Shirou's clones number 30 million

"Yes, you sang very well."

"Huh...? You misspoke, Qing. Your singing can only be described as beautiful."

Suddenly, the door opened, and a beautiful woman who bore a resemblance to Nero, accompanied by several maids, strode in.

She first glanced at Shirou with displeasure, then looked at Nero with icy eyes:

"I just heard that you wanted to spare the burning of Rome in order to expand the palace, but unexpectedly, a heavy snowfall caused your plan to fail."

"What? Mother, how could I possibly do such a thing!" Nero's expression changed slightly. He stood up and looked at her sharply. "The fire was caused by those traitors who were dissatisfied with me. This heavy snow is a blessing from heaven for Rome, and also for me."

"You really didn't do it?" Little Agrippina frowned slightly, then breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it was just another one of your willful acts. Since it wasn't, I'm relieved."

"Mother, in your heart, am I such a willful and tyrannical ruler?"

"Isn't that so? I've never heard of a commoner being promoted to a nobleman simply because of a victory in a competition. Within the empire, do you even know how you're regarded?"

"I can think of roughly what to do, but there are always trade-offs. My reputation among ordinary people should be pretty good, right?"

"What use is the reputation of the common people? The nobles are the ones who decide everything in this country. If the nobles all oppose you, can you still hold onto your throne?"

"Well……"

Nero remained silent for a moment, clearly unable to argue with his mother and having nothing more to say.

Seeing this, Shirou sighed inwardly and interjected:

"I cannot agree with that statement. While it is true that the rulers of the world are nobles, the power of the common people should not be underestimated."

"Compared to nobles, there are far more commoners in the world. But the reason why nobles rule the world is mainly because they possess knowledge."

"And knowledge is power."

"If a nobleman were to lift the restrictions on knowledge for commoners and provide free compulsory education, starting with the army, so that all commoners could learn knowledge."

"At that time, compared to the vast number of commoners, what will nobles be?"

"Furthermore, for Nero, increasing the power of the common people to counterbalance the nobility was the best option for her."

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. To cut off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents."

"Nero's accession to the throne completely transformed the Roman Empire from a principality into a monarchy."

"The change in the system caused a great deal of damage to the interests of the nobility, and the nobility, led by the Senate, harbored a great deal of hostility."

"There are many reasons why they did not rebel immediately, but the main reason is that they lacked strength and confidence."

"But the strength of power cannot remain unchanged forever. When the monarch's power weakens, that is when they will rebel."

"Therefore, the best solution for Nero would naturally be to introduce new forces to counterbalance those nobles."

"Otherwise, we can only select some suitable people from within the nobility, win over some, and suppress others."

"The stability of power always requires checks and balances; otherwise, if the court officials are of one mind, how can the throne remain secure?"

Nero and Agrippina stared at him blankly, as if they were listening to a dream.

After a long pause, Agrippina the Younger was the first to react, and said in a deep voice:

“Nero, kill him immediately! If such a person is not a sage renowned throughout history, he will surely be a great thief who brings chaos to the world.”

"Why……!?"

Shirou was speechless. Had I said too much and scared her?

Indeed, compared to these ancient people, I may not be as knowledgeable or as clever as them, but my vision is absolutely unmatched.

"whee……"

Nero suddenly covered his mouth and laughed uncontrollably.

"I never expected you to receive such high praise from the Queen Mother. In that case, would you like to stay in Rome as my advisor?"

"Okay."

"Oh...! Don't you plan to return to your territory? I've heard that you've managed your territory quite well, and I was originally planning to take some time to visit."

"It's just a rural village, there's nothing that needs to be managed. Let my father manage it on his behalf. He's been a farmer all his life, it's good for him to go there and enjoy a peaceful retirement."

To put it nicely, he was a lord who had the power of life and death over his people and could do whatever he wanted.

But in reality, he was just a village chief in a rural area, with only a few hundred people in the village.

This kind of lord is better off not being one; it would be better for him to stay in the capital.

As for the territory, simply registering it in name is sufficient.

Nero nodded slightly, then turned to look at Agrippina the Younger and said with a smile:

"Mother, do you still think he is unworthy of being a nobleman?"

"Well... in terms of talent alone, there's no problem. However, your approach was too hasty. That's why you've been constantly criticized lately."

"Mother, who told you those words, 'I burned Rome to rebuild the palace'?"

"You don't need to worry about it, I'll take care of that person."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you. Also, thank you."

Little Agrippina paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Don't worry about it. No matter what, I will always be your mother."

After seeing her off, Nero looked at Shirou with a hint of excitement and whispered:

"Do you know? The Empress Dowager has always treated me like a child, and hasn't praised me in a long time."

"Uh...did she just praise you?" Shirou looked surprised and unconsciously began to recall every word she had just said.

"Hmph... Didn't Mother just give you a very high evaluation? Her praise of you is the same as her praise of me."

"I see."

Shirou chuckled. That's not entirely wrong; it could be considered a compliment on your good taste.

Historical records say that her mother was a woman with a strong desire for power.

However, judging from what I just saw, she seemed to be just a mother who was very worried about her daughter.

Of course, I won't comment on her character.

After all, as a woman, she would always have to use some methods to support her daughter to the throne.

Chapter 178 This doesn't fit my art style at all!

Chapter 178, Section 179: This doesn't fit my art style at all!

In the following days, Shiro offered many useful suggestions on searching for traitors and calming the public, which helped to stabilize Rome very quickly.

However, because of this, Shirou began to be regarded as an important strategist by Nero, who would consult him on matters large and small.

"Your suggestion to build public toilets is excellent, and I have already made the arrangements. However, the running water you mentioned is still difficult to achieve at the moment."

"There's no need to rush that. I've been gathering intelligence these past few days and discovered a strange policy. The city hall is randomly distributing bread, clothes, livestock, houses, and other items to the public as gifts every day."

"Hehe... This is a good deed that I've been thinking about for a long time. Aren't there many poor people in China? This kind of thing should be able to help them to some extent."

"So this was your idea? It is indeed a good deed, but this approach cannot solve the problem at its root."

Shirou noticed that Nero's expression had become somewhat subtle, as if he was on the verge of getting angry, and couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, it's impossible to be happy when a policy you've painstakingly devised is criticized as worthless.

Have you ever heard the story of "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"? To help others, instead of giving them fish, teach them how to fish.

"Huh...?" Nero paused slightly, then began to think seriously.

That makes a lot of sense!

Why have I never heard a story like this before?

"Since you put it that way, there must be a better way, right?"

Shirou nodded slightly and said without hesitation:

"Of course! My method is to use work relief instead of public toilets. Aren't public toilets being built in large numbers right now? We can use that to hire workers..."

"In addition, with public toilets, it is necessary to hire professional cleaners to maintain the cleanliness of the streets. Such jobs are respectable, and people may not be willing to do them. But poor families certainly won't be picky."

"In short, the goal is to find ways to create more jobs in order to help the poor."

"Compared to getting something for nothing, this approach neither fosters laziness nor creates financial burdens, making it a win-win situation."

Nero suddenly puffed out her cheeks and looked at Shirou with great displeasure.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

"No, I'm just a little unhappy. It's such a simple thing, yet I never thought of it."

"Well... what's mine is yours, so if I think of it, it's the same as you thinking of it?"

"That's true, then I won't stand on ceremony. Your wisdom belongs to me."

"Take it, it's yours."

……

That night, a space shrouded in white mist.

After shaking hands and sharing memories, Roma Shirou couldn't help but sigh softly and complain:

"I'm supposed to be the one with the most physical strength, but Nero is treating me like the one with the most intelligence. What's going on here?"

"Isn't this good?" Tianlong Renlang said with a smile.

"It's not that it's bad, it's just that I often feel like my brain isn't working properly."

Thinking about the events of the past few days, Roma Shirou sighed again.

Every time Nero had a political consultation, he would rack his brains for a long time, afraid of saying the wrong thing and harming Rome and many people.

"God help me, I'm not the kind of person who likes to use my brain, this doesn't suit my style at all."

"The role of a strategist with a feather fan and silk turban is really unsuitable. I still prefer the role of a brute who carries a knife and cuts his way from the South Heavenly Gate to the East Road of Penglai."

"Haha..." Shirou Asami suddenly burst into laughter, "I really like the role of a strategist! Actually, what I long for most is to travel back to an era of constant war, and then sit on a wheelbarrow and command thousands of troops in battle."