A Resolution in Labor

The first meeting of the United Council was already highly contentious.

Catherine stopped her general from retorting; wasting time on such a pointless argument was utterly pointless. She wasn't a shrew, so why get angry over such a trivial matter? On the other side, the King of the Xialuo Kingdom was grim. He glanced at Her Highness the Saintess, nodded, and then sat down in his seat.

Now, the two have more in common.

Since it is United Government, there are naturally many things that need to be decided jointly. Matters such as the military can be temporarily set aside, and the most urgent task at hand is how to counter the threat of the Magic Empire. Although the military is currently under the control of both royal families at the repeated requests of the nobles, there are still some more important issues that have not been resolved.

"Regarding the tax rate adjustment, I don't think we need to make any changes."

The King of the Xialuo Kingdom spoke first.

"Based on the tax rate trends, and given the current situation, if we need to arm a sufficient army to fight the Scourge Legion, then over the next year we will likely spend hundreds of millions of gold coins purchasing military equipment, constructing new military fortresses in the fortress area, and..."

I object.

Before King Xialuo could finish speaking, a commoner representative beside him suddenly raised his hand in opposition, causing the six noble representatives present to frown in unison. In such a serious meeting, interrupting someone was already a sign of disrespect, let alone interrupting the king. Under normal circumstances, this would have resulted in being dragged out and beheaded.

The commoner, seemingly oblivious or deliberately ignoring the disapproving looks from the six, stood up smugly, coughed, and then looked down at the others before speaking.

"Our tax rates are already heavy enough, and now that we've allied with Dideyasi, I, on behalf of the people, believe that equipping our army doesn't necessarily have to be done with our own money. Since Dideyasi has integrated with our country, they should also have a responsibility to contribute to our military spending."

"I'm sorry, that's impossible."

Only after he finished speaking did Catherine slowly raise her objection.

"Our country Dideyasi, is not as prosperous as Xialuo, and our army is small. Moreover, because we are located in the cold north, our transportation is not well-developed, and our funds are already limited. We simply cannot afford to provide extra funds to help you equip your army. Therefore, in this regard, you will have to find a solution yourself."

"I think things aren't as you say, Miss Saint?"

At that moment, the woman also spoke up in a sarcastic tone.

"Haven't you been traveling all over the country raising funds to improve people's lives? Then surely a large portion of that money ended up in your own pocket."

"... All donations are managed by the Temple. Although I am a saintess, I have no right to use the Temple's property. Moreover, the Temple is not included in the integration plan between our two countries, so..."

"Then, as a saintess and a princess, isn't it inappropriate for you to attend this meeting?"

Catherine's words were interrupted once again by the woman, who fiddled with her fingers and watched Catherine with a smug smile.

"You must understand, this is the highest governing body of this country. Yet, as a saintess of the Temple, you've entered the council. It's hard not to raise suspicion. As you said, after all, this is a plan for the integration of our two countries, and the relationship with the Temple... well, it's not entirely unrelated. However, those holy bishops have all adopted a neutral stance, and your position as a saintess is somewhat worrying."

"Her Highness's entry into the council was approved by the Temple!"

The general beside Catherine immediately retorted angrily.

"Hey you bunch of bastards, can't you get down to business?! Why do you keep going around in circles with all this pointless nonsense?!"

"You've gone too far, General."

At this moment, the last man who had been silent spoke.

"Although we are ordinary citizens, our status is the same as yours. How can you be so disrespectful to us? I demand that you apologize to us and quell this."

"You really think you're something special!"

Upon hearing this, the military officer frowned and stood up, pressing his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

"Listen up, you bunch of bastards! The reason I'm patiently sitting with you ill-mannered commoners today is because it's the Temple's order, not because you bastards have anything I should respect. Listen up, you bunch of bastards, if you dare to swear at Her Highness the Holy Maiden again, I'll chop you all down!"

"You dare? If you dare to kill us, how will you explain yourself to the millions of people of Xialuo! We are sitting here on behalf of the people, striving for their happy and fulfilling lives, and you dare to lay a hand on us? Let me tell you, this is no longer a world where nobles call the shots! We commoners have no longer tolerated your oppression! Now, you'd better behave yourself, remember, this is the council!!"

"You bastard! You're asking for it!!"

"Huh? You actually dare to cut?! Guards! Guards!! Let the people see this, this is the true face of those vile nobles. They have no intention of governing this country with you; they only treat you as slaves and..."

"Call..."

Catherine returned to her room, feeling a throbbing pain in her forehead. For the rest of the day, both sides completely abandoned their original opinions and instead began to argue about their own status and the new way nobles and commoners were treated. As for the issue of tax rates, it was only briefly mentioned and then completely dropped.

"Therefore, as I said, a pig is a pig."

Angela had somehow gotten to the sofa in front of Catherine, smugly swirling the crystal wine glass in her hand, a cold smile reflecting in her eyes.

"Even if they were dressed, they still wouldn't be able to pick out a single dog, would they?"

"You mean it."

Catherine nodded in agreement. She had already realized that these six so-called representatives of the common people were good at nothing but empty talk; they were utterly incompetent. They seemed to have accepted their status as a disadvantaged group and therefore demanded everything with almost no scruples—money, status, and respect. Catherine found herself completely unable to communicate with these people; she couldn't even understand how they had been elected by the people.

"Because he's a pretty boy and eloquent."

Angela snorted coldly.

"Humans are easily deceived by appearances. Take you, this saint, for example. Isn't it because of your beautiful face that so many people worship you? Imagine if you were as ugly as an alien and had the body of a fat pig. Even if you were a saint and a princess, possessing genuine divine power, how many people would be willing to kneel before you and beg for your salvation? They would rather be drained dry in the arms of a beautiful devil than go to Heaven under the care of an ugly angel. How superficial, isn't it? But that's the truth. Do you think those ordinary people would spend time observing whether their candidates have a heart that cares for the country and its people? Would they spend time paying attention to what talents they possess? Would they have the leisure to care whether they have profound inner qualities? All of that is bullshit. In fact, so-called democratic elections are like coaxing a dog—as long as you give it enough bones and scratch its itch, it will regard you as its provider. As for whether the person who raises it is a scoundrel or a rogue, the dog doesn't care. Do you think these people oppose your proposal? Are they really doing it for the country?"

"No... I think they were just trying to show the common people that they weren't afraid of the nobles."

Catherine sighed helplessly. Of course, she knew very well that there were talented people among the commoners. After all, many nobles would select those with talent from among the commoners to serve them. Under the previous political system, most talented commoners who aspired to rise in rank were chosen by nobles to become important members of their families. While there were also those who were indifferent to fame and fortune and possessed talent, since they were unwilling to serve the nobles, it was unlikely that they would step forward to fight for such a position. And because of the Temple's rules, many originally talented commoners were excluded because they had already entered the sphere of influence of the nobles. Now, Catherine had no idea who the six people sitting in front of her were or what they used to do.

Now, Catherine finally understands what Li Lin and Angela felt. If things continue like this, they'll probably still be arguing about whether to send troops or withdraw when the Magic Empire invades their territory.

"I was very pleased with today's performance; it's been a long time since I've seen such a good show of dogs fighting each other."

At this point, Angela paused for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"Catherine, come closer, I have something even more interesting to say. If you wish for more of this kind of amusing spectacle, then you can't go wrong listening to me."

Although she didn't know what Angela wanted to say, Catherine obediently leaned in and let Angela whisper mischievous ideas in her ear. Soon after, her brows relaxed and she even showed a slight smile.

You mean...?

"A pack of dogs that have no meat to eat is very united."

After explaining her thoughts, Angela sat back down on the sofa with a smug smile.

"Then I'll see. Give them a bone and see if these dogs will still be so united."

"You mean, Miss Angela."

Catherine also showed a relaxed smile. Although she appeared very calm in parliament, she was actually furious inside.

"I think making some sacrifices is absolutely necessary."

Angela's suggestion was simple, so Catherine found it very easy to implement.

At the meeting early the next morning, she took the initiative to put forward her idea.

"Now that the nature of the United Council has changed, I think we should also make some changes."

Although none of those present understood what Catherine was trying to say, they kept quiet and waited to see what the saintess would do. The commoner representatives, on the other hand, were prepared, "ready at any moment" to refute any of Catherine's proposals.

"Currently, all the power is concentrated in the hands of our respective high-ranking officials, which I think is somewhat inappropriate... Although these six members of parliament come from humble backgrounds, as they said yesterday, they have already achieved the same status as us. Therefore, I believe they should be given some opportunities to demonstrate their abilities."

As she spoke, Catherine gave a gentle smile, and even those who disliked her the most had to admit that she looked very beautiful when she smiled.

The king of the Xialuo Kingdom raised an eyebrow, silently pondering the hidden meaning in Catherine's words.

"Now that the nation is merging, the military also needs to be mobilized, and therefore, our military supplies also need to be transferred and managed. I am willing to delegate the authority to allocate military supplies in the southwestern border region to the six members of parliament present here, who will be responsible for managing them."

Upon hearing this, the six civilian councilors' eyes lit up!

Even if they were completely ignorant of military and political matters, they vaguely understood what these military supplies referred to. After all, in their former cities, which position offered the most lucrative opportunities? Did they even need to consider that?!

"Your Highness Catherine, please allow me to volunteer!"

Soon, one of the civilian representatives from Catherine's side stood up.

"I used to live on the southwestern border, and I'm very familiar with the situation there..."

"This won't do!"

Before Catherine could speak, a member of parliament across from her interrupted her, just as he had done the day before.

"Now that the nations have merged, we are all citizens of one country. I believe that our councilors from the Xialuo Kingdom should be in charge of resource allocation there. That's what truly makes us a unified nation, isn't it? Moreover, as foreigners, we will naturally be more fair and impartial in utilizing and monitoring the flow of these resources!"

So you're saying we weren't fair enough?

Upon hearing this, the civilian councilor on Catherine's side frowned slightly.

Although it wasn't said explicitly, it clearly implied that if the Dideyasi were allowed to manage the area, they could easily resort to underhanded tactics, right?

"I still believe that it should be managed by us, the people of Dideyasi. After all, it's our land, and no one loves it more than we do!"

That's quite clear: you're from the Xialuo Kingdom, and you have no feelings for Dideyasi. Who knows if you'll just grab what you want and then ignore everyone else's fate?

"Since Her Highness Catherine is so sincere, we can't fall behind."

Just then, the King of the Xialuo Kingdom's voice rang out. As a ruler and a political shrewd man, he had already figured out Catherine's intentions when she made the suggestion. Although he was somewhat surprised that this saintess would come up with such a wicked idea, he thought about what had happened to her yesterday—something that would anger even the gods. So, the King of the Xialuo Kingdom simply went along with it and joined in the fun.

"We in Xialuo are also willing to relinquish the logistical management authority of the military area that originally belonged to our Northlands, and let non-aristocratic councilors take charge of it."

This statement only added fuel to the fire, and the argument among the crowd intensified.

The six civilian councilors were merely nominal members of parliament. They were well aware of their own limited power; they were just ordinary civilians with no real strength or authority. Their only value lay in their power to veto proposals in parliament. Beyond that, they had absolutely no say in matters concerning the mobilization and management of the army, the division of finances, culture and education, transportation, border trade, and so on.

But now things are different. They not only have voting rights in parliament, but they actually have power they can control! Keep in mind, that's the allocation of military supplies for the entire district! As members of parliament, having risen to such a position, if they cultivate their power carefully for a few years, wouldn't they be able to get whatever they want? At that point, they'll wield immense power, hold high positions, and live a life of luxury—wouldn't that be incredibly prestigious and powerful?

Therefore, the argument between the two sides escalated, to the point where they were practically ready to roll up their sleeves and start fighting. King Xialuo and Catherine, along with the two generals and civil officials on either side, were all seasoned politicians and naturally understood why Catherine had made such a suggestion. However, they simply watched with cold smiles, refusing to utter another word. These officials had also suffered a great deal of anger yesterday. In their eyes, these councilors had neither qualifications nor power, so why were they treated as equals? And yet they dared to point fingers at their king and saintess—who did they think they were? Therefore, watching this farcical scene unfold before them, seeing these councilors fighting like hooligans, everyone remained silent with cold smiles, and no one even bothered to persuade them to put aside their dispute and resolve the current matter first.

Finally, seeing that the time was almost right, Catherine spoke again.

"Everyone, please be quiet. I think that arguing like this won't lead to any results, so I have a suggestion."

Hearing this, both sides finally stopped and looked at Catherine, wondering what proposal the saintess would make this time.

"Since we are the defenders of democracy, I think we need to fully respect the opinions of the people."

Catherine smiled and continued.

"Therefore, shouldn't the issue of ownership of these military supplies be decided by a public vote, choosing the one they deem most suitable?"

This is what Angela really wants to see.