Chapter 847 — My Path Is Not Lonely
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"If he lost control over the army and over the social order, then we would not need to lift a finger—countless remnants left over from the old Ansun era would leap out to brand him with any number of usurper's titles, and his 'resurrection' would beyond doubt become a devil's plot.
"If he holds the army and the social order firmly in hand, then no matter how many people expose his secrets, it will only be 'malicious slander by those scheming to restore the old order and by venomous conspirators.' His 'resurrection' will remain a miracle—and when the need arises, it can even be a divine one.
"And if you further consider his highly effective methods for controlling public opinion and winning hearts, child, do you still believe that a mere rumor of 'an evil spirit reborn' can shake Gao Yang Cecil's rule? As far as I know, rumors of that sort have not ceased since the day he was resurrected. What effect have they had?"
Matilda put on the manner of one humbly receiving instruction and listened carefully to Luo Yan's words to the end before asking, "But... this is still a very important hold over him, is it not? For us, this 'secret' is a considerable windfall."
"True, a very important hold... and yet a hold that cannot accomplish much, and as you say, this windfall is merely 'unexpected,'" Luo Yan Augustus nodded slightly. "So if we truly wish to make use of it, then first, we must not do so 'in person.' It is not worth it. Gao Yang Cecil and that department of his devoted to controlling intelligence have surely prepared their countermeasures in public opinion, and at the slightest misstep our losses would exceed his. Second, do not expect too fine a result. It is like the swordsmanship you have learned: in battle against a strong foe there is no trick for victory in a single stroke. Advantage must be accumulated slowly, and often what we accumulate is not even advantage, but merely a little time in which to accumulate advantage."
Matilda listened quietly, a thoughtful look coming over her face, and she heard her father say to her in a tone heavy with meaning, "Matilda, governing an empire requires more than an iron hand and swift resolve. More often, you need patience and caution."
Matilda nodded instinctively, but then something seemed to strike her, and she opened her eyes wide to look at Luo Yan. "Father, you..."
"I meant nothing by it," Luo Yan said calmly, and abruptly changed the subject. "In fact, if our intelligence is correct, we may even owe Gao Yang Cecil a favor."
"Owe him a favor?" Matilda asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"...Since late in the Month of Chill, how many nightmares have you had?" Luo Yan asked.
"...Only two," Matilda thought for a moment, and though she did not understand, she answered earnestly. "The power of the curse had grown stronger before, but after late in the Month of Chill the curse's influence returned to what it was... perhaps even weakened a little. My nightmares have grown shorter."
"The curse that has plagued our family comes from the Throat of Orlandelle, from the collapsed old imperial capital, and now we know that those fallen dream-priests did not go elsewhere in the past two centuries. They have been deep in that ruin all along, continuing to research forbidden things—the intelligence provided by Lord Bomayr indicates that it was the Evernappers' own research that caused a disaster on the scale of a divine calamity, which is why they had no choice but to seek help from the 'Outlander Wanderer.' And the timeline of all this coincides precisely with the recent fluctuations in the curse's power."
Matilda's eyes gradually grew solemn.