Just like last ti, the eting between Eldest Princess Annie and Perfikot ended on a sour note.
And once again, Perfikot secretly disseminated the news.
This undoubtedly caused a great uproar in the Northern Territory. Although it didn't stir up much among the populace, it caused significant ripples in the upper social circles.
This ti, Perfikot publicly claid that the Lord of the North had invited the Eldest Princess for afternoon tea, but an argunt broke out due to certain issues, leading to an unhappy parting.
The dispute arose over governance issues in the Northern Territory.
Although Eldest Princess Annie and Perfikot were aware that she was there to advise against Perfikot's complacency, the rumor turned into Eldest Princess Annie wanting Perfikot not to ddle too much in the Imperial Center's authority.
Such a misunderstanding is actually quite understandable, given that Eldest Princess Annie represents the external forces of the Imperial Center, symbolizing imperial power and central authority.
While Perfikot, as a local lord, represents the interests of traditional military nobility.
Between the two, if you claim that Perfikot neglects his duties and that Eldest Princess Annie ca to encourage diligence, who would believe it?
Especially after Eldest Princess Annie visited the Lord's mansion, Perfikot started to seriously handle governntal affairs, and Northern Territory officials began to suppress the power and influence of the Imperial Center, further confirming the rumor's credibility.
Eldest Princess Annie was very angry about this, but she couldn't explain anything to the outside world.
It's sothing that simply can't be explained, as any clarification would only make matters worse.
Especially now that Perfikot is indeed being diligent, if she stood up to explain that things weren't as the rumors suggest, it would only disappoint the Royal Family and its supporters.
From this incident, Eldest Princess Annie felt quite baffled by Perfikot; she really couldn't understand why Perfikot would confront her in this manner.
She wanted to seek advice from her mother, but the Queen, suffering ill health due to drastic climate changes, couldn't be disturbed further, which Eldest Princess Annie refrained from doing after visiting her.
In the end, Eldest Princess Annie could only sulk alone.
Yet, alongside her anger, she still needed to find ways to negotiate with Perfikot and the Northern Territory forces.
As it stands, the Imperial Center and the Royal Family are practically mascots in the Northern Territory, without any real power.
Although nominally, the Northern Territory is Imperial land and should obey the Royal Family and the Imperial Center, the prerequisite is Perfikot, the Lord of the North, remaining loyal to them.
If the relationship between Perfikot and the Imperial Center changes, then the entire Northern Territory's attitude toward the Imperial Center would naturally shift as well.
Under such circumstances, the Imperial Center hasn't beco a re puppet mascot largely because Perfikot still respects it, and crucially because the Imperial Center retains control over a large military force.
Of course, maintaining control over the military requires substantial financial and material resources, which has beco a significant burden for the Imperial Center.
As a result, the Imperial Center, while trying to maintain military deterrence, also seeks to streamline its forces to reduce expenses, a rather conflicting situation.
Fortunately, so far, the Empire's mainland, the New Continent colonies, and the Northern Territory still nominally submit to Imperial Center rule, and related tax revenues are still paid on ti, keeping the Imperial Center operational.
However, with the advent of the ominous winter, the amounts of these taxes have visibly decreased, most notably in the Northern Territory.
This is partly one of the reasons why Eldest Princess Annie wanted to talk with Perfikot.
At that ti, Eldest Princess Annie believed that the reduction in the Northern Territory's tax revenue to the Imperial Center was due to Perfikot's neglect of governance, hence urged Perfikot to manage affairs diligently to restore tax obligations to the Imperial Center.
But Eldest Princess Annie didn't realize that behind this was not Perfikot's complacency, but her deliberate instructions for Northern Territory officials to reduce tax paynts to the Imperial Center.
Perfikot did this partially to fulfill an earlier agreent with the Queen and partially to apply pressure on the Imperial Center.
Currently, thanks to Perfikot's efforts, the external environnt is relatively stable, partially because the Evil God Sect learned restraint after being defeated twice by Perfikot.
After all, why bother provoking the Empire and Northern Territory, these prickly hedgehogs, in such a vast old world?
Internally, while various problems abound, the overall situation within the Empire remains stable.
Despite a continuous string of minor issues following the onset of the ominous winter, overall control remains within the Imperial Center's reach.
This situation of dostic and external peace suggests that it is unlikely to rapidly groom Eldest Princess Annie into a competent monarch.
Therefore, Perfikot found it necessary to create so trouble for her.
At least these matters were within Perfikot's control; if real internal and external crises arose that Perfikot couldn't manage, a wise ruler would surely be needed to save the day.
However, currently, Eldest Princess Annie doesn't even qualify as a competent heir to the throne, so how could she swiftly grow into a wise monarch?
With no alternative, Perfikot had to apply pressure on her.
In terms of the current situation in the Empire, part of the Imperial Center's authority relies on the military forces it still retains, while another part depends on the Northern Territory's recognition of the Imperial Center's authority.
And when even the Northern Territory starts challenging the Imperial Center's authority, the attitude toward the Imperial Center in other areas can be easily imagined.
Open opposition? Of course, they wouldn't dare, but they are very willing to cautiously follow suit.
Once the Northern Territory openly raised the "rebel flag," whether in the New Continent colonies, the self-governing dominions, or the Empire's mainland, there was a noticeable display of "resistance" against the Imperial Center, reducing their tax contributions.
As for other colonies that severed ties with the Imperial Center long ago, maintaining only basic communication, the situation goes without saying.
This single issue gave the Imperial Center a sowhat precarious feel, and sparked so inappropriate ambitions in several ambitious hearts.
If Eldest Princess Annie cannot hold the situation together at this crucial mont, then the Victor Empire might truly be "in danger."
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