Evaluation Department office.
Li An was not there.
This was because, in order to become the empire's most loyal “treacherous minister,” he had specially run off to the imperial palace.
And this visit was turning out to be quite a long one.
He had even had his lodging inside the palace arranged.
A government department without its minister present.
Logically speaking, it should have been in complete disarray.
Yet, the Evaluation Department was still operating in an orderly fashion.
This was because Isha was temporarily exercising the duties of acting minister on Li An's behalf.
‘There will definitely be something to gain from going to the imperial palace this time. Isha, while I'm away, you are basically the minister of the Evaluation Department.’
‘I'll entrust the minister's seal to you.’
The minister's seal.
In the Evaluation Department, this object was practically synonymous with absolute power.
This time, Isha had originally planned to follow Li An to the imperial palace.
But when she saw Li An solemnly hand the seal over to her, she ultimately chose to stay behind at the Evaluation Department.
“When on earth will he be back...”
Isha looked at the empty chief seat and couldn't help but sigh.
And right beside her, Sushia was kneeling on the floor.
The reason was that she had just been caught sneakily taking snacks from the office.
Meanwhile,
Li An, who was diligently plotting in the imperial palace how to get the Emperor to approve his resignation, encountered a completely unexpected situation.
“Count, try this.”
“I just discovered a new dessert; only ten portions are made each day.”
“Count, could you tell me your clothing measurements?”
“Isn't it about time you got some new clothes? I'll send you a few well-fitting sets.”
“Count, my daughter has a very gentle personality.”
“Would you care to consider her?”
A group of adults swarmed around Li An.
Each one followed him more closely than a little chick following a hen.
Li An's face was a complete blank.
Do none of you have work to do?
The answer was, nobles usually indeed had nothing to do.
Before anyone realized it, Li An had already been dubbed Count Erindale by the empire's nobility.
At the same time, he was also regarded as the leader of a new noble faction.
Supposedly, he had successfully established a new noble faction that was completely independent of the factions of the Crown Prince, the Second Princess, and the Third Princess.
And the behind-the-scenes advisor of this faction... was none other than the Emperor himself.
“Hmm...”
Li An intentionally put on a deeply worried expression.
The next moment, Viscount Sinus immediately ran over.
“My Lord Count, do you have something on your mind?”
“Your worries are my worries.”
“Please, allow me to share your burden.”
This was the defining trait of the central nobility.
Cloyingly sweet.
Unlike the landed nobility who possessed fiefs and armies, the central nobility had no stronghold of their own.
They didn't even have a single piece of land that truly belonged to them.
To live comfortably in the imperial capital, they could only rely on their own observational skills, their wits, and their judgment of the political winds.
Thus, their herd mentality was exceptionally strong.
In Viscount Sinus's heart, he and Li An were already bound as one.
“Actually...”
“I'm just a little worried about the territory His Majesty bestowed upon me.”
Li An had now obtained the Erindale territory from the Emperor.
But how should one describe this territory?
If a territory was compared to beef, it would probably be the most insignificant scrap on the cow.
If compared to chicken... it would probably be the chicken neck.
Because this territory barely had anything that needed managing.
It was more like a symbolic fief the Emperor had scrambled to find just to confer a title upon Li An.
Of course, even so, Li An still cared a bit about it.
After all, it was his fief nonetheless.
Perhaps if he took it to the second-hand market, he could still trade it for a favor or two.
“What is there to worry about, Count?”
Viscount Sinus had a matter-of-fact look on his face.
“Who is currently in charge of directly managing the territory?”
“What do you mean?”
“Handing it over to an agent, of course.”
“That's how everyone does it nowadays.”
“...”
Li An was stunned.
The next moment, he had an epiphany.
It turned out that while this world looked medieval on the surface, it had actually developed quite a few rather convenient management systems long ago.
Territory management was not something that necessarily had to be done by the lord in person.
Finding an exceptionally capable agent to handle the management was actually far more reasonable.
“If you need one, Count, I can recommend a highly capable territory manager to you.”
“Then I shall trouble you with that.”
“I will discuss it with you later.”
Viscount Sinus smiled.
Li An smiled as well.
It had to be said, no matter how convenient modern systems and tools were, they were ultimately just mimicking what humans could already achieve.
In that case, wasn't directly employing people even more convenient?
Furthermore, the one thing the noble class never lacked was people to order around.
Having to do absolutely nothing yourself, with everything left to others—was this the noble life?
It was honestly too comfortable.
Li An almost lost himself in it.
‘Wake up, Li An.’
Slap!
He slapped himself hard.
The life of the central nobility indeed seemed wonderful on the surface.
But there lay a fatal problem within it: their average life expectancy was very short.
Throughout history, the nobles who placed their bets on the wrong horse would often plunge off the cliff right along with the rope they clung to.
On the surface, the central nobility lived lives of ease and leisure.
In reality, they were engaged in a brutal political struggle every single day.
Choosing sides.
Forming cliques.
Testing the waters.
Fighting.
One careless mistake, and they would die with not even their bones left behind.
That was why Viscount Sinus and Baron Trinio wouldn't mindlessly follow Li An like stalkers without reason.
They had simply spotted a new backer.
Once, their backer had been Marquis Sevis.
Now, that rope had snapped.
Thus, they quickly discovered another golden rope that had suddenly appeared.
Li An.
‘Sorry,’
Li An apologized in his heart.
But these people would realize sooner or later that the golden rope known as Li An was actually just another rotten rope.
And... it could snap with a loud crack at any moment.
“So everyone is here.”
“Hehe.”
An aged voice called out.
“Your Majesty!”
“Salutations, Your Majesty!”
The crowd rose one after another to pay their respects.
“Relax, everyone.”
“We only came to chat with you all. No need to be so formal.”
The Emperor slowly walked into the palace gardens.
In the past, the Emperor had always given off an impression of being even older than his actual age.
Hunched shoulders.
A neck aching from constant coughing.
A pale complexion.
But lately, things were different.
Since drinking the Crystal Tea brewed by Li An, the Emperor's physical condition had been steadily improving.
By now, quite a bit of color had even returned to his face.
“The weather is lovely.”
“Let us all enjoy some Crystal Tea together.”
Crystal Tea had gradually become a fixture of rituals among the new noble faction.
Gathering together and drinking Crystal Tea.
It was as if only through this could they prove that their mutual friendship and bonds were unbreakable.
“Speaking of which...”
the Emperor suddenly looked toward Li An.
“Count Erindale, We do not seem to have ever seen you drink Crystal Tea.”
“Because this tea is extremely precious,”
Li An quickly replied.
“This subject felt that rather than enjoying it alone, it would be better to let others have more of it, which is why I have never brought it up.”
“Count Erindale.”
The Emperor's expression suddenly turned solemn.
Li An grew tense instantly.
“We have always been grateful to you.”
“A lot of things have happened during this period.”
“Now, We finally understand.”
“We, this Emperor, have been truly incompetent and incredibly foolish.”
“Your Majesty, how can you say such a thing...”
“Over the years, you have always remained by Our side.”
“Yet you have never once asked Us for anything.”
“Not even a single time.”
“The only thing you have ever cared about is Our health.”
the Emperor said slowly.
“Thinking back on it now, you and those fellows who claim to do everything for Our sake but actually care only for their own interests are not of the same kind at all.”
“Your Majesty, this subject truly only...”
“However, Count.”
The Emperor cut him off.
“Excessive loyalty can sometimes be a betrayal of oneself as well.”
“Relax. In Our heart...”
“you are already no different from Our own biological son.”
Li An: “...”
He was doomed.
Things were getting more and more out of hand.
The Emperor revealed a warm, fatherly smile.
He personally picked up the teapot and poured a cup of Crystal Tea for Li An.
“Now, you must also learn to take care of yourself.”
“Come.”
“Have a sip.”
“Your Majesty...”
Li An looked down at the Crystal Tea in the cup.
The purple tea was crystal clear, emitting an alluring luster.
And today, they had just finished feeding the Jewel Frog its medicine, and then watched it with his own eyes produce the raw material used to make the Crystal Tea.
Therefore, this cup of tea... was fresh out of the source.
Li An's eyes grew slightly red.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“This subject shall drink.”
He raised the teacup.
The Emperor nodded in satisfaction.
Gulp.
Li An took a sip.
“...”
“As expected...”
“it is exceptionally delicious.”
The Emperor burst into laughter.
“Haha.”
“Since someone has brewed such fine tea for Us, We must naturally enjoy it thoroughly.”
“However...”
“is there any way to obtain the recipe for this tea?”
“If possible, We would like to designate it as a national treasure of the empire.”
Li An's expression turned serious.
“This subject once inquired with that foreign merchant.”
“But the other party did not share the recipe with me.”
“I see.”
The Emperor was somewhat disappointed.
“Given how precious it is, it is only natural that it would be kept so secret.”
Li An swore silently in his heart.
The secret of the Crystal Tea.
He wouldn't speak of it even if he died.
Absolutely.
“My son!”
“I've arrived!”
“...”
Just as Li An returned from outside, he heard a familiar voice.
He paused.
“Father?”
Standing outside the door was indeed his father, Arthur Adolf.
And this old father of his had actually traveled all the way to the imperial capital.
“Father, why have you come so suddenly?”
“I heard Lucia summoned me here.”
“...”
Li An fell silent instantly.
Thinking about it carefully, the letters Lucia had sent recently were practically like spam, arriving one after another.
Among them, lines like this seemed to frequently appear:
【Brother is already a high-ranking official of the empire now.】
【Isn't it about time you arranged a few positions for our relatives?】
This was actually very much in line with the customs of this era.
Once a person became successful, it was only natural for them to pull up their friends and family.
Squeezing as many into positions as they could possibly manage.
Of course, if that person were to suddenly fall from power one day, then the friends and family members he had promoted would also share in the misfortune.
When one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer.
To put it nicely, this was the collective advancement of the family.
To put it bluntly... it was putting all of one's eggs into a single basket.
It was extremely risky.
【Although we are family, there aren't many capable people in our household.】
【I have to manage the territory right now, so I absolutely cannot get away.】
【But at least Father still has a chance.】
Li An had politely declined at the time.
The general meaning was:
“No need.”
“Don't come.”
But Lucia had clearly misunderstood his meaning.
She then sent their father directly to the imperial capital.
As for whether his father had been sent here on purpose...
Li An decided not to think about it for now.
After all, how could an old man who spent his entire day swinging swords, riding horses, and sunbathing at home have such deep, calculating schemes?
Probably.
“Since you're here, do you want to go watch the festival together?”
Arthur asked.
“Sure.”
Li An nodded.
The empire currently had entered a bizarre era of peace.
Most government affairs were handled by the Crown Prince.
The Emperor was in a great mood.
And the national treasury was highly bountiful.
With all three conditions met, the result was that the imperial palace held celebrations every single day.
Today the weather is nice: hold a festival.
Today the tea tastes good: hold a tea party.
Today a horse gave birth to a foal: hold a celebration.
Today someone sneezed: and they almost held a festival for that too.
Such celebrations could even exceed ten times a month.
Li An now finally understood.
Why the current Emperor was referred to as a “fatuous monarch.”
This Emperor was simply far too whimsical.
He did whatever popped into his head.
If he was in a good mood, he held a festival.
If he was in a bad mood... then he would hold another festival.
“It seems a knight tournament is being held over there.”
Arthur said.
“I see it.”
Knight tournaments.
In this era, they occupied the number one spot among sports and entertainment activities.
The reason was exceptionally simple.
In a world where the strong were revered, knights were naturally the so-called “pinnacle of masculinity.”
A group of robust men mounted on horses, wielding lances, charging at one another.
Lances clashed.
Blades crossed.
Blood and sweat flew.
Even death was an occasional occurrence.
This could no longer be called a mere sport.
It was practically stimulating a man's most primal instincts.
And naturally, the spectator stands were filled with noble young ladies.
After all, these young ladies came here not merely to watch the matches; they were also choosing their own knights.
Once the tournament concluded, there would occasionally be instances where a victorious knight took a noble lady's hand and disappeared directly from everyone's sight.
So, from a broader perspective, a knight tournament was actually a miniature version of noble society.
The strong triumphed, the weak were defeated, and the victor took all.
“It seems I should participate too.”
Arthur suddenly spoke up.
“Wait.”
Li An whipped his head around.
“Father?”
However, it was already too late.
Arthur gave Li An absolutely no opportunity to stop him.
He walked straight over to the registration desk of the tournament.
Registered, enrolled, and then entered the waiting room.
The entire sequence of actions was smooth as running water.
Li An stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.
He had gone through so much trouble to call his father to the imperial capital, only for his father to turn around in the blink of an eye and sign up for such a dangerous knight tournament?
What if something were to happen to him?
And more importantly, people could actually die in these matches!
Yet Arthur had already disappeared into the waiting room.
Before leaving, he turned around and waved at Li An.
“See you later, son.”
“I'm going to find you a stepmother today.”
“Father!!!!!”
Several hours later.
The final matchup list of the knight tournament was announced:
Arthur Adolf
VS
Kane Barba
Rate on N.U.
