Section 28 Answer

Ashrufat lay on his bed, his eyes open and looking at the ceiling.

Originally...... Is there really an elven prince named Eshurufat...... He told himself again and again in his mind. Suddenly, he laughed, very suddenly, and inexplicably. Even he didn't know what he was laughing at.

Luckily this apartment is very nice, not to mention that the soundproofing is very good. Even loud noises in one room are completely inaudible in the next room (of course, this architectural design may be due to other factors), so no one will know that Eshurufat is so out of shape.

Is there really an elven prince named Eshurufat? My dreams are real? No, those dreams should be true!

Ashrufat reached into his pocket and pulled out the Abyssal Stone. His hand rubbed against the dark green stone, and the feeling was real. Those dreams are not dreams. Just like this stone, like his four huge deposit receipts, it is real.

The whole afternoon went by like this. He didn't leave the room until the sun went down.

It was dinner time, so there was a short gap on Flower Street when there were few pedestrians. Ashruphat soon found himself inside the Red Rose. All the women here were eating the same and chatting about various popular topics first.

Rhodia was still standing on the counter. People who work in hotels eat at different times than the average person – or deliberately staggered. So at this time, Rhodia stood alone in front of the counter, bored and doing bartending experiments. At this moment, she concocted a yellow-clouded drink, and seemed to be hesitating whether she should try it.

"Rhodia. Ashrufat said hello.

"Ah, Mr. Ashrufat?" said Rhodia, suddenly delighted. "It just so happens that I've mixed a new type of wine here, and I'm looking for someone to try it. ”

"Oh, I'm not a wine connoisseur, and I'm likely to fail you. ”

"I don't need any connoisseurs, the kind of people only nobles need. I just need to know if this wine can be eaten and what the taste is. As she spoke, Rhodia took out a new cup and poured half of the test into it, then handed it to Ashrufat. "Drink and see. ”

"It didn't feel good, it was sour, and it had a little fishy smell. Ashruphat took a sip. "The colors are also ugly...... I'm afraid your new invention can't be promoted, at least not too many audiences. ”

"Ah, really......" Rhodia seemed a little frustrated, and she picked up the other half of the test liquid herself and took a sip. "It's really hard to drink. Hey, it's a lot of work to create a popular new flavor. Thanks, Mr. Ashrufat. She casually poured half a glass of liquid into the trash can next to her. "I can see if there's something you want to ask me, and I'll be happy to answer it in exchange for helping me taste the new products. ”

"Oh, actually...... It's mainly to know some things. Ashrufat said. "Because I suddenly remembered the last time you said it to me. ”

"What are they? the ones about the Queen?"

"Hmm. So it occurred to me that maybe you are a very thoughtful person and can tell me a little bit about it. ”

"Ah...... Hahaha...... I'm not a scholar, I'm just talking about things by hearsay. Rhodia tilted her head and looked at Ashrufat with a playful expression.

"Since it's hearsay, there must be more than that. Ashrufat returned. "Can you tell me a little bit more about that? ”

"May I ask, what is it that has aroused your curiosity?"

"Actually, I attended the Imperial Council yesterday," replied Ashrufat. "Of course, I didn't actually participate, I just listened to it for a long time as a soldier on duty. Maybe I'm a naturally curious person, so I feel ...... A lot of things are inexplicable and incomprehensible to me. ”

"For example?"

"For example, tax increases. Ashrufat said. "It's not that I'm curious, it's that it's really relevant to me. When you hear this kind of thing, you can't help but think about it more. How is it that our country, and if I may say so, I should be a Gruni now, have some inexplicable policies?"

"Ha Lu Ha...... Tax increases......" Rhodia laughed. "Truth be told, it does. Well, Mr. Esseurofat, I happen to know something about it, so let me satisfy your curiosity. ”

"Speak. ”

"Actually, you should have read the history of Gruni in the book. In fact, the establishment of our country was simply an accident. Suddenly, a wilderness sage Garunas fell from the sky. And our sovereign, King Makremiz the Great, accidentally ran into him. It's as if we walked and suddenly kicked a gold brick, and then just built the country like that. There may be some differences in the details of different editions and authors of history books, but they are all the same. But what about ......"

"But?"

"Well, in order to unify the land, in order to be able to build a new country as soon as possible...... Even a great sage like Garunas had to make a lot of compromises. It's easy to understand that sometimes victory is not won by the sword, but by the tongue and the tip of the pen. Rhodia sighed. From the perspective of the ancients, it is understandable that Garunas would do so. Which of the current countries did not take several generations to emerge in those years? Which did not rely on continuous accumulation and gradual expansion? The fact that Garunas was able to unify Gruni in 20 years was indeed a remarkable achievement, but such a rapid achievement would inevitably leave a sequelae. ”

Ashrufat nodded. It is easy to understand that if we want to unify in the short term, we must borrow all the forces, including the old forces that existed. Therefore, throughout the war of unification of Gruni, Garunas rebelled and surrendered in large numbers. According to historical records, there were originally twenty-six people who claimed to be kings in this land. In this war, at least thirteen of the kings chose to surrender on their own initiative.

Those who stubbornly resist to the end naturally have no good end, but these surrendered kings have all become the great nobles of the newly born Gruni Kingdom without exception. This can in no way be said to be a mistake, but a measure that has to be taken in order to stabilize the country as soon as possible. But since then, the power of the nobility in the Kingdom of Gruni has been much stronger than that of other countries.

"Let's put it this way, our regent, the Duke of Byron, whose ancestors were kings too. Rhodia said. "Our Lord Duke, as he was the eldest son, was born with a fiefdom of an entire province in the south, and his residence was a prosperous city, and he also had an army loyal only to him, a number of his own vassals...... Truth be told, what is the difference between him and a real king of a small country other than the loss of the title of king? And this is the essence of the matter: in our country, the aristocracy is very powerful, and when the throne is only a little girl with no intimidating power, they will be ready to move because of their personal ambitions, and they will try to dig into the corners of the country. ”

"Ah, why haven't the kings of the past thought of any way to reduce the power of the nobles?" asked Ashrufat. "If the history books are to be believed...... The Makremiz family seems to have been quite capable of successive monarchs. ”

"The monarch of the Makremiz family can only be regarded as a brave man...... As for the wise, since the death of Garunas, the sage of the wilderness, there have been few wise people in this country. However, the royal family has indeed been brave and good at fighting for generations, and relying on this can still suppress the entire country, so that the princes will not disagree. If this drags on, a generation or two later, the royal power will probably be consolidated because of this tradition. It's a pity that such an accident happened. Rhodia sighed again. "If you look at it from the point of view of 'Lao Tzu's heroes and heroes', this is really the case. According to the prevailing view now, the key to the unification of Gruni by Makremiz is not the original King Makremiz, but because of Garunas, the sage of the wilderness. If Garunas had chosen some other king, then it is estimated that the final result would have been a change in the people on the throne. ”

"What do you mean...... If there were no Garunas, then King Makremiz would be nothing. On the contrary, without King Macremiz, Garunas would still be Garunas?"

That's what it means. Rhodia replied. "It's a pity that Garunas has no descendants. Otherwise, things might be a little different. ”

"Why does he have no offspring?" said Ashrufat, half asking, half talking to himself.

"Ah, he never married. Where do you come from if you don't have a wife?" replied Rhodia.

"Why would he never marry?" asked Ashrufat. History records that Garunas was always valued and trusted by King Macrémiz. From this point of view, it should be perfectly fine to find a wife or something.

"God knows, maybe he can't do that. Rhodia gave Ashruphat an ambiguous look. "There are a lot of quirks in this world, aren't they?"

"So, I get it. Ashrufat sighed softly. "On the surface, it seems like a stupid and incredible policy, but in fact it is very cleverly conceived. For example, this tax increase ......"

That's what it means. Raising taxes can effectively reduce the people's favorability and loyalty to the royal family, but it can give obvious benefits to the great nobles, including Byron. Rhodia said. "They're going to be able to make a fortune right now. And it will be called wonderful in the future. Whether they intended to legitimately use marriage to seize the throne, or to use violence and subterfuge to usurp the throne...... The decline in popular support for the royal family is a good thing. It can effectively reduce the resistance to their actions, and even become a boost for their actions......"