The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

"How ridiculous! Do you think I'll continue your endless wars even if I become emperor?"

"The Royal Medical College will strip my soul and refine it into a secret weapon," the purple-robed man said thoughtfully, his voice gentle, "They will implant my will and my path into your mind, and you will become me."

A rare look of fear flashed across the young man's face. He angrily shouted, "Do you think I'll let myself be manipulated by those evil spells?!"

"Why do you think the Empire spared no expense in building this birdcage?" the purple-robed man pointed to the ceiling. "The Empire's will cannot be defied. You have long been bathed in the Divine Emperor's grace."

After saying that, he turned around with a flick of his sleeves and walked out of the forest garden.

Suddenly, the young man raised his arm, pointed at the purple-robed man's back, and asked, "If you are truly willing to sacrifice everything, why do you want people to go to great lengths to find a way to achieve immortality?"

"..."

"You're afraid of death too, hahahahahahaha—" The young man seemed to understand and suddenly laughed wildly, "You're afraid of death too! You're afraid of death too! Your so-called expedition is just to allow yourself to linger in this position for a few more years! Hahahahaha, can you really avoid the fate of Heberus—"

He laughed louder and more artificially, as if he wanted to return all the humiliation to the purple-robed emperor who was approaching his twilight years. However, the forest garden was completely silent, and the purple figure had long disappeared without the slightest response.

He looked up at the sky, and the invisible prison was like a dragnet that broke his wings and made it impossible for him to fly.

The sky is vast and the earth is boundless, and all is silent.

Suddenly, he threw the stone bowl in his hand to the ground. Golden light rolled, accompanied by hysterical and desperate screams, and set off circles of silent ripples on the lake.

As he walked out of the cave, the purple-robed man's mouth twitched, his unpleasant expression instantly returning to composure. The elegant and beautiful woman knelt to greet him.

"He knows everything about what's happening outside." The man in purple clothes said in a deep voice.

"Do you want to imprison him completely?"

"No, it would be strange if we couldn't find two loyal old dogs in such a huge palace. Driving him crazy would be detrimental to the interests of the empire." The man in purple rubbed his brow and said hesitantly, "If I really die..."

"Your Majesty is blessed with a long and lasting reign. You are destined to live forever and be the Emperor of a thousand years," the beautiful woman soothed. "Even if there are some difficulties, there will always be a way to overcome them."

"All mortals will die, even the emperor," the man in purple said with a melancholy look, "the issue of the crown prince should be seriously considered."

The beautiful woman's eyes were shocked, and she hesitated and said, "Wasn't Otto crowned as the Crown Prince by His Majesty?"

"I do not wish to repeat the tragedy of the past, so I have appointed Otto as Crown Prince. However, this is not a decisive decree. Otherwise, he would not have to scheme against so many of his brothers and sisters in order to secure his position as heir."

As he spoke, the man in purple handed a document to the beautiful woman.

"The eldest prince, Marcus; the third prince, Nero; the sixth princess, Hestia; the seventh princess, Charlotte; the eighth prince, Conrad... Interestingly, the youngest, the sixth princess, decisively cut off Otto's tail less than two years after leaving the palace."

The emperor had many children, and seniority wasn't the only factor in determining who would be chosen. Instead, it was the time of his enthronement. In theory, all enthroned princes and princesses had the right to inherit, and who ultimately ascended the throne wasn't even determined by imperial decree.

The beautiful woman was surprised and asked, "Princess Lorraine's daughter?"

"Lorraine's daughter." The man in purple nodded, walked across a stone bridge, and said slowly, "You are Otto's aunt. There is nothing wrong with being close to him, but if there is a dispute in the palace, it is best for you not to get involved."

The beautiful woman shook her head: "I am alone. I will not participate in what happens in the palace."

"If Xilin hadn't died young..."

"Then I will send her out of the Divine Capital to concentrate on her cultivation," the beautiful woman paused for a moment before continuing, "But speaking of the Sixth Princess, does His Majesty truly intend her to be the successor to the empire?"

"Luo Lin is also a descendant of the Divine Emperor, so naturally she can wear this crown," the purple-robed man said. "You and Princess Luo Lin were classmates in the Holy City. What kind of person was that princess in your eyes?"

"Lorraine..." The beautiful woman frowned slightly, and after a while she recalled, "I have only met Lorraine a few times. The Holy Capital is the crown of the Lorraine family, so Princess Lorraine certainly does things without any scruples."

"Just being carefree?"

"She's arrogant and domineering, and acts recklessly," the beautiful woman sighed. "She doesn't consider anyone's feelings and acts solely on her own whims. Yet, even so, many people still admire her."

"It seems you don't have a good impression of her, but I can imagine that." The purple-robed man nodded. "The operation of the empire requires strict order. Even corrupt officials have a set of invisible rules to follow. Doing business with lawless people is like being strapped with alchemical explosives... What happened next?"

"As everyone knows, she disappeared for five years and was finally found in the capital by the Nightingale of the Grand Duke of Lorraine." The beautiful woman said meaningfully.

"It was she who came to the capital."

The man in purple paused, fell into deep thought, and stopped talking.

The beautiful woman opened the document and raised her eyebrows. "The daughter of the Tingsen family, a major in the Iron Army, a knight of high comprehension, could she be a worm? Could it be..."

"Frame-up? Haha, who knows?" the purple-robed man said calmly, "The worm's skeleton is in Yunling. That's an ironclad fact. As for whether it's related to Noel Tinson, it's certainly related now."

"How would Your Majesty like to arrange this?"

"Tingsen is insignificant, but the plan mentioned by the Sixth Princess is very interesting."

The beautiful spiritual woman continued to dream and read: "Selling official titles, recruiting secret cultivators, issuing currency independently, and promoting Fran's self-government. Is she crazy? Even if this can raise military funds, it will eventually cause the empire to completely lose control of Fran. It's like drinking poison to quench thirst!"

"It's like drinking poison to quench thirst. Besides, it's not just Yunling; all the Iron Army stationed in Fran has become a burden on the empire's finances." The purple-robed man said expressionlessly. "The Sixth Princess believes that rather than letting the empire fall into the quagmire of endless repression, it would be better to relocate the refugees from various places and live with the ratmen, promoting self-government. While this would ultimately result in a loss of Fran's tax revenue, it would also save a great deal of expenses."

"Your Majesty, please discuss this matter with the Prime Minister. I am not in a position to get involved..." The beautiful woman shook her head. After reading for a while, she asked, "Your Majesty, what does this subordinate mortgage-backed security mean?"

"Flan has a well-developed financial sector, especially in Yunling. Perhaps one of the goblins gave her this idea," the purple-robed man pondered. "Anyone, whether noble or merchant, bandit or pirate, Tyran elf or Cindersea dwarf, rich or poor, loyal or heretic, can use a gold shield to purchase Fran's territory. Upon reaching a sufficient amount, they can be granted a title."

"But who could spend so much money to buy so much territory? Could it be that she wants to transfer the territory to herself at a low price and line her own pockets?"

"Naturally, no one can afford to buy out the entire Frantian gold shield. Therefore, after paying a certain percentage of the gold shield as a deposit, you can also mortgage your assets and territory to borrow money." The man in purple scratched his head, looking equally bewildered. "She's made the interest income from these loans a security on the stock exchange. She promised that this would attract citizens from all over Fran to join the empire's revenue-generating business. Repurchasing gold shields, issuing new Fran currency, repurchasing gold shields... I need to discuss this carefully with the Minister of Finance. However, the Sixth Princess is still a child, and she may have been fooled by those goblins, so it's inevitable that she'll have unrealistic ideas."

He knew that selling official positions and titles could indeed make some money for the master, and there were no restrictions on the trading objects, even bandits, pirates, and Tailan elves would be allowed to trade. Although there was no bottom line, in theory he could make more money.

"She said she wanted to make this happen while the Empire could still suppress all the Fran forces. Haha, she sounded as if the Empire couldn't suppress a single rebellion."

Intellectually, the man in purple refused to believe it. He was truly shocked by the Sixth Princess's low standards. However, the empire was running out of funds. Besides the tangible gold shields, the empire's paper currency was already at the point of being used to pay for its own expenses.

Why not try it out? What if you can really make money?

As long as we can survive this expedition and delay the decline of our destiny...

"Summon the Minister of Finance to the palace for a discussion." The man in purple said to the shadow behind him, then muttered to himself, "Using the Lorraine family's treasury as a guarantee for military expenses..."

Volume 79: Bird in a Cage: . Orphanage

March in Yunling was still colder than usual, but early spring had arrived as expected. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the melting snow. Delicate flowers blossomed, and new buds sprouted from branches.

Hestia wakes up earlier than usual, and when her spirit is at the High Knight's beacon, the blessings of the Tower of Order continuously fill her body, keeping her spirit and body in an inexhaustible state of perfection.

She suspected that the high knights of the realm of understanding did not need to sleep at all, so Clara was able to rush around in the tedious official duties from morning to night.

Operating efficiently 24/, year-round, one person could probably do the work of ten. The only reason it couldn't go any further was that the people working alongside them needed to eat and sleep, nothing more.

If all the loyal people in the empire could be as dedicated as Knight Commander Clara, why would she have to worry about her life?

Seeing the person beside her pillow change from a plump elf to a black-haired girl, the princess pinched a pair of young pigeons mischievously.

"Hmm..." Viola moaned in her sleep and opened her eyes half asleep and half awake. "Your Highness?"

"It's not time yet. I allow you to continue sleeping." Hestia glanced at the slightly white sky outside the window and left a kiss on the maid's cheek.

"Oh..." The maid responded blankly, and soon she let out a light and peaceful breathing sound.

Ever since she was picked up by the princess a month ago, the maid finally understood where the throbbing in her dreams came from. During this period, she seemed to have become addicted to it. Even if she was not summoned, she would always masturbate by imagining the princess's silhouette at night.

But when she begged with a red face, she became so listless that she lost all her energy and spirit. She was so unconscious and limp as a dead bird.

The princess reviewed the maid's feedback from last night, wondering whether she should upgrade her skills. The Cocoon Sisters were considered the best in the esoteric cultivation in this area, but she was not a moth cultivator at the moment, and many of the esoteric techniques in the game could not be performed in the way of a high knight.

Reversing the path wasn't a problem; she could easily master the powers of other paths by using the Witch's Book to hunt down the souls of esoteric practitioners. However, this inevitably meant the fall of a esoteric practitioner. Furthermore, only esoteric practitioners at the level of Mastery would leave behind stone tablets containing hidden souls at the border. While this level of esoteric practitioner might be quite common within the Iron-Blooded Cross, for many sects that had been subjected to oppression over the past two hundred years, those at the level of Mastery were considered the backbone.

Hestia had been friends with her sisters for a long time and they were as close as siblings, so she really didn't want to make enemies with them.

"Hmm... I forgot about that."

Hestia patted her head belatedly.

The Cocoon Sisterhood is a secretive sect that excels at gathering intelligence and operates in a covert manner. Even the ancient secret societies may not have discovered such a secret sect that has been emerging for hundreds of years.

But at the same time, if you don't win over a few devoted beauties from elsewhere, you will feel embarrassed to act as a sister in the sisterhood.

In the eyes of the disciples, the perfect cultivator who had been keeping himself clean for decades might have already turned into a person who was being entertained by some elder sister in secret.

In any case, cooperation with the Cocoon Sisterhood is beneficial to her. Fran's secret gatherings are not limited to the Night Watch. If she wants to call on more secret practitioners to participate in her plan to divide Fran, she will need an intermediary to act as a go-between.

Lady Aynive could certainly do it, but she couldn't represent the "Silent Organ" to which she belonged. If she couldn't produce a sufficiently tempting secret treasure, it would be difficult to impress those taciturn archaeologists.

The Sisterhood has at least shown a clear willingness to cooperate and has provided the Empire with a lot of key information on the issue of bacteria and viruses.

Therefore, she still had to meet her sister and mother who were stationed in Yunling.

noon.

Hestia was enjoying lunch in the restaurant, holding a newspaper in one hand and chewing the crispy and delicious shrimp balls casually. Suddenly, there was a sound of hurried running outside the door, and then she saw the door pushed open. The dress was slightly messy, and one end of the hairband was still hanging on her shoulder.

"Your Highness!" Viola said, blushing, "I, I got up late!"

"If you want to get up late, then get up late. There's no need to be so loud." Hestia glared at him dissatisfiedly, and the latter immediately shrank his neck like a kitten.

"Please sit down and eat, Viola," Iyana looked at the black-haired girl with soft eyes, "Your Highness asked me not to disturb you. Did you sleep very late last night?"

"I, I was a little tired yesterday." Viola turned her face away guiltily.

Iyana looked at the princess meaningfully, smiled, and did not ask any further questions.

"Speaking of which, Viola the dog," Hestia asked after finishing her meal and putting down the newspaper, "what did Lady Aynive say about the Path?"

Viola pecked her head. "Lady Aynive believes I have the talent to embark on the path of wisdom. She hopes I will become a historian."

"What do you think?"

"I, I still..."

"Or are you leaning towards the glow?" Hestia's laughter turned cold.

"Your Highness, I don't want to deceive you. I just think, I just want, I just might..." Viola said softly, "My intuition tells me that this is more suitable for me."

"Do you know what it means for the princess's personal maid to join Huiguang?"

"Madam Aynive said that if I choose the esoteric path, she could ask a respected clerk in the church to teach me," Viola whispered. "That clerk was once a nun, but now she's retired from the clergy and no longer in the church's ranks... I just think this might be a better path for me to cultivate."

"The mysterious road." Hestia rubbed her brows.

The one who controls the source is the Sukō, but the Sukō also usually occupies the path of the Chisō. And whether it is the lamp-hidden or the hidden lamp, these two paths are firmly controlled by the infinite radiance.

The Hidden Lamp Path, the Path of Obscurity, is symbolized by the new moon. Followers serve the shadow of its radiance, guarding all the secrets beneath its infinite light. They never actively reveal themselves, only appearing in the reflections of things, like the moon in the water, the figure in the mirror, and even the memories of the world become a place for them to appear.

Walking this path, it is difficult not to further worship the aura.

However, this path is essentially the path of wisdom. Secret practitioners accept the blessing of the root of the treasure. To a certain extent, the secret treasure will prevent them from fanaticism.

After weighing the pros and cons, Hestia finally did not blame the maid. Instead, she said, "I allow you to make your own choice, but you need to understand who you are serving."

Viola was delighted and nodded quickly: "I understand, Your Highness!"