In the Name of Empress-Chapter 327 - 223: The Art of Compromise

The room fell into an absolute silence.

Everyone was stunned.

The Empress and Roland, who were aware of the results beforehand, were unsurprised, of course.

Ados and the others, unfamiliar with the high-level imperial policies, never imagined that the ennoblement proposed by the Empress herself would be completely rejected, leaving them dumbfounded.

Ados was so agitated that he almost stood up, but he calmed down as soon as he slightly rose from his seat.

Both the Empress and the Governor were present; it wasn’t his place to shout out, so he needed to stay composed.

He squinted his eyes, catching a glimpse of Roland’s similarly "shocked" expression, which made him even more disheartened.

Bordeaux’s chubby cheeks turned bright red as he was about to stand up and say something, but abruptly noticed Ados had both stood up and sat back down, so he forcibly suppressed his anger.

Officials who were not involved whispered among themselves or exchanged feelings with their eyes. Those whose proposed ennoblement had been brought up and then rejected tried to maintain their composure, but their inner disappointment was visible on their faces.

Such a situation would be hard for anyone to stay calm in.

Tony, the Executive Vice Minister of Internal Affairs seated on the left side of the first row (formerly the Executive Officer of Val City State), squinted his eyes with interest as he observed the array of expressions in the conference hall, deep in thought.

Although he was responsible for many matters, his lower rank meant that he was not in line for baronial rewards this time.

Being an Imperial Knight was not bad either, as it at least represented recognition from the Empress and Governor.

Tony was quite content.

After all, he joined midway through and was once the leader of Val City State’s Independence Faction, being so heavily entrusted by Roland was no small feat.

The newly established Suyige Province was personally overseen by Roland, with the Deputy Governor being the former Deputy Executive Officer of Val City State.

Governor Roland, of course, would not lower himself to personally manage a province; he merely lent his name. The actual authority of Suyige Province rested with the old Val City State faction members.

Tony detected an unusual taste in the air.

The Governor was diligently maintaining a balance.

The original Three Overseas Provinces had a mature bureaucratic system. Although these officials had their internal disputes, they generally formed a single faction known as the Overseas Faction.

Besides these officials, the ones who had followed the Governor and the Empress from the mainland were not directly connected but formed their own faction known as the Mainland Faction.

After the division of Val City State, the former city-state officials joined the Governor’s territory en masse, forming a new faction led by Tony, named the City State Faction.

Beyond these factions, the talents drawn from various Rodinia countries by Roland’s mantra of "using talents regardless of background" constituted the fourth faction.

Accurately speaking, the newcomers were not a mature political faction; they had no leader, no unified goals, or action strategies. They were more akin to a group than a faction.

This commendation ceremony’s biggest winners were, of course, the Overseas Faction, as they had the most ennoblements.

The Mainland Faction was the second winner; they were at a disadvantage because most started from lower positions; although they rose quickly, they still needed time to accumulate.

The City State Faction, although not grabbing any baronial titles, gained several Imperial Knights and the practical authority of the new province.

The more Tony pondered, the more he appreciated Roland’s thoughtful arrangements.

The Overseas Faction boasted numerous ennoblements, basking in glory, yet their fundamental base didn’t expand. On the contrary, because of their handling of politics, they lost some of their original land.

The Mainland Faction rose the fastest in rank, but lacking a solid foundation, they received the Governor’s focused support.

The City State Faction achieved silent prosperity, evidently valued by the Governor. However, alongside promotion, Roland carefully guarded against them.

Power could be granted, but their corresponding status was restrained with reasonable pretexts.

This way, the City State Faction’s power expansion could be curbed, reassuring the old ministers.

Letting Tony govern the political affairs mattered little, as his rank was no higher than that of a Deputy Governor, and his noble rank lagged behind; he was far off.

As for the newcomer group, their future was promising, one might say.

Roland was delicately dividing the power cake among different groups.

The Governor’s Territory was currently in a phase of growth, with a steadily expanding base. Civil servants could climb ranks, generals could win battles, merchants could profit, factories received government support, and even farmers enjoyed tax exemption in disastrous years.

The bigger the cake, the smaller the issues with contradictions.

However, none of this was stable; as soon as the thriving situation changed, various contradictions would surface.

Tony felt some worry, as well as curiosity. How would Roland deal with the current situation?

Could the Lord Governor have anticipated this outcome and have a contingency plan?

Putting himself in Roland’s shoes, Tony honestly couldn’t think of a solution.

The barons of the Sussex Empire held considerable value; not only did they possess privileges and status, but they were granted actual territories.

The Empire was so vast that many Baron’s domains were larger than the Earldoms of small kingdoms.

It was better to be a Baron in a large empire than an Earl in a small kingdom.

After all, a small kingdom could vanquish overnight; once it vanished, the Earl’s preservation was uncertain.

After much thought, the only solution Tony could conceive was for the Empress to initially confer a batch of landless titles.

Only titles, devoid of territory, non-hereditary, these titles were mockingly dubbed empty titles.

Empty baronies were far less valuable than hereditary baronies with lands.

Turning a grand prize into a consolation prize, who could accept that?

If mishandled, the painstakingly gathered unity of the hearts might disperse.

Once the unity of hearts scattered, the previously cohesive team would dissolve too.

Just as Tony was worried sick, the long-silent Mirror Empress spoke up.

"Gentlemen, feel free to express your opinions," she said.

To the officials, these words from the Empress signaled permission to vent their frustrations.

How could they resist?

Bordeaux stood up first.

He hadn’t shot his mouth off at a formal meeting for three months, and he was nearly suffocating.

Now that he had permission to speak freely, he certainly wouldn’t hold back.

"This is a deception of the sovereign, a betrayal, a blatant betrayal!"

Bordeaux’s words left everyone around stupefied.

Wait a moment, isn’t this tone a bit too high? Just starting off with such huge accusations, he’s said everything, how can others follow?

Bordeaux’s shocking words silenced the entire audience.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

Clearing his throat, the Governor of Selin officially began his mode of legal criticism.

"Gentlemen, may I ask, what is the relationship between the nobility and His Majesty?"

This was a question everyone could answer.

"His Majesty is the lord of the nobility."

Bordeaux nodded with satisfaction, casting a grateful glance at the person who responded.

"Subjects should be loyal to their lord, doing their utmost to relieve the lord’s worries, assist in governing the domain, and help achieve the set goals."

"What is the law?"

Bordeaux swallowed the crude term "bullshit" at the edge of his lips, just as he was pondering a more fitting word, Roland spoke up for him.

"The law is a tool to maintain governance."

Bordeaux’s eyes lit up.

No wonder he’s the Governor—his speech is so accurate.

"Indeed, the Empire’s law must uphold His Majesty the Emperor’s interests, and the nobility must consciously uphold the lord’s interests."

"Yet what have the nobles in the Imperial Capital done? They toy with words, straining to find clauses in the law that go against His Majesty. This is betrayal!"

Roland gave Bordeaux a satisfied smile.

Indeed, that’s betrayal.

There are so many legal clauses, apart from undeniable heavy crimes like murder and arson, political laws are often vague, leaving room for maneuver.

If the lords of the Noble House wanted to pass this report, there are a hundred ways to do so.

They could declare the Suyige Province a part of the homeland and reward it to the nobility.

They could declare the Suyige Region a colony and reward it as well.

Yet they chose not to do so, instead racking their brains to dig up obscure and dusty legal articles from the corners of heraldic law to reject the report.

Reasons for rejection, regardless of their grandeur, remain rejections. Reasons for agreement, no matter how absurd, remain agreements.

The home lords’ biases are quite severe.

Receiving Roland’s acknowledgment, Bordeaux went all out, criticizing the homeland’s noble lords mercilessly and justifiably.

Bordeaux’s eloquence was impressive.

As he analyzed, the attending officials saw through the true face of the old nobility of the homeland.

Yet, though venting was satisfying, it held no practical meaning.

After venting, they still had to face reality. What to do?

The attending officials were experts at criticizing the old nobility, but weak in offering solutions.

When the Empress slowly inquired, "What countermeasures do you all propose," everyone became sullen.

The Empress cast her gaze toward Ados, indicating for him to speak.

Ados was disheartened, originally not intending to say a word, but unable to refuse the Empress’s inquiry, he pondered for a few seconds before sighing despondently:

"Your Majesty, I suggest first bestowing the title of Landless Baron, at least resolving the noble status."

People always prefer compromises.

If Ados were directly given the title of Landless Baron, he would certainly be displeased, possibly thinking the Empress and Governor were too stingy.

But after having the ennoblement report rejected, he could accept it instead.

This essentially was the baseline for the recipients.

First resolve the rank (noble title), then find a way to resolve the actual interests (territory).

The Empress’s expression was stern, offering no immediate response, but continued to ask the others.

Several Baronet agreed with Ados’s opinion.

If they couldn’t have the meat, they could at least sip some soup.

The Empress finally directed her gaze toward Sif, gently asking, "What do you think, Lord Sif?"

Sif stood up, her gaze sweeping across the room, her voice crisp and captivating, yet what she said nearly froze the officials’ blood.

"I disagree."

The officials and generals waiting to be ennobled, being the Empress’s confidants, knew Sif was the Empress.

If Sif disagreed, the Empress disagreed.

They bowed their heads, their hearts bleeding.

They never imagined in their wildest dreams that the Empress would be so unyielding.

They thought of the months spent voluntarily giving up entertainment activities, restraining themselves, often working overtime voluntarily, all their schemes resulted in nothing, their mindset teetering on the edge of explosion.

Though they were aggrieved, they dared not rebel.

The Empress’s authority was something they dared not confront directly.

However, they all lost their enthusiasm for advancement, preparing to slack off once the meeting was over and return to their carefree lifestyles.

Catching the disappointed and dejected side glances from the officials, Sif’s lips curved slightly upward.

The officials’ reactions were within the calculations.

First raise expectations, then smash them to the ground, finally offering a somewhat satisfactory outcome, the joy surpassing simply giving the highest expectation.

Is this what Roland calls PUA?

His words are always so intriguing.

Count Sif cleared her throat softly, then slowly said, "I plan to allocate several Baron’s Domains from my Domain of Count Tyrone to compensate everyone’s losses. Please approve, Your Majesty."