Blood Dragon

Chapter 190 Eight Hidden

"So...how should we deal with it?" The little girl asked after thinking about it.

"There is an easy way." Rodia replied, "It depends on whether you want to do it or not."

"any solution?"

"Oh, wait until the public opinion starts to strike first. As soon as Ashurfat comes back, you immediately charge him with a crime of 'domineering', put him in prison, and deprive him of the title of earl... In short, Make a sentence that looks harsh, but in fact it is insignificant, and can make a comeback at any time." Rodia said. "Then, any kind of public opinion can no longer coerce you. Because at this time, public opinion will at most 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's just a matter of time." Rodia shrugged. "Because no matter what big or small things, no matter how hard the black hands behind the scenes push, a simple thing cannot arouse the long-term interest of the public, and it will become dull after a long time. Then you can... find an excuse or something, and reactivate .As a queen, there is always such an opportunity. Among other things, there is a war going on right now."

"Why should I do this?" The little girl was not very happy when she heard that Ashuruffat was going to be arrested and imprisoned. "Is there any other way?"

"This method is a 'palliative' solution, and of course there are complex, 'permanent' methods." Luo Diya said. "Find the person who printed and distributed the posters."

Although her tone of voice was very relaxed, the little girl could understand that this was very difficult to do.Otherwise, why would Rodia say that?

"Can I ignore this matter?" The little girl asked after thinking about it. "As a queen, can I not care about public opinion?"

"Oh, sure, as long as you're prepared to face the consequences!"

"What kind of consequences?"

"The worst possibility is to lose your throne." Rodia smiled slightly.

"No." The little girl was surprised.

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

"But Byron..."

"Byron also cares about public opinion. If he doesn't care, how can he wait patiently? Every time the opposition against him reaches a certain peak, he will choose to compromise wisely. We don't say goodbye Lun, let me tell you something that really happened... It should be said that it is not yet completely over. There is a queen named Irina in Stygia... She is a bit similar to you, because the elder brother who originally had the right to inherit Because of her death in battle, she was pushed onto the throne and crowned king."

The Stygian region is really quite a distant place in the Gruni people's mind.Although the western part of the Kingdom of Gruene also borders the Stygian region, in this regard, the entire Seven Central Kingdoms share the same general prejudice based on geography.That is, the Stygian region is a distant place—although the mercenaries in the Stygian region are well-known in the world.This bias comes from geographical isolation.The Stygian region is a natural basin. Several countries inside can be said to be kings behind closed doors. It is difficult for outside forces to interfere in it, and it is also difficult for inside forces to spread their influence.In short, this is a region that is far from the Central Seven in every respect.

"As you may know, a large-scale war just broke out in this place more than ten years ago. One side of the war is Paro, and the other side is San Jean and Casilos. The reason why there are two countries on one side is because this The royal families of the two countries have formed a family through marriage. This relationship is much more reliable than an alliance. The queen I am talking about, Queen Irina, is the royal family of these two countries. In terms of blood, She has an unquestionable inheritance, and one that has no contenders. As I said, her brothers and sisters are all dead."

The little girl didn't speak, but she was a little sad.In fact, when she became queen (that is, when his 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 understand 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.In the eyes of some, the Throne is so glorious that it is worth anything for it.But in the little girl's heart, what she is obsessed with is not the throne itself.

"...The origin of the incident was the war between the queen and Paro. During that war, the queen was in extreme danger and was closely pursued by the enemy, unable to escape. At a critical moment, an old soldier—that is An ordinary soldier - voluntarily stayed to die. This task must be dead. Your Majesty, you now know how to be a king, so you can understand that in that case, the person who sacrificed his life must be rewarded generously Warrior of the lord. I would have done it, I would have done it--in fact, anyone would have done it. So the queen herself promised to knight the old soldier. Not a stingy one Reward. You should have heard that the Stygia region attaches great importance to blood and honor, and there is no tradition of canonizing nobles as we like in our country. Their nobles all have actual territories. Therefore, between ordinary people and nobles, it is almost It is separated by heaven and earth. Only under such circumstances can the warriors who undertake the mission of mortal death receive such a reward."

"This... I seem to have heard of it..." The little girl thought about it, where did she hear this?But obviously, she definitely didn't spend much energy to memorize this story carefully, so she didn't have a deep impression.

"...But later, the queen actually forgot about this matter. After the war ended and the queen ascended the throne for several years, a son of the veteran approached the door and demanded that the reward be honored. Unfortunately, the queen did not Knowing the motive... Denied the matter. Defrauding the monarch is a serious crime in any country, let alone a mere commoner. So the son of the veteran was executed."

"Ah, I remembered. Later, the other son of the veteran... Well, it seems that he got religious help. What is the name of the magic stick over there? The Holy Grail Knight? Or the prophetess?... In short, he It proved that my father died fighting for the queen, but the queen not only refused to fulfill the promise of the reward, but also killed his elder brother unjustly!"

While thinking of this incident, the little girl also remembered who told her.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 dealing with the other party and going to see Axiu Rufat, so she didn't have any mood to think.

"Then I don't need to talk about it. The situation that the queen encountered... must be very clear to us. I recently heard that Queen Irina announced her abdication and married a famous nobleman in the country. Finally, I barely avoided it." It is said that the new king may not win people's hearts overnight. It is likely that before he succeeds, the two countries may lose their chance to be united under one crown, split again, and eventually Support a different royal line. But no matter what, that Queen Irina lost the throne involuntarily... There is no doubt about it." Luodia suddenly let out a burst of laughter with unknown meaning. "A throne has been overthrown. Although the final result is not too embarrassing or too bad... But this incident shows the power of public opinion. At least... most of it is the power of public opinion."

"So sometimes," Rodia continued after a short pause. "The throne is not as solid as it looks. It is the same as a person, no matter how healthy and vigorous a person is, if he is hit hard at a fatal position... tell me, what a mistake that queen made ?”

"I don't really understand...but why did the queen deny it?" The little girl replied seriously. "It's just a knight's reward...is it necessary to be so stingy?"

"Maybe it's because I like to cover up my mistakes, and I feel a bit ashamed to admit that I have forgotten such an important thing." Rodia replied. "I really can't think of any other reason than that. In these rumors, it seems that the queen always wants to be a perfect monarch, so she doesn't want to make any mistakes."

"How can people not make mistakes? Not to mention the king, even the archbishop who was favored by God to live forever, didn't lose the battle and was hacked by the green skin." The little girl felt a little unbelievable.

"Yes, people make mistakes and omissions." Luo Diya completely agreed. "Especially in little things. So instead of preventing mistakes, the other way around is to cover up any mistakes... Well, that sounds stupid, but there are stupid people, and I've seen them myself. In fact, in essence, politics requires performance, but not everyone understands the true meaning of performance, so they will make all kinds of mistakes. But let’s not talk about this, if you change positions with that queen, then what will you do? If you let this extreme Unfavorable public opinion spreads at will, so the collapse of the throne will only happen in an instant."

Luo Diya's fingers lightly tapped the little girl's forehead. "Don't underestimate the power of public opinion!"

"In short, this problem must be solved, right?"

"That's right." Rodia replied. "However, Ashurfat... really dotes on you too much."

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

"In any case, the initiative is in your hands now. Even if the worst situation happens, you will have plenty of time and means to deal with it, which is much better than that unlucky queen in Saint Jean." Rodia replied . "I personally suggest that you can prepare to move with both hands. It is best to find the power behind Falcon City."

"Who is it? Who can benefit from this matter?" The little girl was still very puzzled.

"I don't know, but I'm sure, there is no such person in your court." Rodia smiled. "It's not that they are loyal and capable to you, but none of them can escape my eyes and ears and do such things in Falcon City."

"Who would that be?"

"Only the church, or another... mysterious force lurking deep."

"It won't be the church. The church is still trying to find me to apologize recently. Huh, they are looking forward to my forgiveness now!"

"Don't underestimate those magic sticks. They are not fools, but even fools know how to handle things with a big stick and a carrot in one hand, and the principle of pulling and hitting. If this incident is just a warning, send us a signal , then they have this motivation and this strength. But if it is not a warning, it is dangerous..."

"What do you mean by 'mysterious forces'?"

"Of course it means literally. A certain force should not exist in Falcon City in theory, and should not be exposed to the sun. But they really exist, and they show their scales and claws on some occasional things .” Rodia’s tone of voice was a bit ambiguous, but it definitely wouldn’t make people misunderstand.

"Evil god... a believer?"