Solving the problem of proliferating political factions was simple, but it would affect the interests of many of his children. If Shiraishi Yoshijo solved the problem of all those factions, major problems would arise within the family.
A family only truly prospered when everyone prospered together. It was not scarcity one should fear, but inequality—wisdom passed down from the ancestors.
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Moreover, centralization would bring another problem. The throne of an emperor wielding absolute power would inevitably attract the attention of many people. One wrong move, and he might get stabbed in the back someday.
Do not think this was a joke. Shiraishi Yoshijo had too many children. A big forest contained every kind of bird. Before power, what did family ties amount to?
Just look at the Land of Fire. Two successive Daimyos had died after being betrayed by their sons. With such precedents, Shiraishi Yoshijo could not afford not to take it seriously.
For Shiraishi Yoshijo, centralization had more advantages than disadvantages. But what did it matter how much power he held? He could still only hole up in his castle every day, drinking and indulging himself.
Devote himself heart and soul to the people?
Ensure the nation endured forever?
What a joke!
If he possessed that kind of awareness, Shiraishi Yoshijo would not have done so many immoral things.
In his view, the country existed because of him. If he was gone, who cared what happened to it?
On the contrary, he felt that the current nation—filled with factions and split into pieces—suited him perfectly.
Every child had their own demands. If they wanted to accomplish anything, they could not avoid going through Shiraishi Yoshijo. He only needed to be a good father and do his best to balance the conflicts