Chapter 157 The First Assembly of the Parliament, Li Tiangong
After a while, Matthias and the others descended the stairs and boarded the carriages that were waiting for them below the mountain.
Matthias rode the golden carriage with his Empress and Consorts while the Crowned Prince sat on another carriage by himself.
At their sides, the Four Pillars mounted their horses, surrounding the two carriages. The Imperial Guards marched together with them, leading to a long parade to the Firmament.
Along the way, they were greeted by the enthusiasm of the people. Some threw roses, some sang praises, some knelt, and some offered food for the soldiers that weren't accepted by them because of security and health purposes.
When they arrived in front of the Lotus Firmament, they went straight to the Golden Lotus Palace, where the assembly would take place. Although the two Courts have already been assembled and the Parliament was already completed, this is the first Assembly between all of the members of the Parliament.
Inside, it was already packed with people. Security began to tighten even more when the Imperial Carriages arrived. Many anticipated what the topics that would be tackled inside and what the results would be after the assembly ended. The assembly would basically decide what the territory would be developing towards.
When they arrived in front of the Golden Lotus Palace, they got off their carriages and entered immediately; The Parliament was already inside, waiting for them.
The other members of the Royal House like Gongsun Yi has also already arrived inside, waiting for them.
Inside, the grandiose structure of the palace could be seen by everybody. Different from a usual palace that has rooms, the Golden Lotus Palace is a one giant room filled with tables and seats filled with people wearing their ceremonial robes surrounding the high platform where the Dragon Throne was placed.
Matthias and his family continued to walk inside, going to the high platform. When they all had ascended, Cane, the Prime Minister of the Parliament and the Dynasty, announced with a loud voice, "Behold, His Majesty The Emperor Han Shen!"
"We Greet Your Majesty!"
"We Greet Your Majesty!"
"We Greet Your Majesty!"
With the one hundred members of the Court of Nobles to the two hundred members of the Court of The People, their greetings shook the Golden Lotus Palace slightly. All of them simultaneously kneeled, shaking the ground.
Outside, the people felt the shaking of the ground, shocking them.
Inside, everyone felt the grandness of the atmosphere, the royal aura that emanates from the people above. What they didn't notice was that the Spirit Energy inside the palace was triple that of the outside. If not for the royalty having an overwhelming aura, they would've noticed it first.
"I, Cane Maxwell, Prime Minister of Qin and a member of The Royal House, representing my Faction. We are complete!" Cane was the first one to speak after the greetings.
After that, from below, a man from the left side wearing a simple grey hanfu stood up and stepped forward, "I, Wen Shiguang, city lord of Subei City, represents the Court of The People. We are complete!" He announced.
Gongsun Pei, who was positioned at the right, moved forward and bowed, "Gongsun Pei, representing the Court of Nobles. We are complete!"
"Everyone is here." Matthias spoke, making everyone silent, "Let us start the Assembly."
"After much consideration and meetings, I have decided to send the Crowned Prince on an expedition to the south of the Yuan Empire. Because of the hostility that they have shown in the battle against the rebels, we shall pay their hostility back tenfold." Matthias declared, with Alexander stepping forward and bowing towards them, which shocked everyone.
"Your Majesty?!"
"Your Majesty?!"
A commotion started below. Everyone was discussing the declaration. Such speech was tantamount to declaring war against the huge Yuan Empire.
"Fret not." Matthias added in, "As of now, the Yuan Empire, losing their Khan, has been going chaotic, with factions rising up to take the empty throne."
"My son, The Crowned Prince Alexander, will prove to everyone that he does not just rely on the prestige of his father and, instead, would even surpass me in the art of war." Matthias praised, making the two Courts curious to what this Crowned Prince of theirs can do.
After his declaration, Cane took over the talks between the three chambers of the Parliament. "As we all know, the dynasty is still developing and is going in the right direction. Our resources, currently, have exceeded the demand and we are now exporting our goods to our allied nations. Does anyone have any suggestions in addition to the matter?" He put forward a question for the two chambers to debate on.
After a lot of exchanges of ideas and discussion, the first one to express their opinion was a member of the Court of Nobles, "The Prime Minister's words are wise." The member said, "With the trading relationship between the neighboring countries and ours, we would improve the trading economy and reputation of the state, and even gain the trust of allies from all over!"
With his answer, there came the one that opposed from the Court of The People, "If we keep it for the future development of the state, we would be able to develop inwardly, not relying on the other territories and letting them infiltrate our market! We would surely lose some. It is a risk! We should just develop our state using the resources that are available for us! "
"Our goals shouldn't be too narrow." Another from the Court of Nobles opposed the member of the opposite Court's proposition, "The dynasty's goal isn't for the territory to develop but still stay as it is in terms of land, but to unify the old Empire! We should also develop and infiltrate the market of our neighbors and slowly gain the good books of their citizens! It would be an easy entrance later on!"
"I also approve of the Noble Court's proposition." Someone from the Court of The People butted in, "Such a move as developing using our own resources also has some risks in its own ways. Resources wouldn't last forever, and we still need resources from other nations to strengthen our economic growth. There's also a similar risk of corruption that would certainly foil some plans for development. If we are unlucky to experience such things, it would be hard for a self-developing nation to develop at all."
Matthias looked at them debating and nodded in approval. This is what he wants to see. Debates can improve the sights of the parties involved and would result in greater development for the dynasty.
Hours later, while listening to the debates below, Matthias suddenly heard something that he somehow detested to hear inside his dynasty's government.
"Conquest results in hundreds of thousands of lost lives! Why couldn't we just develop peacefully and promote human welfare? That way, no one would be hurt! We can just cultivate in both spirit and mind, teaching morality and peaceful coexistence. Absolute Peace would prevail over all, and it would spread across all the lands!" One person from the Court of The People said with a benevolent voice.
What he said gained mixed responses. Some nodded with approval and some casted looks of disgust at him.
Above, Matthias narrowed his eyes with displeasure. He turned to Cane and whispered, "Who is that person?"
"He is Li Tiangong, Your Majesty. A confucian scholar that promotes peace and human equality under the heavens. He has influence over a lot of confucian scholars because of his humility, kindness, and compassion." Cane answered.
Matthias narrowed his eyes even more. Below, some members of the Parliament that were influenced by Li Tiangong supported his ideals and spoke, "Scholar Li is right! Shouldn't we just spread peace across the land and surely, people from all over would come in droves to our doorstep!"
"They will come in droves to conquer and slaughter us, fools!" A member of the Noble Court snapped angrily.
With that, there came a divide between the two Courts. Seeing the new chaos that is happening, Matthias spoke in a deep but dignified voice, "Quiet."
As if influenced by some divine intervention, everyone went silent as if it was muted.
After a while, Matthias looked at Li Tiangong and spoke with indifference, "Scholar Li, I approve of your benevolence that is renowned throughout the ages. I assure you that your name would be known across all the lands in the future for your leadership and generosity, promoting equality over all the people.." Scholar Li's eyes lit up when he heard the Emperor's response.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I can assure you that–" He wasn't even done talking when Matthias spoke once more with an even more indifferent and cold voice, "..but this isn't the age where such cowardice and kindness must prevail." Li Tiangong's eyes widened open with shock.
"Your Majesty.."
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