Chapter 130: The Emperor is Currently Indulging
Alice says it’s amazing, but I’m not the amazing one.
History is.
The incident in Dosso was handled the way it was because of my past life experience before being reborn as Noah. And that was my limit.
From experience, merchants tend to flock together, so I managed to secure the land. However, I didn’t know what would happen beyond that.
Recently, while investigating various aspects of past history, I learned that those known as distinguished governors in the past not only provided clothing, food, and shelter after disasters but also supported livelihoods until they got back on track.
And when they did this, there was a clear decrease in subsequent crimes compared to when they did not.
Of course, I thought.
For most people, if they can work honestly, then working honestly is the easiest path.
Except for a very small number of individuals, it becomes a question of, “Who would willingly stray from the right path?”
When I learned this, I felt even more strongly that one should learn not just from personal experience but from history as well.
That said, it doesn’t mean my experiences are entirely meaningless.
Because of my experience, I understand what the problems are.
I have reflected on my own experiences against historical context, incorporated the shortcomings, and updated various ways of thinking and methods.
I aim to adopt elements that align with my direction while compensating for what is lacking.
This is my concrete way of “learning from history.”
“Time is of the essence, Alice. Prepare a pen and paper.”
“Yes!”
Alice responded promptly, getting to her feet and running to the corner of the tent, bringing back a complete set of stationery.
In the meantime, I cleared the snacks off the table to make space for writing.
Using the stationery Alice brought, I began jotting down the contents I had formulated in my mind.
In the blink of an eye, I wrote two documents. I took out the Emperor’s seal from my pocket and stamped one, while I signed the other. Both were then folded, put into envelopes, and sealed with wax using a nearby candle holder.
Throughout this process, Alice watched silently.
“Are you curious?”
“Huh? N-no, not at all.”
“Ha ha, your eyes were full of curiosity.”
“Eh?! N-no way!”
Alice began to touch her own face bashfully.
Although I mentioned her eyes, the expression often comes with a full set during such moments, and Alice checked her face as if to reassure herself.
I felt an increasing fondness for her.
Having curiosity is more than welcome.
And the fact that she doesn’t inquire at the wrong moments is even more so.
“What piqued your curiosity? Feel free to say it.”
“Um… why is one stamped and the other just signed?”
“The one stamped is an official document as the Emperor. This is an order sent to the Minister of Internal Affairs to arrange for seeds and farming tools to be provided in line with the census in Dussel.”
“So… this one isn’t official?”
“Correct. This one is for the former residence of the Thirteen Prince.”
“The Emperor’s residence…?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded slightly.
“I believe… it’s what is now called Ark Town.”
“Eh? What’s that?”
I asked back, puzzled, tilting my head at Alice’s unfamiliar words.
“Ark Town… this is the first time I’ve heard that name.”
“Um… it’s because the entire neighborhood consists of people who were all from Your Majesty’s the Thirteen Prince household… or so I heard.”
“Ah… I see how that has changed.”
I chuckled.
“Indeed, all the neighbouring land around the former residence of the Thirteen Prince was bought and the servants and their family members started to live there. So that’s why it’s called that.”
Understanding the conversation made me even more amused, and I chuckled again.
“Yes.”
“That brings back memories. I believe the eunuchs and maids from that time also took in fosters. I heard they were eager to become knights; I wonder how they are doing now.”
“Eunuchs and maids…?”
Alice looked puzzled, her expression indicating she couldn’t grasp the story.
I chuckled softly and began to explain it to her.
“That was back when I was still the Thirteenth Prince. One day, when I returned, Audrey—now the Empress—was punishing a male and a female servant. One was a eunuch, and the other was a maid. The reason being that the two of them were doing something akin to sexual acts in a room.”
“Eh!? But a eunuch…”
“Yes, a eunuch is a castrated man. So, he no longer has male genitalia.”
“Right…”
Alice looked as if she was thinking, “That makes sense.”
“However, just because someone no longer has that doesn’t mean they lose the ability to love. Even without male genitalia, there are those who still wish to touch and feel the warmth of their partner.”
“—! Yes, I understand!”
Alice immediately snapped to attention and vigorously nodded her head up and down. It made me curious how much she empathized with this.
Continuing with the story, I said,
“If you know a bit about eunuchs, you’d understand that it’s already a crime for a eunuch to engage in sexual activities in the mansion.”
“Yes… that’s true.”
“However, since that eunuch was fully castrated, it was just a game no matter how you look at it. Therefore, even though it was a crime, the punishment was merely a bit of whipping. The problem was what happened afterward.”
“What happened afterward…?”
“The eunuch and the maid were protecting each other. Since one had invited the other, they believed neither was at fault.”
“…I see.”
“I thought about whether it was right to tear apart a couple that cared for each other so much. So, I bought up the houses surrounding the mansion and ordered them to live as a couple there. According to the law, it’s only a crime if it happens in the palace or the Prince’s residence. So, there’s no problem if it’s outside or in their own home. Well, I did exploit a little loophole in the law, though.”
“So that’s how Ark Town was established.”
“Yes. By the way, how exactly is Ark Town described now?”
“Um, Your Highness—too many people admire the Thirteenth Prince, and it grew so large that it could no longer fit into one mansion, eventually turning into a town.”
“That’s how it’s conveyed, huh?”
I found it amusing and laughed aloud, feeling a bit of joy in hearing about the ‘aftermath’ of things I had done in the past.
Plus, it was also fun to see how it had transformed into something completely unexpected.
“That’s amazing, Your Highness. To allow those two to fulfill their feelings in that way.”
“It was simply a matter of interpreting the law.”
I said, and after laughing for a bit, I took one of the glasses I had moved off the table.
And, checked its bottom.
Confirming it was made of gold lacquer, I smashed it against the ground.
“Your Majesty?!”
In Alice’s eyes, I must have seemed like I had suddenly gone mad. She stared at me in shock, her eyes wide open.
“Someone.”
I called out, and then the entrance of the tent opened, and a eunuch entered.
It was Luke, a young eunuch whose face I recognized well.
“Did you call for me, Your Majesty?”
“Clean this up.”
“Yes—ah!”
Luke looked momentarily surprised when he saw the broken glass.
With a nervous expression, he gathered the glass shards, using the edges of his clothing as a makeshift pouch to collect the pieces.
I placed two envelopes there.
Alice was astonished. Luke didn’t seem surprised.
He then closed his clothing like a pouch and left the tent, carrying the shards as if nothing had happened.
After Luke had gone, Alice asked,
“Your Majesty… what was that just now?”
“I’ve already set a cause-and-effect response for that eunuch. His actions are determined by certain signals.”
“I see… but wouldn’t it have been fine just to give a regular order?”
“Ahaha, have you forgotten, Alice?”
“Huh?”
“I’m currently in a state of indulgence. I can’t be too obvious with state affairs.”
“Ah…”
Alice’s eyes widened as she realized my intention.
“You thought that far ahead… that’s impressive…”
She looked at me with even more profound admiration sparkling in her eyes.
There is –>discord<— to get update notifications and releases? I am a bit lazy these days.
Thanks for the treat. 😉