[January 1, 520, Imperial Calendar][41 years ago]

[End of the War in the Principality of Bagrum]

The last petitioner was taken into the palace tent.

This time the petitioner was a middle-aged man with a pair of rough palms. Due to years of heavy physical labor, his knuckles inevitably became swollen and twisted.

Although he had washed the old clothes on his body as clean as possible, he still could not change the inferior texture of the coarse cloth.

The man who came to petition knelt on one knee and grabbed the hem of his clothes with his hands at a loss. He did not dare to look up, but dared to stare at the tip of his shoes, stumbled and said his requests he had recited countless times.

In front of the petitioner, the six-year-old Prince Henry sat upright on the chair, trying hard to emulate his father's majesty.

Little Henry's chair was on his father's right hand, slightly shorter than the emperor's seat.

His chair was a big chair for adults, and little Henry sat on it, and a pair of small boots could only hang in the air; his chair was also a very uncomfortable chair without any padding - since the emperor's chair was not cushioned, the prince's chair naturally did not.

Little Henry looked at the petitioner without squinting, but his mind was imagining his father's expression and manners.

The seats of the emperor and the prince are located at the end of a luxurious palace tent, facing the door, guarded by fully armed servants.

And the father of Henry, Richard Lieyang, "Warrior", the Emperor of the Empire, was sitting calmly and majestic on his throne, listening to the petitioners' confession.

...

The emperor is thirty-one, with a well-proportioned figure and tough lines, with thick dark hair and an enviable beautiful beard, and a pair of unforgettable sharp eyes.

Even in the palace tent and under the sanctuary, the emperor did not take off his armor. The black sheet metal armor on his body was carved with reliefs of the fiery sun emblem, and a helmet inlaid with a crown was hung on the handrail of his throne. On the side of the throne was a simple long sword, with the hilt on the emperor's left hand.

Before he was officially crowned with holy oil in the Cathedral of Holy Stone, Richard IV experienced the first war in the era ruled in his name - the [pretender] War on the Succession of the throne of Philip. After his official crowning, wars of all sizes and large and small sides of the empire were never completely calmed down.

Twenty years have passed since he inherited the throne until today. Twenty years of war and twelve years of rule have forged the thin Prince Richard into a strong and mature man, and also tempered the "little pea" mentioned by his mother into a resolute and heroic emperor.

After visiting the battle again and again and leading the army to win, Richard IV won the reputation of "Warrior".

Now is his time, he is at the peak of the body and spirit, the balance between wisdom and courage, twenty years of reign have accumulated unquestionable authority, and twelve years of in charge have allowed him to know how to control the empire.

No imperial subject was suspicious of the fate of the Warrior Richard to become a great emperor.

...

The candlelight of beeswax makes the interior of the tent as bright as day, and the scented warmer makes the interior of the tent warm as early summer. From time to time, rumbling thunder sounds come from outside the tent, but they are absorbed by thick camel velvet tapestries and eventually decay into a dull and light sound.

People who were fortunate to resist the petition in front of the previous ones were taken into the tent one after another and fell to his knees in front of the throne to express their feelings.

The court officials and the lord stood quietly in the tent, witnessing the emperor's justice, wisdom and kindness.

Although little Henry tried his best to concentrate and try to hear clearly what the adults were saying and understand what the adults were doing, he was still a child after all, and his thoughts had long slipped outside the tent.

You can't be demanding of him - because the petition is too boring.

The first group of vassals of Duke Bagrum who surrendered without resistance were the emperor's army. Facing the emperor's army, they gave up their loyalty to the old master without hesitation and obediently asked the emperor to surrender.

One by one, they were taken into the palace tent, kneeling before the emperor to swear allegiance. The emperor accepted their oath and allowed them to retain territory, titles and property.

Then they kissed the emperor's ring and walked backwards out of the palace tent.

Although the court officials present did not say it on the surface, they looked down on these cartilage guys in their hearts. If they could easily turn their oath to the old master, then the oath they made to the emperor was worthless.

The second group of vassals of Duke Bagrum who chose to surrender when they saw the situation was too high. They either tried to resist with a strong castle or actively challenge the emperor's troops. They did not understand who the winner of this war would be after paying a heavy price.

So, they chose to surrender.

The emperor justly ruled their destiny: depriving part or most of the fiefdoms, but mercifully forgiveing ​​their lives; and conscripting their offspring into the court for education, both as hostages and as an opportunity to revive the family.

The third group of vassals of Duke Bagrum who took the initiative to turn to the emperor. At the beginning of the war, they stood clearly on the side of the emperor, not only joined the emperor's command, but also charged on the front line of the fight against rebellion and war, and bit the body of the old vassal king.

The emperor generously rewarded them, handed over a portion of the confiscated territory to them, and accepted them as their own direct vassals.

They will become the nails that the emperor carved into the Duke of Bagrum, because they will be difficult to be accepted by the nobles of Bagrum, and from then on all their safety depends on the emperor's protection.

After the allegiance ceremony, the petition entered the literal "petition" stage, and the people who came to seek justice from the emperor were brought to the imperial front one by one:

The little nobles asked the emperor to rule on disputes arising from property inheritance; the monks of the monastery hoped that the emperor could get back the real estate that had been occupied by the duke for them; the representatives of the autonomous city complained that they had been forced to levy unreasonable taxes, and that rogue knights often robbed the suburbs of the city to blackmail them.

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Richard Lieyang responded one by one, he fairly divided the disputed property, allowed the church to take back their property, and guaranteed the safety of the autonomous city in the name of the emperor - from then on any noble who tried to blackmail the latter would be equivalent to challenging the emperor's authority.

Everyone is satisfied, and even those who do not meet the expected goals are willing to obey the emperor's judgment.

Until the last petitioner was brought into the palace tent.

The last petitioner came from a remote territory named Kempson, whom the peasants of Kempson recommended him to seek justice from the emperor, because according to the oath made by the emperor at the coronation ceremony, he was obliged to "preserve freedom and protect poor subjects."

His travel expenses were obtained by the farmers of Kempsson. Even if he had enough travel expenses, his journey to the imperial carriage had gone through hardships and dangers.

He had tears in his eyes how the president of Kempson Monastery raised taxes to force farmers to lose their land, how he robbed the legacy of orphans who had lost their parents, how he used the church court to interrogate the rebellious farmers, how he robbed them so that every self-cultivated farmer and tenant farmer in Kempson would eventually become a contracted serf in the monastery, how he interfered in the marriage of the peasants so that Kempson would no longer be born in the future, and how he cruelly ambushes the previous peasant representative who came to ask the emperor to uphold justice.

At the end of the speech, the middle-aged farmer from Kempson almost burst into tears. He knelt on the ground and shouted loudly: "If we are wrong, we are willing to receive any punishment; if our demands are unrighteous, we are willing to give our heads; but if we do nothing wrong, please ask Your Majesty to preside over justice for us."

Richard Lieyang, who was in the throne, listened seriously to the confession of the representatives of the farmer of Kempson, and his granite-like cold facial features were also slightly moved.

He pondered for a moment, took off the ring in his left hand, nodded and called the attendant, and handed the ring to the attendant. The attendant walked to the peasant representative and placed the ring in front of the peasant representative.

"This ring is worth 30,000 Guer Shield." Richard Lieyang's voice was as cold as his facial features, with an unquestionable attitude: "It should be worth the value of Kempsong's fields. Take it back and redeem your land from Kempsong's Monastery."

The emperor paused for a moment, and habitually stroked the hilt of the sword, scanned the court officials and lords in the palace tent, then looked down at the peasant representatives and smiled: "If the dean of Kempson doesn't want to, come back to see me."

Some of the nobles in the palace tent laughed loudly and some laughed softly, but everyone laughed in cooperation.

The farmer representative held the ring in both hands and with gratitude to leave the palace tent.

Richard Lieyang called the chief guard and ordered the latter to select two decent guards to escort the peasant representatives of Kempson home.

After witnessing the emperor's justice and wisely and kindly resolved the last petitioner's request, the voice of "Long Live My Emperor" sounded in the palace tent, and the low moans gathered together, and finally shouted in a consistent rhythm: "Long Live My Emperor! Long Live My Emperor!"

Richard Lieyang waved his hand, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet. He waved his hand again, and the ministers on duty consciously led the court officials and the lords to leave the venue in an orderly manner.

Richard Lieyang looked at the commander of the guard and nodded slightly, so the attendant and the priest also left the palace tent.

Only Richard Lieyang and Henry Lieyang were left in the huge palace tent.

The emperor suddenly let out a long breath, moved his sore back for a moment, turned to look at Little Henry, his expression like ice melted, and a trace of warmth was rarely revealed. He smiled and asked Little Henry: "Are you tired?"

"Not tired!" Little Henry replied loudly.

Richard Lieyang picked up Henry, put it on his knees, and rubbed his eldest son's soft hair: "As sooner or later, you will also sit here. Then you will have to take my responsibility. You must protect the family, protect the empire, and most importantly - protect your mother and brother."

Little Henry giggled while avoiding his father's beard, answering: "I can!"

Richard Lieyang put his son on the ground, knocked on the latter's pocket children's armor, and asked, "What are you getting today?"

Little Henry's eyes turned and his breasts replied, "They are afraid of you when they first came to see Dad."

"Fear me?" Richard snorted: "Not only are they afraid of me, they also hate me because I humiliated them in front of everyone."

The emperor smiled and asked, "What else?"

Little Henry frowned, thought hard for a long time, and replied in a low voice: "The people who come to see Dad later are here to find you for something."

"Remember, everyone approaches power with a purpose. It is true to me and you. It is normal to come with a request, and there is no need to have hope or despair. They ask for things from me, so that I can ask for things from them." Richard Lieyang looked into his son's eyes: "Do you understand?"

Little Henry nodded in a vague way.

Richard pinched his son's face and said with a smile: "You will understand in the future."

After saying that, he stood up, raised his sword, and prepared to take his eldest son out of the palace tent.

"But..." Little Henry's puzzled voice rang beside the emperor: "The last person who came to see you seems to have nothing to give to Dad?"

Richard Lieyang turned around, looked at his son for a while, squatted down to make his eyes level with his son, and he asked with a smile: "How do you know he has nothing to give me?"

"That's it." Little Henry fiddled with his fingers nervously, avoiding his father's direct gaze: "I feel like he has nothing."

"Yes." Richard Lieyang said calmly: "He is still loyal."

The emperor picked up his son, sat back on the throne, and let little Henry look in the direction of the tent. Outside the two layers of felt was a vast and huge empire.

"Remember, son." The emperor whispered in the prince's ear: "The lower the status, the easier their loyalty will be. Because they have nothing, just give them a little thing, they can make them wholeheartedly devote themselves. Thirty thousand gurdons cannot buy the loyalty of an earl, but it can make thousands of peasants grateful for you forever. They will praise your kindness, and other people who have nothing will have hope for you."

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content behind! Little Henry thought for a long time. Even if he is smarter than his peers, what he heard is beyond his ability to understand, so he can only think about the problem with logic that he can understand: "But if they have nothing, what is the meaning of their gratitude?"

Hearing the words of Henry, Richard Lieyang put away his smile. He turned his body over, looked into his son's eyes, and said with a serious expression: "Never underestimate people with low status. Even the most humble people, as long as they keep their eyes open, they can find opportunities to retaliate against the most powerful people. You can humiliate the Duke and Earl of Bagroom, and they will still bow down to you.

But you don't need to humiliate the poor in Bagroom. Their loyalty is so easy to obtain, so don't push them to the side of the enemy. You also need to learn to be kind to the people beside you, grooms, servants, palace maids... The lower the status of people, the more you have to treat them well. Because treating them well does not require anything, but they may lend a helping hand to you at your unexpected moment. Do you understand?"

Little Henry still seemed to understand, but he felt the change in his father's tone. He nodded vigorously: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Richard Lieyang smiled docilely and rubbed his son's soft hair again: "Change the boots - I've prepared a pony for you, you'll love it."

Little Henry cheered and said, "Next time you leave the city, I will follow you!"

Richard put little Henry on the throne and changed his son's boots: "I went out of the city because of war."

"I'm going to go to war too!"

"War is a knight's business, you are not even a servant now."

"Then you can confer me as a knight!"

Richard Lieyang tightened his boots and knocked on Henry's breastplate, with a little sadness in his smile: "Don't be anxious, there will be endless battles waiting for you to fight in the future. As for now - you must protect your mother and brother when I go to war."

The curtain of the palace tent was opened, and a handsome and handsome young nobleman in exquisitely dressed came in.

"Uncle!" Little Henry waved happily-the young noble was the queen's younger brother, Louis, Duke of Lottele.
To be continued...