Perfikot's plan is almost whimsical, yet it has great feasibility.
At least compared to the Crisis Response Committee, which hasn't even figured things out yet, her plan is actually viable.
Recognizing this clearly, Eldest Princess Annie wasted no time and sought out Perfikot to understand her entire plan and idea in detail. Upon returning to Langton City, she went directly to see her mother, Her Majesty the Empress of the Victor Empire.
"Mother, I believe Perfikot's plan is highly feasible and worthy of strong support from the Royal Family!" After explaining Perfikot's plan to the Empress, Eldest Princess Annie expressed her view to the Empress.
The Empress remained noncommittal, only speaking after contemplating for a long time: "How is the progress on the Crisis Response Committee's side?"
As the Royal Family's representative on the Crisis Response Committee, Eldest Princess Annie naturally knew their progress.
"Terrible, they're still in the process of forming the basic structure of the committee, and the nobles are arguing amongst themselves for their own interests. Although Duke Gloucester can suppress them, he cannot unite them wholeheartedly." In this regard, Eldest Princess Annie did not exaggerate or deliberately distort, but the facts she knew made her pessimistic about the Crisis Response Committee.
The Empress herself was not surprised by the slow progress of the Crisis Response Committee.
She picked up her teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and then smiled slightly, saying, "The Empire operates this way. No matter what you want to do, you must first balance all interests so that they won't create trouble for you.
Duke Gloucester may not be able to unify them, but he always finds a way to balance the interests, allowing them to reach a widely acceptable outcome. That's precisely why I heavily rely on him—because he can maintain the stability of the Empire.
Although it's not the best solution, at the very least it's a solution that can be accepted by all, preventing major contradictions and conflicts from impeding the progress of this matter entirely."
Unlike the bold actions of Eldest Princess Annie, Her Majesty the Empress, who has ruled the Empire for decades, naturally understands what the vast Empire truly entails.
The Empire has so many nobles that even the Empress has contemplated several times reducing their numbers. One can imagine how daunting the task of balancing their interests is.
However, for a mature politician and the ruler of the Empire, learning to balance various forces is a compulsory course.
But evidently, Eldest Princess Annie is lacking in this area. Upon hearing the Empress's words, she directly expressed her dissatisfaction: "Isn't it indulging them in wasting the valuable time Perfikot has fought for the Empire, disregarding the lives of the Empire's people?"
"Of course not." The Empress put down the teacup, merely smiling at Eldest Princess Annie's dissatisfaction and emotions: "As a ruler of the Empire, you need to learn not only to balance various interests to maintain the Empire's stability but also to achieve your goals through other means."
At this point, the Empress stood up and went to her desk, spread a special royal alchemy paper, wrote a document on it, sealed it with a signet, and personally sealed it with wax before handing it to Eldest Princess Annie.
"Take it, and hand it to Baroness Brandelis. Then announce on my behalf the sponsorship for her Arctic expedition plan." The Empress looked at Eldest Princess Annie, seeing she still didn't fully understand, and explained with a smile: "When you find entangled interests preventing you from reaching your goal, as a competent Empress, you need to learn to bypass their entanglements and achieve your goal in the way you deem appropriate."
Though Perfikot is not yet of age, the Empress's reference to her as a Baroness means she will formally inherit the title passed down from her grandfather, rather than merely being its heir.
At this, the Empress mischievously smiled and winked at Eldest Princess Annie: "As the Empress of the Empire, you should always have two contingencies, right? But remember, you can't use this trick often, or they'll think of you as a capricious Empress."
Although the Empress is now elderly and long past her prime, the former Empress was once a beautiful girl with a personality akin to Eldest Princess Annie, only time has worn away her sharpness, making her more suave and, simultaneously, aged.
But it's only her governance methods that have become smoother, and her experience that has become seasoned.
As a ruler who pushed the Victor Empire to its peak and led the Empire for decades, she didn't rely on compromise and concession to hold the empire's throne firmly, making the empire the present-day land where the sun never sets.
Having received the document written by the Empress, Eldest Princess Annie basically guessed what it was, and her face immediately lit up with a joyful expression, expressing gratitude to the Empress excitedly.
"Go ahead, let me see what surprises you and Baroness Brandelis can bring me, you can use any royal resources at your disposal." The Empress generously gave Eldest Princess Annie vast power, meanwhile she retrieved a badge from a drawer and hesitantly handed it to Eldest Princess Annie: "This is the badge of the Royal Imperial Guard Knight Order. With it, you can mobilize the Imperial Guard Knight Order... but don't deploy them unless necessary; use your mobilizable forces as much as possible, this is just your last resort."
"The Royal Imperial Guard Knight Order?" Eldest Princess Annie was slightly shocked; she knew this was the strongest force held by the Royal Family, a troop entirely composed of Extraordinary knights.
In past times, Imperial Guard Knights were the powerful deterrence that allowed the Royal Family to suppress major dukes and maintain dominion over the Empire.
On the battlefield, though they usually only guarded the Emperor's side, when the Emperor personally goes to war, the whole troop of Extraordinary knights become the most fearsome presence on the battlefield.
Despite the invention of the steam engine and the Empire's rapidly evolving technology, with widespread use of cannons and firearms thoroughly changing the nature of warfare, the Imperial Guard Knights continue to deter ambitious figures both inside and outside the Empire, serving as tools for the Emperor to implement their will.
In a sense, the Imperial Guard Knights are the strongest means by which the Emperor forcibly implements their will when hindered by the parliament.
Their presence signifies the Empire's supreme ruler's determination to achieve their goal at all costs, and it is the strongest and most vigorous support the Empress can offer Perfikot and Eldest Princess Annie.