Chapter 1356: The Princess Rules a Nation
“Speaking of which, which gods do those Clerics worship? It seems your father relies on them quite a bit,” I asked the Princess.
After the Duke left, the courtiers immediately began reporting the current state of the territory to the Princess. The reports and requests from various places were varied, ranging from monster extermination needed here to mediating land disputes between two villages, and even requests for public facilities funding.
The Princess’s head was spinning. She was just a pampered daughter of a Noble, and in her previous life, she was just a normal person; she understood nothing about governing a territory and wasn’t interested either.
Normally, at times like these, the courtiers who stayed behind would offer advice and teach the Princess how to proceed. They had intended to do just that.
However, unexpectedly, Miss Reya personally handled everything. Although she was a bit unaccustomed at first, she soon became adept at it.
Moreover, her methods made the courtiers frown. For example, when the agricultural tax was insufficient, the Miss demanded an investigation into whether local minor Nobles and Farm Owners were evading taxes or engaging in land annexation, rather than simply increasing taxes or sending tax collectors to forcefully collect them.
Regarding requests for the construction of urban infrastructure, Miss Reya’s reaction was to investigate whether intermediate officials were corrupt or embezzling public funds.
The courtiers earnestly guaranteed that there was absolutely no such thing and that the funds were simply insufficient. Yet, Miss Reya demanded to see the previous procurement expenditure statements.
The officials sent to request money looked at each other blankly, never expecting such a request. They hadn’t kept proper accounts when they came, thinking, “What could this Eldest Miss understand?”
“Of course, I’m teaching her. I didn’t expect you to come to the Princess asking to do this. But since I want to gain the Princess’s trust, I should help her more so she trusts me more.”
“You don’t have account books or procurement orders, and you dare to ask me for money?” the Princess said, guided by me. “Then go back, prepare your accounts, and come back to apply.”
The officials were still unwilling to give up and said with trepidation, “Miss Reya, if your wages aren’t paid, the workers might go on strike. If the project isn’t completed on time, the Duke might blame you when he returns.”
This was a veiled threat. If the funds weren’t allocated, they would slack off. He didn’t explicitly say who the Duke would blame, but he implied that the Princess’s evaluation would be lowered.
“Fine, then I will tell Father that the officials responsible for construction are incompetent and have embezzled public funds. They should all be hanged and replaced,” the Princess said directly.
The officials were dumbfounded. Not only them but even the courtiers were shocked. The Princess might merely lower her standing in the Duke’s eyes, but they would be hanged. Besides, would the Duke believe his daughter or some lower-ranking officials? Did they dare to bet on it?
“You can’t do that! We absolutely did not embezzle construction funds! This is an insult to a gentleman!” the official protested angrily.
“Why can’t I? I just want to say it. Scribe, record this: they all embezzled the family’s money, and when Father returns, they will all be hanged,” the Princess commanded.
The courtiers were greatly alarmed. They had never imagined that the previously delicate and introverted Princess would be so autocratic and could pass judgment so casually. This was clearly a sign of tyranny!
But the problem was, Reya said this now, and the Duke had said to listen to Miss Reya during his absence. So, did they dare not follow her words?
Of course not. Europe and the East were different. The East still had some regard for law and reason. Europe absolutely did not. The words of a Noble were everything, at least within their own territory.
“I am your Lord. If I say you’re wrong, you’re wrong. If I say you mouth off, you mouth off. My word is law. I am the law. That’s a great Noble.”
When the Duke returned and saw what the Princess had done, would he value her governance ability? No, because the Princess was a newbie. It was normal for her not to govern well. It was an internship-like regency.
But the Duke would certainly value one thing: the loyalty of his vassals. The family’s dignity could not be violated. Whoever disobeyed, regardless of right or wrong, would be arrested, stripped of their titles, have their property confiscated, and be exiled. That would be the set procedure, or they could simply be hanged. It definitely wouldn’t be wrong.
Therefore, the scribe dared not defy the Princess on such matters. Moreover, he was not in cahoots with those city construction officials. What did their lives and deaths have to do with him?
So, the scribe seriously recorded the embezzlement of the city construction officials on the parchment with a feather pen, even including the execution the Princess mentioned.
“No! You can’t do this! We didn’t embezzle!” the representative of the officials said frantically, wanting to rush forward, but was stopped by several soldiers in golden armor.
“Alright, if you say you didn’t embezzle, then bring the procurement ledgers and workers’ payroll to prove you didn’t, and I’ll remove the charge. Soldier, throw him out,” the Princess said.
The soldier unhesitatingly dragged out the portly representative official. I had no sympathy for them. These people were the kind where if all of them were hanged, there might be an innocent one, but if one was missed, there would definitely be a fish that slipped through the net.
All the people waiting in line to see her were drenched in cold sweat. They had all witnessed this scene and understood that this seemingly young Miss Reya was definitely not someone who could be easily fooled. She might even be more difficult to deal with than the Duke.
The Duke was rich and wouldn’t care about small sums of money, as long as he saw results. He also liked spectacle and wanted to leave others with the image of a magnanimous great figure.
But the Princess was different. This Eldest Miss was petty and meticulous, demanding reports for everything and asking detailed questions. When it came to money, she always insisted on seeing the statements and could always find problems.
In this regard, I, who was helping the Princess review the reports, commented that they were probably doing it without any shame.
What kind of useless documents were these? They were probably written by people who failed kindergarten, full of loopholes and contradictions. Some even had the same item on the same page with different numbers. They probably couldn’t even fool a primary school student.
I taught the Princess to point out all the errors and demanded answers from them. Nine out of ten among these people couldn’t answer, and the remaining one was full of lies.
Many were flushed with shame and left dejectedly with any excuse. Many who were still waiting also voluntarily left.
For matters that genuinely needed to be handled, I had the Princess directly hand them over to the courtiers responsible for those areas. Originally, the courtiers were supposed to teach the Princess. Now, the Princess was ordering the courtiers to do things, and they had to report back to her after completion.
A ruler doesn’t need to do everything themselves. Instead, they should delegate professional matters to professional people, only needing to provide direction and indicate the desired outcome.
In just one morning, the Princess established her authority. Everyone knew that this acting Princess was a ruler with extraordinary talent.
