Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 424 The Show Is About to Begin
Imperial Fog City, in front of the Royal Palace, Thistle Flower Square.

The square, usually quite peaceful, was now boiling over like a pot of water. The vast square was packed with people, who held up signs and banners and shouted slogans.

We want peace! We don't want war!

"Don't let our men die!"

"The empire is bleeding, it is bleeding the blood of its people!"

But on the other side, some people were shouting at them, and they were also holding up signs.

"The empire will one day be glorious!"

"Crush Krant! Restore the glory of the Empire!"

"Avenge our fallen soldiers!"

Her Majesty stood by the window, gazing at the distant square, where a dense crowd of people were huddled together, shouting slogans and hurling insults at each other. Although the police had formed a human wall to separate the two sides, they continued to yell at each other, and several clashes even broke out in the streets.

"The situation is rather bad, Mother."

Princess Louise stood behind Her Majesty the Queen and spoke softly. Although Port Drey was ultimately defended, the details of the battle had somehow been leaked to various newspapers, and their assessments of the heavy casualties suffered by the Empire in this war were mixed.

Some have called for the Krant to be taught a lesson and to show them the power of the Empire.

Some argue that the Empire's early strategy was clearly flawed, and that it should not have provoked the Krant by occupying Drei.

They began advocating that the Empire withdraw from this pointless war to avoid further bloodshed and sacrifice.

Fortunately, thanks to the cleanup efforts Li Wei made before leaving, the empire's high-ranking officials and nobles are currently expressing relatively cautious opinions. After all, those who were manipulated have either returned to normal or are still recuperating in the hospital. So things haven't gotten out of control yet, but during this time, disputes have gradually begun to arise in the lower house.

Some suggested that the Empire should simply launch a full-scale war mobilization to enter a state of war, thereby using the pretext of war to prevent these statements from escalating further and to disperse the demonstrators. However, Her Majesty the Queen rejected this suggestion, as while it might resolve the issue in the short term, it would only exacerbate the conflict and lead to further uncontrollable consequences.

“I know they are very angry, so we need to calm their anger.”

Her Majesty the Queen nodded.

"But how can we quell the anger?"

"Just like a sacrifice, all you need to do is offer sacrifices."

The Queen stared at the square outside, her eyes serious and cold.

The two houses of parliament argued fiercely over the matter, but ultimately the Queen had to make the decision. Of course, she couldn't just call it quits; after all, the Empire hadn't lost tens of thousands of men in a war for many years, and someone had to be held accountable.

In fact, similar voices were heard in Parliament and among the public. They believed that with so many casualties, the frontline commander was undoubtedly to blame and demanded that he be recalled to a military court for trial. However, the Queen had already read the report and knew the whole story, and of course, she couldn't just say it aloud.

After all, words are no proof…

"His Majesty."

Just then, the old butler's voice rang out.

"Sir Levi is back."

Her Majesty nodded slightly upon hearing the old steward's report.

"Invite him in."

Soon, Li Wei walked in and bowed to the two of them.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness."

Sir Levi.

The Queen turned her head and looked at Li Wei in front of her.

"I think you've seen the current situation in Chongqing, haven't you?"

"Yes, it looks quite lively."

"In my opinion, it's not lively enough."

In response to Li Wei's reply, Her Majesty the Queen smiled slightly—but it was a cold smile.

"I hope it can be more lively, just like boiling soup will bring up everything that was originally buried at the bottom of the pot, which will make it more delicious."

“That’s perfect. I’ve brought back a local specialty for Your Majesty, a very delicious condiment. I think Your Majesty might like it.”

As he spoke, Li Wei took out a thick brown paper envelope and handed it to the old butler, who took it, opened it, checked it, and then walked to Her Majesty the Queen and handed the envelope over.

The Queen reached out, opened the envelope, and carefully read the intelligence inside. Her expression remained calm and unchanged, as if she were holding nothing more than a copy of the Chongqing Morning Post, not some important intelligence report.

After a moment, the Queen finished reading the intelligence, put it away, and then looked at the old butler.

"Go and fetch Sir Richard."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

After watching the old butler leave, the Queen turned to look at Levi.

"Sir Levi, you have once again rendered a great service to the Empire."

"It is my duty, Your Majesty."

Li Wei lowered his head and spoke.

"So, what reward do you want?"

"Is Your Majesty asking me?"

"Yes."

The Queen looked at Li Wei, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"Whatever you want, I can give it to you."

"Um……………"

Faced with the Queen's answer, Levi pondered for a moment.

"Well then, I have a request that might be a little excessive."

"Oh? Please tell me."

"I hope that through these events, the Empire can consider enacting some laws to check and balance capitalists."

"Oh? That's a novel request."

It must be said that Li Wei's proposal truly surprised the Queen. The request wasn't insignificant, but it was also quite significant. Because what Li Wei was asking for was essentially a request for the entire empire's political power; from this perspective, most people wouldn't dare to make such a demand.

"I thought you would make some suggestions that were more... in line with your own interests?" "This is already very much in line with my own interests, Your Majesty. You have no idea how much those capitalists like to cause trouble. If we don't restrain them, I'm afraid I might spend the rest of my life cleaning up all the messes they've made... just like this time."

"Um……………"

Upon hearing this, the Queen's expression turned slightly serious. Indeed, judging from the current situation, the mastermind behind this series of events is the Rothsfield family, and the Queen understands what they want to achieve: they want power and to wrest control from the royal family, which is something the Queen absolutely cannot allow.

but……………

"Sir Levy, what do you think of Louise?"

The Queen looked at Levi and asked him a question that surprised him quite a bit.

"Uh... Your Majesty?"

“She is close to your age, and I know that everything you do is for the sake of the empire. In that case, would you be willing to go a step further? If so, then I can entrust the future of the empire to you with peace of mind.”

"…………………???"

Li Wei was completely bewildered by the Queen's words.

Your Majesty, let's just talk. Don't suddenly suggest a blind date.

He glanced at Princess Louise, who was looking at him with a smile and a curious expression.

Oh, right. After all, she's a princess. She wouldn't be as shy as a little girl.

"Um... I still prefer being more free..."

Li Wei gave a cautious answer; he really didn't want to be a king, and he was doing just fine with his current life.

"I see..."

Her Majesty the Queen nodded without saying anything more.

Fortunately, just then, the old butler returned with his men, relieving Li Wei's embarrassment. He turned around and saw an elderly man, slightly younger than the old butler, standing beside him. He was dressed in a suit and bowed respectfully to the Queen.

"Your Majesty, Princess Louise."

After the old man finished speaking, he looked at Li Wei.

Sir Levi.

Sir Richard.

Levi returned the greeting. He had met Sir Richard before; he was the head of MI5. If MI7 was mainly responsible for intelligence investigations into mysterious matters, then MI5 was responsible for espionage work on a practical level.

"Sir Richard, tell me the results of your investigation."

Clearly, Her Majesty had come prepared, and upon seeing Richard, her first words went straight to the point. Richard, obviously accustomed to the Queen's decisive style, hurriedly handed her a report.

“Your Majesty, we have investigated thoroughly and confirmed that the Rothfield family is indeed behind those protesters against the Empire. The evidence is conclusive.”

At this point, Sir Richard frowned.

"However... there's something strange..."

"Strange thing?"

"Yes, how should I put it..."

Just as Sir Richard was hesitating, Levi spoke up.

"You're not suggesting that the Rothfield family is behind those protesters who support the Empire, are you?"

"Yes."

Sir Richard glanced at Levi with surprise, then nodded.

"Moreover, according to the investigation, many of the media outlets that discussed this matter also have shares held by the Rothfield family."

Oh, that's normal, that's standard practice for financial capitalists.

Li Wei shrugged, while everyone stared at him curiously.

"Sir Levy, what made you think of that?"

"Because that's just their nature."

In response to Princess Louise's question, Li Wei answered and then continued.

"Actually, I want to clarify that even among capitalists, there are different kinds of capitalists. Some are involved in manufacturing, while others are involved in finance. The former contribute to the empire, while the latter cause immeasurable harm to the empire."

"Oh, how shall I begin, Sir Levy?"

Princess Louise asked curiously, and Levi answered.

“We all know that in years of drought or famine, farmers will hoard grain and sell it at high prices, right?”

"That's right."

"However, even in times of peace and stability, they can still buy and sell grain at relatively reasonable prices, as they can still make money, though not as much as during droughts. But in years of bumper harvests, their grain prices drop drastically, causing losses for these farmers. In my view, this is what capitalists in the real economy, or industrialists, do. If they encounter a boom, they can produce scarce commodities and make high profits; in ordinary times, they can also earn relatively high profits. But similarly, they also have to bear the risk of losses."

"Isn't this just what a businessman is like?"

Princess Louise asked curiously, but Levi shook his head.

"No, financial capitalists are a completely different concept. To put it bluntly, they are con artists who make money out of thin air. They simply increase their wealth through investment, leverage, and mergers and acquisitions. Let me put it this way—if these capitalists are bullish on food prices and want to sell their food at a high price, they won't just sit and wait for things to change; they will take proactive action."

"Take initiative...action?"

"That's right. They'll use any means to raise food prices, whether it's burning down fields or spreading insect plagues. Because for them, only when food prices are high can they make money. If food prices aren't high, they'll lose everything. They don't care how many people die or what happens to a country in the process. For these people, capital is their queen, and wealth is their country. They don't care about any system or institution. They only have one goal: to make money, and they'll do anything to make money."

As he spoke, Li Wei spread his hands.

"Similarly, if they want to lower food prices, they will try to dump grain domestically to drive prices down as low as possible. They don't care whether domestic farmers and ranchers will go bankrupt or suffer losses, or whether society will become unstable. They only care about making money. The Rothsfield family is the same right now. They don't really care whether the empire will continue to fight. For them, they just hope to use the current chaos to weaken the authority of the royal family so that they can gain more power and prestige. For this, tens of thousands of soldiers dying on the front lines, or even the empire losing Port Drey, don't matter to them—after all, the empire is not their country. They only have one country, and that is the country of capital and wealth."

"Industrialists and financiers? That's a very straightforward and interesting way to put it."

The Queen nodded. She understood the concept, because the Empire's current prosperity was inseparable from those industrialists who built factories within the Empire to manufacture all sorts of materials and machinery that the Empire needed, and made money through these. In the Queen's view, there was nothing wrong with that.

But those in finance... well, they don't have a good reputation.

"After this matter is resolved, I will give your proposal a good consideration, Sir Levi."

As Her Majesty spoke, she handed the materials in her hand to the old butler.

"But now, let us offer sacrifices to appease the anger of the people."

(End of this chapter)