Questioning Before the Court

"Your Highness!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

Amidst the cheers, Arthur calmly alighted from the carriage and, escorted by several guards, proceeded into the State Assembly.

Upon entering the State Assembly, Arthur saw Governor Evan directing his subordinates to tally the candidate registrations.

As the most populous state in Australia, New South Wales experienced the most intense elections.

Despite holding the most Lower House seats among Australia's six states, the difficulty of campaigning was immense, so much so that "one in ten thousand" wouldn't adequately describe the challenge.

As the governors of Australia's six states and temporary cabinet members, these governors had been granted permission by Arthur to directly enter the Lower House.

Of course, this was only for this occasion. If the six governors failed to win their respective state governor elections and subsequently lost the next Lower House election, they would have to temporarily bid farewell to Australian politics.

"Your Highness!" Governor Evan, with sharp eyes, spotted Arthur's arrival and quickly stopped his work to greet him.

"Your Highness!"

Everyone in the State Assembly echoed the greeting.

"Mmm, Governor Evan, how is the election situation? Is it proceeding smoothly?" Arthur nodded, looking at the half-meter-high stack of documents beside Governor Evan, and inquired.

"Of course, Your Highness. As of now, everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion. We have not yet discovered any instances of cheating, which is good news worth celebrating," Governor Evan said with a smile.

Since Arthur had confirmed his royal status at the last meeting, Governor Evan had resigned himself to the situation.

Rather than foolishly contending for power with Arthur, it was better to use his abilities to gain a position under Arthur, at least to be a high-ranking official in Australia.

"Is that so? That's good. How many new candidates registered today?" Arthur asked, walking out of the State Assembly and towards the candidate registration area.

"The number of candidates registering today has significantly decreased compared to the previous six days. Perhaps they realize that registering on the last day has lost its advantage, so the number of candidates today is only this much," Governor Evan said, pointing to the people queuing.

Arthur looked around. Although there were many people in the crowd, the number of actual candidates registering was small, seemingly less than fifty.

This was a significant drop compared to the election fervor of the previous few days. After all, it was the last day of the election, and even if they registered today, they wouldn't be able to garner many votes.

Arthur smiled and stepped forward, his gaze settling on a man who appeared quite fervent. "Sir, what is your name?" he asked.

"Kang Kanglei, Your... Your Highness." The fervent man, seeing Arthur approaching him and even speaking to him, became extremely excited, his speech becoming stammered.

"Kang Kanglei, is it? Don't be nervous; this is just a normal conversation. Are you here to register as a candidate?" Arthur asked with a smile, unconcerned by the man's nervousness and fumbling.

"Yes, Your Highness. If it weren't for the great distance from Sydney, I wouldn't have arrived until today." The man named Kang Kanglei took a moment to compose himself, and his speech became more fluent, though his eyes still dared not meet Arthur's, and he could only look down at his feet.

"Good luck, sir." Arthur, sensing Kang Kanglei's awkwardness, smiled and patted his shoulder before turning his attention to others.

"Are you also here to register as a candidate?" Arthur looked at the surrounding crowd and noticed two middle-aged men who seemed out of the ordinary.

The others, faced with Arthur's gaze, displayed not only excitement and elation but also nervousness and apprehension.

This was the normal reaction of commoners. After all, they were facing the supreme ruler of this country, Arthur.

Although these two men were also slightly nervous, they appeared much more composed and at ease compared to those around them.

Confirming that Arthur was speaking to them, the two men eagerly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Could you give a brief self-introduction?" Arthur asked with a smile.

"Of course, Your Highness." Just as Henris was about to continue, Martin, standing beside him, seized the opportunity.

"My name is Martin, and I am an official in the Sydney City Government," Martin said respectfully.

Seeing his friend get in first, Henris was not disheartened. After Martin finished, he continued, "Your Highness, my name is Henris, and I am also an official in the Sydney City Government."

"Mmm, could you tell me your reasons for running, or what you plan to do after becoming a member of parliament?" Arthur asked, his interest piqued by Henris's calm and unhurried demeanor, as well as their composure.

"Of course, it's to develop the country and strive to improve the living standards of all Australians," Martin replied.

Although most Australians were descendants of Western immigrants, their living standards were far from comparable to those of developed nations like Britain, Germany, France, and the United States.

Therefore, Martin's first thought upon being asked by Arthur was to increase the economic income and living standards of all Australians.

"Mmm, very good. And you?" Arthur turned his gaze to Henris, continuing his inquiry.

Arthur was most interested in Henris and eagerly awaited his answer to this question.

"Your Highness, in the decades I've served as a city official, I've seen too many cases of death due to inability to afford medical treatment, and too many families driven to ruin to save a loved one. I know that completely solving this problem won't happen overnight, but I am willing to strive for it." Henris observed Arthur's expression and, seeing that Arthur was very interested in what he was saying, continued, "Of course, I know all of this depends on the premise of national development. All Australians should not be fixated on immediate gains; we should prioritize developing our country into a prosperous and advanced nation. Only then will the government have sufficient funds to aid the poor and improve everyone's living standards. The people trust the nation, and the nation protects the people. In this way, why should Australia not become a powerful nation, and why should Australians not improve their lives?"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Arthur was the first to applaud, smiling as he said to Henris, "Well said, Henris. As long as the people have full trust in the nation and work together to develop our motherland, once our country becomes prosperous and advanced, and we have sufficient economic strength, we will then give back to our people. The people and the nation complement each other; national rejuvenation and the prosperity of the people are our ultimate goals!"

Second update, requesting all kinds of votes and investments! We'll be featured on the recommendation list on the 4th, and we still need everyone's support. The author will also work hard to update. Thank you!