! He wants to usurp the throne!"
His Majesty:"……"
The phrase "not relying on those in power" is, in the context of a free and democratic alliance, an absolutely correct political slogan.
However, in Manla, an ancient monarchy, this would be considered a defiance of royal authority and an overthrow of it.
What subject would dare say they do not rely on His Majesty?
Even though it was just a remark made in anger, it can still be used to make a big deal out of it.
It all depends on whether someone wants to write this article.
Secretary Jiang was extremely grateful that she was present today; otherwise, if this Omega had been allowed to spout nonsense and rumors had spread, the Jiang family would have been finished.
His Majesty is not someone who needs to be relied upon.
Shi Wei had already sensed that there were other people on Sklag II's side, and received a message from Lu Qi on the communicator:
"That's enough, Jiang Guyuan is here."
She began to embellish and fabricate a story: "...Then His Highness Cyril appeared and told me not to tell you, but I felt I shouldn't hide everything from Your Majesty—"
His Majesty's inner thoughts: Really? So, do you actually like that orc or not?
"...His Highness also said he would tell Secretary Jiang, Your Majesty, could you please ask him if he has properly disciplined his nephew who spoke so arrogantly to you? Doesn't he need Your Majesty's help? His title was bestowed by Your Majesty—" Shi smiled uncontrollably, her arrogance bordering on the absurd: "The future of the Jiang family is already set in stone!"
Secretary Jiang's face darkened completely.
Although his words later proved prophetic, at this moment all he wanted to do was tear this Omega apart.
But right now there are more important people to explain to.
His Majesty didn't say anything, but just looked at Shi Wei with tenderness as she hugged the blanket and laughed heartily on the bed. Everyone in the room listened to her laugh for more than ten minutes before His Majesty finally said, "Alright, I know. Where are the blueprints I asked you to make last time?"
"Blueprints? What blueprints?" Shi Wei rubbed her face, which was contorted with laughter, not knowing what he was talking about.
His Majesty stared at her with an unfriendly gaze.
"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" She remembered, that lousy pillow. She wanted to shamelessly say she'd forgotten, but since there were strangers in front of her, she could only say perfunctorily, "I'm drawing it, I'm drawing it, I'll give it to you tomorrow!"
Before King Sklag II could say anything, he saw her cover her head with the blanket, and a muffled voice came out: "My head hurts so much, I feel so dizzy!"
His Majesty reluctantly ended the communication.
Once the gentleness fades, His Majesty is once again the cold and ruthless ruler.
Jiang Guyuan stared at the emperor he had known for decades. His gaze was undeniably loyal and unwavering, but the emperor did not trust him—he preferred to believe the sinister Lu Qi.
The position of First Secretary should have been his a long, long time ago, but His Majesty preferred to choose a commoner Beta with no background, to choose that naive Decali, rather than him.
Was he not loyal enough? No, the Chiang family sacrificed so much for His Majesty, including himself, who was also capable of sacrificing for His Majesty.
Some things don't need to be expressed in words. In the exchange of glances, Jiang Guyuan understood that His Majesty did not intend to pursue the matter today.
He was the first to admit his mistake: "It was my fault for not disciplining him properly. Although Chu Ge is not my biological son, I raised him myself. No matter how Your Majesty deals with him, it is justified. However, he has no disloyalty to Your Majesty."
Sklag II was also aware of this; no matter how foolish the Chiang family was, they wouldn't dare to disobey him.
During his decades in power, he may not have done everything perfectly, but when it came to dealing with those who disobeyed him, both domestically and internationally, he was on par with the great Emperor Sklag.
His Majesty nodded, accepting this offer of leniency. He suddenly smiled slightly: "Don't take what Shi Wei said to heart. I still have high hopes for the future of the Jiang family—"
Just as Secretary Jiang was about to say it was nothing, he heard His Majesty continue, "She's young and doesn't understand things, don't take it to heart."
Lu Qi laughed out loud, but he had already turned off his microphone, so no one heard him. From his angle, he could clearly see Jiang Guyuan's lips twitch.
See, no matter who it is, they can't stand hearing the words "young and ignorant".
His Majesty casually delivered the final verdict: "However, it is indeed unacceptable to speak carelessly. Here's what we'll do: demote him to Earl, the same rank as Similan."
"Is he and Miss Moran from the Tira family engaged? Let's announce it next month."
Secretary Jiang's breath hitched for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "Your Majesty is merciful."
It seems he took that little Omega's words to heart, so is he giving him a warning?
However, His Majesty has shown leniency; if things are dealt with now, the marriage alliance is indeed doomed.
Chu Ge is indeed outrageous. At his age, he hasn't accomplished anything yet, and it's normal for him to be criticized for having such a high rank.
The descendants of the Manla royal family are not given high titles before the age of eighty. By the time they reach eighty, the position of crown prince is basically settled. This is to prevent the princes and princesses from having too much power. Therefore, Similan's title is not high.
This resulted in him not having much money to build up his armed forces, and thus not being able to gain a significant position in the military.
Unlike Cyril, he didn't have several wealthy nobles supporting him. Although Luci was quite supportive of him, the Security Bureau was also a major drain on military spending.
"Then why don't you go and flirt with that Miss Moran?" Shi Wei asked while video chatting with him, drawing blueprints.
“I need to rely on an Omega?” Similan was genuinely disdainful. He said on the starship, “You are right about one thing: everyone depends on Father’s attitude. As long as Father is willing, you can sit in that position, and I can sit in the position I want.”
"Don't talk nonsense. I don't want you to usurp the throne. Don't drag me into this."
Similan raised an eyebrow and activated autopilot: "Didn't you already decide to stand on my side?"
Another stroke went wrong, and Shi Wei, slightly annoyed, deleted the entire layer, saying, "I will always stand by His Majesty's side!"
Why is this drawing so difficult? Why can't she even draw straight lines?
Similan felt like he had been tricked and fooled. He questioned, "You're not trying to set me up, are you? I've already arranged for people to be there. It'll be on the news next month... If Jiang Guyuan tries to get me then, I'll be in trouble."
"What are you afraid of!" Shi Wei tried to copy and paste directly, but it felt like the head and feet didn't match up, so she said perfunctorily, "This is a good opportunity. If we miss it, who knows when the next one will come."
Similan was skeptical. He glanced at her desk and asked, "What are you drawing, a dog?"
Shi Wei's hand, which was drawing the blueprints, froze. She glared at the blond youth: "What kind of look is that?"
"Then what is this?" The second prince tried hard to identify it, but still couldn't make out a human shape.
"Don't you think it looks a lot like His Majesty?" Shi Wei said irritably.
Similan paused, looked at it for a long time, and then asked cautiously, "Are you going to give it to my father?"
"Yes, so what!" Shi Wei's gaze was sharp as a knife, her tone carrying a hidden threat.
Similan looked at the unidentified creature on the drawing, then at her expression, her lips twitching, but she still couldn't help but laugh.
Qi Wei immediately shut down the communication.
The blueprints were actually only the size of a palm, and were far from the first 1:1 replica. The references her attendant provided were too complicated; even the drafts were beyond her ability to copy. So she kept reducing and simplifying them.
It eventually turned into this palm-sized, mini, adorable Q-version "Your Majesty".
The original drawing was indeed very cute; professionals really do make a difference. However, when Shiwei tried to draw it, the style went astray.
She stared at the crooked, large-headed, small-body drawing on her screen, which seemed to have one arm longer than the other, and decided against sending it to His Majesty.
He'll just wait and see the finished product; knowing too early won't bring any surprises.
So she cut the fabric according to the pattern, rolled up her sleeves and worked hard, spending a whole day to finally make the finished product.
A chibi-style "Your Majesty" doll.
It looks a bit ugly.
She stared blankly at the finished product amidst the mess, trying to make it sit up, but she didn't know what was wrong—it simply wouldn't sit up; it would fall over as soon as she put it down.
She checked the time; there were only a few hours left before the trip started.
Should we take this ugly thing with us and modify it as we play with it?
Shi Wei stared at the doll for a while, then immediately gave up on taking it with her; it was quite scary to have this thing on the table in the middle of the night.
Wait a minute, she clearly followed the blueprint, so why is the finished product even uglier?
This is even bigger than the difference between online dating and meeting in real life.
How should I explain this to His Majesty?
Forget about her, her skills are limited. Let's think about tomorrow's travel plans instead.
Shi Wei found a pretty box, stuffed the ugly doll inside, and tied a cute bow on it—perfect.
The trip to Qiming City was very enjoyable. Because of the previous kidnapping, she now had a complete guard team. Although it was a bit inconvenient, it was necessary for safety.
Shi Wei returned the day before His Majesty's return, but who knew that Sklag II would return home a day earlier, and coincidentally, the two arrived at the same time.
Seeing the familiar "Air Force One", Shi Wei had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to greet it.
His Majesty had already received the news and waited for her for a while. When he saw her slowly approaching, he disregarded the stares of so many people present, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her cheek: "I missed you so much."
Shi Wei's face quickly turned red. Oh, was he being coquettish? That's so unfair... So many people are watching.
Her Majesty has a very thick skin; she learned that firsthand. Even if she were to do something that many people saw, she would probably do it first and then talk about it later.
That's really scary.
Her cheek was pinched; she'd been caught daydreaming. Oh no.
"Don't you need to say anything?" His Majesty's tone sounded ominous.
"Ahhh, I miss you so much too!" Shi Wei said hurriedly.
Actually, she was having a lot of fun and didn't remember anything about it.
I don't know if His Majesty has read the letter. He hugged her for a while, snorted, and left.
Aker even came over to greet her. This burly Alpha, nearly two meters tall, stared at her with interest and said, "Want to grab a couple of drinks sometime?"
An invitation from the Minister of Defense?
Shi Wei, who has a very low alcohol tolerance, declined: "Oh? I'm sorry, I don't drink. How about I treat you to dinner sometime?"
“Sure.” Aker seemed completely unpretentious and readily agreed.
Oh? Such a cheerful personality?
He's nothing like the violent, tough guy who's rumored to blow up a planet at the drop of a hat.
Secretary Jiang had already cleverly avoided her. It took Shi Wei a while to find him chatting with someone she didn't know. Noticing her gaze, he smiled at her instead.
Shi Wei returned his smile with an innocent, shy one.
Jiang Guyuan couldn't help but gasp as he watched.
The next morning, Shi Wei, still sleepy, slept soundly while hugging her blanket. The man beside her opened the gift box next to her pillow, stared at the ugly doll for a few minutes, and then shook her awake.
Shi Wei opened her eyes groggily, and a doll with a curved mouth and a distorted face rushed towards her, startling her. She thought she had seen a ghost.
"Oh my god! You scared me to death... Um, what happened?" Her expression looked innocent, but she moved her body to the side, trying to get away from the doll.
"You spent half a month making this?" King Sklag II looked at the unidentified creature in his hand, his tone inscrutable.
Shi Wei: "Um... although it's not perfect, it really was made by my own hands."
Her Majesty pulled the long dog-shaped pillow out of the blanket, put the two items, both made by her, together, and scolded, "Uglier?"
Looking at the stark contrast between the two, Shi Wei found it hard to lie and say the exact same thing.
She was just going through the motions, but doing it by hand and doing it with someone else's pre-made kits are on completely different levels of difficulty.
"I really tried my best." Shi Wei tried to make herself seem sincere.
But ugly dolls aren't very convincing.
His Majesty disdainfully tossed the doll into her arms and said, "Make it again."
Shi Wei just wanted to die, so she hugged the blanket, lay down, and fell fast asleep.
Sleep, sleep, you can have anything in your dreams.
She woke up around noon, and the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was that ugly doll lying next to her face, which startled her again—it seemed that some man had deliberately placed it there while she was asleep out of revenge.
How childish! Shi Wei tossed the doll aside, then picked it up again after a moment's thought—"I'll give it to Leo; His Majesty doesn't want it anyway."
She almost twisted her waist when she got out of bed. She sighed, clutching her back. "Your Majesty, can you please be a little more restrained? Although your technique is excellent, isn't your stamina a bit too good?"
This is a bit of a problem.
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Author's Note: Here's an update! If all goes well, I should be able to finish moving this week and then resume daily updates... I hope everything goes smoothly!
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