Margrave’s Bastard Son was The Emperor - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 49. Imperial Palace Conference
—Your Highness Prince Marib, I am Count Derga Bratz. Please forgive my brevity due to urgent circumstances.
Mollin, an official from the administrative branch who came to the capital regarding the decision on the illegitimate son’s registration, once conveyed to me the intentions of His Highness Prince Gail. He asked whether it would be suitable to join an alliance between His Highness and the nobility. As one who lives for the Imperial Palace, knowing this would burden Your Highness Prince Marib, I refused.
Thus I have fallen into danger. Mollin, who returned to the Imperial Palace, and the illegitimate son have slandered me with accusations of tax evasion. It is unjust. Should the Bratz house face annihilation, the Imperial Palace will surely send someone to govern these lands. And with high probability, Mollin and his associates, who have visited Bratz before, will come to rule.
This will surely be harmful to Your Highness Prince Marib. I humbly beseech you to take pity on the Bratz family, which has defended the borderlands against barbarians for generations.
Respectfully yours.
Prince Marib set down the letter slowly after reading it. Then, adjusting his spectacles on the table, he murmured to himself.
This was content I had not anticipated. My Steward, too, wore an unusually grave expression, constantly listening for sounds from outside. In the Imperial Palace, even the faintest whisper tends to spread loudly.
“Steward, read this yourself.”
The Steward’s face grew heavy as he read the letter I handed him.
“How much of this do you think is truth, and how much is falsehood?”
“It is so skillfully mixed that it is difficult to discern.”
“First, let us examine it piece by piece. It is certain that Gail maintains favorable relations with provincial nobility. While not explicitly stated, it is true they have their own gatherings.”
The center and the provinces exist in mutual restraint.
The First Prince, being the heir apparent, naturally sought to suppress the nobility, while the Second Prince, pushed aside from succession, could associate with them more freely.
“But I cannot believe that Count Bratz refused for my sake. We are hardly so special to each other.”
“I agree, Your Highness. From the Count’s position, it would be natural to welcome His Highness Prince Gail’s proposal. Yet it appears he ultimately refused.”
“Then there must be a reason he wishes to distance himself from Gail. An accusation of tax evasion has been filed, and an investigation team has been dispatched, so it seems reasonable to assume that is the cause.”
The way I quietly murmured and organized my thoughts was truly keen. From where I sat, with only limited information and this letter, I had pierced through the inner workings of the distant Bratz domain.
“Then his claim of injustice should be dismissed, and if Bratz faces annihilation, Mollin, who was responsible for that area, will naturally oversee the aftermath. Who is the head of the investigation team?”
At my question, the Steward hesitated briefly. Hundreds of names were mentioned in the Imperial Palace in a single day. How could one remember each of them? But soon, searching his memory, he provided an answer.
“…A woman named Erika, Your Highness.”
“What is their connection?”
“There does not appear to be one. There was a relative of Mollin who was reported for illegal land development, and it seems Erika gave testimony of innocence at that time. I will verify this detail.”
“Never mind. It is not important.”
“…Then it appears credible that His Highness Prince Gail is plotting treason.”
Because Mollin is Gail’s man, after all.
At the Steward’s words, I shrugged my shoulders playfully. As if to say I could not be certain to that extent. But when matters were ambiguous, it was better to make a move beforehand.
In the Imperial Palace, where move after move became tangled in confusion, even the smallest mistake could lead to one’s downfall.
“Tomorrow—no, this morning? Tell them I will attend the cabinet conference.”
I issued the final instruction while putting on my spectacles. It was a state council held in the morning where officials decided on agenda and voted among themselves. Since I normally only listened to reports from the Emperor in the afternoon, I had almost never attended.
They would surely be shocked and flustered when they heard the news this morning.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And while you are here, handle some matters for me.”
“…I came prepared for this.”
“Thank you.”
My Steward, who had come to work in the middle of the night, bowed his head with a faint smile. I carefully placed Count Derga’s letter in a drawer, then issued my next instruction.
“Bring me all recent materials related to the Bratz domain. Especially the reports submitted by Mollin.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please wait a moment.”
Creak.
The door closed slowly. Prince Marib refocused on the documents before him. Yet he couldn’t help but feel uneasy about Count Derga’s letter tucked away in the drawer.
‘Prince Gail… he mustn’t do anything foolish.’
And as the sun rose, morning came to the Imperial Palace’s grand conference hall.
Ministers from each department gathered one by one, finding their usual seats. But unlike any other day, they noticed a new seat had been prepared.
“Who is visiting today?”
“Prince Marib, the First Prince, will be attending, I’m told.”
“Prince Marib?”
“You hadn’t heard?”
“What? Why wasn’t I informed?”
“A servant was sent this morning.”
The ministerial assembly convened every morning. While Prince Marib could attend, it was a place where officials coordinated opinions before presenting matters to the Emperor, making his presence decidedly uncomfortable.
“Does anyone know what this is about?”
“I haven’t heard anything either…”
Even those with close ties to Prince Marib shook their heads in confusion. As for those who had sided with Prince Gail, they felt their chests tighten from the moment dawn broke. Some considered contacting Prince Gail right then, but the meeting would begin soon.
“This is maddening. I feel indigestion already.”
“Same here. What could today’s agenda be that he’d come in person? We’ll see him again this afternoon anyway.”
“Now that you mention it, we’ll be seeing him twice in one day.”
“I had a bad dream last night…”
“Prince Marib has arrived.”
The ministers, who had been muttering amongst themselves, rose abruptly at the servant’s announcement and bowed respectfully. Prince Marib entered the conference hall with a slight nod of his head.
“It’s pleasant to see your faces this early in the morning.”
“Your Highness, what brings you here…?”
“Indeed, what could it be? Hahaha.”
The very fact that he’d made this unexpected move was proof of ulterior motives. He neither spoke directly nor revealed his true intentions. The Prime Minister tapped his gavel to signal the meeting’s start.
Tap, tap, tap!
“Ahem. Then let us begin the meeting.”
“Yes. First, I shall…”
Though it was a hot summer morning, I couldn’t shake the feeling of walking on thin ice. Ministers from departments unrelated to power struggles hurried through their statements. They kept glancing at Prince Marib, but he merely smiled without responding.
As the meeting was reaching its height.
“Oh, and a messenger bird arrived from Bratz last evening. It was sent by Commander Erika.”
At the Justice Minister’s words, Prince Marib lifted his head.
“She reported finding evidence to prove Count Derga Bratz’s tax evasion and confiscated some of his estate’s assets. However, there was resistance from the Count during the process.”
“Resistance?”
“It appears there was combat between the investigation team and Central Army support forces against Count Derga’s private soldiers and domain residents. She reports they have won, detained Count Derga, and are currently managing the aftermath. However, the Count’s direct wife and son remain at large.”
“Tax evasion wasn’t enough—now armed resistance! Applying capital punishment among capital punishments would be appropriate.”
“We shall bring this before the Emperor.”
Scribes frantically took notes on the ministers’ words, their pens moving busily. But they stopped abruptly the moment Prince Marib’s voice was heard.
“…However.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please speak.”
“The execution targets include the Count, his wife, and one son—but isn’t there also an illegitimate son named Ian?”
“He was deemed unfit for reinstatement due to Mollin’s report. Furthermore, he’s already crossed the border after making peace with the Cheonrye Tribe.”
“Of course, strictly speaking, demotion to slavery would be appropriate, but I hear the denunciation was filed by a bastard son. I wonder if mitigating circumstances might apply.”
“Is there no mention of a bastard son in the investigation commander’s report?”
“…Ah. There was.”
“Show me the report.”
At Prince Marib’s words, the Justice Minister’s subordinate sorted through the documents and pushed them forward. As Prince Marib quickly scanned through them, the minister added his thoughts.
“According to imperial law, only those who meet the criteria for extermination of the entire clan will be executed. Slavery is the appropriate sentence for a bastard son.”
“Minister, I do trust you. It’s not that I don’t believe you—I was simply trying to confirm.”
If Mollin and the bastard son conspired together to denounce Count Derga, then was the bastard son also riding Prince Gail’s coattails? If so, what becomes of our relationship with the Cheonrye Tribe? If barbarians end up joining Prince Gail’s faction, that would be troublesome indeed….
Prince Marib fell silent, tapping only his fingers against the table.
The ministers naturally sealed their lips as well, their eyes darting about. After a long pause, Prince Marib finally spoke.
“If we exterminate House Bratz, how shall we manage their territory? Since tax evasion has been exposed, the tax revenue coming from Bratz should increase.”
“What if the Imperial Palace sends someone to oversee it? The borderlands already have strong autonomy, and if absorbed by a neighboring territory, it would become far too powerful.”
“Quite right. The Imperial Palace must naturally manage it. That way, we can collect more taxes. We should demand payment of the taxes that couldn’t be collected before.”
“However, given the circumstances, perhaps it would be better to set a timeline for the overdue taxes once a new lord is established….”
“Isn’t Mollin, the administrative official from the Administrative Bureau, already overseeing Bratz? It would be best if the minister consults with him to select a suitable candidate.”
Opinions flowed like water. And it was Prince Marib’s gesture that stemmed the tide.
“I have some concerns.”
“What troubles you….”
“Looking at the report, the battle seems to have been quite fierce. Moreover, I hear the territory’s residents even joined in later. Aside from Count Derga’s crimes, the Central Army has devastated the land—if the next lord is from that region, how will the residents react?”
“There’s no need to worry about the feelings of peasants….”
“It’s not about feelings; it’s directly tied to production output. Especially since Bratz borders the Great Desert. I’m sure everyone here understands the unique characteristics of Bratz territory.”
Somewhat difficult. Barren and vast, bordering the desert, yet steep mountains abound toward the imperial direction.
“And the Cheonrye Tribe. They’ve maintained relations with Bratz. Is there anyone here who speaks the Cheonrye language?”
“It’s said that barbarians often use the common tongue.”
“Then the initiative shifts to them.”
I thought the discussion would simply conclude with ‘let’s appoint a new lord,’ but digging deeper revealed far greater complexity.
“Then, what solution might there be?”
At that moment, a clear voice rang out. It was Wesley, the Magic Minister seated in the corner. The woman rumored to be Prince Gail’s secret lover. The only woman here capable of meeting Prince Marib’s gaze.
Prince Marib smiled slightly.
“Let us postpone the appointment of a new lord.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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