Above the endless sea of golden sand, the giant orbital airport in the imperial capital of Chiennia was extremely crowded, because there were hundreds of starships from all over the empire parked in the rows of starship berths. spaceships and battleships.
The extremely gorgeous decorations and family crests inside and outside these spaceships all reflect the noble status of their owners. The large spaceships occupying the best berths are even more eye-catching, but no one dares to say a word. Because everyone knows that those few spaceships that can be called mobile palaces belong to the princes and nobles whose status is second only to the emperor himself in the imperial political system.
Although many newly emerging forces, such as the Slave Traders' Guild and the Imperial secret police organization "Amanda Hunters", have been criticizing this, at this juncture when the empire was defeated shortly after and the royal family was in urgent need of support from the Inner Circle Council, no one would take it seriously. That villain who is looked down upon by all forces.
As the Speaker of the Colonial Assembly of Central Fiery Star, Speaker Zuoerchi also received an invitation from the royal family. However, unlike those born nobles who are eligible to take a private space shuttle directly to the Sand Sea Palace, he and his entourage must take a connecting flight at the Sand Sea Palace. A space elevator from an orbital airport heads to the surface.
After accepting the identity check by the guards, Speaker Zuoerchi entered a space elevator cabin with a few close associates, and ordered the rest of the staff to take the entire mission's luggage into another cabin.
Through the transparent floor under his feet, he could vaguely see the lights of large cities after dark and the dark red tail flames produced by the violent friction of other descending cabins when they broke through the atmosphere.
"I still remember that the last time I came to Chiennia to report on my work was more than ten years ago. Alas, time really flies..."
As everyone in the elevator cabin lightened up, Speaker Zuoerchi, who realized that the elevator had started running, sighed softly, and sighed to Jatu, who was temporarily serving as the captain of the bodyguard beside him: "Sigris, this should be your first time here. In the inner ring of the empire, right? There are hundreds of millions of people in the empire, but there are probably very few who can set foot on the sandy sea of Chiennia in person!"
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for your trust and cultivation. I will definitely do my best to form a first-rate slave-catching team for Fiery Star to help you further your status in the family."
Jatu nodded upon hearing this, and while complimenting, he secretly said in his heart that not only had he been here, but his mother was now living a much more comfortable life in a large residential area in Chiennia than she was two years ago.
There is no other reason. Jia Tu, who was once branded for disobedience and exiled light years away, is indeed unable to support his lonely mother. But now he is the director of the Qien Empire branch of the Dangdang Star Group, even though he has not been cleansed yet. He has committed a crime, but it is okay to arrange some manpower and resources around his mother in the name of taking care of the veterans' families.
Thanks to the Empire's more advanced anti-gravity technology, passengers taking the space elevator through the atmosphere at high speed not only did not feel any pressure, they could even stand in front of the window and chat with others and watch the scenery, which was very comfortable.
...
A few hours later, Speaker Zuo Erchi and his guards arrived in front of the largest parliament hall in the Shahai Palace. Zuo Erchi, who was told by the palace guards that he could only bring one entourage into the hall, thought for a moment and turned towards Jia Tu. He smiled, and the meaning was self-evident.
"This is the Imperial Congress! General Sigris, do you know when was the last time the royal family held an Imperial Congress?"
Seeing Chairman Zuo Erchi twisting his fat body and trying to show off his seemingly profound knowledge, Jia Tu shook his head in cooperation, indicating that he did not know.
"Well, I guess so. After all, you have never been to the inner ring."
Speaker Zuo Erchi, who did not notice any abnormalities, nodded with deep understanding, then pulled Jiatu close to him and whispered: "As far as I know, the reason for the last imperial conference was related to the sudden death of the late emperor. , because the issue of the crown prince has been unresolved during his reign, so the Twelve Kings held a general meeting on behalf of the emperor and elected the current majesty."
"Is there such a thing? No wonder there have been rumors among the people that Sazha 22nd was improperly appointed to the throne. It seems that this person's throne is not stable..."
After learning the secret, Jia Tu's heart moved slightly, but a look of panic appeared on his face. He waved his hands repeatedly as if he was afraid of being heard by others, and quickly distanced himself from Zuo Erchi. His helpless look immediately made the Speaker laugh. , and no longer shared with him the royal secrets that he himself did not know very well.
Simple-minded and not good at words, this is why he chose to bring Jatu into the venue instead of other guards.
As the Speaker of the Burning Star Council, Zuo Erchi knows that his throne is far from stable at the moment. If you want to achieve a higher status in the family and truly speak for yourself in the Fire Star Council, it is essential to have an armed force that only obeys his orders.
In the context that the Blazing Star Slave Capture Corps has been regarded as a private army by Zuo Erchi, it is not difficult to understand why he chose a simple-minded general to serve as the commander of the legion.
However, Speaker Zuo Erchi, a general who can command tens or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers to charge into battle, does not think that Jia Tu is really a reckless man who is completely ignorant of politics.
Maybe the other party is just hiding his clumsiness, but the Speaker is very confident in his ability to control people. After all, without his strong support, the other party might still be struggling in a black factory in Fiery Star!
Taking Jia Tu to the seat belonging to the Blazing Star Colony and sitting down, Speaker Zuoerchi scanned the inside of the hall and found that a large number of seats belonging to the outer ring colony were empty, while all the seats in the inner ring except for the Twelve Kings were empty. Full to the brim.
The participation ratio of the Central Planet is between the two. About 70% of the colonies sent their own representatives, or like the Blazing Star, the Speaker attended the meeting in person.
Investigating the reason, Zuoerchi believes that in addition to the long distance and inconvenience to the outer ring planets, the inner ring priority policy pursued by the empire since its establishment is the main reason for the current alienation between the outer ring colonies and the royal family.
Unfortunately, the inertia of history is huge. No emperor dares to balance the resources of the Three Rings at the risk of offending the Inner Ring Council and the Twelve Kings at the same time, not even the wisest monarch in the history of the empire.
You must know that at the beginning of the empire, the Twelve Princes were the nobles who won the unification war with the Sazha family. The royal family at that time gave the Princes and Princes unparalleled privileges through formal documents, including an order that made all generations Special regulations that even the emperor had to be afraid of.
“If all the twelve kings and nobles believe that the members of the Sazhar family who hold the supreme power are not worthy of the throne, they should immediately convene an imperial meeting and order them to abdicate. The participants will then select a wise king from the royal family. Protect the eternal foundation of my Qi En Empire from being destroyed by one person’s hands.”
Because of this, the successive emperors of the Qien Empire never touched the cakes of the princes, but instead allowed their power to grow.
After all, with the power of the royal family, it is not difficult to completely destroy a royal family. However, the twelve princes have to rely on each other while restraining each other.
As the saying goes, "When a family is in trouble, all parties support it." Does the Sazha family really want to cut off their own arms? Even if the empire is divided, they still want to kill all the descendants of the founding hero?
Touching his chubby belly, Speaker Zuo Erchi sighed softly and thought to himself that he was just a small colonial speaker, so what was the use of thinking about these important imperial affairs all day long?
It is better to seize the moment and bring Fire Star into the family's sphere of influence first, so that it can continuously produce people and industrial products for the family. When the family grows to a certain extent, it may not be able to achieve hegemony within the Central Ring.
"Your Majesty has arrived! Everyone in the venue please remain silent!"
Just as Speaker Zuo Erchi was dreaming about the "King of Central", the rich and majestic voice of the royal chamberlain suddenly sounded.
As the exclusive ceremonial guard of the Sazha family appeared at the entrance of the hall, the nobles and parliamentary representatives who came from all over the world were very proud and kept their mouths shut. When the golden flag embroidered with a jeweled crown appeared in front of everyone, the hall that was just as noisy as a market suddenly became silent, and the power of the royal family was evident.
When Sazhar 22 came to sit on the throne at the highest point in the center of the hall, the shouts of long live in the venue became louder and louder, almost penetrating the 100-meter-high dome and reaching into the sky.
Upon seeing this, the young emperor raised his palms with satisfaction, indicating that everyone did not need to be polite. However, when his eyes came to the twelve vacant royal thrones at his feet, an imperceptible stern look flashed in the emperor's eyes.
"Hmph, you arrogant fellows, let's see how I deal with you in the future!"
After silently cursing the princes in his heart, the emperor stood up from his throne, grabbed a handful of gold sand extracted from the Chiennia Sand Sea from the golden plate held high by his personal chamberlain, and swayed it vigorously go out.
Many participants in the audience let the warm and delicate sand hit their faces with a look of enjoyment. Many participants who were unable to bathe in the emperor's grace due to insufficient distance had to sit there with annoyance on their faces.
However, among the many supporters of the royal family, some nobles who were subordinate to or supported the prince and other forces looked disdainful. Their lack of respect for this ancient tradition can be seen through their behavior of brushing the sand off their clothes.
In a fanatical atmosphere with a hint of weirdness, Sazhar 22 sang loudly.
"I hereby solemnly declare that the Empire Conference has officially begun!"
