I will be crowned king

Hongyue Town, late at night.

A four-wheeled carriage slowly stopped on the outskirts of the town. Unable to hide her fatigue, the Queen Regent opened the curtain of the window and looked meaningfully at the sea of ​​stars in the western sky.

Finally, it's over.

Even the most pessimistic imagination before departure cannot describe the difficulties along the way; especially when I truly realized what making this decision really meant, things were completely out of my control.

Anne Herred could not imagine that King Clovis's "tour" would actually cause such a huge shock. It was obviously a common thing in the history of the empire. Traitors and powerful ministers controlled the capital, and the monarch reunited loyal ministers in the corners of the kingdom. Or use the power of relatives to restore the country...

It is obviously such a normal thing, but because of a group of people, it becomes no longer normal.

No, not a group, but... one.

Anne Herred stared intently at the dark night sky, as if it were a mirror, reflecting an unknown figure that seemed to have no sense of existence, but was the source of all events.

But that's all over, or at least no longer important.

She took a deep breath, patted the sleeping little King Nicholas in her arms, got out of the carriage surrounded by the royal guards, and whispered to the empty grass:

"Come out, they are gone."

The quiet words drifted away like a breeze under the night.

After a while, a figure walked out of the deserted grass, scratched his head and smiled awkwardly at the expressionless Queen Mother: "You...have seen it a long time ago?"

"It's not me, it's them, those 'good Samaritans' with ulterior motives." The Queen Mother looked slightly relaxed:

"I haven't seen you for so many years, and you have grown up so much, Arthur."

"What you said is so true, I don't even know how to answer it..."

The blond boy's expression became even more embarrassing. The Queen Mother of Clovis in front of her should be his "elder". She was still a literal child when she got married; let alone her, even His Majesty the King at that time also He didn't have much of an impression; but the person on the other end spoke in a tone that sounded like he was very familiar with him.

"Yes, who would have thought that the child who made me jealous back then would now be my savior; we all envied your mother at that time, who married the person she loved in her most beautiful years, and also had us. The first child in the family, especially a standard Hered boy."

Anne Herred's eyes were obviously lost in memories: "At that time, I made up my mind to become a happier person than your mother, otherwise I would never return to Snapdragon City again. As a result..."

Before she finished speaking, a sad smile appeared on the Queen Mother's face.

Arthur Herred didn't dare to speak anymore. Who were "we" and what happened to Clovis? He didn't dare to ask more questions, and the smile on his face became stiffer and stiffer.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."

As if finally coming out of her memories, the Queen Mother's expression turned serious again: "What's the situation? When can we set off?"

"The elite regiment led by Lord Fernando is stationed fifty kilometers away. Three thousand cavalry can cover His Highness' return home at any time." Arthur also quickly became serious, and even did not forget to use the more intimate title.

To the Clovis people, Anne was the Queen Mother, but in the empire she was the out-and-out eldest princess, the emperor's closest and most beloved sister.

"Very good, let's set off." Anne Herred nodded: "But before that, there are still things that need to be corrected."

"Uh, what is it?"

"Title, dear Sir Arthur Herred, you used the wrong title." She said coldly:

"I am the Queen Regent of Clovis. You should address me as... Your Majesty!"

……………………………………………………

Just as the king's family escaped under the cover of the imperial royal family, the National Assembly, which had not yet received the news, finally officially passed the verdict against the royal family members.

Because the "identity" of the suspect is really special, the trial process is also extremely difficult; not only are there conflicts among the representatives, but also among many "enthusiastic citizens" of Clovis City; this leads to the initial Everyone could still talk and compromise with each other, but it didn't take long for them to go to extremes.

One side shouted "Everyone must go to hell", while the other side insisted that "unless there is a clear law, no innocent people should be killed indiscriminately"; the front page headline in the morning was still "The royal family is the source of chaos in Clovis", and in the evening It became "violence can only bring more violence."

The position was made clear. Royalists, militiamen, minor nobles, and representatives from various provinces began to take sides. The entire city of Clovis once again had a tendency to split.

In this case, Christian Bach once again stood up; mediating between the two parties as speaker, he barely calmed down the quarrel between the two parties, allowing people on both sides to sit back on the negotiating table.

After such a long period of accumulation, the eldest son and patriarch of the Bach family finally got rid of the title of "Anson Bach Representative" and truly had his own influence in Clovis City; even relying on his excellent mediation skills, Within the parliament, he won the title of "good guy" recognized even by the royalists.

After Christian's mediation, the National Assembly finally gave the following result:

First, thirty-eight members of the royal family who were clearly involved in the plan to "hijack the king and escape" were sentenced to death as accomplices, but the method could be decided by themselves and would not be made public, which could be regarded as saving the last bit of face for the royal family.

Two members of the royal family who had unequivocally confessed to the transfer of royal assets, especially the huge scale of the two branches, were sentenced to death for "harming the interests of the kingdom" and must be made public.

The rest of the royal servants and guards who participated in the entire operation were sentenced to exile... All of them, regardless of gender, were escorted to mines and quarries to work for free and would be released after serving ten years.

These mines and quarries were all carefully selected by the National Assembly. If the local work intensity could last for ten years, even the most extreme Black Flag Party would think it would be enough to atone for their sins.

The mayors of various towns, militia chiefs and their families who were suspected of being involved at this time were all escorted to various branches of the Leiden Military Factory and worked on the assembly line for two years to repay the sins they owed.

Banks and owners suspected of providing asset transfer services for the royal family, as well as many fashion designers, clothing stores, and jewelry stores that specialized in serving the royal family in the past, all had their properties confiscated and collected into the national treasury after public auctions.

At the same time, the ownership of Clovis's tap water, sewers, coal and wood supplies, and various public facilities that were previously controlled by the royal family were all transferred to the National Assembly, and new committees were set up in the Prime Minister's Office. Responsible for operations, but only operations.

In the past, committees formed by nobles could share profits, just like the railway committee, so they could rely on the projects and funds they controlled to gather powerful forces; but under the new committee system, these committee members only have Management rights and relatively fixed salaries and commissions are more similar in nature to professional managers - you can still earn money, but you can no longer rely on committees to gain power.

In addition, the National Assembly also officially announced that since His Majesty Nicholas I has temporarily lost the possibility of ruling the country, and currently cannot find any legitimate successor, the National Assembly will officially have the highest power in Clovis in accordance with the previously concluded contract. .

In other words, there is no longer any need for authorization from the king himself, or for the king to perform any responsibilities or functions. All matters can be decided by the National Assembly.

Since the king had indeed disappeared, the royalists could not raise any objections at all, so it passed smoothly; however, there were still considerable differences between the various forces regarding the ownership of the highest power.

The first person to bear the brunt of this is the Chancellor's Office. As a ruler appointed by the king, Ludwig seems to have the power second only to the king; and after the king leaves, this power seems to be only his. specific implementation.

However, the National Assembly and the citizens of Clovis obviously cannot accept the result of "making a wedding dress for others" and insist on not accepting the result of Ludwig holding the highest power alone. At least they must decentralize power, such as decentralizing power. One consulship is divided into two, three or even more.

On top of this, Christian's position as Speaker is extremely solid, almost to the point of being unshakable; neither the extreme factions of the Royalists nor the more moderate provincial representatives who are willing to compromise are temporarily unable to It would be best to accept the result of another person becoming the speaker - replacing yourself, but if you cannot get the recognition of your opponent, it will just split one parliament into two.

As a result, several parties once again started a fierce conflict around the position of the Prime Minister's Office and the structure of the Privy Council; this time, the royalist party had the upper hand, because the National Assembly could not find anyone suitable to "fight" In terms of candidates, in terms of background, qualifications and even experience, Ludwig and his Chancellor's Office are already the undisputed strongest.

In addition to his personal ability, what is more important is that Ludwig has relied on the opportunity of early planning to gather the best officials and professionals in Clovis around him. This is his biggest advantage, and there are almost no opponent.

The only suitable person who can be found within the National Assembly is Anson Bach. But there is a problem here: Anson's current identity is an army lieutenant general. If he wants to become a ruler, he will inevitably give up his military power. And such consequences are unacceptable to the National Assembly.

…………………………

"Even so, I still hope that you can accept the recommendation of those people and become the ruler of Clovis!"

In the Shotgun Club, Leon Francois's eyes were shining with incomparable stars. The Crown Prince of Hantu was completely immersed in his words: "I firmly believe that as long as you ascend to that position, Hantu and Clovis's alliance will be as strong as ever, and our two countries will create an unprecedented future in the world of order!"

"Do you really think so?" Anson's face was filled with a faint smile:

"If I remember correctly, Hantu is a standard kingdom, and Clovis has just taken away the highest power from the king and judged his relatives."

"Yes, but so what?!"

Leon didn't take it seriously: "If this trip has gained me any knowledge, it is to use facts to prove that the Free Confederation is not an isolated case, and the order created by the Ring of Order Church is not truly eternal. The system and country Nothing is set in stone.”

"In the past, Hantu was a loose alliance of small countries, and the New World was a colony that allowed people to eat and drink. But now it has been reunified, and a new country has been established to get rid of the old continent. Even the three countries of the North Sea seem to be unified in Naxir. The trend of royal names…”

"The shackles of the Church of the Ring of Order are being gradually destroyed by you, brother." Leon's voice was full of temptation: "If the hero who challenges the dragon does not seize those treasures, will he hand them over to those guys who are not trustworthy at all?"

"It makes sense, but the hero who gets the dragon's treasure may also become a dragon."

Ansen looked at him very playfully: "Hantu is not worried, will the same thing happen to you?"

"...If I say I'm not worried, of course it's impossible; but I know better that the collapse of a country cannot come from the periphery, but from itself." Leon smiled:

"If the land had not been in disarray, neither the empire nor Clovis would have had the chance to intervene; if the François royal family was strong enough to make all nobles and subjects obey, then the rebellion would only show the majesty and unshakable power of the royal family. tool."

"So, dear brother, I will use practical actions to prove to you that Hantu is a powerful country that cannot be humiliated; and this country with both strength and self-respect will become Clovis's best ally; equality, the same It’s what we crave.”

As he spoke, he came closer and grasped Anson's right hand: "Become a consul, and then in the name of a consul, lead Clovis's legion to fight side by side with Hantu, to ravage and annex the territory of the Ysel elves, and let the empire see it. The unshakable friendship between us will break the shackles of the Ring of Order Church again!"

"This is not easy. Ludwig will not agree easily." Anson shook his head: "If I become the ruler without giving up military power, how can you trust him?"

"It's very simple, just give him his military power."

Leon Francois said solemnly: "Let him lead the army to confront the empire, and we will first conquer the Elf Kingdom of Yser; both parties will compete fairly, and the results will prove who is the real ruler."

"Who is truly qualified to stand at the top of Clovis!"