Since this banquet is not as social as the banquets held by nobles in the past, and the imperial fleet is still in the territorial waters of other countries, it is a troublesome matter for both the empire and the kingdom. The two sides are consciously shortening the negotiation time. So the meal ended relatively quickly.
But even though the representatives of the kingdom had returned by boat, An still could not escape the temptation of many imperial officials.
Their methods seemed to be printed from the same mold: first they tested their identities, and then they tested them overtly and covertly with various kinds of knowledge that were mostly in the hands of the nobles.
Of course, this is just a summary. In fact, the pattern will not be that heavy. The difference between the latter is quite big. Their questions involve all aspects of people's livelihood, business, governance, art, etc. Some of the answers are not particularly clear even to the people asking the questions.
Probably in the eyes of imperial officials, Regent Lecco was knowledgeable about astronomy and geography. Even if the identity cannot be revealed for various reasons, the truth can be determined indirectly through these questions.
Maybe in the eyes of others, this was a pleasant chat for both parties. After all, all the people who came to inquire, including Alvin and Ion, left with satisfaction. But for An, this is a bloodless fight under the undercurrent. If this link is messed up, all the previous arrangements will at least be greatly compromised!
Fortunately, An had foreseen it in advance and gained a lot of knowledge from Hutto. Coupled with his own understanding of various places, and some factors that he did not want to mention, when it came to dealing with the temptations of imperial officials, It was considered a perfect success.
In fact, An had hoped that this would not be the most difficult part to deal with. Unfortunately, just as he thought, the minds of people engaged in political affairs are destined to be more complicated and suspicious than normal people. Only after passing their test can we Reassure these people.
Maybe some people still have doubts in their hearts, but it doesn't matter. As long as the majority of people are willing to believe that An is Leko, that is success - people follow the crowd, and the remaining doubts will slowly be eliminated in group activities.
The servants brought by Alvin were cleaning up the remnants of the banquet, and An took the time to get a glass of juice to soothe her throat that seemed to be about to smoke.
The imperial officials and soldiers left one by one in what they thought was a hidden look. Although they still wanted to ask why Lecco had been missing for so many years, in their understanding, they had to "cover" for the regent's arrangement, so they had to leave.
Then, after Liliana signaled Alvin and Ion to go back and rest, only their companions were left in the field.
"The most serious scholars I have ever seen can't compare to them. Your Majesty's temperament seems to have changed today, and there are so many questions." Liliana said teasingly, "It would be great if they could have this kind of attitude on weekdays. I don't know. I have more time to play... well, do my own thing."
Liliana changed her words abruptly when she felt the chill on the back of her head. Xiaoyue behind her was silent, her eyes a little scary.
"It's impossible. No matter how serious they are, your work as the leader of the country will not be reduced, and maybe it will be more." An said after taking a sip of the juice, "The problem will never be solved, and it will always be The birth of new problems and serious work means that they will handle more affairs, and the final reports and approvals will be more, and you need to deal with these. This is a limitation of the system, and you can't run away."
An's hand suddenly paused.
"No way, wouldn't it be exhausting?" Liliana said with a grimace, "Is there any way to avoid these... um, make changes in the system?"
"...No." An sighed silently, and took another sip of juice, "At least not yet."
Under Liliana's confused eyes, An smiled, pointed at her and said, "And strictly speaking, you shouldn't have such thoughts based on your status."
Liliana turned her head and looked at Leonhardt and Xiaoyue, her face wrinkled, not understanding what An was talking about.
Leonhart was thinking about what An said, while Xiaoyue was thoughtful.
Ann felt her hand being tightened and looked back at Miku.
"You're floating." Miku said.
"ah?"
"I feel like you're going to float away."
Although Miku said it in a joking tone, An could hear concern in it.
He knew what she was talking about.
However, something pops up in my mind every day or two no longer, and I can't find a solution yet.
An smiled: "No, don't worry."
He said this to comfort Miku, but saw her shake her head vigorously.
"I don't care whether you are floating or not, but the thread must be held in my hand!" Miku leaned into An's ear and whispered vicious words.
An was startled and laughed: "Do you think I'm a kite?"
"snort!"
"Okay, okay, I'll give you the thread. I promise, it will always be in your hand."
Leonhardt, who came back to his senses, only saw the two of them talking together, looking very happy.
What An just said still stuck in his mind: "If changes are made to the system, only by delegating decision-making power can the pressure on the country's leader be reduced."
An looked up and looked at Leonhardt in surprise.
Gaining confidence from An's actions, Leonhardt continued: "But this will cause the power in the hands of the monarch to be dispersed. Even if it is delegated to the hands of trusted people, no one can guarantee that these powers will be It will not corrupt people, but once a problem arises, it will sow the hidden danger of division!"
After listening to Leonhardt's talk, Miku looked at An.
Uncertain.
Liliana refused to admit defeat and said: "But in other words, highly centralized power also relies too much on the monarch's personal ability. Once the monarch has problems or lacks ability, problems will still arise in the country's governance!"
After she finished speaking, several people looked at her.
"...What's wrong? What I said is right!" Liliana, who was startled at first, thought for a moment and then puffed up her chest confidently.
"Your Highness's academic performance is very good." Xiaoyue said.
"uh-huh!"
"But you should never say that."
Before Liliana could raise her nose, she was slapped back by Xiaoyue's next words.
After breaking up Liliana's arrogance, Xiaoyue looked at An. Although her expression remained calm, her eyes looked a little uncertain.
"Everything you said is correct."
Responding to Miku's gaze, Ancai continued.
"Whether power is centralized or decentralized, various problems will arise. The prosperity of the empire benefits from several reasons. The biggest reason is the outstanding personal ability of the regent. He has set a relatively advanced policy for the empire. framework, so even after his disappearance, the empire can still remain strong.”
Listening to An's "bragging", Liliana pursed her lips.
"But over time, problems emerged. That's what we're facing now."
"If someone wants more, then he will never allow the regent to appear again, even if there is only a possibility. However, under mutual constraints, no matter how powerful he is now, he cannot act arbitrarily."
"This is the only thing we can use."
Mei Ke and others came closer.
"what are you guys saying?"
An spread his hands and said to Mei Ke: "Political affairs teaching?"
Mei Ke's eyes twitched, and she raised her hand to pat her brother on the forehead: "How do you get the ability to teach this to others!"
Dodging it lightly, An said with a smile: "It's okay to read a few books and brag a few words."
"So how can we adjust the system to avoid these problems?" As a de facto member of the royal family, Leonhardt asked a topic that he was more concerned about.
An's smile faded slightly: "Well... there's nothing we can do."
Leonhart, who was curious about knowledge, was not very satisfied with this answer. He said unwillingly: "Then the book you are reading, I want to read it."
"It's not in the current books." An was a little helpless, "Okay, don't worry about this. We can discuss it when we have free time."
He didn't want to delve into the topic, so he changed the subject: "I didn't just deal with the temptation. I learned from the officials that the follow-up investigation of the attack on the royal capital will be jointly conducted by both the empire and the kingdom, and appropriate candidates will be sent to handle the information. There is mutual communication, and the investigation will start from within each other."
"Elvin and Ion's idea is to attack the rebels first."
