Chapter 95 The Broken Pearl Carved Those Golden-Red Eyes No Longer Felt Anything...
Even though many people ridiculed it as "mud is not as good as a boulder," Enlin's new palace was still magnificent.
Geometric glass, smooth paint, and glossy tiles combine to create a harmonious wall surface, while woven and embroidered carpets conceal minor imperfections, making the audience hall appear even brighter and warmer.
This place is usually used to host renowned scholars, but today, distinguished guests from the capital have also gathered here, patiently awaiting the arrival of Her Highness the Princess.
As footsteps sounded, they simultaneously turned their bodies and bent over, placing their hands on their chests, as if they had rehearsed countless times.
"Your Highness, I wish you well."
After bowing for a few seconds, he smiled at King Hetuya beside the princess as if he had just noticed her: "Your Majesty King Hetuya, have a good time."
"Please be seated, my esteemed subjects. Speak frankly about what you have to say."
Princess sat expressionlessly in the middle, while Alisa was a beat slower to sit on the right. They didn't dwell on the group's deliberate actions; they were certain they came with ill intentions.
After they sat down, the nobles from Norlana took their seats as well.
Three—or four family representatives sitting at the front if Manju hadn't exerted pressure.
In theory, everyone could speak freely, but among the nobles present, only they had the right and the courage to challenge Eleanor.
Eleanor's eyes were like those of a hawk, and the nobles bowed their heads humbly.
She turned her attention to the only "old acquaintance": Manhani, the acting head of the Kuroya family who had married into the family—and also Manhani, the former secretary of the King of Norlana.
This man, who became the vizier of Norlana in his first life, did not climb the ranks of power in this life.
On the contrary, she had resigned from her official post and gone into business several years ago, and through several power struggles, she successfully took control of the Kuroya family by seizing a large amount of money and marrying into the family.
That's... a remarkable change.
Perhaps they noticed Eleanor's gaze, or perhaps they were already prepared to take the lead.
Manhani bowed again, then stood up and said respectfully, "Your Highness, on behalf of Lulin City and the Kuroya Merchant Guild, I implore you to reduce taxes for this year and next spring."
She presented a series of reasons in a very organized manner.
For example, this year's crop yields have decreased, the Chamber of Commerce has suffered investment losses, and the city-state's output and specialty product sales have been affected by the situation... and so on.
The servants presented the relevant accounts, and I'm sure the data in them is meticulously prepared.
Eleanor almost laughed in exasperation: "Very well, this test is excellent. Pointing at the rising Norlanda and shouting 'I lost money! I lost money!' Are you kidding me?"
Of course, she could yell and drag this person away, and use torture and intelligence gathering to thoroughly investigate the matter.
But this was useless; it was merely a “relatively polite negotiation.”
Money... If money can buy their genuine support, this sacrifice is nothing.
If Andra were here—
The phantom of her past life flashed through her mind, and she seemed to hear the young man's hearty laughter.
"They really said such stupid things? Hahaha—I'll handle it."
A dangerous thought flashed through her mind, but Eleanor suppressed her anger and said in a low voice, "Taxation matters should be considered carefully, but I have indeed decided to reduce the agricultural tax this year."
“Your Highness, it’s not just the agricultural tax… Yes, I have no problem with that.” Manhani glanced at Eleanor’s eyes, then fell silent and sat down respectfully.
As soon as Manhani sat down, Flora, the representative of the Leila family, stood up.
She was the daughter of the current head of the family, at the prime of her youth. The young woman raised her voice and declared, "Your Highness Eleanor, I request that you grant me more funds to build a sturdy fortified walled city, making the borders even more secure!"
Eleanor's heart is filled with sorrow:
Don't these people realize that even with new building materials, constructing a spectacle like the Great Wall would be far too wasteful?
This huge sum of money will not only drain her private coffers used to manage cash flow, but it will also cause widespread resentment among the people: even if everyone knows that the roads, schools, and hospitals were built for the good of everyone, the extra labor is a sin.
"...Let's give the people a rest first. Besides, Hertuya and our country are allies now, so there's no need to be so tense." Eleanor shook her head and rejected her suggestion.
Uneasy... She was very uneasy about the content and pace of the negotiations.
This group did it on purpose; what are they setting up?
Eleanor couldn't help but glance at Alisa beside her out of the corner of her eye.
"?" Alisa yawned and blinked innocently. Seeing her wife's expression, she jerked her arm and managed to sit up straight.
Nonsense! How can someone like that be king?
Eleanor clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost pierced her palms.
If... no, it has nothing to do with Andra! It has nothing to do with... with the dead.
"Who made you so angry? You don't even want to eat berries anymore."
The youth's silhouette overshadowed Alisa's, gently brushing against Eleanor's bangs. ["Alright, they're pretty smart. Let me see if their necks are harder than swords? Don't get angry, it'll hurt your health."]
She tried to relax her muscles, ignore the memories swirling in her mind, and refocus her attention on the present moment.
Surprisingly, Flora didn't question her words at all, but readily nodded and sat down.
Eleanor's heart tightened instantly.
The last person scheduled to speak—Sinoca, the head of the Sinoca family—stood up shakily.
Every head of their family has been named Shinok.
This noblewoman looked very old, partly due to injuries she had sustained in her early years and the depletion of her vital energy, but also because her lifespan was nearing its end.
Was the Shinokah family's decision to summon the dying patriarch for questioning truly an expression of respect for her?
"Your Highness..."
The old man said in a very gentle and loving voice, "We have seen how hard you have been working lately. We have selected a new batch of talented people from various families, hoping that they can do their best to serve you and work together to create the peaceful and happy country that you love."
After she finished speaking, everyone in the back row stood up.
The noble bloodline members are all young, and their eyes burn with fierce ambition.
Eleanor's pupils contracted as she looked at the names, which were all in blue and purple.
【not good】
What circumstances could possibly unite these families? How could they possibly set aside their past hatred and competitiveness to fairly select the most talented person from among everyone to "work for her"?
The old man beneath the throne was exceptionally humble, while Eleanor on the throne felt as if she were being roasted by fire.
She is desperately short-staffed.
Many of the scholars who were summoned were more concerned with their personal interests and research, while those who were truly willing to serve the common people often came from the common people's class.
Her basic schools had only been open for a few years, let alone establishing an imperial examination system, she didn't even have many capable grassroots talents.
The old man approached her step by step, his gaze filled with surprise and uncertainty. Although there was still some distance between their noses, it felt as if they were touching.
“Your Highness, what is there to hesitate about? If you give us just a little more trust, we are willing to become your most loyal supporters.”
The words sounded beautiful, but Eleanor trembled from the bottom of her heart.
Her schemes, as expected, could not escape the notice of these true power-hungry creatures.
She thought she could skip the long process and directly introduce the concept of entering officialdom through the imperial examination system, but these nobles—these people born into nobility—would never leave her any room for maneuver.
Eleanor's voice trembled slightly as she said, "You... my students are just doing the most basic work... they're just doing manual labor, they'll never interfere with us."
"Oh, of course we know."
The old woman's voice was tinged with sorrow as she whispered, "It's just that some accidents happened, it's such a pity."
Some houses collapsed by accident, some fairly intelligent people fell off cliffs, and some people were hit by carriages... These accidents are all very unexpected, aren't they?
Isn't that right, my noble princess?
The old man chuckled softly.
She knew that those in the Marigold Merchant Guild who supported Her Highness would soon submit a series of incident reports, all of which would point to her.
What will Her Highness do?
Completely embrace them, replace all the loose screws with perfectly fitting golden gears, establish a closer relationship with them, and sever the tightrope that the commoners are climbing.
Or will they become protectors of justice, reaching into a hot pot to salvage a extinguished flame, doing something even more irrational and self-destructive?
"You—" One after another, the pristine white paper rolls fell to the ground, scattering a glimpse of blood.
......
Eliza picked up the scattered report and dusted it off.
She curled up in the cabin next to the captain's room, stroking her left shoulder with her right hand—the bones there had just healed and throbbed in waves in the humid air.
Ouch, that hurts. Is Andra mentally ill?
She simply couldn't help but advise her to do her research before committing murder next time, and to refrain from hitting someone on any grounds!
Even though I've been brought back now, I still feel powerless, which is causing me to miss work.
"A volatile maniac," Princess Belle muttered to herself.
When she first "married" Andra, she still harbored a little bit of fantasy, completely deceived by the romantic legend created by Prince Eleanor—that guy wasn't the naive version of Yang at all, but a war god a thousand times more violent, with an incredibly wicked personality!!
哢哒.
As soon as the door opened, Eliza immediately pretended to be reading the report carefully.
Anyway, they have too few people, and they can never finish reading all these reports and ledgers.
Andra is adept at expanding territory. They married two years ago, and Andra, raising the Belai flag, conquered the surrounding islands, expanding Belai's sea area by a whole circle.
If she had conquered a city on land instead of an island, Eliza would rather hang herself from a rope than work overtime.
That guy has zero tolerance for betrayal and perfunctory behavior and is extremely suspicious. The talent you manage to "win over" might be disposed of by her without any reason a month later.
Unless "stepping into the cabin with your left foot" is a valid reason... anyway, making someone work overtime in this situation? What a load of rubbish!
Da da da.
Andra's footsteps were faster than usual. She excitedly threw back the covers and opened her arms, as if she wanted to pick up the person on the bed and spin them around.
But when Eliza looked up, the pirate king immediately frowned, withdrew his hand without thinking, and plopped down on the edge of the bed.
"Good news!"
Andra couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Eliza was stunned. Apart from the day they first met, this was the first time she had seen Andra with such a genuine, untroubled smile.
She relaxed her shoulders slightly and asked, "What happened?"
Andra laughed for a long time before stopping, his golden-red eyes sparkling with inexplicable emotions.
“It’s finally time, Eleanor… Her air crown is teetering. Just one finger’s breadth away from it…”
She childlike mimicked the action of poking bubbles in the air, and softly said in an aria-like tone, "She is finally—finally going to fall."
Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. Although she felt a pang of bitterness, she thought that if this person could get entangled with Princess Eleanor again, perhaps she and the others would be safer.
She gently echoed, "That's wonderful, Captain. Do you intend to form an alliance with the Norlana through mercenaries, or would you like to return to Hetuya to borrow troops first?"
"Borrowing troops?"
Andra looked at her with a puzzled expression, then leaned back lazily against the cushion with one hand on her hip.
“That would be too slow and not grand enough. Eleanor is, after all, the uncrowned queen of Norlana, so of course I should return the favor in kind.”
"Equal status?" Eliza's right hand suddenly trembled uncontrollably, and the report fluttered to the ground.
She quickly crawled across the bed and grabbed Andra's belt.
The girl's voice was completely distorted by fear.
"You—I beg you! You can't drag Baley into this war! It's too fragile, and my sister isn't suited for this kind of thing either! Even if...even if you take it, the people of Baley won't support you, and we'll have so much trouble!!"
Andra gave her a strange look, grabbed her wrists with both hands, and then—without hesitation, twisted them open.
What are you talking about?
They were laughing just a moment ago, and the smile on their lips hadn't even faded.
But at this moment, there was no emotion left in those golden-red eyes, only pure indifference.
She kicked away the princess who was rushing towards her with a wailing cry, and said in surprise, "Hearing such good news, of course I went to execute that idiot Belle first, otherwise how could I properly participate in the war?"
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The author says: Andra doesn't really care about the others.
In her first life, when she was by Eleanor's side, she would try to understand Eleanor's feelings and, within the limits of what Eleanor was willing to do, try her best to become someone Eleanor liked.
The third Andra would not do that; she had lost the ability to love others and didn't really want to retain it.
Nobles and followers: Blah blah blah blah
Eleanor: Internal strife. I really want to do better and make everyone happy. Even knowing it's impossible, I still want to keep trying.
Andra: What are you saying, blah blah blah? If you can't do what I want, you'll have to come back with your head.
Therefore, Andra's killing of the (former) Baelai king and her seizure of the throne was not an unwise move for her personally. She didn't consider whether the people would rebel afterward, the loyalty of the army, or the stances of the various families... She didn't care about the lives of the Baelai; she simply intuitively found Eleanor's most vulnerable moment and prepared to send troops, nothing more.
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