Darkstone Code-Chapter 778 - 0776 Are you talking about yourself? [14/14]
Lynch and his group didn’t interact much with others, and it seemed that others were also unwilling to engage with them.
Just in case the internal inspectors mistakenly thought they were opportunists too, they might get into trouble.
This group of people sat there for over an hour, and while they didn’t interact with others, they managed to overhear most of what others were discussing.
To sum it up, there were two main points.
First, one must support His Majesty the Emperor.
Second, one must support His Excellency the Prime Minister.
The young Count looked at Lynch, wanting to say something, but held back until Lynch noticed and looked at him.
Through their gaze, the young Count seemed to understand Lynch’s thought, and he asked the question in his heart, "Mr. Lynch, is the Prime Minister... sure to win?"
Today, the mainstream thought within the Secretariat is to select a new noble as the representative of the Secretariat to enter the Ruler’s Hall and occupy a position of a powerful minister.
People seemed quite interested in this idea, and many nobles felt it was time to restore the importance of the Secretariat, so it shouldn’t just be a place for retirement; it should play some role.
And this role starts with gaining control over power.
By then, the new Minister of Finance could directly select personnel from the Secretariat to fill various key departments, and since they’ve been together for such a long time, everyone is very familiar with each other, eliminating concerns about loyalty and suitability.
This mainstream notion had far greater momentum than the idea of the Prime Minister also serving as Minister of Finance, so the young Count’s confusion was understandable.
Admiration is admiration; it doesn’t mean becoming foolish.
Lynch allowed him to ask the question to appease the others.
If he voluntarily started explaining why he believed the Prime Minister still had a great chance of winning, it would seem very forced, like he was finding reasons to persuade everyone.
But if someone else asked and he then answered carefully, people would be relieved of that concern.
"The Minister of Finance holds a very special position; it can’t have its own faction and must remain isolated among the ministers..."
Lynch smiled, "If the Minister of Finance starts to form his own noble group, he will become everyone’s enemy, whether it’s the Prime Minister or His Majesty the Emperor!"
The value of the treasury lies in preventing some unjust hands from reaching into it, but this treasury cannot have its own ideas, nor can it form a noble interest group around itself.
This would touch the interests of all the ministers, after all, all their budgets come from the national treasury, under the management of the Minister of Finance.
Once the Minister of Finance has his own cronies, it becomes very troublesome for others to get budget allocations, as the Minister of Finance can resist them and even use it as leverage to force them into certain concessions and compromises.
So anyone can form an interest group, except the Minister of Finance, who can only handle his own affairs within his small domain.
It could even be said that the previous Minister of Finance being almost unguarded and his corruption being publicly known worldwide was not him being too arrogant; it was just his way of protecting himself.
Be it the Emperor or the Prime Minister, they wouldn’t need to gather evidence to remove him, as he had already collected his own evidence, only then could he steadily remain as a "centrist."
If the Minister of Finance were to be appointed from the nobles of the Secretariat, trouble would escalate.
The nobles within the Secretariat have serious grievances, and over the years, it has become a kind of retirement home; it’s impossible for the nobles to have no opinions about this.
They used to be at the center of power, but now they’ve been pushed out. If they were to re-enter the core of power, could the members of the Secretariat remain stable?
It’s obviously impossible, especially knowing that the nobles in the Secretariat make up over eighty percent of the noble group in Gafura. Among these nobles are some hereditary nobles whose foundations are not much inferior to those ministers in the Ruler’s Hall.
As these nobles unite, they form more than just a force; they become a torrent!
Even if all the ministers join forces, they may not necessarily be able to rival these nobles in the Secretariat, more importantly, they are targeting major departments like the Treasury.
Be it the military, the Prime Minister, or the Emperor, if they want money from the national treasury at that time?
Sure, but wait for the Secretariat to hold a meeting first, determine how much and how to take it after the meeting!
Intrigue?
Struggle?
If those ministers and the Emperor don’t intend to go to war with the majority of the Empire’s nobility, it’s best not to act rashly!
The surrounding minor nobles stared at Lynch in shock, they had no idea such a contest was happening behind everything, and this also meant Lynch’s speculation was correct.
The Minister of Finance couldn’t possibly emerge from the Secretariat, the Prime Minister was bound to win, from the start, the Prime Minister was bound to win, without any suspense.
Even the Emperor knows the Prime Minister will surely win; what he’s doing is merely buying more time to make some deals, compromises, and concessions.
Of course, it’s also possible that he wants to use this opportunity to win back the nobles in the Secretariat, because once the Prime Minister doubles as the Minister of Finance, some discussions and rumors will inevitably arise.
For instance, saying the Prime Minister stabbed the Secretariat in the back or something like that, this pain might push some nobles back onto the Emperor’s side.
When the next opportunity arises — the Prime Minister isn’t young anymore, and he won’t last many years, the Emperor will then have the chance to regain control of the finances.
With more noble support, the next Prime Minister absolutely won’t be able to compete with the Emperor!
The struggle between Gafura’s nobility and the Emperor is practically a traditional play, enthusiastically participated in by everyone from ancient times till now, with silent thunder echoing through the ears.
It’s truly interesting! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
"So...," Lynch crossed his legs, shook his head again, "The Prime Minister will undoubtedly seize financial power, the Emperor will certainly make a concession; there are some nuances I haven’t quite figured out, but that’s not important."
"These matters have nothing to do with us; as long as we can protect our money, that’s enough."
"Money will become increasingly important!"
Lynch’s points were reasonable and argued well, and his predictions were accurate, leaving people trusting his judgment and settling their hearts.
In the afternoon, the Emperor was reviewing some documents when suddenly the Royal Grand Steward interrupted his work, "Your Majesty, Baron Lynch requests an audience."
The Emperor’s lips curled with a hint of smugness; he thought Lynch probably came to plead for mercy; this troubled youth had caused a series of coincidental events since coming to Gafura, giving him quite a headache, and he longed to punch Lynch’s face.
But now, he’s here to beg; this young man who never respected anyone must have seen the impending crisis.
The Emperor recalled words from a book he’d read — no matter how many times you lose, it doesn’t matter, because as long as you win the last time, all previous failures become the best embellishments to your success.
He felt this perfectly described him and Lynch’s "contest," clearly using the word contest was a bit much; he didn’t see it as a contest but rather... a confrontation.
No matter how many times Lynch won against him, ultimately this time, he won.
Once Lynch is fined and bankrupt, he’d never have a chance to return to Gafura, at which time the Emperor plans to send people to the Federation to mock him, expose his actions, and let the Federation people laugh at him too.
Thinking about the bright future, he put down his work and removed his glasses, "Let him in."
Soon, Lynch arrived outside the study.
He knocked on the door, and an echo resounded in the study.
Though called a study, it more closely resembled a small library, with the Emperor seated in the center; he glanced at Lynch, invited him in, and had the Grand Steward serve some tea and pastries.
"Is there something you’d like to discuss with me?" The Emperor smiled slightly at Lynch, waiting for him to plead, "Perhaps I can help you a little!"
Lynch, however, did not repent as the Emperor expected, nor did he beseech the Emperor to spare him.
He watched the youngster place a document folder on the edge of his table, signaling him to take a look.
The Emperor, holding some doubt, picked up the folder, flipped it open, and extracted a document titled "Investment Proposal."
"Investment?" The Emperor didn’t continue flipping but casually tossed the document back onto the table, gradually cooling his expression, "Is this what you wanted to discuss?"
At this moment, the Grand Steward entered with tea and pastries; Lynch thanked him before he departed.
Once he left the study, Lynch held the tea, crossed his legs, and sat in a leisurely demeanor, "Yes, I, along with my friends — you know, we just made a lot of money."
The Emperor sneered, "Oh, really?"
Lynch, seemingly oblivious to the Emperor’s demeanor, responded as if dumbfounded, "Yes, made a lot of money, several billion."
"We plan to invest these funds..."
The Emperor grew impatient as this wasn’t his script; he raised his hand and interrupted Lynch, "I’m not interested in this, but I’ll remind you, the Prime Minister is investigating the Yuanrong case; if you have any illegal trading activities, the Empire’s laws won’t forgive you."
Lynch remained unfazed, set down his teacup, and met the Emperor’s eyes directly, "You know, interrupting someone is very impolite; as the Emperor of the Empire, you should possess a heart as vast as the sky..."
"As for the so-called illegal trade activities, I believe they do not exist; all our transactions are legal, compliant with Empire laws and regulations."
"Finally, you might not be interested in the project proposal, but I must tell you, we’re planning to invest all earned funds into the development and reconstruction of the Amelie Province..."
The Emperor’s expression momentarily faltered, "What did you just say?"
