V2: Chapter 186: Everyone Grows, Even the Wicked Girl
"Liang Di, watch your behavior, there are other people watching."
Liang Lin, annoyed and embarrassed, pushed Liang Di away. "Let's talk about it in the room, this isn't outside. You need to know our identities..."
Given their identities, such intimate actions were indeed inappropriate.
To outsiders, it looked like... a forbidden love between two people of the same sex.
Liang Di then realized the inappropriateness of her behavior. She coughed lightly, straightened her collar, and led Liang Lin towards the room, pretending to be casual.
Since Gael became king, Liang Di hadn't seen him. It was obvious that Doris was afraid Liang Di would harm her precious son, Gael.
"Then our chances of entering the palace will be slim."
Liang Lin sat anxiously in her chair, already prepared to coerce Gael.
Liang Di, however, wasn't in a hurry, even somewhat gloating.
“Sister Liang Lin, don’t you think Gael’s way of governing the empire is quite amusing?”
“Why?”
“He’s even more foolish than the previous king.”
Liang Di, who had recently stopped worrying and even smiled frequently, pulled Liang Lin to sit on the sofa. She had a maid bring tea and snacks, deciding to have a good talk with Liang Lin.
“Glug~”
Liang Di laughed as she spoke. She took a sip of tea and said to Liang Lin, “Sister Liang Lin, you’ve been training lately, so you might not be aware of what Gael has done since becoming king. I’ll tell you now, and you’ll definitely laugh until your stomach hurts.”
Liang Di raised a small fist and held up one finger.
“For his own luxurious lifestyle, he built palaces and expanded his military, so he levied higher taxes and forced labor.”
“This not only burdened the common people but also led to a shortage of manpower for farming and handicrafts. Productivity declined, and the living standards of the people of our Soteland Empire deteriorated sharply.”
Liang Di held up another finger.
“That’s right, Gael wanted to make the Soteland Empire stronger, but he chose a very foolish way.”
“He neglected people’s livelihoods and infrastructure. His focus was entirely on the luxury of the court and military power, ignoring investment in agriculture, water conservancy, education, healthcare, and other essential infrastructure.”
“What will this lead to? Hmm... most likely, it will cause the Soteland Empire’s industry and agriculture, or rather, its overall economy, to stagnate, or even regress, making the people even more dissatisfied.”
Liang Di raised her third finger.
“His ambition was far too great. He didn’t consider whether his own capabilities, and the empire’s capabilities, could match his ambition.”
“He made a wrong military decision, attempting to launch an unnecessary war against the Brandon Empire.”
“This will consume a huge amount of the empire’s manpower, resources, and finances. And... whether they can even defeat them, or whether they’ll be constantly on the run, is uncertain.”
Liang Di raised her fourth finger; now only her thumb was clenched.
"Because everything I said above was for the good of the Empire, but he wasn't smart enough and did stupid things, what he did next can only be described as pure evil and corruption."
"He abused his power. Not only him, but he and Doris's cronies also used their power to embezzle and plunder the Empire's wealth. This harmed the interests of our Empire, yet they were smug, feeling they had profited."
"This unjust behavior will further erode the trust of the Empire's citizens, causing them to lose faith in the Soteland Empire and the current king."
Liang Di then spread his entire hand, all five fingers raised.
"The last point I'm about to make was something the previous king did very thoroughly."
"That's thought control and suppression of speech. To consolidate his personal power, Gael, like his brainless father, resorted to extreme measures to control the thoughts and speech of his subjects. Basically, he restricted all kinds of freedom, suppressed dissidents, and repeatedly stripped women of their already meager rights."
"His foolish actions directly exacerbated the empire's divisions and the people's discontent."
After Liang Di finished speaking, she withdrew her hand.
"Now that I've explained it this way, Sister Liang Lin, you probably understand, right?"
Liang Lin wasn't that simple-minded or impulsive. Although she hadn't received the information herself and couldn't analyze these things, after listening to Liang Di's analysis, she nodded thoughtfully. Then, a worried expression appeared on her face.
"The lives of the common people have become even more miserable. Sigh… Liang Di, I think you understand how I feel. I want to do something for them, but with my power, I can do nothing."
Liang Lin suddenly felt sad, filled with self-reproach, blaming herself for her weakness, unable to protect what she wanted to protect.
"Sister Liang Lin, don't be too anxious. Some things we can't rush, and some things we can't control," Liang Di grasped Liang Lin's hand. "Only when the common people's resentment reaches a certain level will the Third Prince and we have a chance to act."
"You know, the magicians in the Magic Tower can act secretly, but not openly, as that would cause too much panic. So, you and I, the Third Prince, the noble spies we've placed among the nobles, and the common people who can't bear the oppression are the key. Do you understand?"
Liang Lin took a deep breath, then exhaled heavily, nodding heavily.
"Of course I understand, and I know we have to be patient. We can't ruin the plan because of a momentary impulse, or we'll end up failing."
"Liang Di, I'm not the impulsive, thoughtless idiot I was five years ago, at sixteen. I'm twenty-one now. Some things.... well, you can tell me. I don't need my sister to persuade me. I... understand."
This time, Liang Lin was unusually tactless.
Actually, looking back on those impulsive years five years ago, Liang Lin deeply regretted it. If only she hadn't been so impulsive back then, perhaps many things wouldn't have gone through such a complicated process.
But who isn't foolish, impulsive, and a bit of an idiot when they're young? I died on the battlefield… only sixteen years old, still a child.
Liang Lin's mindset had matured considerably. Although she still couldn't shake her arrogant and sharp-tongued ways, compared to before, she could be described as honest and gentle.
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