In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 71 Chen Qi and Vina's wedding, an unusual situation?

A week later, in Trilintelme, the capital of Letania, another bombshell announcement came!

[The Emperor of Letania has found Victoria's only remaining heir to the throne, Vina Victoria.]

Furthermore, the King of Letania decreed that he would marry Crown Princess Victoria the following spring, as a gesture to symbolize the union of Letania's and Victoria's bloodlines.

This news quickly sparked a frenzy of discussion among various countries.

[Of these, the people of Victoria undoubtedly had the strongest reaction.]

Even after being conquered, the people of Victoria, an empire that had stood for thousands of years, could not accept being reduced to slavery.

Therefore, from the day of its conquest, Victoria experienced numerous uprisings and movements similar to popular self-defense armies, but all were quickly suppressed.

However, all of this changed completely after news of your marriage to Vina reached Victoria.

When the people of Victoria learned that they actually had a crown prince, and that the conquered Leitanian emperor had taken her as a concubine, the people of Victoria were no longer sleepy.

As the most powerful emperor in Terra, everyone knows that he has never appointed an empress or concubines, and there haven't even been rumors of him having lovers.

In everyone's eyes, you seem like a monarch who only enjoys the thrill of conquest; only war and territory can bring you joy.

But now, Princess Victoria has become your only publicly acknowledged concubine.

【what does that mean?】

This means that Crown Princess Victoria is currently the most powerful emperor in all of Terra, and the only one in her harem!

Although not the Empress, as your only concubine, Vina holds the highest nominal position in the harem.

Moreover, as your only concubine, Vina is, in the eyes of outsiders, the only concubine who could possibly bear you a child!

[As long as Vina becomes the first, or even the only, concubine to give birth to a prince.]

Therefore, the emperor who will inherit the greatest imperial power in Terra in the future will still have Victoria's blood flowing through his veins.

[Though emperors come and go, the rulers of these lands are still Victorians!]

Could the Victorians be considered conquered?

【wrong! 】

[Haven't they become royalty?!]

[Its territory was even several times larger than during the Victorian Empire!]

[Upon hearing this news, the Victorians, who had been uneasy about your rule and even feared you might establish a reign of terror in Victoria, finally felt relieved.]

After all, you've married their country's crown princess, and the throne will eventually go to a prince with Victoria's blood. How could you possibly go on a killing spree against the family of your future prince's wife?

The public sentiment in Victoria has been largely calmed by your political marriage.

But Vina wasn't exactly happy about it.

It wasn't because she had become a mere decorative figurehead; after all, as long as Victoria was spared from suffering, her bottom line was considered met.

She was also very fortunate that you were an emperor who kept his promises.

For a long time afterward, you truly didn't touch her. Even when you occasionally met in the tower, it was just a simple nod or a few words.

Indeed, after conquering Victoria, you began planning the governance and development of the Victoria region.

Even if Vina only occasionally brings you some tea out of boredom, she can still see you working day and night on government affairs, much of which concerns Victoria.

Even Vina's companions in the "Glasgow Gang," you arranged jobs and businesses for them in Lentinham, allowing them to live a stable life.

For example, you arranged for Indra to open a boxing gym on a commercial street in Lentinium, where she would teach martial arts.

I heard that when she first opened her shop, she was harassed by some competitors, but before the guards arrived, Indra had already knocked the troublemakers to the ground.

Therefore, her boxing gym was incredibly successful, and everyone knew she was a real fighter.

This unconsciously lessened her hatred for you for conquering her country.

But soon, Vina couldn't take it anymore.

The extravagant lifestyle inside the tower, day after day, left Vina, who had grown accustomed to gang fights, extortion, and a carefree life, feeling utterly bored.

Even if you allow Indra and the others to occasionally come and chat with Vina, they still have their own lives to live and can't be with Vina all the time.

This made Vina, whose movements were restricted within the tower, extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, one day, Vina snapped at you.

"Whatever it is, find me something to do."

“Our marriage is purely political, not a real one. I’m not going to be here like a noble lady, spending all my time in the palace throwing banquets and eating cake.”

"—Then you can help me deal with these Viviana, as well as the livelihood issues that Lappland and Texas usually collect."

You found Vina's outburst amusing, but after some thought, you decided to grant your concubine's wish to some extent.

Of course, you can't grant her any authority over matters of state or military affairs.

[Given Vina's early experience of fleeing the palace at a young age and spending years with gangsters, her political acumen, including the burning of books and burying of scholars alive, was far too advanced for her.]

Even small, everyday matters are enough to keep Vina busy.

[As it turns out, you were right.]

Vina, who was just starting to feel happy about finally finding something to do and having a little bit of power, couldn't be happy for more than a month.

[The factory pollution problem in the lower city, the lack of Oripathy inhibitors in areas where infected people congregate, the excessive noise from guard patrols, and the long-term neglect of garbage dumps in the industrial area...]

It all seems like such trivial matters.

But these trivial matters were giving Vina a major headache.

[Vina suggested relocating the factory because of its pollution, but this factory is the workplace for 50% of the residents of the lower town of Trinitylme, and relocation would inevitably cause massive unemployment.]

[Navina suggested limiting factory output, but the factories objected, saying that reduced output would affect civilian wages and cause unrest.]

[Then impose strict emission standards? Still not enough, because factories will illegally discharge wastewater elsewhere.]

[You should know that although your government has a parliament, your supreme prestige makes Letania practically a dictatorship.]

This means that your decrees can be implemented immediately, making administrative efficiency many times higher than that of a parliamentary system.

Even so, these mundane matters still tormented Vina, leaving her looking distressed, and she considered resigning less than two months later.

But you smiled and rejected your resignation, my dear concubine.

"What's wrong? Are these little things too difficult for you?"

"These are just small things; they're just part of the daily work that officials in a small town have to deal with."

"If they can't handle these issues, any hope of promotion in my empire is simply wishful thinking." "And you, who can't even handle these things, want to return to Victoria as king?"

[Under your "encouragement," Vina ultimately had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue.]

You didn't actually have any intention of specifically grooming Vina.

[You just want to fill her mind with these trivial matters, to keep her from hanging out with Liselotte, who still covets the throne.]

Of course, if Vina's performance is truly remarkable, you wouldn't mind giving this concubine a slightly larger jurisdiction.

After all, this is a good thing for the country and its people.

[As long as she's not allowed to exert influence in Victoria, that's enough.]

[After her relationship with Vina stabilized, to your surprise, Viviana got angry.]

Your political marriage to Vina has greatly displeased Viviana, who sees Maison and Gertrude as figures akin to mothers.

For a time, no matter how you tried to coax her, this little princess remained completely indifferent to you.

You can only hope that time will heal Viviana's resentment.

At the same time, Jian actually harbors a slight resentment towards you.

[But the reason she resented you was that you didn't make Livina queen, which created a persistent threat to your rule over Victoria.]

After all, in Jian's heart, as the most powerful emperor of Terra, you can't go your whole life without establishing an empress.

If, in the future, you were to appoint a woman with less power and background than Vina as empress, it would destabilize the foundation of your rule.

However, Jian clearly has a vague idea of ​​why you are unwilling to make Vina queen.

However, precisely because Jian knew the reason, a sense of melancholy arose in her heart.

She began to wonder if her feelings for you were holding you back.

This has created a rare, slight distance between you and the mace.

But you don't know how to bridge this gap.

Fortunately, although your relationship with Jian has encountered a minor problem, there's a constant stream of good news from the international community.

[Due to your previously terrifying rate of expansion, both Ursus and Great Yan have begun to fear you, and your expansion will encroach upon their territories.]

[Furthermore, the news of your marriage to Vina has allowed you to quickly consolidate the powerful and wealthy Victorian Empire, posing a significant threat to Ursus and Great Yan.]

Therefore, both major powers sent envoys to express their friendship to you.

What's most unbelievable is that Ursus, which has always maintained an extremely tough diplomatic stance, has surprisingly bowed its head before you.

They sent diplomats, bringing large quantities of gold and silver jewelry, and even returned some of the Kazimierz immigrants who had been sent to the Ursus mines.

This demonstrates Ursus's sincerity in establishing friendly relations with Letania.

The Ursus diplomats even stated that their emperor was willing to send his four-year-old daughter to Letania as your future betrothal gift.

Ursus's unusually low profile made you a little suspicious.

[But you still agreed to Ursus and Great Yan's friendly requests. You never wanted to expand, so their overtures were indeed good news for you.]

However, although you accepted all the gifts from Ursus and Da Yan, you ordered them to be sealed away after the envoys from both countries left.

Whether based on past life experiences or out of caution, you feel it's best not to use Ursus's gift.

Regarding the marriage agreement with the Emperor of Ursus... you only replied that if you have a prince born in the future, you could consider a marriage between children.

You really have no interest in pedophilia.

[As time goes by, the one-year deadline for your engagement with Vina will soon be over.]

This is the most lively and festive day in your palace, and indeed in the entire Leitanian Empire.

[The palace and its surroundings were draped with soft white fabrics resembling wedding dresses, and flower petals fell almost endlessly from the top of the tower, eventually covering the entire structure.]

Even in Londinium, countless people of Letania rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts; their greatest emperor had finally acquired a concubine.

Of course, there was also joy in the fact that their powerful empire would soon have a successor capable of maintaining its prosperity and strength.

On this day of national celebration, both the autonomous countries under your rule and foreign nations displayed their utmost sincerity at the wedding.

[Victoria, Colombia, Bolivar, Ursus, Great Yan... even from the Sarkaz, Theresis sent congratulatory gifts.]

They all vie to use this opportunity to express their submission, fear, or simply their desire for you to stop the war.

It seems there's only one person who truly cares whether your wedding goes smoothly.

"Take the gifts sent by the foreign envoys to the warehouse for inspection. Be sure to search them carefully to prevent any dangerous items from being found."

"You all, remember to carefully inspect all the dishes that come out of the kitchen. Make sure they are of good quality and are served quickly, and also, prevent any foreign objects or poisoning."

Inside the tower, Jian, who was also dressed in military uniform and wielding a greatsword, and was in charge of the tower's security, addressed her group of Golden Law Guards and Gestapo officers with a serious expression:

"This is His Majesty's most important day, so don't you dare mess it up."

"Yes!"XN
"Okay, get to work. Remember, be careful and report any unusual activity to me immediately."

After nodding, Jian looked at the tower where guests were still pouring in and couldn't help but sigh.

In fact, given Jian's qualifications, she would definitely have been among the most deserving guests at Chen Qi's wedding, sitting in the front row.

However, because of a slight lingering concern, Jian ultimately chose to volunteer to take charge of the security work for the wedding.

At least this way, she could avoid seeing Chen Qi and Vina's wedding and involuntarily revealing any inappropriate emotions.

She didn't want to cause Chen Qitian any more trouble.

Just as Jian was holding such thoughts, a casual glance caught her attention to an unusual figure.

It was a burly Ursus man with his back to me, dressed in military uniform.

Was he an officer who came with the protocol officer from Ursus?
Just as this question flashed through Jian's mind, under her gaze, the Ursus soldier, after talking with a maid for a while, slowly walked in a certain direction.

Clearly, he wasn't heading in the direction of the restroom.

It was the palace kitchen.

It was only then that Jian noticed that the Ursus man was holding a beautifully packaged box, which looked like it contained some kind of sweet pastry.

However, the strange combination of these elements made Jian less convinced that the Ursus man might be holding some kind of snack.

Looking at the bustling wedding scene, Jian gripped his greatsword again, and after a moment of silence, took a deep breath.

Alone, she followed in the footsteps of the Ursus man.

(End of this chapter)