RLQ - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Age of Sail
Why?
It was actually a very simple question, one that almost everyone present could list a few reasons for—the struggle for the throne after Edmon III's death, the animosity between the Old God Sect and the New God Sect, the ports being controlled by various major families leading to chaotic taxation, the decline of the fleet...
But the problem was, these reasons, more or less, were connected to some of those present.
Thus, the room fell silent.
“Tell me, Rhodri.”
Adele's gaze swept past the silent figures in the room and directly addressed the Archbishop.
This made the expressions of some people subtle. In the past, they would never have associated the Queen with the Archbishop. But now, everyone still remembered old Father Balde's accusations. Some of Archbishop Rhodri's recent actions also didn't quite fit his usual ascetic image.
The Minister of Finance's first reaction was to look at Heinrich.
Unexpectedly, Heinrich showed no reaction. He sat there quietly, half of his face shrouded in the shadow of the chair back.
“We have lost our fleet, and we have lost the shield that would meet swords.”
Archbishop Rhodri said this. It was his first time participating in the Queen's Privy Council, and he was the only outlier among those present. The others had, more or less, subtly chosen between Dalton and Heinrich. Now, this standoff was torn open by Archbishop Rhodri's inclusion.
The Minister of Finance speculated that perhaps this was the reason the Queen wanted Archbishop Rhodri to join the Privy Council.
An outlier used to warn others.
Thirteen years ago, a naval war broke out between the Roland Empire and the Yage Kingdom.
The Roland general commanding the operation was unlucky; his flagship was sunk after the war began, and the fleet, losing command, was defeated piece by piece by the Yage Kingdom. The most direct impact of the 1546 naval battle was Roland losing its most important colonial island on the eastern side of the Sea of Heaven, Nightingale Island. After the defeat, both sides signed a treaty, and Queen Adele's sister was forced to marry King John VI of Yage.
This crushing defeat had a profound impact on Roland.
Heavy war debts made it difficult for the Roland Empire to maintain a fleet as powerful as before, and the loss of Nightingale Island deprived Roland merchants of a haven on the eastern side of the Sea of Heaven. From then on, Roland's merchant fleets became the favorite prey of pirates roaming between the straits and reefs.
“That's right,” Adele nodded. “Gentlemen, I know some of you...”
When she said “some people,” she glanced at Heinrich.
It was well known that the Two-Headed Snake family was deeply rooted in the Empire's important ports, like a deep-sea serpent coiled beside its treasure.
“Your interests are closely tied to the ports, and I believe you know better than I how vulnerable and defenseless merchant fleets are when sailing without the protection of swords. At the same time, I believe you know better than I how Roland's maritime status changed after losing Nightingale Island—the port taxes, the changes in import and export of various goods, the emigration of merchants...”
“We need to rebuild the fleet.” A member of the Privy Council, Burg, cautiously spoke, gauging the Queen's intent.
Before the Queen, Roland's Privy Council was dominated by nobles. After Adele was crowned Queen, she appointed three lawyers as council members, one of whom converted from the Old God Sect to the New God Sect. Although Parliament had always been dissatisfied with the Queen's decision, this method significantly increased the council's professionalism.
Compared to his colleagues, Burg was relatively bolder.
He came from a merchant family, a fair-skinned and handsome young man, but possessed capabilities beyond his age. He was familiar with all the Empire's laws, but more importantly, he had no family backing and didn't command an army like Dalton—without the Queen, he was nothing.
“According to Imperial law, major port cities and merchant guilds are responsible for providing ships of over 100 tons to the Empire.”
Dalton watched the Queen and Heinrich thoughtfully.
He didn't think the Queen's intention for today's meeting was as simple as rebuilding the navy.
“Roland without a fleet is a lion that has lost its fangs,” Adele said softly. “But, gentlemen, what should we use to build our fleet?”
Just as the Minister of Finance was about to speak, the Queen pulled a stack of documents from her desk.
“Merchants have long been dissatisfied with the heavy exploitation of port tariffs. Imposing the task of building a fleet on them will only provoke their discontent. I believe the Yage Kingdom would be very happy to fund a merchant rebellion.” The Queen's tone was calm, as if the person directly pointing out the nobles' “heavy exploitation” wasn't her. “Merchants are the Empire's brave and fearless adventurers. I hope we can return the power that belongs to them.”
Here it comes.
Those in the room felt a chill. The Queen had finally stated her position on the upcoming Port and Navigation Acts.
Moreover, this stance was directly aimed at the various families who had controlled the ports for a long time.
As the Queen said, for the merchants in the ports, they were like unbearable checkpoints. Besides paying taxes according to the standard, merchants also had to pay other fees to the port controllers to prevent their goods from being detained under various pretexts during import and export.
Of course, some did it more subtly, like the Two-Headed Snake family, who controlled the market by controlling the merchant guilds.
“The Empire will protect those who make it prosperous,” Adele said. “The regulated companies appearing in the southern ports have not hindered the Empire's interests, and Parliament has no right to suppress them... At the same time, in response to the Yage Kingdom's provocations against the Empire, I will grant privateering licenses to the ancient protectors of the ports.”
This was said to Heinrich.
Or rather, to the noble class led by the Heinrich family.
A transaction.
The Queen was determined to rectify the Empire's ports, protect the merchants' interests, and promote the development of regulated commercial companies. This meant she would reclaim some of the interests previously held by the nobles. Undoubtedly, this would cause dissatisfaction among these families, and with the coup and religious turmoil having just passed, Roland could not afford a second wave of unrest. Therefore, the Queen also made concessions to the nobles.
Privateering licenses.
The term “privateering license” is actually quite subtle. Ships granted a license can be legally armed, and the government allows them to attack the ships of specific enemies—this specific enemy, currently, is clearly the ships of the Yage Kingdom. Actions of plundering merchant ships without a license will be severely punished.
Heinrich remained silent.
The strange atmosphere was so oppressive that no one dared to speak.
Sunlight streamed through the rose window into the Queen's study, slanting across and dividing the room in two. Just like this silent and dangerous dispute.
Indeed, the rewards brought by privateering licenses would not be small, potentially even more lucrative than exploiting domestic merchants in the ports. It was even a step further than the “armed civilian ship licenses” the Queen and Heinrich agreed upon during the mutiny. However, armed civilian ship licenses were based on strengthening control over the ports, while privateering licenses were based on losing control.
In the long run, this was not a good choice.
“Mr. Heinrich, what is your opinion?”
Adele said softly.
Her eyes were icy cold.
—Please remember, do not make an enemy of me.
Heinrich did not miss the glint of a blade beneath her gentle words, but... the Privy Council was almost a microcosm of the Empire's highest power, and within this microcosm, Dalton, symbolizing the military, had somehow sided with the Queen. Rhodri had knelt before the Queen in the rainy night corridor, and the allegiance of the Old God Sect's last Temple Knights had changed accordingly.
And that rain...
That rain that seemed to drown the world like a miracle.
This was the moment of the Queen's highest prestige. The nobles had lost the ability to openly oppose the Queen as they had in July.
The changes on the stage of power were always as unpredictable as life itself.
After a long silence, Heinrich stood up and bowed to the Queen: “As you wish.”
In that moment of bowing, the Empire's ancient noble class, after a long period of arrogance, finally lowered their proud heads to their young mistress.
“The actions of the privateers against the Yage Kingdom are likely to escalate matters further.”
After the Privy Council meeting ended, Dalton did not get up to leave. Instead, he waited until everyone else had gone before speaking to the Queen.
He admitted that the Queen's thinking was very clever. She was gradually reclaiming control of the ports from the nobles while also using the privateers funded by the nobles to strike at Roland's enemies, killing two birds with one stone. But this was not a long-term solution. Once the dispute between the Yage Kingdom and the Rute Empire in the Tuva Duchy was resolved, John VI would certainly retaliate furiously.
“Putting all your eggs in one basket is, of course, an extremely foolish act.”
Adele replied without looking up, flipping through the documents the scribe had submitted.
Dalton watched her intently.
Madam Kelly had a pair of skillful hands. Today, she had styled the Queen's thick hair into a complex and beautiful updo, somewhat similar to the one on the day of the procession, secured at the back with several diamond-studded curved combs. Her fair and beautiful face was fully revealed, its edges now outlined by a bright, golden line in the light.
Such a Queen indeed made it understandable why Rhodri, from a family whose minds were filled only with gods and saints, would prostrate himself before her like a fanatic.
He had once thought the Queen at the ball was dazzling enough, but today Dalton realized he was wrong.
Adele belonged to the crown.
Wearing the crown and holding power, she was the most dazzling. Dalton found himself wondering why people had always thought politics had nothing to do with women—clearly, power forged her most peerlessly sharp beauty.
“I brought something.”
Dalton said suddenly.
Adele looked up at him. Clearly, this was the reason he had stayed.
Dalton pursed his lips, uncharacteristically appearing a little flustered. He avoided the Queen's gaze, placed a medium-sized wooden box on the desk, and pushed it towards the Queen.
“I thought...”
Before taking out the gift, he had hesitated a little, but now he didn't doubt his choice.
“Perhaps you might like it.”
Dalton opened the box.
The gift resting on the dark velvet gleamed with a cold luster in the sunlight.
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