Chapter 422

“Since you’re not planning to storm the Royal Palace, what exactly did you mean by the ‘duty’ you mentioned earlier?”

“Of course, I was referring to the officer replacement order and the proposal to expand citizen voting rights… Why would you think I’d bring people to storm the Royal Palace?”

After Leon caused a bit of a commotion, the princess’s agitated emotions calmed down slightly. She then sat back in her seat, explaining with a complex expression: “As you said before, no matter how the final result turns out, what I’m doing now is correct. After all, replacing those incompetent officers who only got their positions through birth will give the corrupt military department a chance to breathe; and the current parliament is mostly composed of merchants or those who have received merchant backing. Expanding citizen voting rights is the only way to dilute the excessive influence of merchants in parliament… These are things that should be done, and cannot just be stopped.”

So, even knowing that the old king has schemed against you, you still plan to finish your work?

With a hint of admiration, Leon glanced at the princess and cautiously asked:

“And then? What do you plan to do next?”

And then…

Upon hearing Leon’s question, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but bite her lip again, then said helplessly: “We’ll take it one step at a time… Leon, my mind is really in chaos right now. Over the past few years, I’ve thought countless times about what to do if the reforms don’t go through or if there are issues during the process.

But I never imagined what to do if father… if the royal family suddenly turned against me. I need some time to think carefully… Anyway, thank you for reminding me.”

By the time she reached this point, the princess’s emotions had stabilized quite a bit. She first looked at Leon with gratitude, then sighed with a somewhat lonely expression: “In the past, I always believed that as long as I did well enough and paved a feasible new path for the kingdom, father would trustingly hand over the throne to me. Although he often criticized my ideas, his support has always been unwavering.

But now it seems that I might have been eliminated from the start. His favored successor has always been Joshua. After all, lack of ability can be learned, and if it can’t be learned, it can be handed over to capable people.

My ‘problems’ seem to be bigger. For him and the entire royal family, I am somewhat… um… how should I put it…”

“You betrayed your own class, or more bluntly, your loyalty isn’t with the royal family.”

“Yes… that’s pretty much it…”

Upon hearing Leon’s words, the princess instinctively shifted her plump body slightly, moving closer to the edge of the chair, then nodded helplessly:

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. To the royal family, I am a traitor… But next time, just say the first half, I can roughly understand what you mean… Also, class…”

After pondering this word for a moment, the princess blinked her eyes and then looked at Leon with a trace of admiration in her eyes, commenting: “Dividing into ranks like steps, each level neatly arranged upwards, clearly demarcated from each other, almost impossible to cross without external force… Your summary of this word to describe the current state of the kingdom is surprisingly fitting.”

“…”

Dividing into ranks like steps…

Upon hearing the princess’s words, Leon couldn’t help but pause momentarily.

He had heard this term many times in his previous life, but most of the time he listened and used it in a drowsy manner. This was the first time he actually contemplated its inherent meaning.

Looking at the princess who immediately grasped the essence upon hearing it for the first time, Leon fell silent for a moment, then cautiously asked: “So… Do you want to reconsider?”

“????”

“Reconsider what?”

“Go back, gather people, storm the palace, force your dad to give up his position, then…”

“You… I’m already feeling bad, can you stop fooling around!”

Upon hearing Leon’s words, the princess could only laugh and cry simultaneously:

“The only fully organized garrison in the capital city is the palace guard. The only person qualified to mobilize troops in the capital is the king himself, not even the queen can do so. Even my personal guards are assigned by them. Who do you expect me to lead to attack the palace? Besides, the kingdom is ruled by the entire royal family. People recognize the soldiers, wealth, and civil servants under the command of the royal family, not just the throne.

Even if I could conjure up an army and seize the throne, I may not be able to take control of these soldiers, wealth, and power. The nobles would rise against me immediately.

Don’t think that just because the nobility and the royal family are currently clashing, if I break the rules, the upper house will immediately convene a meeting, declare my kingship invalid, and elect Joshua or another royal family member to ascend the throne.

The lower house members seeking stability, mostly merchants, probably wouldn’t approve of a queen who ascended by breaking the rules… In short, if I really stormed the palace, everything would truly be ruined.”

“Not necessarily.”

Listening patiently to the princess’s words, Leon paused for a moment after thinking, then opened his mouth calmly to analyze:

“Humans are creatures that easily form habits. The old king has been ill for six years now. During these six years, many affairs of the kingdom have basically been handled by you. He only occasionally makes appearances.

The officials loyal to the royal family within the seventeen major departments, while claiming allegiance to the royal family, have actually been following your orders for these six years. Some have even been directly appointed by you, getting accustomed to obeying your commands.

Therefore, your advantages are much greater than you imagine. As long as you can stabilize the situation, these royalist officials may not come out to oppose you. Most will choose to sit on the fence, or even actively join you.”

“???”

“As for the soldiers, that’s an even smaller issue. If you can push forward the officer selection and replacement order, even if you can only replace three out of ten mid-to-lower-level officers, your influence in the military department will skyrocket. If you can temporarily stabilize the situation, you might gain unimaginable support.

After all, on one side is the old rule that only values birth instead of talent, suppressing them for their entire lives, and on the other side is a new queen who gives them opportunities to climb up, and even plans to give them more… This choice isn’t difficult, right?”

“Leon?!”

Looking at Leon across from her, who was staring at her intently and really started analyzing possibilities, the princess was instantly shocked, full of disbelief:

“Do you know what you’re saying?!”