Yes, Madam Prime Minister

However, it is difficult to explain the situation clearly in 300 words, including a summary and discussion. For those whose jurisdictions are only responsible for farmers' farming, it is not a big deal, but for Ronan and his group, whose jurisdictions have more complex situations, it is a challenge.

Is the king using this method for selection?

If so, then the difficulty for Ronan has increased even further.

The reason is simple: if you write well, you will be noticed by the king. If the king invites you to study in the central government, can you refuse?

Poor writing is also unacceptable, because the king would certainly know of his existence. Poor writing would be seen as intentional, indicating a problem with his character, and he would be transferred away from Dinia's side.

I can only write at an intermediate level.

But this touched on a blind spot for Ronan, a country bumpkin: what exactly was the average level of a civil servant in the kingdom? He had no idea.

"High level, that's probably like Karl, someone who has some insight into people's livelihood and economy. At least when I use the term 'means of production,' he doesn't need me to explain much. Low level, that's the level of those twenty or so secretaries-general before, just enough to be the number one lackey of a feudal lord. Taking the middle value between the two, that should be the average level, yeah, that should be it."

Ronan thought about it and felt that this was the right way to do it.

In fact, there are still many highly skilled people in this world. After all, the printing press has been invented, the Reformation has already begun, the Age of Exploration has started, and capitalism is emerging. This corresponds to the Renaissance era in Ronan's original timeline, when the entire Western Continent was shining with stars.

"Ronan, Ronan?" Ambrina called out twice when she saw Ronan still staring blankly.

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking about something," Ronan quickly apologized.

“It’s nothing,” Ambrina said, indicating that she didn’t mind. “You should prepare well. Maybe, never mind.” She had originally intended to say that if Ronan wrote well, he might be noticed by her father and she would be able to see him often in the future, but considering that Ronan did not want to stay in the capital, she took her words back.

"It's getting late. I'll take my leave now."

Ronan took his leave.

Ambrina didn't say much, she just watched Ronan leave, and even after he was completely out of sight, her gaze remained on the doorway.

The waiters who were about to clear the table were stunned when they saw the princess, resting their chins on their hands and not daring to come over to clear the table.

After a long while, Ambrina finally stood up. "Let's go back too."

“Yes, Your Highness,” Lucia replied.

Inside the carriage, Ambrina, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke, "Lucia, do you think I want that?"

“This is not a question I can answer,” Lucia replied.

"What do you think of him?" Ambrina asked again.

“A strange man wearing a bureaucratic mask.” Lucia gave his answer based on his first impression.

Ambrina paused for half a second, "It seems that's really the case."

When Ambrina returned to her residence, Ronan was already at the table in his hotel room, with the lamp lit, pondering how to write the three-hundred-word report.

There's no rush to start writing; there's plenty of time. But it's best to finalize your ideas as soon as possible.

The fundamental principle remains unchanged: under the wise leadership and inspiration of His Majesty the King, the entire city of Xinhai must unite as one and work together to achieve phased results.

It's a pity there weren't enough words; otherwise, Ronan could have written at least two thousand words of flattery, which would have given the king a headache.

Since the word count wasn't high enough, the report specifically mentioned one thing: collective farms. It portrayed this measure as a beneficial policy that brought together new immigrant landlords and capitalists, old immigrant farmers, and the Haidi people. Essentially, it claimed that past conflicts were gone, and everyone was working together to grow stronger and create a brilliant future.

Finally, changing the subject, reform is acceptable, but the steps should not be too large. We cannot follow the example of Vena and Weyland; we must take a path with distinctive French characteristics. As for how to proceed, it is up to a wise and insightful person like His Majesty the King to provide guidance.

The reason Ronan said this was that he couldn't appear too knowledgeable.

Being too knowledgeable is considered a sign of competence, but competence can lead to being conscripted by the king.

"That's the initial idea. As for the specifics, the writing should be a bit clumsy, and there should be a touch of sycophantic flattery between the lines. That's about it."

Ronan had decided on his plan, so he went to wash up and go to bed.

Meanwhile, Isabelle, still not satisfied with crumpling a piece of paper into a ball, unfolded it, and tore it into pieces. She had Ambrina's spies around her, or more accurately, the King's spies, and Ambrina also had her spies. Although she didn't know what Ambrina said or did to Ronan, she did know that Ronan went to Ambrina's place in the afternoon and didn't leave until after dinner.

This is what you call only meeting twice?

That scoundrel, how dare he lie to her!

Isabel pictured Ronan in her mind and gritted her teeth, saying, "You just wait."

Chapter 161 Reunion, Complaints, and Duel?

The next day, Ronan strolled around the theater hotel in the morning and unexpectedly ran into the three people he had met at Isabelle's place the day before at lunchtime.

Abelaad, the secretary general of Bretu, a port city on the west coast, is short, only a little over 1.6 meters tall, with a large nose, a slightly curved bridge, and a slightly drooping tip. He has black hair and black eyes, and his appearance has obvious Juan features.

The Juan people are essentially the Jews of this world. The only difference is that the Cross religion in Ronan's original timeline was related to Judaism, but the Seven Saints religion in this world is completely unrelated to the Juan people's religion. Although the Seven Saints religion is a monotheistic religion, and it is the kind that uses a hammer in the left hand and a divine scripture in the right, the Seven Saints religion is relatively secular and much more tolerant. Otherwise, the heads of those "retro" people would have been cracked open long ago.

You should know that there was no Black Death in this world, and the Pope really did have several divisions.

Brant, the city secretary of Caroline, located in the northeastern iron ore region, has a name that, like Karl's, is full of imperial connotations.

However, he and Karl look completely different. Karl is a tall, handsome blond man with a rugged face, while this guy is just over 170 cm tall, slender, and has a face that looks like a woman's. Most women are probably not as pretty as him.

Of course, the word "Emperor" in the Empire is just as ridiculous as the word "Ro" in the Shinra of Ronan's original timeline. Coincidentally, the Empire's territory is the same as the Shinra's territory, and it even claims to be the successor of the old Empire. The situation is also similar, with a few major vassal states and hundreds of countless minor vassal states below them. The emperor takes turns sitting on the throne, and next year it will be my turn.

Wells, the secretary-general of Ariel, a small valley town situated at a crossroads of north-south transportation, wears a monocle and has a refined appearance, quite different from the rest of Ariel.

Ariel is a valley where the residents are "simple" mountain people. Small bands of bandits are everywhere. If you are an official there, you have two tasks: one is to collect tolls for the kingdom, and the other is to cut down all the others who try to collect tolls and hang their heads on the city gate.

Unlike their last meeting at Isabel's place, this time the four of them chatted enthusiastically.

After lunch, the four of them moved to another place to continue chatting, but this time the conversation gradually turned into a venting session.

As they talked, the four of them quickly grew closer and started calling each other by abbreviations.

Breteau is suffering. Dockworkers are causing trouble every day. It used to be okay, but now they've even organized protests. We've tried to suppress them, but it hasn't been very effective. The more we suppress them, the more united these people become.

“Abe, I’m not trying to be mean, but you’re good at managing the economy, but you’re really bad at dealing with troublemakers,” said Caroline Secretary General Brant. His area was a mining region; how could dockworkers be as difficult as miners?

“Bran, explain in detail,” Abelard said, perking up.

Brant said, “If they want to organize, let them organize. From now on, you should only talk to the leaders of their organizations, but not just one person, but several. Help those who are obedient, and ruin the reputations of those who are disobedient. Suppress those who question you with bloodshed. With three strikes, their organization will naturally fall apart.”

Upon hearing this, Ronan couldn't help but interject, "Actually, suppression is unnecessary, and assistance should be moderate. Think about it, there will always be scabs among the workers, and there will always be people willing to work. At this time, you shouldn't rush to reward the workers who go to work, but rather incite other strikers to turn their spearheads against these scabs. When they fight among themselves, your role will no longer be that of an oppressor, but an arbitrator. Can they still cause trouble then? Inciting the masses to fight against the masses is a foolproof method."

As a "kind-hearted" "reactionary bureaucrat," Ronan has always disagreed with raising the sword against the people, as that would only turn the government and himself into adversaries of the people. The economic structure is no longer the almost unchanging dual structure of urban commercial guilds and aristocratic manors. Now it is an agricultural capitalist era under a semi-feudal and semi-civilian system. Once a turmoil breaks out, it will not be the small-scale situation of the past that cannot affect the surrounding areas.

Therefore, officials should make good use of the internal conflicts among the people and act as arbitrators.

“Good.” Wells clapped his hands in approval, then sighed, “It’s a pity that my people aren’t suited for this. By day they are honest shepherds, and by night they are the eyes and ears of bandits. The key is that we can’t call in the regular army; we can only rely on the few people in the checkpoints.”

The city of Ariel in Wells has a small population, but its territory is quite large, with dozens of small villages scattered around it. Each village has a population of a little over a hundred or a few dozen people, and almost half of the villages are involved with bandits.

The reason why we can't call in the regular army is simple: under the wise rule of His Majesty the King, the kingdom is peaceful and prosperous, and everyone lives in peace and contentment. How could there be bandits? Since there are no bandits, why would you need to call in the regular army?

“This is something I’m good at,” Abelard said. “My group of fishermen are also in cahoots with the pirates. You need to establish a system of collective punishment. Anyone found to be colluding with bandits should have their entire family killed.”

“I think killing won’t solve the problem. If we can’t catch the people, it’s all for nothing,” Ronan said. “We should establish a reward system for whistleblowers. Whoever reports a crime, once the report is verified, should have their family property confiscated. One-third of the property should be confiscated, one-third should be used to compensate those who died in the fight against bandits, and the last third should be given to the whistleblower.”

“However, this can only maintain stability for a while,” Ronan said.

The root cause is that the mountain people are too poor. They don't even have land to cultivate and can only herd sheep. Yet, many caravans pass through there. How could they not have evil intentions?

"It's good enough if we can maintain stability," Wells said. To him, maintaining stability was more than enough.

"Looking at it this way, it's actually my side that's in a better position," Brandt remarked.

As for Ronan, all three of them felt that Ronan must have a lot of problems. Otherwise, how could he have such rich experience? At the age of twenty-something, he was carrying an unbearable burden.

After chatting for a while, the four of them went their separate ways.

After all, besides Ronan, the other three also had their own small groups, including the secretaries of the same state.

Ronan was the only one who traveled alone. After arriving in the capital, he did not meet with the secretary-general of the same state, and the other secretaries-general of the same state did not seem to have any intention of seeking him out.

The only one to blame is Dinya, who is too unsociable and a real troublemaker.

Two more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Two days later, after submitting the report, Ronan ran into the three of them again during lunchtime.

After chatting for a while, the four of them agreed to go to the theater next to the hotel to watch a performance together later.

These days, performances are all held in the afternoon and outdoors because in an era when animal fat was commonly used as lamp oil, the lighting at night was very poor. This situation would not improve until kerosene lamps were invented.

As soon as the four stepped out of the hotel, a group of people blocked Ronan's way.

"Ronan Artes?" the leading man asked. The man was very handsome; from now on, Karl would be moving up or down one place from Ronan's list of the most handsome men he had ever seen.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Ronan asked.

"duel."

"Sure?"

Chapter 162 The Mind, Pointed Out, The Most Feared Person

“I’m very sure,” the handsome man replied without hesitation.

This handsome man is a high-ranking mage, but judging from the aura he exudes, he is definitely not at the third rank, while Ronan is already at the fourth rank.

"Are you referring to the kind of duels between mages?"

Ronan asked again.

Magician duels differ from regular duels in that regular duels are designed to be relatively fair. If you're using a sword, everyone uses a sword; if you're using a gun, everyone uses a gun. Then, it's three, two, one, and it's time to start. Using dirty tricks during a duel is dishonorable. But magician duels are unregulated. Once they begin, you can do whatever you want.

"Yes," the man replied, then took out a gold coin. On the coin was a person's hand holding a triangle, and in the middle of the triangle was an eye.

This design is called the Mage's Hand. This gold coin is not an ordinary gold coin, but one issued by the state to registered orthodox mages. They can receive a small allowance every year based on this coin, only twenty silver dragons, not even enough to stay in a luxury hotel for a month. But it is mainly an honor.

Exchanging this gold coin before a duel signifies abandoning honor and daring to do anything.

“I’ve only been in Wangdu for a few days and I don’t know you. I don’t want to ask you why you challenged me to a duel. I just want to say one thing: the information you received also includes where I live. You should think about that.”

Ronan said.

He didn't want to duel this person because duels were common at this time, but duels between upright magicians were not. Now that busybodies had gathered around, he would definitely become famous afterward, which was something Ronan really didn't want to see.

But he couldn't refuse, because refusing in front of so many people would still bring him fame, or rather, infamy.

Therefore, Ronan hoped that his opponent would understand that this situation was being orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, and thus abandon the challenge of a duel.

“I am not someone who is unaware of such things, Mr. Ronan.”

The man said he told Ronan that he knew he was being used.

“Alright, time and place,” Ronan said. Since the other party knew there were problems but still came, this duel was inevitable.

“Now, the Third Arena is just a few steps away.” The man said, handing over a mage's gold coin. “I am Gawain Judit.”

Ronan held out his hand to block the gold coins that Gawain offered. "Sorry, I left the gold coins at home. Let's get started."

Oh, oh, oh! The onlookers started cheering and shouting. They had seen many duels, but a duel between magicians was a rare sight indeed.

Ronan followed Gawain, with the three secretaries-general and several of Gawain's henchmen close behind, followed by a large group of citizens eager to watch the spectacle.

The Third Arena was originally called the Third Training Ground. It was originally a shooting range, but because the trend of dueling couldn't be stopped and street duels often caused riots, the former king simply ordered it to be turned into a dueling arena, and the name was changed to the Third Arena.

The third arena is only seven or eight hundred meters away, which is indeed just a short walk away.

But just a few steps away, more and more people followed, ready to watch the spectacle. Initially, there were only twenty or thirty people near the hotel entrance following Ronan and his group, but by the time they reached the arena, there were already more than two hundred people.

Even so, this is the current situation of the duel. If the duel were scheduled for a few days later, the circular stands of this third arena would probably be packed with people.

After a brief notification to the gatekeeper and signing a document, Ronan and Gawain entered the dueling arena without incident, while the others entered the stands from the other side.

The third arena is a circular field with a radius of eighty meters, which is not very large, but not small either.

In the middle of the arena, Ronan and Gawain stood facing each other. Because there was no prior appointment and it was a duel between magicians, the referee was still on his way, and according to the law, the duel could not begin immediately.

"Nobody can hear us now. Can you tell me why you challenged me to a duel?"

Ronan asked.

“Because of Her Highness the Princess,” Gawain replied.

"Which princess?" Ronan asked again.

“Your Highness Ambrina,” Gawain replied again.

“Interesting,” Ronan said. “You are a nobleman. Gawain Judit is not your full name, and it may not even be your real name. However, Judit is an imperial surname. You are most likely an imperial citizen. An imperial citizen, in the capital, a nobleman, dares not reveal his real name, yet he is a suitor of Ambrina. This is incredible. You are the son of a great lord of the neighboring empire.”

"The person behind this is incredibly audacious."

By this time, Ronan had already guessed who was behind it all—most likely Princess Isabelle. The reason, he thought, was probably because she had discovered that he had lied to her; Ronan and Ambrina had a relationship that involved more than just two meetings.

Gawain did not respond to Ronan's deduction, but simply stared at Ronan, "You are very smart, so you are not suitable for her."

“Although a duel is inevitable, I still have to say, if you want to pursue her, go for it yourself. What’s the point of challenging me to a duel? I’m not your rival,” Ronan asked.

“You’re the first person she’s invited to dinner, but you’re not a good fit,” Gao Wen said.