They don't want me to try anymore.

You were granted the title of Prince and appointed Chancellor, becoming the de facto Hand of the Emperor, and your hometown of Connaught thus entered into a near-unified state with Vanderbilt.

You've reiterated your desire for reform; this time, no one dares to speak ill of you.

Although he had achieved an initial victory, Richard knew that it was far from time to relax.

In Vatican City, the conservative forces were exceptionally strong, and the pressure he faced was unprecedented once he truly began to implement reforms.

At that time, not only himself, but even Alice who endorses him may be in danger!

Therefore, Richard proceeded with extreme caution...

At the start of the reforms, you adopted the same measures as Romer City, proceeding step by step to make the pie bigger first.

Because everyone is making money, the hostility towards you has temporarily decreased, the Vatican's treasury is slightly fuller, and new interest groups are gradually emerging behind you.

But you know that's far from enough.

After stabilizing the situation, you began to promote compulsory education, establish institutions of higher learning including a new military academy and serve as its principal, strengthen discipline within the army, designate the Holy Roland Empire as a hypothetical enemy, and simultaneously attempt to address issues related to peasants and the land system...

You've stirred up a hornet's nest.

A large number of nobles began to criticize and oppose you, making your reform measures unsustainable.

really.

Richard scratched his head.

Reform is difficult in any era, especially in this world where nobles truly possess formidable and extraordinary military power. Relying solely on Alice's endorsement, he is destined to only be able to do peripheral tasks.

But perhaps this is enough?

After all, the opposing empire was only slightly stronger than Vanderbilt...

[At this moment, you suddenly learn that Alice has fallen ill.]

what! ?

the other side.

[Because you pursued speed too much, you failed to break through and were backfired by the out-of-control magical power. Although you were lucky enough not to fall in realm, you must rest in bed for a period of time.]

Alice looked at the note and sighed softly.

She wouldn't have gotten to this point, but seeing Richard making sweeping reforms and offending everyone around him, she couldn't help but feel anxious.

Having finally made up for the disappointment of the last simulation, she wanted to hold onto this happiness.

However, she was no match for Richard in governing the country, so apart from using her status to show support, the only thing she could do was to improve her own abilities.

She was already very talented; if she could advance to the legendary level, even if someone wanted to cause trouble, they would have to think twice.

But how easy is it to become a legend?

The opposing Empire's Luvia has been stuck at the half-legendary level for so many years and still hasn't been officially promoted!

As the saying goes, haste makes waste; when she got impatient, problems arose...

"My dear wife, please don't let anything happen to you!"

Richard rushed over to check on her and was relieved to find that Alice was alright, just unable to get out of bed for the time being.

But even such a small incident was enough to shake Richard's prestige and make his reforms more difficult to implement.

Some nobles even spread rumors that the Queen's illness was caused by his excessive demands...

Who is this!

I'm the ox that plows the fields; if anyone's going to die from exhaustion, it'll be me!

Besides, I've always been a diligent worker, where would I find the time...

That evening, Alice openly summoned you to her presence...

Uh.

See? She started it!

Alice, Alice, you're ill, yet you're thinking about such things. You're hardly a ruler!

And then you agreed.

As the saying goes, "If the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die..."

cough.

Having vented his frustration, Richard continued to face the fierce denunciations from the conservative nobles.

Leveraging his previous prestige in expanding the pie, he finally achieved a certain balance with his rivals, but while the risk of failure was gone, the pace of reform inevitably stalled.

For a fleeting moment, Richard considered giving up.

As long as he remains adept at maneuvering and adapting, he should be able to maintain a balance and serve as a wise prime minister for life without any problem.

As the saying goes, a tree branch won't break in a chameleon's hands.

[...You have received the latest news from the intelligence agency]

[On the Empire's side, led by the new general Luvia who now commands the Eastern Legion, a large number of people are paying close attention to your various initiatives, have begun learning your technologies, enacted new taxes, and promoted education throughout the country, etc...]

Meanwhile, the Empire's Gulf Legion officially marched south, and although it did not invade Connaught, it annexed all the other surrounding countries.

After doing all this, they sent envoys, hoping to sign a non-aggression pact with Vatican City.

What?

A treaty of mutual infringement, is that it?

The Qing Dynasty didn't read "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms," but Japan did, right?

The familiar script made Richard instantly realize something.

Those despicable imperialists!

But to be honest, they are indeed difficult to deal with. The Empire's foundation is already better than Vatican's, and if things continue like this...

As Richard read through the details of the intelligence report, he became increasingly convinced that the Empire was intensifying its war preparations, and that once their reforms were complete, Vanderbilt would face even greater difficulties.

Can't wait any longer!

Just then, Richard heard rumors that, due to Alice's prolonged bed rest, he had imprisoned the Queen and was seizing power.

Hilarious! My wife is worth gold, I'm worth silver, who's holding whom hostage?!

But in this situation, Richard suddenly came up with a brand new script.

Yes, it's very risky, heavily reliant on luck, and success is not guaranteed...

But if one succeeds by sheer luck, the dramatic effect will certainly be far greater than being a secure prime minister for life, and the simulated rewards will likely be much higher...

Then there's nothing to hesitate about...

Simulation is all about courting death... no, I mean taking risks!

On the surface, you feign compromise with the conservatives to lull your opponents into a false sense of security, while secretly working to cultivate your own power.

Those graduates who went all the way from compulsory education to military academy were widely placed into the military by you, the principal.

You continuously increase your investment in intelligence agencies, sending them deep into all levels of the empire, with a focus on monitoring your political enemies and Alice's brothers and sisters.

The companies you've built have provided you with a constant stream of financial resources, while Queen Alice's unconditional indulgence allows you to operate freely within the central government.

You quickly became even more autocratic than Prince Ferdinand once was.

[In no time, rumors flew through Vatican City, all saying you were an evil queen who had controlled the Empress. Leaflets were scattered daily on the streets of the capital, listing your various atrocities, most of which were false.]

[Many prostitutes even claimed that you forced them to serve you in extremely lewd ways, which was a blatant betrayal of the Empress.]

Handing out flyers, huh? Writing long essays, huh?

And what's with the evil queen? Am I being a stepmother who persecutes the little princess?

And I am a prince, a man!

Richard shook his head, but did not change his actions in the slightest.

When others say you're causing chaos in the country, you'd better actually be causing chaos in the country!

Heh, no rush.

Another year passed, and your first daughter with Alice was finally born. She was a very cute little girl, and you named her Anna.

Amidst the nationwide jubilation, you invite people from all factions to a banquet at the palace.

[During the banquet, you suddenly announced that the Empire had launched an attack on the border of Vanderbilt, and a war of self-defense was about to break out. Vanderbilt was immediately placed under martial law.]

Meanwhile, you claimed that many people at the banquet were actually imperial spies, and your confidants poured out from all sides to take them all into custody. On the other hand, you also had all members of the royal family except Alice placed under house arrest.

[Ready to go, you're initiating...]

[Big! Clean! Wash!]

Chapter 45 Bloodshed.jpg

It was called a purge, but it was really just about eliminating political enemies. And considering the extraordinary lineage of certain noble families, Richard did not forget to differentiate when he made his moves, and the killings were relatively restrained, only involving two grand dukes, a few marquesses, a few earls, and a bunch of viscounts, barons, knights, and so on...

As for the so-called war with the Empire, it was merely friction between the border and the vassal states of both sides—it wasn't that the Empire didn't want to move south, but rather that they had also caused trouble by learning from Richard's reforms, and couldn't prepare for it in a short time.