Section 198 is hidden

"So...... What should I do?" the little girl asked after a moment's thought.

"There are easy ways. Rhodia replied, "It's up to you to do it." ”

"What's the solution?"

"Oh, wait until public opinion starts to get started. As soon as Ashorufat returns, you will charge him with a crime of 'being a bully', put him in prison, and strip him of the title of count...... In short, a verdict that seems harsh, but in fact is insignificant, and can be repeated at any time. Rhodia said. "Then, no matter what public opinion is, you can't be blackmailed. Because at this time, public opinion will at best think that the punishment is too light, and it will never rise to the level of questioning your ruling authority and ability. ”

"Abandoned son?"

"As long as you maintain the authority of the Queen, it is only a matter of time. Rhodia shrugged. "Because no matter how big or small, no matter how hard the people behind the scenes try to promote, a simple thing cannot arouse the long-term interest of the public, and it will be dull after a long time. Then you can...... Find an excuse or something, re-enable. As a queen, there are always opportunities like this. If nothing else, there is a war going on right in front of us. ”

"Why am I going to do this?" the little girl was not very happy when she heard that she was going to arrest and put him in prison. "Is there any other way?"

"This method is a 'symptomatic', and of course there are complex, 'root cause' methods. Rhodia said. "Find the person who printed the poster. ”

Although she spoke in a relaxed tone, the little girl could understand that it was very difficult to do. Otherwise, how could Rhodia say that?

"Can I ignore this?" the little girl asked, after a moment's thought. "As a queen, can you not care about public opinion?"

"Oh, of course, as long as you're prepared to take the consequences!"

"What kind of consequences?"

"The worst possible is to lose your throne. Rhodia smiled softly.

"No, it won't. The little girl was taken aback.

"Don't ignore the power of public opinion. It can be the cornerstone of kingship, or it can be the great wave that overthrows the throne. ”

"But Byron ...... at the beginning"

Byron also cares about public opinion. If he didn't care, how could he be patient, and every time the dissent against him reached a certain peak, he would wisely choose to compromise. Let's not talk about Byron, let's talk about something that really happened...... It should be said that it is not completely over yet. There is a queen named Irina in the region of Stygia...... She is a bit like you, because her brother who originally had the right to inherit was killed in battle, and she was put on the throne and crowned king. ”

The region of Stygia is really quite far away in the minds of the Gruni people. Although the western part of the Kingdom of Gruni also borders the Stygia region, in this regard, the entire Central Seven Kingdoms share the same general prejudices based on geography. That is, the Stygian region is a faraway place - although the mercenaries of the Stygian region are well-known. This bias comes from geographical closure. The Stygia region is a natural basin, and several countries in it can be said to be kings behind closed doors, and it is difficult for the external forces to interfere with it, and it is difficult for the forces inside to spread their influence. In short, this is a region that is very different from the Central Seven in all respects.

"As you may know, a major war broke out in this place just over a decade ago, fought by Paro on one side and San Jean and Casillos on the other. The reason why one side is two countries is because the royal families of these two countries have become one family through marriage. It's a much more reliable relationship than an alliance or something. The queen I'm talking about, Queen Irina, is the royal family of these two countries, and in blood, she has an unquestionable inheritance, and it is the kind of inheritance that has no competitors. As I said, her brothers and sisters have all died in battle. ”

The little girl didn't speak, but she was a little gloomy. In fact, when she became queen (that is, when her father and brother died in battle), she was only five or six years old, and she belonged to the kind of child who really didn't know anything. So now, the little girl only has a very thin impression of her relatives. When mentioning what happened to Queen Irina, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness about the death of a rabbit and a fox. In the eyes of some, the throne is so splendid that it is worth everything in exchange. But in the little girl's heart, she is not obsessed with the throne itself.

“...... It all started with the war between the queen and Paro. In that war, the queen was in extreme danger for a time, being pursued by the enemy and unable to escape. At the critical moment, a veteran soldier – an ordinary soldier – volunteered to stay behind. This task will be lifeless. Your Majesty, you now know how to be a king, so you can understand that in that case you must reward the warrior who sacrificed his life to protect the Lord. If you were replaced, if I were replaced, they would do it – in fact, anyone would have to do it. So the queen herself promised to canonize the veteran as a knight. This is not a stingy reward. You may have heard that the region of Stygia attaches great importance to blood and honor, and there is no tradition of canonizing nobility as much as our country wants. Their nobles all owned actual territories. So between ordinary people and nobles, it is almost a world apart. Only in this case can the warrior who undertakes the task of death receive such a reward. ”

"This ...... I think I've heard of ...... little girl, "Where did she hear about it?" but it was clear that she hadn't put much effort into memorizing the story, so she wasn't impressed.

“...... But then, the queen actually forgot about it. At the end of the war, several years after the queen ascended the throne, one of the veteran's sons approached the door and demanded a reward. Unfortunately, the queen didn't know what her motives were...... Denied it. Defrauding a monarch is a grave sin in any country, let alone a mere commoner. So the veteran's son was executed. ”

"Ah, I remember, and then the veteran's other son...... Well, it seems to have received religious help, what is the name of the magic stick over there?Grail Knight?or the prophetess?...... In short, he proved that his father died in battle for the Queen, and the Queen not only refused to honor the promise of a reward, but also unjustly killed his brother!"

While thinking about this, the little girl also remembered who told her. He is a priest of the church. What was it for? As if to imply that the role of her church should not be underestimated. It's a pity that at that time, the little girl's mind was full of hurrying up to deal with the other party and going to see Ashrufat, where was she in the mood to think.

"Then I don't need to say anything about it. What happened to the queen...... I think we all know that. I recently heard that Queen Irina had abdicated the throne and married a prominent nobleman in the country, and had managed to avoid the disintegration of the country. It is said everywhere that the new king wants to win people's hearts, and I am afraid that it will not be achieved overnight. It is likely that before he succeeds, the two countries may lose the opportunity to unite under one crown, re-split, and eventually adopt different kings. Either way, Queen Irina lost her throne involuntarily...... There can be no doubt about that. Suddenly, Rhodia let out a burst of inexplicable laughter. "A throne is overturned, though the worst result is not too humiliating and too bad...... But this incident shows the strength of public opinion. At least...... Most of them are the power of public opinion. ”

"So sometimes," Rhodia continued, after a short pause. "The throne is not as strong as it seems. It's the same as a person, no matter how healthy and energetic a person is, if he gets hit hard in a fatal position...... Tell me, how wrong that queen was?"

"I don't know much...... But what should the queen deny for nothing?" replied the little girl earnestly. "It's just a knight's reward...... Is it necessary to be so stingy?"

"Maybe it's because I like to pretend to be wrong, and I feel a little ashamed to admit that I forgot such a big thing. Rhodia replied. "I can't think of any other reason. In all these rumors, it seems that the queen has always wanted to be a perfect monarch, so she doesn't want to make any mistakes. ”

"How can a man not make mistakes? Not to mention the king, even the archbishop, who was immortalized by the grace of God, did not suffer defeat and was slashed by the greenskin. "The little girl feels a little incredible.

"Yes, people make mistakes, they make mistakes. Rhodia couldn't agree more. "Especially the little things. So since you can't prevent mistakes, the other way is to cover up any mistakes...... Okay, it sounds stupid, but there are such stupid people, and I've seen them myself. In fact, in essence, politics needs to perform, but not everyone understands the true meaning of acting, so they will make all kinds of mistakes. But let's not talk about this, if you change places with that queen, then what will you do? If you allow this extremely unfavorable public opinion to spread freely, then the collapse of the throne will only be instantaneous. ”

Rhodia's fingers lightly touched the little girl's forehead. "Don't underestimate the power of public opinion!"

"Anyway, this has to be solved, right?"

"That's right. Rhodia replied. "Still, that guy from Ashrufat...... It's really too pampered for you. ”

Her words may be intentional or unintentional, but it made the little girl's face redden.

"Now in any case, the initiative is in your hands. Even if the worst happens, there will be plenty of time and means to deal with it, much better than the hapless queen of Saint-Jean. Rhodia replied. "Personally, I suggest that you prepare to move with both hands, preferably to find the force behind Eagle City. ”

"Who is it? who can benefit from this?" the little girl was still puzzled.

"I don't know, but I'm sure there are no such people in your court. Rhodia smiled. "It's not that they're loyal and capable of you, it's that none of them can escape my eyes and ears and do this kind of thing in Eagle City. ”

"Who could that be?"

"It's just the church, or whatever...... A mysterious force that lurks deep. ”

"It won't be the church, the church has been trying to apologize to me lately. Hmph, they're looking forward to my understanding now!"

"Don't underestimate those gods. They are not fools, but even if they are fools, they also know the principle of doing things with a stick in one hand and a radish in the other, pulling and beating. If this is just a warning, a signal to us, then they have the motivation and the strength. But if it's not a warning, it's dangerous......"

"What do you mean by 'mystical power'?"

"Literally, of course. Something that should theoretically not exist in Eagle City, and cannot be exposed to sunlight. But they are real, and they show their claws in some incidental things. Rhodia spoke in a somewhat ambiguous tone, but it was definitely not misunderstood.

"Evil God...... Believers?"