Darkstone Code-Chapter 750 - 0748 Start
The uproar caused by Richard’s death continues. For the nobles, if it were merely a simple death of one person, they wouldn’t care or be involved.
The problem, however, is that Richard wrote a confession letter before his "suicide," which truly pulled the nobles into the "battlefield."
Frankly, if there is any truly frightening content, it may not be. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has already reviewed the confession letter, and the contents have leaked, so most nobles are aware of what it says.
It’s nothing more than his obsession and desire for money driving him to take risks and make wrong decisions, and finally, his fear and pain when trapped in a desperate situation. What truly led him to death was the discovery that someone seemed to be surveilling his secret hideout.
The multitude of pressures finally crushed him, prompting him to decide to end his own life.
His lifetime was very short, with not much to show for it. He didn’t want to be imprisoned, interrogated, and after tasting various forms of suffering, grow old in prison, or be directly sentenced to execution.
Hanging himself was the only way to preserve his dignity, the only power he could fully control at the end of his life.
Beyond these, it also involves some matters and people, such as how he exploited loopholes to get the company listed...
After handwriting verification by experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the confession letter indeed matches Richard’s handwriting, despite slight differences, which are within an acceptable range.
Handwriting can change due to variations in mindset and emotions, for example, when people are particularly proud, their writing may become more casual than usual, and details may differ somewhat.
The pressure and fear before suicide can also change handwriting.
This result clearly indicates that the contents of this letter are genuine and reliable.
This letter mentions some crucial names, and these people... are subordinates of the Minister of Finance.
The finances of any country are extremely important. In the Federation, they are managed by the Ministry of Finance, a position traceable back to the founding of the Federation.
In the Gafura Empire, the Minister of Finance handles these funds, but the position of Minister of Finance is not a specific role that’s existed for long!
According to various records of the current Gafura Empire, although the empire had the position of "Minister of Finance" in the past, it was often overlooked as it was usually the Prime Minister who concurrently served as Minister of Finance.
This has evolved into a tradition that has persisted for many years.
After all, the Prime Minister is an important assistant to help His Majesty the Emperor handle daily affairs, requiring sufficient power to effectively operate the country.
However, for certain reasons in recent years, the Minister of Finance has been separated out, becoming an official position.
Sometimes the Emperor appoints a Minister of Finance, sometimes he doesn’t, leading to situations where the Prime Minister’s power varies greatly — without the Minister of Finance’s nod, all the Prime Minister’s ideas remain just ideas.
The position of Minister of Finance, to some extent, can be said to have rendered the Prime Minister powerless, so only a Prime Minister concurrently serving as the Minister of Finance is recognized by the nobles as a "Power Prime Minister."
As for a Prime Minister not concurrently serving as the Minister of Finance?
That’s just a mascot, needing to consult the Emperor and then consult the Minister of Finance, who might not even agree with the suggestions. Ultimately, it’s the Minister of Finance and the Emperor who discuss and make decisions, which amounts to being a mascot, isn’t it?
Now, several key subordinates of the Minister of Finance have appeared in Richard’s confession letter (suicide note), instantly inciting the noble groups like sharks smelling blood, becoming agitated and excited.
The Prime Minister immediately went to the Imperial Palace; nobody knows what he discussed with the Emperor, but on the third day after the incident, the Prime Minister appeared at the Secretariat.
Lynch, due to restricted departure from the island, wandered over to the Secretariat as he had nothing else to do.
Many aristocrats in power see the Secretariat as a retirement home, as the nobles here hold no real power, not just them, but their elders have long been removed from the center of power, a situation that will only worsen.
In a few years, they might not even have the power to meet the Emperor, as they are merely "ordinary people" with noble titles, not power holders.
These people who once held power but now, and in the future, have no chance to touch power again, have the strongest obsession and resentment towards power.
From their apparently purposeless frustrations towards the Emperor, it’s evident how unsettled this group feels inside, only they hide it well.
The Prime Minister came around midday; if you come too early, there wouldn’t be anyone here.
Nobles usually only wake up at nine-thirty; waking up over nine is an unbearable "early rising" for them. After a simple grooming, coming to the Secretariat for a chat, enjoying a free exquisite lunch, spending the afternoon bragging, a day passes like that.
This is the life civilians yearn for, but it’s also a reflection of the nobles’ helpless reality.
The Prime Minister’s appearance caused a minor stir among the nobles; it’s the first time in over a decade that the Prime Minister visited such a rundown place as the Secretariat, and the old nobles at the Secretariat seemed somewhat surprised.
The Prime Minister didn’t stay long, just accompanied by some prominent nobles, wandered around, looked about, and then told everyone not to wander around outside as it’s unsafe, before leaving.
He seemed to be there just to show his face, saying nothing, yet it was through saying nothing that he conveyed everything he intended to say.
Although the nobles hold no power in their hands, this doesn’t mean they’ve lost their political acumen.
This sounds like a contradiction, but in reality, power and politics are fundamentally not the same thing when broken down.
Sometimes, the effective use of political acumen by the nobles can be more powerful than having authority.
In fact, before the Prime Minister arrived, everyone was already discussing the issue—now that the Minister of Finance was facing a major crisis, is there a possibility he could be ousted?
In Gafura, it’s very rare to topple an entrenched hereditary noble wielding power; it might not happen for decades or even centuries.
However, when someone does fall, it means a lot of power is released.
People’s enthusiasm is kindled by power.
In their discussions, the majority still believed that the Prime Minister would take action, for if he didn’t, he would forever remain a figurehead, merely representing the Emperor at various occasions, repeating viewpoints and opinions of others, with little autonomy.
Only by gaining financial power would the Prime Minister truly become a Prime Minister.
If he wished to act, he would have to gain the recognition of the Emperor and more nobles, and formally present the view that "allowing financial power to fall into other hands would cause more problems," thereby semi-coercively prompting the Emperor to bestow financial power upon him.
This commitment isn’t easy; the Prime Minister has to contend with other ministers, such as the Minister of the Army who has long been uninterested in his role but has nowhere else to go, some hereditary nobles in the Secretariat with little power, and the Emperor himself.
Common folk know that whoever holds the purse strings is the head of the household, and the Emperor also wishes to firmly grasp the purse strings, which is why financial power eventually became independent; both the Emperor and the Prime Minister compete for it.
The Prime Minister must defeat three parties to have a chance of becoming a true power minister; his presence is a stance and a position.
During the afternoon tea salon, people began discussing this topic.
"I don’t think the Minister of Finance will fall that easily..." said a noble, who looked to be in his forties but was actually nearing sixty, expressing his opinion with apparent insight.
"We all know that the ultimate decision power lies in the hands of His Majesty. If His Majesty chooses to turn a blind eye in this matter, or even decides to discard the henchmen of the Minister of Finance to preserve him, it might hold more value for His Majesty."
"Once the henchmen of the Minister of Finance are removed and replaced with his own people, His Majesty can undermine the Minister of Finance and firmly grasp financial power himself..."
This view received much approval from the nobles, for if the Emperor grasped financial power himself, he would essentially have the capital to become a dictator.
With military and financial power, plus the support of a group of nobles, it is possible that the Empire will soon see one of its most powerful Emperors.
When discussing these matters, the nobles had no fear or avoidance in talking about the Emperor or the ministers, just as they would when talking about other nobles.
At this point, someone interjected, "We all know this is the case, don’t you think the ministers would too?"
The salon’s purpose is to express one’s ideas and to communicate without barriers.
The gathered nobles, without taking any side, nodded in agreement once again, acknowledging it was indeed so.
If the Emperor’s power expands, it means the power of the nobles must contract.
Sometimes the nobles and the Emperor are allies because they might face a formidable political opponent together, such as a powerful Prime Minister.
At other times, the nobles band together to curb the unchecked authority of the Emperor, preventing the rise of a dictator or tyrannical Monarch.
Ultimately, the core of these struggles is still about power.
Power is limited; sharing it means having less of it, and nobody wishes to remain under others’ control forever, so power must be distributed—not too much, not too little—but balanced.
If the Emperor shows signs of wanting to "seize power," it’s very likely that other ministers will unite.
The nobles spent the entire afternoon in heated and lively discussions about these affairs, which was also their source of joy, simultaneously indicating that some among them might step onto the political stage due to this turn of events.
Lynch, as an "outsider," sat on the sidelines, with no one asking for his opinion. He was merely a "newborn," unclear about the names of the nobles, and asking him for his ideas would be fruitless.
Though he wasn’t participating, he gradually unraveled some of the threads as he listened to their conversations.
At 9 PM prime time, a political talk show unexpectedly launched a scathing attack on the Minister of Finance...
