Chapter 69

In the study, I was facing Oscar across the desk.

I sat there, staring at the report and the numbers Oscar had handed me.

"Surprisingly high, the annual budget for the former emperor."

"Hmm..."

Oscar, the Minister of the Imperial Household, bowed slightly and answered carefully.

"The former emperor has many consorts, so the budget inevitably swells. However, even if it is high, it is only about one-tenth of what the Emperor Robi used to spend."

"I see."

Compared to that, anyone would be frugal—but I didn't say it. Emperor Robi was the last emperor of the country that ruled the land before the empire, a man who indulged in luxury and extravagance, leading to the downfall of the nation.

"What do you intend to do with this information?"

"My budget will be about one-tenth of the former emperor's, I think?"

I didn't answer the question directly but raised my head to look at Oscar.

When I sent him a look that said, "What do you think?" Oscar pondered for a moment before responding.

"I agree with you. Currently, Your Majesty has few consorts, and the number of female attendants and eunuchs is kept to a minimum. Moreover, I have known Your Majesty since childhood, and you are not someone who indulges in luxury."

After saying this, Oscar looked straight at me.

"Therefore, I believe one-tenth will be sufficient."

"Hmm. I called you here for a reason. I want you to ensure that this budget does not increase unnecessarily in the future."

"That is... part of my job, but..."

Oscar's face showed a hint of confusion.

I stood up, turned my back to Oscar, and looked out the window behind me. The capital spread out below, bustling with activity.

"I want to expand our territory."

"---!"

I could feel Oscar's sharp intake of breath from behind.

"In other words, it means a war of invasion. For that, we need money."

"...Yes."

"When the emperor spends money, ten times the actual amount must be collected from the people."

When money is spent, people move, and the cost of labor is the first to rise.

Moreover, when handling large sums of money, people inevitably want to keep a little for themselves.

If everyone takes a little, "the remainder" ends up in their pockets, and considering the number of people the emperor moves, the actual amount spent can easily swell to ten times the original amount.

"The less we spend, the less burden on the people. That way, we can maintain or even strengthen the nation's power."

"Indeed, Your Majesty."

I turned to face Oscar, looking him straight in the eye.

"There will come a time when I need to spend money. Until then, I want you to keep a tight grip on my purse."

"As you wish, I will take care of it."

Oscar bowed deeply and left the study.

Oscar is a capable man. If I clearly show him the direction, he will not make mistakes.

Just as I was thinking about what to do next, Don entered.

Don, who I appointed as the Fourth Chancellor after becoming emperor, has been working as diligently as he did when we were in Almeria.

He entered the room, knelt down, and bowed gracefully before speaking.

"Your Majesty, there is an urgent matter."

"What is it?"

"Refugees from the Jinbel region are flooding into the capital."

"Hmm. Jinbel, the place that suffered from drought and famine?"

"Yes."

Don nodded and presented a report on the desk. I sat back down, took the report, and examined it.

"A large number of them have come. Hmm, is the security situation deteriorating as well?"

"Yes. There are small conflicts with the local residents, such as fights, and the number of incidents is visibly increasing."

"..."

"Regarding this, I plan to organize a food distribution in the southern suburbs and gather the refugees there. Please approve this plan."

I thought for a moment before responding.

"How is the situation in Jinbel?"

"Following Your Majesty's orders, we are transporting surplus food from the capital. Leon will lead the transport team and depart soon."

"Hmm."

Directly transporting food from the capital, as I mentioned to Oscar earlier, involves the issue of people taking a little for themselves.

If everyone takes a little, it's a good outcome if at least 10%, or at most 30%, of the budget reaches the disaster area.

To prevent this, I had the food, which has little "profit," transported directly. With less profit, less would be taken, meaning more would reach the people.

"Is there a problem with this?"

"Could we let the refugees do it?"

"......What?"

Don looked at me as if I had said something incomprehensible.

"Um... What do you mean?"

"I mean, let the refugees transport the food."

"...What is your intention?"

I maintained a serious expression as I looked back at Don.

"Transporting the food requires paying the laborers, right?"

"Yes."

"Let the refugees do it. The payment will be in the form of food. That way—"

"—Ah! The cost of feeding the refugees through food distribution can be saved."

Don's eyes widened as he looked at me.

"That's right. The two main reasons for conflicts between refugees and local residents are unfamiliarity with the area and hunger. If the refugees transport the food, the security situation in the capital will improve, and the number of refugees will decrease."

"I see!"

"And, there's more."

"More!?"

Don was even more surprised, and I smiled as I looked at him.

"Yes, let the refugees handle the distribution at the disaster site as well. They are fellow refugees, so the act of enriching oneself at the expense of others will be less likely. Moreover, they understand the situation in the disaster area well, so they will know exactly where and how much is needed. How does that sound?"

"...Yes."

Don thought for a moment and nodded clearly.

"Even if some refugees run away with the food, more will reach the people than usual."

"Indeed."

"Your Majesty, I never thought of such a method. It's a brilliant plan, achieving three goals with one action."

"Refugees are human beings. If they are well-fed, they can be a source of labor. Moreover—"

"Moreover?"

"History is full of examples of riots and rebellions caused by neglected refugees."

"Indeed!"

Refugees will never be completely eliminated. I decided to think of a way to handle them effectively in the long term.

☆

In the evening, I left the palace and wandered around the city with my maid, Zoe.

After a full day of work, I wanted to relax a bit, so I headed to Keith's shop on Raid Street to listen to Alice's singing and be healed.

"Huh? There are so many people."

When we entered Raid Street, it was bustling with activity, more than I had ever seen before. Zoe was surprised, and I frowned at the crowd.

And it was centered around Keith's shop—Keith's shop seemed to be the most prosperous.

It was difficult to even approach the shop.

"Find out what's going on and report back."

I ordered Zoe to go and find out.

Zoe ran over, talked to the people around, and came back.

"I understand—no, Master."

"Hmm?"

"It seems that only women are entering that shop, and it's completely packed."

"Why is that?"

"It seems that the shop is known to be a favorite of the prince before he became emperor."

Zoe, who had been with me for a long time, naturally used language that wouldn't reveal my incognito visit.

"So, everyone is coming here thinking that if they come, they might meet the incognito emperor and become a consort."

"I see."

"Amazing, Master. They are all stunningly beautiful. It's like a beauty pageant."

"Hmm."

I didn't feel bad about it.

Probably—

"There's even more. All the inns around here are completely full, and even if you offer three times the price, you can't get a room."

Not only the local residents but also beautiful women from other places were coming here to target me.