Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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“What good would it do if I said it was irrelevant?” Camille retorted.

She wasn't entirely unnerved; her hands were already clenching her skirt until it was wrinkled. However, her voice remained remarkably calm. If she weren't a woman, if she weren't seriously ill, even if she had only been a novice magician, she should have been able to succeed with this extraordinary mental fortitude.

"A very clear understanding," Ronan praised, then asked, "Do you want to leave?"

“I don’t want to,” Camille replied, then asked, “Mr. Artes, there must still be many traitors who haven’t been caught yet?”

"Do you think those remnants are of any use to me?" Ronan asked with a smile.

"It seems there are still quite a few traitors who haven't been caught," Camille said with a hint of smugness.

Ronan smiled slightly, surprised that the little girl had tricked him into revealing information; she actually knew nothing about the defection.

Camille continued, "So, to answer the previous question, I've heard some things, so these remnants shouldn't be of much use to you. To be precise, you've already captured enough people, enough for you to drag some others down with you. But, traitors must be eliminated at any time, right?"

"Do you know who the remaining traitors are and where they are?" Ronan asked.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t involved at all. Besides, I was blind before,” Camille stated calmly. “But we can try to find out.”

Dinia suddenly interjected, "What method?"

“Analyze the intelligence,” Camille replied. “The rebels are probably connected through a single line of communication. People who are not on the same line don’t know the identities of the others at the same level. However, the number of mages who are very dissatisfied with you is relatively limited. If we take the people we have already captured and the leader as nodes, and then analyze the network of relationships, we can narrow down the scope little by little. We can always find the other rebels, right? If you don’t have anyone with the talent in this area, I can give it a try.”

"Can you guarantee success?" Ronan asked.

“Of course I can’t guarantee that. I used to be just a lowly bookkeeper in the Chamber of Commerce, falsifying accounts, but I want to survive,” Camille said. “If someone like me is useless, how can I survive? If so, could I at least go and kill a few people who oppose Her Majesty the Queen?”

Before Ronan could speak, Dinia stood up and said, "You'll be with me from now on."

Chapter 411 courting death, a "pledge of allegiance," the dragon knight ultimately becomes a dragon.

Dinia wants to take Camille.

She did this because she realized that Camille's self-righteous behavior was actually deepening Ronan's murderous intent. Ronan originally did not want to take any cruel measures against her, but she talked too much and showed a kind of childish self-righteous maturity and an unconcealable ambition.

The more Ronan outwardly admired her, the further she drifted away from freedom.

So Dinia interrupted her and offered her help.

However, Dinia is not a pushover either. In fact, it's impossible for someone to be a good person coming from a place like the Egis Orphanage, where the weak are eliminated and the strong take everything.

Camille has three things to do before being brought under his wing.

The first thing Dinah did was to have Camille, as Rabelais's only blood relative, publish an open letter to Queen Ambrina.

The letter was very long, but the general idea was simple: the seventh-level mage Felix Rabelais was very dissatisfied with the Ministry of Finance, believing that the Ministry of Finance was a cancer on the country and that the Ministry of Finance should separate the tax collection business and establish an independent tax department.

In addition to the Ministry of Taxation, there should be a mobile unit responsible for collecting overdue taxes, which should be under the Ministry of the Interior.

This letter can only be described as absurd. As everyone knows, Rabelais rarely expresses any opinions publicly and does not hold any political stance. He even rarely speaks about some matters within the magician circle. He can be said to be the least influential of the three giants, even less influential than some fifth- or sixth-tier magicians.

This letter was not written by Rabelais at all.

This letter was concocted by that bastard Ronan.

Ronan could only protest his innocence; this time it really wasn't Dinia who did it, but Dinia. It just goes to show that these damned bureaucrats can't see things from a developmental perspective, still thinking Dinia is the same person she was back then. Haven't they heard the proverb, "The dragon rider becomes the dragon"?

Although everyone knows the truth.

However, no one can prove that the letter was not written by Rabelais, because Rabelais himself did not come forward to deny that the letter was written.

You're saying Camille is an imposter?

Let's be logical. This is an open letter, and one that could shake up the political situation. It's not just someone impersonating Rabelais to deceive people. How could anyone dare to impersonate him and not be afraid that Rabelais would jump out and slap them to death?

Unfortunately, no one knew that Rabelais was actually dead. Ronan wasn't sure if he was really dead, but one thing was certain: he would never come forward and say that the letter wasn't written by him.

Of course, the officials didn't take it too seriously, or they could ignore it. After all, Rabelais was actually just an "ordinary citizen" with no official position, no title, and no reputation in the mage circle. Theoretically, his words carried the same weight as those of the fishmongers on the Stinky Fish Street in the capital.

Dinia, and even Ronan, did not expect to get things done with a single letter. Instead, they brought the issue to the forefront, and now that it had become a big deal and everyone knew about it, no one could pretend to be dead. A vote had to be taken.

Next came the second incident. As Bruno and several other officials were being escorted to prison as suspects in a treasonous plot, Camille, under the cover of "helpful citizens," broke both of Bruno's legs, as did the others.

This can be considered a "pledge of allegiance" before leaving the field.

Then, Camille turned herself in, explaining that her great-grandfather considered the man a cancer, so she wanted to fight him. This incident added another layer of heat to the issue of the Treasury Department.

Then, with the intervention of Queen Ambrina, the court swiftly sentenced Camille to two months in the Ministry of Magic's private prison.

It's full of magicians and criminals, and it's full of talented people.

The third thing she will do after her release from prison is to join the research center under the Ministry of the Interior, where she will be both a researcher and a research subject. Only after the research is completed will she have the opportunity to truly become Dinia's subordinate.

"I'll leave the matter with the Ministry of Finance to you, Didi. I still need to handle the sale of the Royal Chamber of Commerce's assets."

Ronan said to Dinia.

The sale of the Royal Chamber of Commerce's assets was put on hold due to the White Pagoda incident, but it still needs to continue.

"no problem."

Dinia responded with complete confidence.

Apart from Cheney, who had long been transferred to the Inspectorate of the Ministry of the Interior, most of the Treasury officials had been purged. Minister Bruno was suspected of treason, and the other officials were either implicated in the treason case because they had committed crimes related to the Royal Chamber of Commerce’s sale of goods and were sent to the “education center” or were directly implicated by Minister Bruno.

The Ministry of Finance, the party directly involved, has lost its power; it can only deal with other central government officials.

This is Dinia, a minister with no connections, and King Ambrina, a king with no connections, against the entire bureaucracy except for the Ministry of Finance.

Various departments, to varying degrees, have siphoned off the country's resources through the Ministry of Finance.

For example, the Minister of Agriculture was one of the few confidants of the late King Lucien. However, the Ministry of Agriculture, under his leadership, colluded with the tax system of the Ministry of Finance to falsify agricultural taxes and embezzle money. They also created some fake agricultural projects to defraud the government of funds. They made money from both sides. Once the Ministry of Finance was split up and the old accounts were settled, a lot of people in the Ministry of Agriculture would fall.

The Ministry of Finance is the lifeblood of countless officials, the shears that cut sheep.

This level of difficulty looks extremely high.

But Dinah remains confident; she is no longer the politically naive person she once was.

Night, the king's bedroom.

Ambrina was sitting at the table eating her last meal, thumb-sized biscuits dipped in beef sauce.

Dinya was standing right in front of her, without a seat. This was intentional on Ambrina's part. She could sit next to Alice's friend, give Elena a seat, or even let Isabel sit opposite her, but she would never give Dinya a seat.

Because the two were in a relationship of king and important subject, and also because the two were the king's wife and his number one lover.

Dinia stood up and reported her strategy.

After Ambrina finished eating and listening, she nodded. "I understand. Kill a few, punish a group, let the majority go, and promise not to bring up past grievances. That's the four points, right?"

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Dinia replied.

Although Bruno was imprisoned, his black ledger had already been obtained by Isabel and Ashley before that, and is now in Dinia's hands.

Dinya didn't even bother to look at the three thick books; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself.

The same goes for Isabelle. Dinya was the private tutor of the third princess, but at that time the third princess was only a six or seven-year-old child. In reality, Dinya and Isabelle were the teacher and student. However, Isabelle, the princess who extremely disliked the extravagant life of royalty, was more deeply involved in the lower classes and more radical than her teacher Dinya.

"If there's nothing else, you can leave." Ambrina didn't even want to chat with Dinia for a second.

"Your subject takes his leave." Dinia bid farewell and departed.

Leaving the palace, Dinia just wanted to get home and have a couple of drinks.

She was in a bad mood at the moment, not because of Ambrina, but because of herself.

Chapter 412 Heart-to-heart talk, players relaxed, war begins

Back home, before even lighting the oil lamp, Dinia sighed softly, "What are you doing here?"

"You only realized I was in your house after you got inside?" Ronan's voice came through the door.

Dinia turned on the lights on one side of the living room, sat on a high stool in front of the bar facing the wine cabinet, and pulled over a bottle of brandy, two wide-mouthed glasses, and a few pieces of hard candy with a flick of her finger.

She poured herself a drink, took a sip and half a cup, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Ronan poured himself a drink, took a small sip with a candy in his mouth, and asked, "You seem a bit off today. What happened with Anri?"

“It has nothing to do with her,” Dinia said. “I just suddenly feel powerless.”

"You know, I don't care whether what I do is right or wrong, but it's hard to accept if what I do is useless."

“I thought I had grown up, and I told Ambrina about my plan to deal with those officials.”

"But after I finished speaking, I felt like I had lost a lot. I realized that in order to complete the dismantling of the Ministry of Finance, I had become a bit unlike myself and betrayed my original intention. Or rather, I had come to accept that some problems were unsolvable. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who leeches off the country. Perhaps leeching off the country is not the most accurate word, but that's the thing. I can't quite explain it."

"I'm starting to wonder if everything I've done so far has been meaningful."

After saying that, Dinia took another sip and finished the remaining half glass.

“I can only say that we haven’t seen any results yet. We’re still in the stage of pest control and tree planting, so we can’t really see any effects,” Ronan said. “When the country becomes prosperous and stronger, when more people receive education, and when more people have the opportunity to become magicians, you will see the changes in this country.”

Dinia asked, "Will this situation change?"

“There will be quantitative changes, but qualitative changes will come a long, long time from now,” Ronan said with a smile, taking another sip of his drink.

The age of reason has not yet arrived, capitalism has not even begun, everything is still a long way off.

“Didn’t we agree that once we’ve done what we can in this era, we’ll leave this country, travel the world, head east, and see the sights we don’t have here? I’ve heard that Seris in the far east is a country with a very mature civil service system and different ideas from ours. We should be able to see something different.”

Dinia poured Ronan a full glass of wine. "You're always so relaxed."

She envied that.

"This is normal. On the chaotic stage of politics, everyone, whether they are idealists or people who pursue fame and fortune, is exhausted. Pursuing ideals means self-discipline and being incompatible with the world. Pursuing fame and fortune is like dancing on a knife's edge, a step into an abyss."

"Only someone like me, who sees the game of power as a form of enjoyment, can truly relax. Neither ideals nor fame and fortune are necessities for me."

Ronan said with great pride.

People like him, whose moral standards can be very high or very low, are the ones who truly have a flexible bottom line. Those who are at most just passing grade cannot be called flexible.

Dinia chuckled, then remarked, "You're clearly a young man, but you act like an old man."

"Aren't you only a year older than me?" Ronan asked with a smile.

“I’m older than you,” Dinia insisted.

"And what's wrong with me being an old man? Have you ever seen such a strong and healthy old man as me?" Ronan said, touching Dinia's thigh.

"Why are you here again?" Dinia said reproachfully.

"Oh, you're wearing stockings today," Ronan said with a hint of surprise, feeling the garter straps through the skirt.

Dinia removed Ronan's hand. "I just went to see Her Majesty the Queen, so I dressed formally."

In the kingdom, what's considered formal is a one-piece corset that supports the bust and cinches the waist, with clasps at the bottom to connect to stockings that have little elasticity. In this season, this is worn over a long skirt and with satin high heels.

Ronan lifted his skirt, revealing a pair of garter stockings that were a very retro style for him.

The suspenders are connected by a wide band of thick black stockings. The main body of the stockings is champagne-colored with a very average sheen. Because they have little elasticity, they are slightly loose when sitting. There are obvious wrinkles at the back of the knees and ankles. There is also a thin black line at the back, extending from the heel to the thick black block. The toe of the stocking is also thick black.

"That's enough, I'm not in the mood today," Dinia said.

"Oh, never mind then." Ronan pouted in disappointment. He could tell that Dinia was genuinely in a bad mood.

That night, the two of them simply drank.

The following period was another busy time.

It can be said that they are advancing on four fronts simultaneously.

On the first route, Ronan continued to manage the sale of the Royal Chamber of Commerce's assets. This included transactions with high-ranking nobles, preferential treatment for certain manufacturing factory owners, and incidentally, Ronan also secured some resources for his and Ambrina's "husband-and-wife business."

This is not just about cutting away the rotten parts and recovering funds, but also about laying the foundation for future industrial and commercial development.

On the second front, Dinia began a struggle with the bureaucracy led by the Prime Minister over the splitting of the Ministry of Finance.

The strategy remains unchanged: pick a few of the most vocal opponents of the Ministry of the Interior, label them as traitors, and execute them outright; bring in a group of people who previously amassed great benefits through the Ministry of Finance, double their fines, and if they can't pay, let them "enroll" for free; leave the remaining large group of people of moderate rank for the time being; finally, suggest that after the Ministry of Finance is split up, no old accounts be brought up, so that everyone can rest assured.

In the third route, Agustina and Isabelle continue to handle the treason case.

This case involves too many people. It's one thing to deal with political figures, but the key issue is that it involves numerous magician organizations. If it weren't for Stefan and Ursel's endorsement, it would have been handled with little effort.

It can only be done slowly.

The fourth route involves Elena as Ronan's representative and Alice as the head of the Inspection Bureau's Operations Division, who are responsible for overseeing the reconstruction of houses, roads, and various municipal facilities in the eastern residential area of ​​the capital.

Corruption has always been a problem in engineering projects, from ancient times to the present. Elena controls the quality of some projects, and Alice checks the accounts to make sure the budget doesn't go too far over.

As for the second party using their superior skills to exploit loopholes in rules and laws to make money, that's their prerogative.

Ronan is setting an example.

If we had to name a fifth option, it would be the promulgation of the new law. This was being handled personally by Her Majesty Queen Ambrina, but in reality, the new law had already been drafted. She just needed to go through the formalities and get it stamped, which didn't interfere with her going to the theater to watch a play or have a meal.

By the end of June, several matters had come to an end.