The basics were simple, weren't they?—Food, shelter, clothing… they all go hand in hand.
The group of Ministers and Officials listened without blinking. Normally, many of them won't care if these Refugees died in the hundreds and thousands. But now that these people have come to their doorsteps, if they do anything, it could cause a deadly spark that might affect them business wise and Healthwise.
What if these damn Displaced attempt to attack the Capital and their homes?
One must interest that there are 2 types of Officials and ministers in Court:
—Civil Officials
—& Military Officials.
These Civil officials were scholarly officials who have never been on the battlefield before.
In today's world, Scholars hold more prestige than military rites. That was a fact.
The concept of war frightened them, and they wouldn't even last a single day or two in Clayton's world. Yet, these scholarly officials often felt superior… And now, the thought that these Displaced might one day rebel this close to the Capital, was enough to make them panic.
'No! No! We must drive every single one of them away… FAR, FAR, away!'
'Who cares if they're hungry? Who cares if they die on the roads?'
The many scholarly officials wanted the Displaced to get as far away as possible, and even die on the way.
Seeing how anxious the ministers and officials were, Julius' smile grew broader by the second. And like a devil, his whispery but audible tone, allowed a sense of temptation no one felt like denying.
"In the end, you all see the issue, right?" Julius taunted innocently as he scanned the room. "We all agree It's an issue, one that can turn disastrous if we're not careful… and that's where I come in."
"You?" Minister Bhu's frown turned grimmer. Why did he feel that Julius was trying to pull a fast one on them?
Julius cupped his hands, took several steps towards Altec. "Father, I can deal with the refugees…. food, shelter, clothing… I'll handle it all."
Crazy! Everyone felt the 6th Prince was too crazy and perhaps too desperate.
'What a fool.' They scoffed. 'Does the 6th prince think it's easy to feed so many mouths and shelter them too?'
They had smiles on their lips, wanting to allow the 6th prince to fall deeper into the abyss he was now putting himself in. If it were them who were supposed to feed so many people, they would go completely broke within a month or 2… and they were talking from a standpoint of people who were extremely wealthy, at the top of the food chain in today's society.
So if they couldn't do it? Do you possibly think the 6th Prince could?
Forget the fact that he was now making money from his eatery. That wealth was just a drop of water in a bucket of what the Aristocratic families make.
Why were these Aristocratic families powerful?—For one, they were the only ones who knew how to produce PAPER.
They picked it high, making it difficult for ordinary people to buy or become literate. Even the Royal family has to be in their good graces so they keep supplying to the government at discounted rates.
There were many other vital items that only THEY knew. Meaning that they had MONOPOLY over the entire market throughout the EMPIRE.
Heck, some faraway merchants travel far just to buy paper from Etratis.
Altec frowned. In the end, Julius was still his son. He didn't want to see his son fall into such a trap… even if Julius was the one who made the trap and decided to fall into it by himself.
Altec didn't know whether to shake some sense into Julius or cry. 'What the hell is going on here with this brat? Could it be that he's doing this out of desperation to gain my attention?'
"Father," Julius continued. "I will handle the matter of the Displaced. And in exchange… I want a FIEF."
Oh?...So it's the land he's after.
The eyes of all ministers thinned meaningfully. They seemed to understand. However, they weren't so opposed to the matter. Why?—because even if he was given a Fief, he would only be granted one temporarily until he proves he can manage it right.
As said, Fiefs are passed on from generation to generation. You can either inherit or do something great to deserve a fief.
Truth be told, dealing with so many Displaced and potentially saving the empire from harm would indeed be considered a great deal worth deserving a Fief and a small title…. However, Julius hasn't done the things he said he would.
So… even if they grant him the fief, it will only be temporary. He needs to prove himself within at least 8 months. He needs to prove he has enough resources to take care of the people residing in the fief, the land, and everything else. Only after the observation period is over can he be granted full ownership of the fief and the title fitting of Ownership.
The ministers chuckled darkly. Isn't this great? Some began whispering among themselves.
"8 months is more or less just the perfect time we need in dealing with the Displaced. We can grant him temporary ownership, letting him take care of their every need."
"Yes, yes… This way, he will be using HIS money, and not that of our salaries. And if he fails, we can tilt the anger of the Displaced to him… blaming everything on him."
Fufufufufu~
So what if they grant him Temporal ownership? In the end, no one believed Julius would succeed and would eventually get ownership of the Fief.
Minister Walfen was now in a good mood as dark calculations brooded.
"Your Majesty," Walfen began. "I think the 6th prince is very wise. I, Minister Walfen Ortiz, will support the 6th Prince's decision. However, if we are going to ensure there is fairness of Proof of ability, then we cannot use any salaries or wealth from the national treasury to assist in this matter."
In other words, the issue of cutting their salaries must not happen.
"In addition to this matter, we've all established that these Displaced are potential troublemakers. So why don't we give the 6th prince a fief not too far, but also a safe distance away from the Capital?"
"Oh?" Altec raised a brow with a menacing gleam in his pupils. This was still his son these bastards were plotting against. Yet, he… Supreme Monarch was helpless when it came to saving his own flesh and blood. "Prey tell, Minister Walfen… What Fief do you have in mind?"