Dragon Monarch System Chapter 1147:- The Rules of the Dragon Monarch - III; Pride of the Dragon Monarch
Previously on Dragon Monarch System...
"Hahahaha! That’s my grandson." Boris laughed loudly, unable to hide the pride in his voice as he watched Aditya from behind. Of everyone present, Boris was perhaps the least surprised by Aditya’s response. In fact, he could not have been more satisfied with the way his grandson had handled the situation.
Aditya had been angry, but he had not allowed that anger to completely control his actions. He had not ordered the soldiers to be thrown out of Axel City, nor had he immediately turned against the noble houses responsible for sending them.
Instead, he had clearly drawn a line and warned everyone not to cross it again. He had shown enough force to remind the nobles who held the greater authority without unnecessarily damaging the alliance they currently shared. To Boris, this balance between maintaining peace and protecting one’s authority was something many rulers struggled to learn even after centuries on the throne.
What continued to impress Boris was Aditya’s age. His grandson was incredibly young compared to almost every important political figure within the Celestial Dragon Empire, yet he repeatedly defied their expectations. He did not behave like an inexperienced prince desperately trying to gather enough support to take the throne.
Aditya already carried himself like someone who had ruled for years, because that was exactly what he had been doing in the Six Continents.
"I am not a people pleaser." Aditya’s voice once again spread across the entire gathering. "If you choose to serve me, then I expect your complete loyalty and trust. In return, I will protect those who serve me, reward those who deserve it, and treat everyone according to their actions."
His expression remained cold as he continued. "But I will not bend my morals simply to please someone. I will not change my principles because several powerful nobles dislike one of my decisions."
"Even if the situation appears disadvantageous to me from the outside, I will not become someone else merely because doing so would make gaining support easier." This had been Aditya’s position from the very beginning of the civil war.
He could have visited the various Dukes and Duchesses personally, offered them privileges, promised them greater authority, or made political concessions in exchange for their armies. Such methods might have made winning their support much easier.
However, Aditya had refused to do any of those things. Those who joined him had done so after observing his actions and deciding that he was the better person to lead the Empire.
"For the approval of the nobles, I did not change myself. I did not beg anyone to stand behind me, nor did I promise anyone special treatment simply to win their support. And I certainly will not lower my values now just to keep everyone pleased."
To Aditya, there was an important difference between respecting the nobles and allowing himself to become dependent on their approval. A ruler who constantly changed his decisions out of fear that powerful families might become unhappy would eventually stop ruling altogether.
At that point, the throne would merely become a seat occupied by someone whose decisions were controlled by whichever political faction applied the greatest pressure.
Aditya refused to become such an Emperor.
His pride as the Dragon Monarch would never allow it.
He was willing to listen. He was willing to admit when someone else had a better idea. He was even willing to change his decisions when presented with a convincing reason. But there was one thing he would never accept, and that was being forced to compromise simply because someone believed their political influence gave them the power to pressure him.
Aditya slowly swept his gaze across the thousands standing below him before finishing.
"This is how the Dragon Monarch does things."
Aditya coldly looked at everyone. "Better get used to this new way." Saying that Aditya vanished.
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Scene Change_____
"Good work out there." Spencer praised Aditya as the two of them returned inside the mansion. He had watched the entire situation unfold and was satisfied with how his friend had handled the nobles without allowing his anger to push him into doing anything unnecessary.
"It’s nothing." Aditya casually waved his hand, clearly not considering what he had done to be anything worth praising. "I already knew that the nobles of this Empire were quite bold because of the way my father ruled. But even I did not expect things to be this bad."
Aditya turned his attention toward the window. From where he stood, he could see the representatives of the different noble households gathering their soldiers and gradually leaving the area surrounding the mansion.
His expression became slightly colder as he watched them depart. The previous Imperial administration had allowed the nobles to become accustomed to possessing a great deal of political influence, and over time, many of them had clearly started believing that this influence gave them the ability to pressure the Imperial Family whenever enough noble houses shared the same interests.
"But no worries. I will change that soon."
"Hahahaha!" Spencer laughed upon hearing those words. He was not surprised in the slightest. He had known Aditya for far too long to misunderstand what his friend meant.
Aditya was not planning to blindly suppress the noble class or strip them of everything they possessed. However, any tradition, privilege, or political practice that allowed nobles to interfere too deeply with Imperial authority would eventually be examined and changed if Aditya considered it harmful to the Empire.
Aditya could be extremely ruthless when it came to reforms. He did not care whether a particular system had existed for ten years or ten thousand years or hundred thousands of years. If it was inefficient, corrupt, or gave certain people more power than they should possess, its age and tradition would not protect it.
At the same time, Aditya had no problem allowing capable nobles to retain their influence as long as they understood where the limits of that influence ended.
"Those who can adapt will be rewarded. Those who cannot adapt will have to pay the price." Spencer spoke with an amused smile, practically saying what Aditya himself was thinking. He understood his friend well enough to know how the Dragon Monarch intended to govern.
The nobles who accepted the coming changes, performed their responsibilities properly, and remained loyal to the Empire would have nothing to fear.
In fact, under Aditya’s rule, capable noble houses could become even more prosperous than before.
However, those who attempted to protect outdated privileges, resist necessary reforms, or use their collective political influence to pressure the Imperial Throne would eventually discover that the new Emperor was nothing like the ruler they had grown accustomed to dealing with.
"That was wonderful." Boris spoke with clear satisfaction as he and Malakor Harrington entered the room. Spencer, Nathan, and Aditya were still standing near the window, watching the last groups of soldiers and representatives from the various noble households leave the area surrounding the mansion.
Boris walked closer to them before letting out a quiet sigh. "Even I had to bend my morals slightly to satisfy the wishes of the nobles during the early years of my reign." His expression became somewhat complicated as memories from more than twenty thousand years ago returned to him.
Those had been some of the years he disliked remembering the most. When he first became Emperor, his position had not been as absolute as it later became. Powerful noble families controlled enormous territories, wealth, armies, and political connections, forcing him to occasionally compromise simply to maintain stability while he slowly strengthened his position.
That was why Boris was particularly proud of what Aditya had done today. His grandson was entering an arguably difficult situation, with a civil war approaching and much of his military strength coming from noble houses that had chosen to support him.
Yet despite needing their armies, Aditya had refused to allow that dependence to influence his principles. He had made it clear from the beginning that their support gave them the right to advise him and have their voices heard, but it did not give them the authority to pressure him into making decisions.
Aditya remained near the window as he watched the last few banners disappear into the distance. "I do not care about legacy. To me, it doesn’t matter how old or prestigious a noble household is. A family could have served this Empire for ten thousand years, but that does not mean they should be allowed to hold onto privileges that are harming the Empire simply because their ancestors possessed them."
Aditya had never been particularly impressed by ancient names or prestigious bloodlines. He respected achievements, loyalty, ability, and contribution far more than ancestry. A noble household with hundreds of thousands of years of history could certainly be respected for what its ancestors had accomplished, but that history did not automatically make its current members deserving of the same respect or privileges.
"For the Celestial Dragon Empire to evolve, every noble must be willing to adapt to change." Aditya’s tone remained calm but firm. "Those who are capable and genuinely contribute to the Empire will have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of destroying the noble system simply because it is old."
"But I also will not preserve outdated traditions merely because powerful families benefit from them." Aditya was cleverly preparing everyone here for the rapid changes that he was about to bring to the entire Celestial Dragon Empire once he became the Emperor.
Boris silently nodded after hearing this. That distinction was important. Aditya was not declaring war against the nobility. He was making it clear that under his rule, noble status would no longer be enough to protect someone from necessary reforms.
Houses that adapted, performed their responsibilities properly, and continued contributing to the Empire could remain powerful and prosperous. Those that relied entirely on their family name, ancient privileges, and political connections to maintain their positions would eventually find themselves falling behind.
In Aditya’s eyes, even the oldest noble household existed beneath the Empire, not above it. If changing an ancient system made the Celestial Dragon Empire stronger, more efficient, and better governed, then no amount of history or prestige would stop him from changing it.
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