While Elinor was assessing the victory with ease in her heart.
A representative who had been silent rose quietly: "Due to the sudden passing of Duke Edmund, and the instability in the Northern Territory, the defense line is as fragile as thin ice.
I propose that Sixth Prince Asta August be nad as the new Governor of the Northern Territory to oversee the aftermath and restore order."
Everyone turned to look; it was the representative of Duke Simmons.
The old noble in a gold-embroidered azure robe rose from the side of the long table, his tone seemingly concerned for the Empire’s safety, but in reality sharper than a blade.
And this proposal was like dropping a stone in a pool of still water, causing ripples to spread.
Imdiately another noble stood up to second the motion, followed by a third, and then a fourth...
Most were from the central nobility faction, along with a few figures from the Imperial Capital’s military system, and even so from the old Inspection House.
Their expressions varied, but their voices were uniformly aligned:
"This proposal is very stable."
"The Sixth Prince has pure blood, and has a titular territory in the Northern Territory..."
"The Governor’s position is unsettled, the people’s hearts have no allegiance..."
"The Sixth Prince is of royal blood, symbolizing stability..."
...
It wasn’t a spontaneous idea; it seed like a prearranged encirclent action.
Elinor lightly glanced at the attire and badges of the speakers, imdiately making a judgnt.
They ca from different factions but responded to Simmons with remarkable coordination, clearly indicating an extensively planned joint offense.
What was more alarming was that those who should have retorted first... remained silent.
i Si, the head of the Inspection House, slightly pushed his thin-fra glasses, maintaining his usual cold restraint.
General Yoda, who previously had many objections regarding the Northern Territory, now seed deaf, playing with a copper badge, calculating pros and cons.
And the Empire’s finance director, known for his stinginess and caution, was entirely silent.
Elinor’s brow subtly twitched, yet her lips curled into a silent, cold smile.
Underestimated.
She murmured in her heart, emotionless yet piercingly cold.
Simmons did not intend for the Sixth Prince, who had long been exiled to the Northern Territory, to truly take charge of it.
On the contrary, this strike hit the Calvin Family and Louis precisely.
Having a prince as a titular governor seed respectable yet void, sufficiently blocking Louis’s legitimacy to govern the Northern Territory.
Even if most northern nobles supported Louis, he could never truly rule the Northern Territory.
More crucially, this move disrupted Calvin’s attempt to leverage the Northern Territory for power expansion.
Elinor knew where she went wrong.
It was too smooth, too smooth to forget that this was under the Dragon Throne.
From the beginning, the situation was smooth sailing; Louis’s elevation t no opposition, empty power in the Northern Territory was readily established, and nothing hindered her recruitnt of supporters.
Elinor even once thought this eting would conclude at her steady pace.
But now she realized: other families were not indifferent to the Northern Territory, but had laid their pieces, waiting for this mont of her slack to act.
"...Damn." She cursed quietly in her heart.
Duke Calvin’s letter seed to float before her eyes: "The interests of the Northern Territory can be contested but not at too great a cost."
Indeed, she saved the cost of exchanging interests, but also fell behind because of it.
But Elinor would not be trapped on the board and simply give up.
She had served as the Calvin Family’s Special Envoy in the Imperial Capital for over a decade, negotiating with various parties, building networks for her brother, and gaining benefits for the family.
She had seen many high figures fall, many powers perish, many nobles rise under the Dragon Throne only to quietly withdraw.
This wealth of experience imdiately provided Elinor with a solution to avoid the worst outco.
She did not intend to outright oppose the proposal to make the Sixth Prince a Governor.
That would be foolish, as if the Calvin Family was hastily jumping out to contradict the royal family and seize power.
She planned to engage from the angle of social norms, etiquette, and tradition, a perspective acceptable to everyone.
Naturally, Elinor had not prepared a backup spokesperson for this nor arranged noble allies to aid her subtly.
So she had to step in personally.
Elinor slowly stood, her movents steady as if prepared in advance, and glanced around.
She paused, her eyes lowered in a sorrowful manner, speaking in a slightly astringent tone: "Duke Edmund defended the Northern Territory for more than a decade, to his last battle, now his bones are not yet cold.
His youngest son just inherited the title, and should also inherit the Governor of the Northern Territory role, as the position has historically been held by the Edmund clan head.
It isn’t that the Sixth Prince is unsuitable... but now the Imperial Capital doesn’t even know the attitude of northern nobles.
To let a prince who has been in the Northern Territory for only a year have the Governor’s title hastily might cause estrangent among those old northern nobles. In these tumultuous tis, caution is more crucial."
As her words fell, the Imperial Hall was montarily silent as the grave.
So lightly set down their teacups with grave expressions, others exchanged whispers with their neighbors, but no one easily echoed Simmons’s proposal anymore.
Elinor didn’t say the Sixth Prince was incapable, didn’t ntion the Calvin Family, or dispute for power.
But with one sentence, "those old northern nobles might cause estrangent...", she turned the entire Northern Territory into a minefield that the royal faction could not freely touch.
The most exquisite part was by using "bones are not yet cold" she sparked the empathy of the noble assembly, the sentint that today a royal decree could strip a Duke family of century-old achievents, and tomorrow they could strip any family of their land and honor.
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