The Abandoned Empress

Chapter 160: Chapter 160

It was an unexpected proposal. I thought he would make the maximum use of me because I was the surefire card to beat Jiun, but Duke Lars had in mind another card that could put him at risk when things went wrong.

“If you can commit these two things, I will support your decision to be the successor of your family in the name of my name. I’m sorry to the emperor, but if the two opposing factions agree, he has no other choice but to accept it. As you will succeed the great noble family of more than 1,000 years of history, he might not be upset.”

“Are you serious?”

“Sure. How about my proposal? I know your father is so strongly opposed right now. Right now, the two factions are barely keeping a balance of power. There is nothing good if our relationship with the Monique family goes sour, as you know. So, I hope you can accept my proposal.”

“… Thank you, Duke Lars.”

I felt I won an unexpected ally, but at the same time I wondered if I could really trust him.

As he said he promised it under his name, I had to trust him. But I wanted to double check with my father just in case.

By the way, a suitable candidate for the crown prince? In fact, I gave it a thought once, but put it off because I couldn’t let an innocent lady tread on the same path I had walked in order to save my life.

But right now there was no other way than that if I didn’t want to be the crown prince’s wife.

What about this? Isn’t it okay to look for a lady who covets the position of the crown prince’s wife rather than seeking his love like I did? As long as the lady didn’t want his love, she wouldn’t be hurt like I had. As she wouldn’t lose her power easily once she became the crown prince’s wife, she would be a strong ally of the pro-emperor faction.

While I was pondering over the right candidate, an attendant urgently came and said, “Duke Lars, the crown prince said he wanted to meet you as soon as possible. As he issued the order some time ago, you had better hurry up right now.”

“Really? Okay.”

Oh, come to think of it, the crown prince summoned all the nobles with the rank of earl and above with respect to the flooding.

I clicked my tongue in my heart. I should have told him about it as soon as I saw him, but as I was so tense when I saw the duchess, I forgot to tell him.

“You were also summoned to the palace.”

“Me, too? Why?”

“I don’t know why, but I understand that Lady Jena was also summoned.”

“Good. Then let’s go together. ”

As he was about to walk away quickly, he turned to me and said. I headed to the palace with him.

In the meeting room of the palace there were already the emperor, the crown prince and several nobles. There were also a number of government officials with lower ranks who appeared to be responsible for the work.

When I sat down next to my father after showing due manners to the head table, I saw Jiun sitting at the end of the table biting her lip gently.

“Oh, everyone is here. Shall we discuss the measures? ”

“Your Majesty, can I ask you one thing before that?”

“What is it, Duke Jenna?”

“Why did you call my daughter and Lady Monique here?”

“You have argued that your daughter should be given a chance to prove her abilities, right? So, I called them here to get their opinion.”

The emperor spoke in a very tired voice. I was worried about his health when I saw him so tired after he returned from the summer palace only recently. Was he getting worse?

“I heard that both ladies were already briefed about the situation. So, let me ask right now. What do you think? As the crown prince’s bride candidate, give me your idea on how to tackle the flooding of the Lumo River?”

Measures to tackle the river flooding?

While I was trying to figure out what to start with, Jiun opened her mouth with a smile as if it was not a big deal.

“May I speak first?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“First of all, as the damages of the areas surrounding the river were severe, I think you must evacuate the people there to a safe area. I think our empire can only stand if they survive.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, I think you should hold those responsible for the flooding accountable because they didn’t make the necessary preparations for the flooding despite the crown prince’s order. I think it is right for you to take back or demote the titles of the lords involved as well as forfeit their estates.”

Facing the emperor confidently, who was watching her, she continued, “And before we have further damages, I think we should temporarily build a dike to protect the river from flooding.”

“Temporary dam? How?”

“Well, you can build it by using sandbags. You can make a large pouch with a coarse cloth, then put a lot of sand in it. So, if you use sandbags like that, you can make a temporary embankment in a short time. The effect is excellent compared to the efforts. ”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.”

Those who attended the meeting turned their eyes at her in surprise. As I didn’t think about it, I also looked at her with a surprised expression.

Then she said, smiling brightly after sweeping her back, “Also, how about collecting money from the nobles and rich commoners in the empire for donations to the affected people in the areas? Even though the donation is small to them, it will be of great help to the affected residents.”

“Good idea. Great, Lady Jena.”

The emperor nodded, looking at Jiun for a long time meaningfully.

I cleared my throat when he turned and looked at me.

‘It’s my turn?’

“Okay, now, how about you, Lady Monique?”

“As Lady Jena already presented excellent ideas, I don’t have much to add, but… ”

“But?”

“I think that replacing those responsible should be postponed later. Considering the personality or conduct of those who ruled the affected areas, it is unlikely that they neglected the crown prince’s order without any reason. Even if they did, it would only add confusion if you replaced the leadership when they were so busy coping with the flooding. So, I think it won’t be too late for you to punish them only after you find out the cause of the flooding first and resolve the situation.”

By any standard, Jiun presented a better idea than me.

When I looked around, I saw Marquis Mirwa’s son and Duke Jena smiling in satisfaction. They cast a sarcastic glance at me.

“That’s all?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Anybody can second one’s opinion easily. Your Majesty, what do you think? I think you can accept my daughter’s proposal as it is.”

“Okay. Let me accept her proposal. But Lady Monique also has a point. So, let me deal with the matter of punishing those held accountable later.”

I smiled bitterly at Jiun who was watching me proudly. My head throbbed because of her burning hostility toward me.

“Hmm, let me ask both of you one more thing. I asked you to tell me about the measures to tackle the flooding. Do you have any more to say, in addition to what you already said?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

When I saw her answering quickly, I guessed what she was thinking about. It seemed that she wanted the emperor to be satisfied with her solution instead of trying to seek a better one.

‘I wish he could keep his promise.’

I stared at Duke Lars quietly. If he pretends he doesn’t know my reaction, Jiun’s answer is going to be a shackle that will tie my ankle further. As if he noticed my anxious eyes, Duke Lars nodded slightly.

‘Okay, let me trust him once.’

I sighed a little and opened my mouth, “If I add a little more, the plan she mentioned can be a measure to tackle the current situation right now, but it can’t prevent the recurrence of the same flooding in the future. So, I think we need to come up with preventive measures to stop the drought and floods in advance, based on the lesson we learned this time.”

“I think she is right. If so, what do you think are the long-term measures that you have in mind, Lady Monique?”