Chapter 830: 427 Two Matters

"What kind of attitude is this!"

Probably provoked by the mockery in the Princess's eyes, the Wang Hou, whose high cheekbones and downturned mouth gave her a somewhat harsh appearance, slapped the armrest of her chair hard and scolded with eyes full of anger:

"If you hadn't insisted on forcing through the tax cuts, would your uncle's Ministry of Finance be in chaos? The news leaked out, and you got blocked inside the Prime Minister's residence—that's what you deserve!

Besides, forcing the replacement of officers was bad enough, but you actually included people from the Royal Family and your uncle in the list as well. What exactly do you intend to do?"

"..."

What do I intend to do?

Looking at the Wang Hou's face filled with rage and hearing her stern scolding, for some reason, the Princess, whose heart should have been surging with anger, suddenly found it a bit funny.

Although the person before her was her nominal mother and even lived in the same palace, they had never been on the same path; if one were to speak of "distance," Hearing Li Ang, who was more than a dozen streets away, was actually closer to her.

Heh, it's funny to say, but in this magnificent palace that gave me life and raised me, I had nightmares for a full six years and spent countless sleepless nights.

Yet in that somewhat cramped small apartment on Bridge Street, I could sleep soundly until the sun was high in the sky amidst somewhat absurd sweet dreams.

What's even more ridiculous is that after I injured my arm by being hit by a stone, the only person who cared about my injury was Hearing Li Ang, who had always wanted to break off the engagement; but after returning to the real "home," even with the bloodstains on my sleeve glaringly right there, no one bothered to take a second look.

"Veronica!"

Seeing the Princess across from her looking somewhat dazed, with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned and clearly not listening, the harsh-faced woman's anger rose to her eyebrows.

"What are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing, I just remembered something happy."

"You... no matter what, I am your nominal mother, and you treat me with this attitude?"

"Mm-hmm."

After casually responding, Veronica Princess, unwilling to deal with the Wang Hou throwing a tantrum for the sake of it, turned her gaze to the Finance Minister opposite and said calmly:

"Your Excellency, the day after tomorrow is the day the two houses of parliament convene. I have been very busy recently, so if future exchanges continue in this manner of throwing tantrums and rolling on the ground, then I'm afraid I will not accompany you further."

"What kind of..."

"Be quiet!"

Stopping the furious Wang Hou, the old King in the wheelchair coughed a few times, then raised the scepter in his hand and pointed with its tip at the Finance Minister, who was sitting upright with eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, and said in a hoarse and muffled voice:

"You speak."

"As you command."

Nodding slightly to the old King, the Finance Minister looked up at the Princess opposite and said gently:

"Your Highness Veronica, the main reason for my late-night visit is that I have two matters I wish to discuss with you.

First, although the cause of today's incident might be me, your replacement order itself does indeed have some inappropriate aspects; otherwise, it would not have escalated to such a degree. I believe your measures in some areas were not fully considered."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, the Princess looked at him and said calmly:

"What exactly are the flaws in the replacement order I implemented? I ask Your Excellency to enlighten me."

"Your Highness is too polite."

After nodding slightly in greeting, the Finance Minister spoke:

"First is the scope of the replacement targets.

Although your original intention to rectify the Military Department was correct, it was indeed too hasty. There was no need to include all officers in the replacement assessment at once; officers from families with a rank of Count or above could be assessed with a slightly slower pace.

Additionally, the assessment standards are too harsh. Although some officers did not meet the standards stipulated in the military code, their seniority is sufficient, and they are loyal enough to the Royal Family, so they can certainly be treated with exceptions.

Finally, some officers come from families with past records of merit. If they are all replaced solely because they failed the assessment, it would be somewhat unfair to these meritorious contributors. They have come to me frequently these past few days to complain, and I sympathize with their plight, so I hope Your Highness will reconsider."

"Your Excellency might as well speak more plainly."

After listening to the Finance Minister's so-called suggestions, Princess Veronica smiled and then summarized with a hint of mockery:

"Don't touch those with big backgrounds, don't touch those willing to pledge allegiance to the Royal Family, don't touch those preparing to cut flesh to feed you... Is my summary accurate, Your Excellency?"

"The meaning might be similar, but Your Highness's phrasing is not very accurate."

The Finance Minister smiled:

"If I were to summarize, it would be: those whose removal would affect the stability of the kingdom, those willing to act as the Royal Family's arm, and those who wish to stand with us.

These three types of officers might be slightly inferior in ability, but removing them would either cause trouble outweighing the benefits or lose potential allies, so please consider this carefully."

Consider... is there even a need for that?

Glancing at the smiling Finance Minister opposite and then at the expressionless old King, the Princess couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling as though she hadn't slept for three days and three nights, her whole body feeling incredibly heavy.

Putting aside whether this replacement order, which makes concessions everywhere, can still achieve the intended effect, the mere act of changing policies overnight is already a devastating blow to her credibility.

If she were to compromise and change the decree immediately after the officers "protested" once, any future attempts to promote other bills would be blocked everywhere and become even harder, meaning half of the reform would be ruined before it even began.

"I think there is nothing to consider."

Seeing through the sinister intentions behind the Finance Minister's proposal at a glance, the Princess rejected him without hesitation:

"Your Excellency, you might think it is good to grasp more power in your hands, but if the Military Department continues to rot like this, the War of National Defense from six years ago will inevitably be repeated someday. There is no room for compromise on this matter. You can speak of the second matter now."

"Very well."

After being retorted by the Princess, the Finance Minister was not angered; instead, he nodded calmly and continued speaking:

"The second matter I wish to discuss with you is the parliament the day after tomorrow.

Today's incident where officers surrounded the Prime Minister's residence also demonstrated the officers' stance. If you attend the parliament the day after tomorrow and continue to propose the implementation of the replacement order, it is likely to escalate the conflict. Therefore, I believe you should not attend the two houses of parliament the day after tomorrow."?!?!

Upon hearing the Finance Minister's words, Princess Veronica's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately retorted in a cold voice:

"What do you mean?"

"My meaning is that for the two houses of parliament the day after tomorrow, it would be better to let Prince Watching Watching Qiaoshuya attend on your behalf."

The Finance Minister smiled:

"Prince Watching Watching Qiaoshuya is your brother and equally qualifies to represent the Royal Family. Although he might be a bit young and lack experience, with my guidance, he should be able to handle the duties..."

"No!"

I never expected the Minister of Finance to harbor such designs; Princess Veronica was instantly filled with shock and fury, rising immediately to refute him, saying:

"Watching Watching Qiaoshuya cannot do this! This time, besides the replacement order, there are proposals to expand universal suffrage, support for the energy sector, and a series of..."

"You need not worry about these matters."

After interrupting the Princess, the Minister of Finance smiled gently and said:

"I have already sent someone to retrieve the relevant documents from your bedroom. With the Initial Phase preparations you have made, combined with my assistance, Prince Watching Watching Qiaoshuya will surely be able to control the situation and smoothly advance these proposals."