He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 159

159. The Mad Emperor

The agreement to wed the three women was settled.

However, more important than my intentions was whether the populace would be satisfied when this was announced.

While the Emperor wasn’t subject to the whims of the people, ignoring public sentiment would hinder governance, making it a crucial issue.

In that sense, the response to this plan was so positive that I didn’t know whether to be happy or not.

“He took Igrid as a concubine? And there’s another concubine besides the primary wife?”

First, the North. What did the rugged warriors of the North think? Were they furious that Igrid was made the second concubine, not even the primary wife?

“Hahaha! Our Emperor is truly bold! That’s what a man should be!”

“Of course! I would have had nine concubines! But he’s the Emperor, so he can’t be seen as a lecher and has to maintain appearances!”

Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

These muscle-brained men, with machismo ingrained in their very bones, seemed to think that two concubines weren’t enough.

Moreover, they saw the acceptance of concubinage, a Northern custom, as a sign of respect towards them.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely unintentional, but it was still quite amusing.

“No, the faithful Emperor… took a concubine…?”

Then, what would the paladins of the Eastern Territory think?

Since they were adherents of the Imperial Church, which doctrinally advocated monogamy, they couldn’t openly support concubinage.

Of course, the nobles of the East also kept mistresses and produced illegitimate children, but officially, that was the case.

But surprisingly, their public opinion wasn’t bad either.

“Don’t you all understand? This is the Emperor’s bold decision!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Who was chosen as the primary wife? The granddaughter of the Southern Territory’s Governor! His Majesty was forced to do it because he couldn’t withstand the pressure from her and the Southern nobles!”

“Oh, now that you mention it, that’s right!”

“Damn it! That’s got to be it! There’s no way His Majesty would choose another woman over Stella for no reason!”

“Those bad Southern Territory guys!”

“Yes, everything bad is the fault of the Southern Territory guys! Then we should side with Stella and His Majesty!”

That’s right. They were devout clergymen, but also terrifying fanatics.

The object of their fanaticism was primarily Stella, but ultimately directed towards me, the Emperor.

So, no matter what I did, they would interpret it favorably.

Stella was creating doctrines to advocate for concubinage, but there was no need for that. Even if I created a harem, they would understand, saying, ‘Ah, His Majesty is trying to create a soccer team with his princes.’

It was a fanaticism that even the most loyal guards would be shocked by, but since they were convincing themselves, I had no reason to object.

Then, what about the public opinion of the remaining Southern Territory?

“Woo-hoo! His Majesty has decided to marry the Orlant heiress!”

“It’s the victory of the Southern Territory! Long live the Emperor!”

“Long live Empress Orlant!”

In fact, they had no reason for negative public opinion.

From the beginning, there was a strong prediction that Sarah would become the primary wife, and that’s exactly what happened.

And if Sarah became Empress, there was a swelling expectation that she would definitely take care of her hometown, the Southern Territory, in more ways than one.

Of course, that’s wishful thinking. On the contrary, there will be more surveillance and checks in the shadows.

However, if I only tighten the screws, there will be backlash, so ‘some chosen ones’ will be used as hunting dogs to tear apart the entrenched vested interests.

They will definitely succeed, and their success will be the object of admiration, so their expectations won’t be entirely wrong.

Anyway, it’s like this.

Of course, this was the public opinion of those directly or indirectly related to the three women I was marrying.

Then, is the public opinion of people other than them bad?

“His Majesty took a concubine?”

“Then, doesn’t that mean we might have a chance too?”

“My daughter as the third concubine… no, it doesn’t have to be the third! Somehow!”

“If His Majesty is having a hard time, we can aim for a prince….”

Not at all.

When you think about it, being related to the Imperial Family was an opportunity for success.

Of course, in the days when feudal nobles were the mainstream, it was difficult to have more than just the meaning of gaining noble blood, but in the absolute monarchy system that I was gradually building, there was no better way to succeed.

That’s why it was like that in history, and in romance fantasy or fantasy stories, royal balls were held from time to time, and a prince and someone would always catch each other’s eyes.

That’s because it was a guaranteed opportunity for success and a hypnosis app that provided hope to the nobles.

It wasn’t for nothing that Wang Geon [founder of the Goryeo dynasty, known for having many wives] had 29 wives.

“The country is going well.”

“Oh, Your Majesty. Please refrain from using rough language.”

My mother, Empress Dowager Selena, scolded me for my lament.

Normally, I would have had a private meeting with my mother as a son, but now there were three more people besides her.

“Your Majesty, is there anything that makes you uncomfortable…?”

“No, the Emperor is just feeling troubled before the wedding, Stella. So, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Igrid, you need to fix your tone. It’s difficult to use that tone even though you’ve become a concubine.”

“…I’ll try to fix it.”

Who would it be but the three: Stella, Igrid, and Sarah.

If a husband said he would have three wives, they might fight each other, but for some reason, these three got along well.

Of course, there was something subtle.

Stella was unconditionally devoted to me, so Sarah was subtly wary of that.

Igrid’s attitude was that as long as the marriage was maintained and she had children to raise, I could do whatever else I wanted. So, in some ways, she was already the most active, which also subtly fueled Sarah’s wariness.

And Sarah… as I said before, she wasn’t openly wary or oppressing, but she was wary of the two. No, to be exact, she was trying to solidify her position as the ‘primary wife.’

Frankly, I’m not used to this. My stomach hurts….

“I don’t know what Your Majesty is so dissatisfied with when you have such friendly wives.”

“…It’s not that I’m dissatisfied. It’s just that it seems like a waste of time for the country to be so noisy about my marriage.”

“A waste of time? What could be more important than choosing the Emperor’s Empress?”

“No matter how important it is, it’s my personal matter. And it’s not right for the country to be noisy about that important matter.”

I made a reasonable argument, but the Empress Dowager smiled as if I was still young and laughable.

“There is no personal matter in the Imperial Family, Your Majesty. You know that very well, don’t you?”

“…That’s, that’s right.”

“Also, you said the country is getting noisy, but the current situation is rather appropriate.”

“Why is that?”

“Even after the civil war ended, the possibility of division still remains. That’s because the vested interests that Your Majesty has absorbed all have different interests. But-”

The Empress Dowager looked at her three daughters-in-law with satisfaction and said.

“Now it has been exquisitely sealed. It’s all thanks to the agreement of the wives. Isn’t that right?”

“…Of course, that’s right.”

It’s so right that I’m the problem.

But everyone except me seemed happy.

The North was satisfied, and the Eastern Territory was appropriately sublimating its rivalry with the Southern Territory.

It goes without saying that the Southern Territory is satisfied, and even the other nobles are loyal to me and trying to get opportunities.

It could be said that this marriage alone reduced the seeds of internal strife for at least 100 years.

My son, and even my grandson, would rather marry into my bloodline that will be born in the future than try to stand against the Imperial Family.

Then what should I do? Instead of just complaining about marriage blue like now, I should prepare.

Take appropriate measures so that the descendants of concubines have advantages in the collateral lines, as the descendants of the primary wife may seem less valuable.

At the same time, prepare countermeasures to prevent collateral lines or in-laws from running rampant.

Of course, it’s not easy. It may be more difficult than fighting a war or developing a country.

It’s not always the case, but absolute monarchies often collapse because this doesn’t work out.

However, it’s not something to worry about seriously yet. At least for 100 years, there will be no room for corruption, so it will be safe.

The problem is after that….

“But Mother, someday this will become a disaster. I don’t know if it will be in about 100 years, but someday.”

“You’re worried about the Imperial Family’s bloodline or the rise of in-laws.”

Empress Dowager Selena is a very intelligent person. So, she knew very well what I was worried about.

That’s because Selena herself was the one who voluntarily isolated herself externally to prevent the rise of her family, that is, her in-laws.

If it weren’t for her sacrifice and devotion to the previous Emperor, I wouldn’t be here now.

“As you know, it’s difficult to prevent or check that, Mother.”

“I know. It’s a very difficult task. Because I’ve done it myself. It’s impossible without someone shedding blood.”

The Empress Dowager, who was even forcibly estranged from her children and accepted the reputation of being neglected by the outside world.

Following that, the Orlant family was also supposed to be swept away during the civil war. It was only because Duke Orlant made the decision to join hands with me that he survived.

The main method of preventing in-laws or powerful families was a bloody method such as such purges.

For example, in the case of Joseon [Korean kingdom], Yi Bang-won [King Taejong of Joseon] severely beat in-laws and relatives.

“I won’t do that.”

“That’s a good will. But that will create seeds of discord. Are you afraid of blood?”

“Of course not. If I did, would I have ‘cleaned up’ so many separatists in the civil war?”

I really coldly kicked out the feudal nobles, the separatists, who were the mainstream nobles.

There’s no way I’m afraid of blood. What I’m afraid of is something else.

“That’s because there are too many possibilities for that purge to be clumsy, fail, or be misused for other purposes.”

The king needs a purge. But in history, such harsh purges have produced too many negative things than positive ones.

It was too common in the history of the previous Earth. Of course, there was no literal superhuman like me on Earth, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to live for thousands of years now, right?

My successor may have to rule without such power. But if the method is an unstable method of purge… it’s perfect for ruining the country if it goes wrong.

“Fortunately, I have a method in mind.”

“What is it?”

Before continuing, I took a breath.

It’s a method that I thought was impossible in this world.

And in reality, it may be impossible in my generation.

But the seeds must be planted.

“It’s about giving up the Emperor’s power.”

“…Your Majesty? What are you talking about?”

Naturally, the Empress Dowager was surprised. Not only her, but the other three were also surprised.

But I continued to speak firmly.

“Since the power of the Imperial Family is the problem, we will change the subject of power. So that the person who is chosen by the country and most suitable for governing the country is elected as the ruler.”

“Are you talking about the Prime Minister? No, are you talking about the electoral system?”

“Neither. The Prime Minister is only an assistant to the Emperor. He is not the subject of power. Likewise, it is not an electorate. From now on, the Emperor will be elected by bloodline.”

A person who has the right to rule without being a prime minister.

My words may sound contradictory. But it’s an actual system.

“I will create someone called the Prime Minister. If we recommend the person who best reflects the public opinion and is the most wise, the Emperor will elect him and entrust him with the rule. We will decentralize power to him.”

“Your Majesty, that’s absurd! That’s giving up the authority as Emperor!”

The Empress Dowager continued to object.

And that was expected. She is not greedy for power and is a wise person, but after all, she was the Empress Dowager, and she had no choice but to oppose the reduction of the Imperial Family’s power.

But I shook my head and said.

“No, Mother. Rather, by giving up power, the authority of the Imperial Family will increase.”

Enough to be called immortal.

With the title of the first constitutional monarch, it would be natural.