Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Lawrence sought to transform the kingdom into a nation comprised of small, martial noble families and limited peasants, with various military technologies and the vital power of magic in the hands of the royal family. Even if he could not complete the unification of the western continent in his lifetime, his descendants could continue the path.

However, he failed. In the decades following his death, the entire Western Continent underwent dramatic changes. The Age of Exploration brought unprecedented trade, and the trade in bulk commodities gave rise to agricultural capitalism. Agricultural capitalism led to the near collapse of the manor economy, which bankrupted countless minor nobles. The major nobles, who previously held only titles, seized the opportunity to make a comeback.

To put it bluntly, the kingdom's current laws are seriously mismatched with the country's circumstances.

When a country's laws are severely mismatched with its national conditions, it is not far from its demise.

"It's really gotten to the point where I have no choice but to change," Ronan remarked after finishing the exam. He didn't even bother to check the paper anymore.

For the last subject, math, Ronan was overjoyed because the questions were quite challenging, with some even at the high school level.

Ronan easily passed the test. After all, he was an engineering student. Even if his math skills were lacking, in this era, he might not be as strong as some mathematicians in certain fields, but in terms of overall competence and problem-solving, Ronan could easily outperform a whole host of mathematicians of this period. As for the other candidates, they were simply not on his level.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be number one."

These are Ronan's thoughts after finishing the exam.

I felt pretty good about the other exams too. So what if the math was difficult? Nobody could do it anyway.

The results were announced five days later, but a rumor began to circulate the day after the exam ended.

A secretary named Ronan bribed Princess Isabel with a large sum of money to obtain the information about the matter.

Ronan wasn't surprised at all when he heard the news, but then something unexpected happened.

On the third day after the exam, while busybodies were still trying to find out who Ronan was, another bombshell dropped: Ronan had been arrested by the police.

The kingdom's security forces, whether in the provinces or the capital, do not have detention centers; people are simply taken to prisons.

At this very moment, Ronan was in prison, feeling no tension whatsoever, only finding it quite amusing.

Logically, given that it involves an official like him, such an important exam, and Princess Isabella, it should have been a secret investigation.

However, he was indeed taken away in public by police officers from the garrison. This was not just a matter of procedural irregularities, but an injustice. In a place like the capital, what is the garrison? They only manage petty thugs and ordinary citizens.

What's even more interesting is that after he was arrested, he was put in solitary confinement. No one interrogated him, and the jailers neither tried to make things difficult for him nor treated him well. It was as if he were just an ordinary prisoner.

"Police station, whose people are they?"

Ronan sat on the haystack in his cell and thought for a moment. He immediately recalled how Dinia had been dismissed from her position as the princess's private tutor and sent to teach at a mid-level magic academy after assaulting the police chief and other officers in the "cake case."

If there haven't been any major changes in the past few years, then the group of people from the police force who came to arrest Ronan are the Queen's faction.

"Ha, the more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes."

Ronan decided to stop thinking about it; he figured someone would come looking for him in a couple of days anyway.

As for safety, he wasn't worried at all. After all, he was a fourth-tier mage, and there were very few people who could threaten him alone. If a group of mages came with a vengeance, wouldn't he run away? To him, prison food was no different from being made of paper.

Two days later, a strange man wearing a burlap hooded robe came to the front of the prison cell.

"Hello, Mr. Ronan," the other person greeted.

"Hello," Ronan replied casually.

"I have some bad news for you. Your name doesn't appear in the top ten," the man said.

“Oh, isn’t this good news?” Ronan laughed. “At least my suspicion has lessened.”

Seeing Ronan's relaxed appearance, the man frowned, realizing that Ronan was difficult to deal with. In fact, the initial plan was to have Ronan resist arrest and injure someone, so that they could arrest him in a logical way. Who knew that a magician like him would not resist at all, and they did not dare to force Ronan to resist in public, so they arrested him in this unclear way.

“But that doesn’t prove you’re innocent,” the man said.

Ronan waved his hand impatiently. "Stop with the nonsense and get straight to the point. What are your terms?"

"You sign a statement saying that you witnessed Princess Isabella accepting a bribe from another person and leaking the questions to him. After that, you can leave."

the man said.

Ronan sighed, “Indeed, heretics are more hateful than heretics. You black-hearted merchants and lousy nobles want to reform, but you want to suppress Isabel first, since you see Ambrina as someone you can easily influence.”

The man fell silent; he hadn't expected Ronan to see right through their group's thoughts.

Ronan yawned boredly. "Not going to say anything? Looks like you're just a gofer. Call someone who can make decisions and speak up."

"You think too highly of yourself," the man said.

The next instant, the tip of the flying sword knocked out the man's teeth, and the man immediately covered his mouth in pain as a large amount of blood gushed down his wrist.

“If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak at all. Do you really think you’re a person?” Ronan said, looking into the man’s eyes. “By the way, after you get out, have someone bring me a rug, a silk quilt, the best red wine, the best dishes, and the best desserts. Otherwise, I’ll say that the jailer tried to poison me and attacked me with a musket, and that I killed everyone here in self-defense. If things get out of hand, I don’t know what I’ll do, but you, you piece of trash, are definitely going to die. Understand?”

After saying that, Ronan lay down and rested.

That evening, everything he had requested was delivered, nothing was missing.

Chapter 168 In front of the prison cell, deception continues.

The following afternoon, another strange man arrived in front of Ronan's solitary cell.

The man was around fifty years old, of medium height, a little over 1.7 meters, neither fat nor thin, slightly overweight, with somewhat thinning hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Even in a place like a prison, he was dressed in standard aristocratic attire: a high-necked, floral-sleeved shirt with jewel-encrusted sterling silver buttons, a short vest embroidered with ornate arabesque patterns, tapered capri trousers in a subtle jacquard silk-cotton blend, silk stockings, and a pair of brogue leather shoes adorned with pure gold buckles.

The jailer brought over a chair and immediately stepped back.

The man sat down in the chair. "Hello, Mr. Ronan."

"Not good, just okay," Ronan replied casually.

“Axel Aquitaine,” the man introduced himself, which was certainly not his full name.

However, this abbreviation is enough to indicate his identity: the man is Count Aquitaine, the Queen's older brother, and the true core figure of the Queen's faction.

“It is a great honor to meet you, Your Excellency,” Ronan said.

Count Aquitaine remained expressionless. "Agree to the previously proposed conditions, and pretend the past never happened."

“You’re a smart person. You should understand that the fact that you haven’t been released yet means that he hasn’t made a move. If he doesn’t make a move now, he won’t make a move later. If he doesn’t make a move, you can’t get out.”

The "he" mentioned by this count refers to King Lucien of Nature.

They started by threatening people. Although they're not completely incompetent, their level of skill is really low.

"Sigh." Ronan sighed deeply, walked to the prison door, and said in a worried tone, "Count, how can you still have the mind to care about me? You are about to be in big trouble."

He had initially assumed that Ronan's sigh was an admission of defeat, especially since Count Aquitaine had even started fiddling with the gemstone ring on his finger. However, Ronan's words, "You're in deep trouble," completely stunned him.

Count Aquitaine looked at Ronan with a mixture of doubt and annoyance.

“His Majesty the King was originally a prince who was far from the throne. He was also far from the inner circle when he was young. At the beginning of his reign, he won a war and it was a bad victory. So, even after more than ten years on the throne, his control is still not very good. Now he is sick and doesn’t have many years left to live, so his control will be even less effective,” Ronan said.

Count Aquitaine remained expressionless, but in his heart he was certain of Ronan's words.

“However,” Ronan changed the subject, “precisely because everyone knows His Majesty doesn’t have long to live, even if His Majesty does something irrational, as long as it doesn’t affect the fundamental interests of the majority, they won’t stand up against a dying king, right? So, what you’ve done is very dangerous.”

"Ha," Count Aquitaine scoffed, thinking to himself that while the young man was indeed somewhat clever, he was completely ignorant of the situation in the capital and took himself far too seriously.

"You surely think that the King won't care about harming Princess Isabel, and might even be secretly pleased, and that I, an insignificant nobody, am even less of a concern. But you've chosen the wrong time. Your actions have questioned the fairness of this exam. Nobody knows what His Majesty's intentions are in this exam, but precisely because nobody knows, it must be of great significance. You've affected such an important matter. Don't you think there will be serious consequences?"

Upon hearing Ronan's words, Count Aquitaine's expression immediately changed.

“This…” Count Aquitaine was a little flustered, but he really couldn’t bring himself to ask Ronan for advice.

Ronan pretended to think for a moment, then said, "I have a suggestion, though it may be premature."

“Speak,” Count Aquitaine said urgently.

“You can directly report one of the unscrupulous capitalists around you and say that he spread the rumor. That way, you will not only clear yourself of any involvement, but you will also have done a good deed. Even if His Majesty the King knows that you instructed him to do it, he will not have an excuse to take action against you,” Ronan said.

Aquitaine was caught in a dilemma. The impoverished nobles around him were his fame, and the capitalists were his profit. What would he do after doing such a thing?

Ronan didn't rush to speak, letting the Earl's hesitation linger for a while longer.

After a while, Ronan spoke again, "Your Excellency, you actually have no real power base. You were just a nominal count in the past. The reason so many people are gathered around you now is simply because you are the future queen's uncle. If something really happens, they will run away faster than anyone else."

"A bunch of heartless capitalists who only want to make more money. Do you know what kind of system is best for these people? The answer is a system without a king. If the king is gone, how long can the great nobles last?"

"Of course, I guess you think that after the Third Princess ascends to the throne and you become regent, you can cooperate slowly first, and then, once you have a firm foothold, you can turn around and suppress those capitalists and impoverished nobles who previously supported you, and use them as tools."

"But do you have a solid foundation? No. Do you have enough time? Still no. Without these two things, you must share power after taking power. And once power is shared, what gives you the right to suppress these people after becoming regent?"

"Why not give them a good talking-to now and let them know that they are nothing and only you are the one who can truly control everything?"

These words shook Count Aquitaine's resolve.

Ronan wasn't going to give him enough time to think and process; after a combo, he was going to immediately follow up with his ultimate move to completely crush him.

"Princess Marian's chances of ascending to the throne are too slim." Marian is the name of the third princess.

"You can't put your eggs in one basket."

"You should devise a way out, for example, by secretly supporting Princess Ambrina."

"Why do I support Ambrina?" Count Aquitaine asked.

Ronan continued, "First, if you were to arrange an escape route, you wouldn't have a choice. Princess Isabel has already been ruled out, leaving only Princess Ambrina, wouldn't she?"

"Secondly, Ambrina faces a more difficult situation than His Majesty did when he came to power, because she has less of a foundation. Therefore, she needs a prime minister who is prestigious, capable, and trustworthy. Who else but you?"

"Heh, that sounds reasonable," Aquitaine remarked nonchalantly.

He wasn't stupid; he knew Marian's chances were slim.

But at the same time, he knew that his base consisted of a group of impoverished nobles and unscrupulous capitalists. If he were to support Ambrina, what would happen to these people? Without them, where would his prestige and ability come from?

“Actually, supporting Her Highness Ambrina does not mean abandoning those who are currently surrounding you. After all, Ambrina will also implement reforms once she comes to power.”

All that talk was just foreplay; now Ronan was ready to throw out the real, practical stuff.

At this moment, Count Aquitaine involuntarily leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on his knees; he had truly fallen into Ronan's rhythm.

"The first step in reform is to promulgate a new legal code. As for the specifics of the code, that's beyond my imagination. Perhaps you can offer some valuable advice, especially in the areas of civil law, commercial law, and tax law."

Ronan said.

Aquitaine pondered for a moment, then slapped his thigh, feeling as if he had found the right path, but then he frowned again.

Chapter 169 What power, what right? It's just a paper tiger.

Ronan remained silent, waiting for Count Aquitaine to speak.

“You have to make it sound nice, but what makes you think you can guarantee what you’re saying?” Count Aquitaine questioned.

With a confident smile, Ronan pointed to himself and said, "On my own."

"You must not be unaware of my relationship with Princess Ambrina, right?"

“Hahahaha.” Count Aquitaine burst into unrestrained laughter. “It’s such a shame you’re not the Foreign Minister.”

Ronan smiled and said, "You flatter me. I prefer to be a down-to-earth administrative officer."

“You can be released from prison tomorrow,” Count Aquitaine said.

"Thank you," Ronan said, expressing his gratitude.

Whether Count Aquitaine will follow Ronan's initial advice is a question that doesn't need to be asked. Since he released Ronan, it means he has given up his plan to use Ronan to get rid of Isabel. As long as he's not stupid, he will definitely report someone for spreading rumors. As for whether he has the courage to push some unscrupulous capitalist around him to take the blame and confiscate his property, that's his own business.

If he hadn't made that decision, it would only mean he was one step closer to being a fool.

But what does it matter if he's a good-for-nothing? Ronan never even considered working with him.

The following afternoon, Ronan was respectfully escorted out of the prison.

But as soon as he left the prison, he saw four familiar faces—the four royal guards who had led him into the palace.

In an instant, Ronan understood: his next stop was the royal palace.

The same place, the same route: Ronan met His Majesty the King in the King's bedchamber.

King Lucien went straight to the point, "How do you convince him to release you?"

Ronan remained kneeling, head bowed, as he recounted the entire process to the king in detail. "...Finally, I told him that one day in the future, after Ambrina ascends to the throne, she will promulgate a new legal code, and he is qualified to participate, or rather, the group he currently relies on is qualified to participate."

Ronan did his best to portray this deceptive process of trying to escape as a process of persuading Count Aquitaine to support Ambrina, and to portray his own actions as those of Ambrina.

The king paused for a moment, "I remember you slandered the two former kings, Oran and Lawrence, in your two books, saying they were experts at making empty promises."

"I am guilty!" Ronan immediately bowed his head and confessed.

"Ha." King Lucien sneered, "I must say you are really bold to use Ambrina's name to make empty promises and extricate yourself from this predicament."

“Your Majesty, if I had been even a little less courageous, I would probably still be in that dark and hopeless prison right now,” Ronan said. “How could I ever see you again, basking in the incomparably radiant sunlight that you radiate?”

"Enough with the nonsense!" King Lucien snapped. "You want reforms too?"

Luo Nan lowered his head even further. "He doesn't have the guts to reform, but he does have the guts, and a lot of guts, to seize power in the name of reform."

"What power?" Lucien asked Ronan.

“The power bestowed by His Majesty the Divine Radiance,” Ronan answered without hesitation.