King

Without more effective information, Hudson, like many local governors, could only rush to the imperial city first.

According to normal circumstances, when the emperor dies, the crown prince can directly succeed him, but the current situation is different. The prince is too young.

Theoretically speaking, the son of Caesar IV is the first in line of succession, but there is another saying in the Aslant continent: the country depends on the eldest king, and the elder brother will eventually succeed the younger brother.

In the history of Alpha Kingdom, there is a precedent!

There is no doubt that this change of power that breaks the order of succession is not voluntary for the monarch, but is more forced to accept it.

At the last palace meeting, Caesar IV made it clear that the throne would be inherited by the young prince, and he also nominated five ministers.

Unfortunately, there was opposition from the conservative camp and the appointment of assistant ministers was not approved, which created variables.

If someone in the royal family has an idea and obtains the support of the majority of courtiers, it is also legal to ascend to the throne beyond the line of succession with the support of "the country relies on the eldest monarch, and the elder brother will succeed the younger brother".

In this context, if he wanted his son to ascend to the throne smoothly, Caesar IV could not die in a daze. He had to announce his will in front of the ministers in order to win more supporters.

Fortunately, we are in a peaceful age. If we were unfortunate enough to live in troubled times, even the emperor might not be able to put his son on the throne according to his own will.

…

"How is your Majesty's health?"

Hudson asked concerned.

Compared to the local governors, he, the dragon knight, arrived faster. At this time, all the civil and military officials in the court and the princes and nobles in the imperial capital had arrived at the palace.

Most of them are not qualified to contact the emperor. Even though the edict was news after it changed hands, it did not affect everyone's enthusiasm at all.

"Marshal, His Majesty is in a coma, relying on medicine to hang on to his life. Once he wakes up, he has reached the end of his life..."

After hearing the palace minister's answer, Hudson nodded slightly.

He knew how bad Caesar IV's health was. Nearly a year has passed since the curse was expelled. It is normal to reach the end of life at this time.

This account can only be recorded on the mastermind behind the scenes. Alpha I is dead, but the mastermind behind it has not surfaced.

The establishment of the Alpha Empire has made too many forces feel threatened. Provoking internal strife within the empire has become the common choice of many forces.

There are too many suspects who have the motive and ability to plan all this, and it is impossible to investigate them.

It was not only Caesar IV who was plotted, but also Alpha I. Even Hudson suspected that Alpha I might have been attacked earlier than Caesar IV.

It's just that the methods required to plot against a strong man from the Holy Realm are different. If you directly apply the curse, you will definitely be discovered immediately, so you need a more covert method.

For example: arranging for people to defect to Alpha I and inadvertently provoke conflicts. It doesn't matter once or twice, it will definitely have an impact over time.

Or some other covert means.

As far as Hudson knew, during the last melee in the sanctuary, Alpha I was seriously injured and almost died on the battlefield.

But it is meaningless to discuss these now. Anyway, everyone died, and the mastermind got what he wanted.

Conflicts within the empire were indeed stirred up. Underneath the seemingly stable situation, there are actually undercurrents surging.

The conservative camp is the dominant one, and other camps are just temporarily tolerating it, which does not mean that everyone is willing to admit defeat.

As the wave of annexations rose again, the conflicts between the large nobles and the small and medium nobles became increasingly acute.

Even in this wave of mergers, everyone took a sip of the soup, but the trust built during the war was gone.

In addition to these contradictions, there is also a main contradiction hidden in the empire: the middle and lower class nobles who have not been fed by the wave of expansion hope that the empire will continue to expand externally.

In a short period of time, the voice of the main battle can be suppressed. However, the damage caused by the war was too great, and the private economic situation of the Alpha Empire was very bad.

If economic problems are not resolved for a long time, sooner or later they will turn into political problems, eventually bringing the empire to a point of no return.

The territorial swap played by the local nobles is in itself digging holes and laying minefields. Migrating from the developed cultivated land to the uninhabited prairie will cause a large number of small nobles to go bankrupt.

In the past six months, the performance of the Near East Development Bank has been rising steadily, and the difficulty of lending by other commercial banks has also dropped significantly, which has already illustrated many problems.

Theoretically speaking, nobles use their territory as collateral for loans, so there is no need to worry about the safety of the loan.

However, reason tells Hudson that there is an upper limit to the debt affordability of any group or individual. Once it reaches a critical point, it will explode.

In fact, the wave of aristocratic bankruptcies is long overdue. The fact that it has been delayed until now is all because of the emergence of banks, which provided them with a financing channel.

Relying on debt has delayed the outbreak of the crisis, but after all, there is a limit. In an instant, Hudson suddenly became very panicked, and inadvertently he became the biggest creditor of the imperial nobles.

What's worse is that the loans issued by the Near East Development Bank are mainly based on gold stamps and leverage, which continue to accumulate upwards.

Because of the war, there was a massive outflow of domestic wealth. The currency circulating within the Alpha Empire is generally insufficient.

One thunder followed another.

The Alpha Empire, which looks glamorous on the outside, is riddled with holes on the inside. If you are not careful, there will be thunder rolling down the sky.

Under this background, letting the conservative camp govern is actually beneficial to the recovery of the empire's economy.

It's not because of what they did, but these old guys are conservative enough and won't mess around.

The atmosphere on the scene was very depressing. Even if they met acquaintances, they only exchanged glances.

It can be felt that everyone's mood is not high.

Less than a year after the establishment of the empire, it is about to usher in the change of imperial power, which is definitely an ominous sign.

Time passed by, and the governors of various provinces began to arrive one after another. Suddenly, the hoarse voice of the palace minister sounded.

"Your Majesty is awake, you can go in!"

Upon receiving this news, everyone frowned.

Only half of the governors of various provinces came, and they summoned everyone in. It was obvious that Caesar IV could not hold on.

Without any hesitation, Hudson directly passed the crowd, walked to the front of the team, and strode into the ward.

The scene of the first meeting with Caesar IV has emerged involuntarily in my mind.

The unpleasantness of the past has gone with the wind, and the meeting at this time is a farewell forever.

"Your Majesty is not feeling well and cannot speak. I will read the edict on your behalf.

Do you have any objections?"

After hearing what Venerable Tailun said, the scene suddenly fell silent.

It was obvious that this result could not satisfy everyone.

Judging from the mental state of Caesar IV, he obviously did not have the ability to draft a will.

The so-called awakening was just the movement of the eyes, and he could not reveal his true intentions at all.

If the will was not prepared in advance, it was a fake edict made up by the royal family.

Even if it was prepared in advance, it could not rule out the suspicion of tampering.

The matter was of great importance, and no one was willing to express their opinions easily. The atmosphere at the scene suddenly became tense.

"Why don't you obey the king's orders when your majesty is not dead yet?"

After saying that, the queen's tears flowed out. Mixed with the crying of the prince, the ministers were very embarrassed.

It was really not that they deliberately made trouble, but for the will to be effective, it must first be confirmed that it was the emperor's will.

Even if the will is drafted in advance, there should be a record of the photo stone to stop the outside world from talking.

"Your Excellency, read it!"

Hudson broke the silence.

After all, they were a monarch and a minister. He couldn't bear to stage another political game drama when Caesar IV was dying.

As for whether the will can play a role, it depends on the specific content.

If it touches the core interests of all parties, his face as a marshal will not work.

"Prince Caesar inherits the throne;

The queen is regent;

Grand Duke Hudson, Duke Beckett, and Grand Duke Madeleine are appointed as assistant ministers.

The above edicts are all dictated by your majesty."

As soon as the Venerable Tailun finished speaking, Caesar IV on the bed died on the spot, and there was a cry at the scene.

The people who were still struggling with the authenticity of the edict also shed tears.

After all, they are politicians. After a brief sadness, everyone quickly recovered.

Everyone believed the contents of the edict by 70%. Even if it was not dictated by Caesar IV, it was his own intention.

Caesar IV had expressed it at the last court meeting.

It was nothing more than the five ministers becoming three ministers, eliminating the two who were strongly opposed by the conservative camp.

The succession of the prince and the regent of the queen were all in line with the procedures and there was nothing to dispute.

Among the three ministers, Hudson represented the military, Beckett represented the government, and Madeleine represented the royal family.

At the last meeting, the conservative camp vetoed the appointment of Grand Duke Madeleine, but at this time, they could not continue to veto.

As a minister, you always have to save face for the deceased emperor. Even if you are not satisfied, you can only wait and find a way to get rid of people later.

At this time, the most headache for the six ministers is not Grand Duke Madeleine. Even if she represents the royal family, her influence in the court is limited after all.

What really worries them is Hudson. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, I'm afraid someone would have scolded the tyrant.

Since his debut, Hudson has left the impression of being strong!

The army needs to obey orders, and it is not a big problem for the commander to have the final say.

It is different in the court.

A strong assistant minister entering the central government is bound to have a fierce conflict with the conservative government.

What's worse is that Hudson is not alone, and has supporters from the court to the local areas.

He can easily form a faction to compete with the conservative government headed by the six ministers.

In the short term, the formation of checks and balances in the court will definitely help consolidate the imperial power.

The trouble is that Hudson lives too long, and he can easily outlive a group of conservative leaders and then take power alone.

The conservative camp wants to solve this threat but can't do it. Everyone has good political struggle methods, and normal struggles can't get Hudson out.

Playing tricks, Hudson also has the capital to overturn the table.

With the title of assistant minister, plus Hudson's own prestige, he can pull out the troops by going to the imperial garrison camp.

Maybe before they are exhausted to death, they will be driven back to their hometown by a coup d'état.

If the court becomes a one-man show of power, or an unshakable dictatorship, the consequences will be absolutely disastrous.

Such personnel appointments are purely digging a hole.

…

"Grand Duchess Madeleine, Duke Beckett, the Queen is in a bad mental state and cannot manage the affairs for the time being.

When it comes to funeral arrangements, the three of us will divide the work.

Grand Duchess Madeleine is responsible for handling the funeral affairs within the palace, Duke Becket is responsible for handling the funeral affairs outside the palace, and I will handle the international funeral affairs. "

The emperor's funeral should not be careless, especially for a monarch like Caesar IV who had outstanding achievements during his reign. The funeral should be arranged in a grand manner.

Before the two of them could react, Hudson threw away all the most troublesome tasks.

"good!"

Grand Duke Madeleine agreed decisively.

Among the three ministers, she has the lowest prestige.

The funeral was an opportunity for her to express herself.

Don't expect to establish prestige among the ministers, at least establish prestige within the royal family, and first consolidate the basic base.

With the support of the royal family members, her assistant minister is not just empty-handed.

"Just as the marshal said!"

After thinking for a moment, Prime Minister Beckett nodded in response.

The government must be responsible for domestic funeral matters. This is their responsibility and obligation.

A short conversation, directly finalizing the result.

The three major ministers began to divide work and collaborate, which also meant the beginning of a new era.

…

late at night.

The lights in the prime minister's palace were brightly lit, as expected, Caesar IV's edict was indeed causing trouble for them.

This is the first time since the conservatives came to power that they have felt threatened.

Compared with the trouble of Hudson, all the previous twists and turns were minor disturbances.

During the day he was busy arranging funeral arrangements and at night he had to discuss the aftermath of the political upheaval. Duke Becket only felt physically and mentally exhausted.

“Things have changed and the worst has finally come to pass.

Marshal Hudson enters the central government, and the emerging aristocracy that we suppressed will soon become active again.

Even the military aristocratic group that was finally divided in the past may be reunited with him as the core.

Once these forces are integrated, the court will enter a polarized situation.

When the few of us were in office, we could barely outdo them.

Obviously, this situation cannot continue and we will eventually grow old.

While there is still time, we must strengthen the training of the next generation! "

Duke Beckett said in a deep voice.

He was not happy at all when he got the position of assistant minister.

In addition to his famous name, the actual power in his hands has not increased at all, and he has been put into an embarrassing situation.

The biggest problem: There is no clear regulation on the authority of assistant ministers.

The auxiliary ministers assist the monarch, and the six ministers in the court also assist the monarch, and there is a clear division of power.

Next, there must be a power struggle between the three auxiliary ministers and the six ministers, surrounding the issue of master and slave.

However, Duke Becket was caught in the middle. He was both the prime minister in the court and one of the auxiliary ministers.

Don’t worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality!

He is the only one among the six ministers who is the auxiliary minister. The others will not say anything, but they must have thoughts in their hearts.

In order to avoid conflicts within the conservative camp, he just set a target first.

Grand Duke Madeleine obviously does not have enough weight. Even though she is the emperor's sister and a powerful person in the holy realm, she is still a newcomer in the political arena.

No matter how noble your status is, if the people below you don't buy it, then it means nothing.

As long as the six ministers are willing, they can completely prevent Grand Duke Madeleine's decree from leaving the palace.

We had no choice but to bring Hudson out to speak out.

Not only is the portion heavy, it's also heavy. If placed on the body, it can directly crush people to death.

"Prime Minister, Hudson is not very interested in power in the court, and he rejected His Majesty once last time.

The main reason for accepting the appointment during the day was that His Majesty used a posthumous edict and did not give him any chance to refuse.

If given a chance to leave with dignity, he would most likely withdraw from the court.

After all, when one reaches his level of cultivation, worldly power is already a burden, and what one pursues is immortality! "

Earl Helwin suggested.

Conclusions are not drawn casually.

The emperor's funeral work had just begun, and Hudson became the manager.

He was nominally responsible for international funeral affairs, but in fact he turned around and handed over the work to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and ordered him, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to handle it with full authority.

This is a funeral work of great political significance. Others rush to perform it, and they can do it so casually, which explains a lot of problems.

"Your Excellency, the position of Marshal Hudson's assistant was appointed by His Majesty's decree. Due to the obligations between the monarch and his ministers, he must also perform his duties.

Regardless of whether he is greedy for power or not, as long as he sits in the court, a new faction will be formed with him as the core.

This interest group will push him to start a political struggle with us, which cannot be controlled by individual will.

After all, there is a Koslow family behind Marshal Hudson. He himself was successful, but his people still wanted to make progress.

In a few years, his sons will be adults, and there will be even more people who want to make progress.

If we can get him to leave the court on his own, why should we worry! "

Duke Richard said disdainfully.

He has worked hard on the Hudson issue.

There is not much else about the Koslow family, except that they have a large number of people.

More people means more variables.

With such a large base, there is bound to be no shortage of people who want to make progress.

All you need to do is encourage these people to take action, and you can bring down the patriarch of the Hudson family.

In the era of family rule, no one can exist in isolation.

"Your Excellency, the solutions are all thought up by people.

With our strength, there is definitely no hope to drive Marshal Hudson out of the court.

But it does not mean that others can't do it!

What if the new emperor, or our queen, wants him to leave!

Do you think that the disappointed Marshal Hudson will go with the flow and directly give up the position of assistant minister?"

Earl Helven said with a smile.

The professional quality of the Minister of Foreign Affairs is not given for nothing. If the problem cannot be solved by direct confrontation, then play a roundabout tactic.

"This is impossible!

The queen will drive Marshal Hudson away at this time unless she is crazy."

The Minister of Military Affairs, Duke Richard, immediately rejected it.

He would not be surprised if the royal family and Hudson fell out.

As long as the nobles grow to a certain extent, they will inevitably have conflicts of interest with the royal family, and even the best relationship will break down.

However, this kind of relationship broke down, that was after Caesar V took power.

Before that, the queen still needed the support of powerful ministers like Hudson to consolidate her son's throne.

Besides, the relationship between the Moshi royal family and Hudson is also very close, and the queen continued this relationship after marrying in.

"Your Excellency the Duke, the solutions are all thought up by people, I just provide a feasible idea.

It is indeed difficult to operate, but as long as the queen feels that the existence of Marshal Hudson has threatened her son's throne, then everything is possible!"

After listening to Earl Helven's explanation, everyone understood it instantly.

"Praise to kill", this method is very old-fashioned, but it is effective.

Hudson's prestige is originally high. If they are willing to cooperate, a regent minister who is popular will soon appear in the court.

No matter who is in power, seeing this scene will be uncertain.