The venue became extremely quiet, except for the whispers of the guests, only a few soft coughs could be heard.

The Duke of Valstad walked down the long red carpet, and the Prime Minister and a little boy followed her from a distance, and the Prime Minister handed the boy the tray in his hand, telling him to level it steadily, and a large hand caressing the boy's hair.

A local nobleman whispered to the foreign guests beside him: "Hey, look at that lord, that is the prime minister of the Duchy of Valstad, and also the president of the Free Trade Alliance." He was none other than the famous king of merchants, the Earl of Onassis Langford. ”

"That's the duke's husband? You don't look young...... It's a pity" The foreign guest's face was full of jealousy, and he swallowed as he looked at the duke's countenance.

"Their union is a model of political marriage, and the age gap is nothing compared to national events.

The old duke single-handedly facilitated the marriage of his daughter and the king of merchants, which made it easy for the principality to obtain a large territory in the southern part of the peninsula, and the country's economic strength almost tripled, laying a solid foundation for the unification of the peninsula today."

"Is that little boy the duke's eldest son, Prince Meyer?"

"It's not him, the two princes and a princess rarely show their heads, the boy is the adopted son of the duke, Baron Victor Strandhalt, I heard that he is a descendant of the nobility of the Starfall Islands, and holds the title of Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre."

"The tray was covered with a piece of red satin, and I don't know what was inside."

"I guess it's the crown, she's going to announce it today."

As she spoke, the Duke of Salantos had already reached her place, and she looked around and said in a loud voice:

"Distinguished guests, welcome to Jinhu Palace, all of you present are big people without exception, in order to save your precious time, I don't plan to go around in circles, let's put it bluntly, today's meeting is to announce good news.

In order to consolidate the results of the war for the reunification of the peninsula, to promote the unity of the Valstad nation against foreign enemies, and to rebuild the sense of honor of the nation, I have made a decision.

The Grand Duchy of Valstad was restructured into the Valstad Empire, and I myself will be honored with the title of Emperor, and the coronation ceremony will be held at the Grand Sanctuary of Franchil in the capital city of Midknight Fort on a later date. ”

The principality officers in the hall excitedly drew their swords and cheered hoarsely: "Long live the Emperor!" Long live the Emperor! The Guards salute with guns in their arms.

There were also many people who looked embarrassed in the warm atmosphere, these people were the magnates of the aristocratic allies, who had just been defeated by the principality not long ago, although they had long known the purpose of this meeting, but the situation on the scene was still beyond their expectations, and the duchess actually announced the news in the first sentence of the meeting.

Many of the people present were not convinced, but they only dared to curse secretly in their hearts (hum, this damn bastard daughter, show off in front of us, there will be times when you will be uncomfortable in the future!). ）

At this moment, one of the guests suddenly stood up and spoke: "Your Majesty, I have some questions. ”

It turned out to be a diplomat of the Sylvinian Empire, and his actions immediately made him the target of public criticism, instantly attracting countless pairs of hateful eyes.

"But it doesn't hurt to say it." The Duke smiled and sat down.

The diplomat said righteously: "The emperor is different from the king, the king only rules the country, and the emperor is the leader of a nation, and the emperor is an ancient and sacred title, which has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and has been lost for many years.

Although I am a foreigner, I have also studied a lot of the history of the ancient Valstad Empire, and the founding emperor of the empire, Salolivier I, left behind the electorate system, and at least four of the seven Valstad electors must agree in order to confirm the heir to the throne.

It is unreasonable and unjustifiable for you to claim to be the emperor in just such a sentence, and it is difficult for me as a diplomat to accept this statement, and my country will certainly not recognize your new title. ”

Listening to his speech, diplomats from other countries also nodded again and again, isn't it child's play to re-establish the emperor's throne? It is by no means decided by a single sentence, and if there is no recognition from various countries, even if the duke is crowned emperor privately, he is still a hypocrite with an unjustified name.

The people of the aristocratic allies were secretly ashamed, (I, as a Valstadian, didn't have the courage to give an opinion, but a foreigner dared to question it, I am really ashamed!) ）

Strangely, in the face of such fierce questioning, the Duchess of Valstad was so calm, and the Prime Minister next to her had the same expression as her, when in fact they were already confident and ready to face all doubts.

"Uncle Southgate, you answer his question." The Duke said softly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Earl of Southgate, the Foreign Secretary of the Duchy, stood up and said:

"This diplomat's fellow friend asked a good question, please rest assured, without adequate preparation, we will not rashly announce such a major decision, and it is not a day or two that His Majesty the Duke is preparing to be crowned emperor, and it will definitely be justified."

"Unless you can convince us, don't try to get the approval of our countries." The diplomat's face was fearless, ignoring the hateful gazes of those around him.

The diplomat's rhetoric was particularly fierce, which caused many of the principality's vassals in the hall to be quite dissatisfied, and the hawkish generals of the principality, led by General Neulai, gradually could not sit still, and he had the urge to cut off the head of this nasty ghost, and put his fingers on the hilt of his sword to open and close, and cursed in his heart: (Damn, dare to speak to our Majesty like this!) It's so tired! ）

"Rest assured, today I will give you a satisfactory answer," replied the Earl of Southgate without haste, "and now that the territory of the peninsula is completely unified under our rule, and our Duke Majesty is already the de facto ruler of the Valstad nation, under her rule, our treasury income is stable, and our army is victorious, and we are absolutely capable of assuming the position of emperor." ”

The diplomat questioned again: "Lord Southgate, your principality's behavior is aggression, and the noble allies are countries protected by treaties, their lands have been usurped, and the royal family and nobles are under house arrest. ”

With that, he glanced at the king of the aristocratic alliance, Victorio Emanuel, who was sitting in a remote corner, the king who had lost his country had a loveless expression and remained silent the whole time, and the generals and ministers around him were also pitiful and depressed, and the hardliners who dared to speak had already been invited out of the venue.