Kenji had many allies in court.
These allies weren't people he had personally trained but instead a network left behind by his father. Though many of them were senior officials, even elders to him in a familial sense, Kenji's current position in the court made him their leader. Thus, they worked tirelessly to ingratiate themselves with him.
Kenji was well aware that such connections, forged out of mutual interests, were anything but stable. Still, for now, he found their utility indispensable. Many of these allies were deeply involved in various affairs of the court, and their support allowed Kenji to wield influence well beyond the responsibilities of his formal position as Grand Marshal.
Now, it was ti to mobilize these connections for his own purposes.
…
Pluvia woke up in her chambers at the break of dawn.
Her sleep had been far from peaceful. She had been plagued by dreams the entire night.
In one dream, she sat upright on her imperial throne, poised to issue a decree. Suddenly, a tall, imposing figure clad in majestic armor strode forward, sword in hand, and knelt before her. With seemingly sincere yet disconcerting words, he advised her to abdicate the throne.
When Pluvia flatly refused, the man sprang to his feet, pinned her down to the floor, and raised his blade.
What was unsettling was that this nightmare didn't wake her. Instead, she transitioned into a second dream.
In this one, she saw a treacherous figure usurp power, operating from behind the throne while controlling the entire Empire. She could only watch, helplessly, as her subjects perished in endless wars, families torn apart by chaos. Just when she thought she would crumble under the weight of it all, the shadowy figure demanded she draft decrees against her will, pushing her deeper into despair.
When she finally woke up, cold sweat drenched her body.
While the dreams weren't real, Pluvia couldn't shake the unease they brought.
She knew exactly who the shadowy figure represented—Kenji. Logical reasoning assured her that he wouldn't commit such treachery. He was too calculating to make a move prematurely; now was hardly the ideal mont for him to act.
But still...
Pluvia looked down at her hands, rembering how they had once gripped Kenji's neck tightly. For a fleeting instant, she had felt sothing bizarre—almost an illusion—that this man's loyalty to her might be genuine.
"Your Majesty, are you awake?" a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
Pluvia turned and saw a young woman smiling gently at her.
"Ah, it's you," she said, wiping the sweat from her brow.
This girl, Sonya Lius, was the daughter of a governor Kenji had recomnded. Sonya's incredible skill in caretaking had earned her a position close to the Emperor herself, rather than being left to languish in the imperial harem.
"Are there any morials for today?" Pluvia asked.
"Today's morials are strikingly similar to the previous ones," Sonya replied, placing a stack of docunts in front of her. "So much so that I'm beginning to feel suspicious."
Pluvia skimd through the papers, and Sonya's observation wasn't wrong.
As usual, a large portion of the morials centered around denouncing Kenji. It had beco a daily ritual—one wouldn't be surprised if the absence of such complaints signaled an impending calamity.
However, one particular morial caught her attention.
This docunt detailed how Kenji had recently mobilized 500 elite soldiers. While Kenji's authority over military affairs was well known, his frequent deploynt of troops always sparked suspicion among certain officials. The author of the morial argued passionately that Kenji harbored ulterior motives and pleaded with Pluvia to investigate imdiately.
What a joke. If I dared investigate him, would I need your incessant nagging?
Pluvia casually tossed the docunt aside and asked Sonya, "Are there any that are actually important? Bring those to ."
"Well," Sonya said, pulling out another morial, "there's one about the Grand Canal project."
"What is it? Has sothing happened with the construction?"
"Not exactly," Sonya replied. "The construction is proceeding as planned, but the project leader reports that they've run out of funds."
Calot's temples throbbed with irritation. "Again? Didn't I just approve funding for this a few days ago?"
"The Grand Canal is an enormous undertaking, and these expenses are considered fairly typical—or so they claim in the morial," Sonya said with a shrug.
"If they dare spout that nonsense to my face, I'll shove gold bricks directly down their throats," Pluvia fud. "Do they think I'm ignorant of how much this canal is supposed to cost? I didn't question their earlier requests and approved the funds because I knew they'd skim a bit for themselves. But now they've turned it into a bottomless pit!"
Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Pluvia grabbed a pen and wrote her response:
"Do you take for a fool? Every previous request for funds has been granted in full. How, then, have you still run out of money? I suggest you take care of this matter wisely. Or, should you find yourself short of resources, perhaps your own family's wealth could be used to fill the gap?"
Essentially, her ssage was clear: Stop extorting , or I'll confiscate your assets.
While greedy, these officials knew when to quit. Surely, they would back down now.
"What else?" Calot asked.
"There's also the matter of military reforms. Lord Kenji has submitted a proposal suggesting that we should bolster the army's combat capabilities by hiring a large number of cultivators to serve in its ranks…"
"Approved. I'll allocate the funds—wait a second!" Pluvia's eyes narrowed. "That's not his responsibility!"
The military reforms were supposed to be under General Balinos' jurisdiction, not Kenji's.
"General Balinos is currently leading a campaign in the north," Sonya reminded her. "Naturally, the duties fell to Lord Kenji since he's the Grand Marshal."
"...Grand Marshal this, Grand Marshal that!" Pluvia groaned in frustration, clutching her head. She let out a soft wail, regretting her earlier decision to let Kenji inherit the position.
Sonya chuckled and shook her head. "Even if Lord Kenji weren't the Grand Marshal, he'd still find a way to involve himself. Let's be honest."
"What else is on the agenda?"
"The Sal Kingdom has sent an envoy, and another delegation from a neighboring tribe has also arrived."
"Oh?"
A mischievous smile spread across Pluvia t's lips.
"Finally, sothing interesting. Summon our esteed Grand Marshal. This is going to be quite the spectacle."
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