In the Name of Empress-Chapter 352 - 240: So You Understand Too?

Hansa City, Empress’s Palace.

Ados walked steadily towards the Empress’s office located on the top floor.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, his magnetic voice maintaining its elegance and composure.

"Your Majesty, Minister Ados has come at your summons."

"Come in." The voice from inside the room was casual.

Ados once again adjusted his appearance, ensuring there was no flaw before stepping forward.

The Empress could be casual, but he could not.

Since the Empress arrived in Hansa, she often appeared as a Count, rarely personally assuming the role of Empress, and even then, only in public settings.

This was the first time she had summoned him alone under the name of the Empress.

Ados couldn’t recall the last time he felt so anxious.

Damn it, he thought he would never be swayed by fame and fortune again, but he was wrong.

Managing to suppress the turmoil inside, Ados calmly saluted the Empress, cautiously observing Empress Sylph with his peripheral vision.

He had a clear feeling, this was the true Empress, not an impostor. Although they looked almost identical, he just knew, without any reason.

If forced to find a reason, it would be the aura and soul.

While the doppelgänger Empress was no less beautiful than the original, she lacked the graceful and dignified aura of an elf, and there was a palpable eagerness as if she longed to get off work every second.

How could Ados not see this worker’s mentality? He had been like this for the past few years.

The Empress’s appearance changed everything.

Perhaps he shouldn’t be exhilarated over the mere title of a Baron, but he would be happy about the Empress’s decision.

Seeing the somewhat nervous expression on Ados’s face, Sif smiled and gestured towards the guest’s seat with her right hand.

"Lord Ados, no need to be restrained. We have worked together for quite some time."

This statement was almost a confirmation that the Empress was indeed the Count.

Although Ados already knew, Sif knew that Ados knew, and Ados knew that Sif knew he knew, this clear indication was a form of favor and trust.

He hurriedly bowed to the Empress as a sign of respect, then returned to his own seat.

"Your Majesty, have you summoned me with any instructions?"

Even though being summoned alone by the Empress was a form of favor, Ados decided to enjoy it sparingly and straightforwardly asked.

"There are some matters I wish to obtain answers to from you. The documents in front of you are the latest intelligence; please read them carefully first."

Ados had already noticed the organized intelligence on the desk. With the Empress’s permission, he quickly picked them up for a thorough read.

He had already seen the brief version of this intelligence, which was a report compiled by Raikkonen on the recent movements in the Jin Yuan Kingdom.

Seeing the tensions between Alina and Roland, the retreat of the Fourth Fleet, and Alina’s advancement towards West City, he couldn’t help but let a slight smile tug at the corners of his lips.

"Lord Ados, what are your thoughts?"

"Your Majesty, I’m not very familiar with Miss Alina, but from my understanding of the Lord Governor, there’s no way he would act so recklessly, so it’s most likely a staged act."

It wasn’t surprising that Ados could see through this.

Sylph didn’t believe that this steady and capable minister’s political acumen was any lesser than her own; if she could understand, so could Ados.

Her biggest concern was... would Marco see through it?

Perhaps it was to prevent leaks due to the distance, or more likely, to give her a final exam, Roland had not written her a personal letter nor sent envoys to report the situation after setting sail.

Sylph had to decide on her own how to coordinate with Roland.

Should she launch a feigned attack as a diversion, or directly send troops into the Jin Yuan Kingdom, she had to make the decision personally.

Thinking that this was a crucial decision affecting her and Roland’s fate, Sylph did not act impulsively; instead, she chose to listen to the opinions of professionals.

"Lord Ados, the part of your resume before the age of twenty-five..."

"It’s fabricated," Ados admitted frankly.

These matters weren’t difficult to verify. Since the Empress brought it up, she was offering him a chance to confess.

This was the Empress’s test for him, but wasn’t it also his test for the Empress?

"I was once Count Lafei of the Jin Yuan Kingdom, and it was due to family changes that I came to the Three Overseas Provinces, becoming the Governor of Hansa was a string of unexpected events."

No wonder Ados was so experienced; he could envelop deceit with such an elegant term as fabrication.

Sylph nodded with satisfaction.

She hinted at her true identity, hoping to exchange sincerity for sincerity.

If Ados admitted, he deserved trust. If he still hid anything at this point, regardless of his reasons, he could not be heavily relied upon.

"Lord Ados, do not dwell on it. Everyone has a past they’re reluctant to share, and I have no intention of prying into yours. Since you were once nobility of the Jin Yuan Kingdom, you must have deep insights into it. I need your advice on some matters."

Ados breathed a sigh of relief.

He easily passed the Empress’s test of loyalty, and the Empress also easily passed his test of character.

The choice was mutual. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

If Empress Sylph couldn’t tolerate this small secret, then there was no need for him to devote his wisdom and he could continue pretending to be busy like the Empress’s doppelgänger.

After a simple mutual probing, the atmosphere became much more harmonious, yet Ados remained very humble before the Empress.

"Your Majesty, the situation in the Jin Yuan Kingdom is complex; no one dares claim they understand it fully."

He pondered for a moment, then briefly introduced the complexities of the Jin Yuan Kingdom.

It took him nearly an hour just to provide a simple overview of the political landscape of the Jin Yuan Kingdom.

Sif listened with a smile, clearly intrigued by the narrative.

Ados, second only to Roland in storytelling, explained the tangled political landscape of the Jin Yuan with remarkable clarity.

After Alina departed, the almost fully built intelligence network was handed over to Raikkonen, and with Alina’s tacit consent, some intelligence officers defected from Jin Yuan, obtained Sussex citizenship, and became the backbone of the new intelligence system.

Most of these people had lost their families under Marco’s tyranny and were filled with hatred for the Jin Yuan Kingdom. Their loyalty was unquestionable, but they were merely gatherers and analysts of intelligence, unable to delve into the deep-seated implications behind the data.

Ados could, as he understood the Jin Yuan too well.

When Sif asked whether Marco would see through their plan, he decisively gave his answer.

"It doesn’t matter if Marco sees through it or not; what difference does it make? When all his subordinates think Alina is marching to her death, he won’t be able to suppress their thirst for battle."

"In politics, what you think doesn’t matter; what’s important is what you can do, what you’ve done."

Perhaps feeling his words were too preachy, Ados quickly amended, "Although Marco is far from as wise as Your Majesty, he is still a Supreme Leader after all, and naturally, he knows."

Seeing Ados’s cautious demeanor, Sif interrupted him with a laugh.

"Lord Ados, spare me the flattery; I don’t enjoy hearing it."

Sif had a clear sense of her own wisdom.

She certainly had moments of insight but not always consistently.

"I need calm sages to advise me, not minstrels to sing praises; this task is still better suited for Mr. Adam."

Ados merely smiled slightly, without saying more.

The Empress forbade him from flattering, so, of course, he would comply. Yet, genuine praise is never mere flattery.

Skipping over the topic, Ados continued analyzing for Sif.

"After the monarchy was overthrown in the Jin Yuan Kingdom, numerous factions formed internally. Of these, the strongest is the Yayue Faction, which represents capitalists and houses Marco. There is also the Thermidorian Faction, representing urban commoners, and the Flower Moon Faction, representing the interests of the old nobility and military."

"Among these, the Flower Moon Faction was initially the strongest, but after Carlo’s death, it lost its leader. The Thermidorian Faction is the loudest, controlling public opinion but lacks true power. The Yayue Faction, after Marco’s internal purges, superficially weakened yet actually increased its cohesion."

"Can killing so many people really increase cohesion?"

Sif was stunned, blurting out her question but quickly realized the answer.

"I understand now; by killing all opponents, only supporters are left."

"But I still hold a differing opinion. If you can’t tolerate intense opposition voices, even mild dissent will become particularly grating. The Yayue Faction is not a monolithic block."

This time, it was Ados who was surprised.

What the Empress said was something he had thought about. He had intended to lead Sif around the topic but never expected her to figure it out by herself.

"Your Majesty is wise. Within the Yayue Faction, there are also undercurrents. The guillotine can only sever heads but cannot eliminate divisions. Regardless of whether Marco sees through the plan, he must confront it; he cannot remain holed up in West City."

"If he is trapped in the capital, his legitimacy as president vanishes. A single spark could ignite West City, this gigantic powder keg."

"A gigantic powder keg?"

Sif murmured the phrase several times, smiling teasingly, "What an apt metaphor. In that case, our moment to deploy troops is when Alina and Marco engage in their impending field battle."

Ados refrained from further flattery and instead gazed at Empress Sylph with admiration.

Actions are more effective than words; although the Empress said she didn’t want flattery, she felt a surge of joy from the sage’s approval.

If Roland were here, what would he say?

He would definitely tell her to find her own way.

Sif’s dimples were filled with smiles, as if Roland were standing right there next to Ados, silently observing her, waiting for her to hand in her solution.

With the timing for deployment decided, the next concerns were the scale and pretext for the troop movement.

The number of troops couldn’t be too large, as a larger force would be too conspicuous, but it couldn’t be too small to be ineffective.

The pretext for deployment could never be the Sussex Empire’s aid army.

According to Ados’s account, the Jin Yuan people are proud; unless forced, they would never accept the charity of the Sussex people.

That’s also why Roland was always avoiding suspicion.

After internally disdainfully condemning the Jin Yuan people for their prideful swagger in their destitution, Sif made a decision.

"Lord Ados, when they go to battle, I will lead the troops myself; you will be in charge here."

"Your Majesty, actually..."

Ados wanted to say he understood military affairs and could substitute, but he vaguely realized the true reason Sif intended to personally lead the army, so he fell silent immediately.

There were rumors that Miss Alina was also Roland’s secret lover.

An utterly absurd rumor, but not entirely impossible.

Although Alina held a noble title, she currently possessed nothing, with what leverage could she entice Governor Roland?

Even if only as an appendage to a political deal, Governor Roland likely wouldn’t overlook her beautiful, delicate, and pure body, would he?

He was a man, and so was Governor Roland.

He understood all too well.