"Reporting to Your Highness, I am afraid... you will be sidelined."
Hilda's expression turned grave.
"Indeed, Hilda. You must understand that if I were to confront the nobles head-on, my chances of winning would be nearly zero."
The girl shook her robe, rose from the bed, and stepped onto the crimson carpet, walking down the high platform of the statue step by step.
"The Kingdom of the Moon has a history of nearly eight hundred years. Over such a long period, the rule of the nobility has become deeply rooted. Setting aside other matters, let us speak only of the Temple knights."
Luo Li walked up to Hilda.
"You Temple knights come almost entirely from noble families."
"But Your Highness, we are more loyal to the Temple than to our families! Please, Your Highness, do not doubt us Temple knights."
Hilda explained frantically, her face turning pale.
"Hilda, you can only represent yourself. I believe in you. In your heart, the weight I hold might outweigh your family, but that may not be true for others. Do you remember the day before yesterday, when I mobilized your subordinates? They all wanted to return to Brilliant City to fight the demon army to the death."
The knight girl was stunned.
"That day, when I said the demons were about to launch a night raid, many knights' first thought was to return to Brilliant City to protect their families, not to defend me. This is human nature and cannot be changed. There may be a very few like you who are incomparably loyal to me, but most people will care more about their relatives than me."
"Therefore, once I start an open war with the power of the nobility, I will surely lose."
Perhaps at the founding of the country, imperial power could suppress noble power, but as a nation develops to a certain extent, the children of the nobility who receive elite education will gradually form a massive, closed community of interests.
Because more than ninety percent of elites come from the nobility, even though imperial power is still in hand, it is difficult to completely oppose the noble circles.
This is a massive challenge that all feudal countries face.
As a country develops, the power controlled by the nobility will only increase, eventually leading to corruption and the downfall of the nation.
Most people tend to act based on their own interests and only within their own reach, so selfishness is a biological instinct.
Caring for relatives is more practical and concrete than caring for a country.
"That is why I cannot, and have no way to, take action against the Cavendish family at this stage."
If I were to attack an established noble family without cause, all the nobles would unite against the Temple.
In the end, I might even be stripped of my power and become a mere decorative vase placed in this Temple, never to see the light of day again.
"Your Highness, what do you plan to do?"
Hilda's face was heavy, clearly understanding the severity of the consequences.
She was a child of the nobility and had received an elite education, so her horizons were much broader than those of ordinary people.
"Borrowing a knife to kill."
"Borrowing?"
Hilda clearly did not understand my meaning, but if she were a transmigrator, she would have understood my thoughts instantly.
"Yes, borrowing!"
Pausing for a moment, seeing the confusion on Hilda's face, I continued to explain.
"Hilda, what is the fundamental reason why nobles become nobles?"
"...Is it, their status?"
"If it were because of status, why are there so many fallen nobles? Some even live worse than commoners."
"Power?" Hilda asked again.
I shook my head. As expected, the era limited her perspective. Even if she was the elite of the elite, she still could not exceed the boundaries of this era's context.
"That is only part of it. Strictly speaking, it is power and capital. Among them, power is only a means, while the true goal is capital."
Stepping forward, my feet pressed into the red carpet, which felt very soft and comfortable.
"The reason nobles become nobles is that they use the power in their hands to accumulate capital, and then use that capital to develop and strengthen themselves. This endless cycle allows the nobility to gradually become a colossus. The more capital they have, the easier it is to control more power. The more power they have, the easier it is to obtain more capital. Therefore... I have no way to deal with these nobles now."
"Your Highness, based on what you said, you promoted Fulong to the rank of Duke and even gave him such immense power. Does that not mean the Cavendish family will..."
"Will turn the world upside down?"
I turned back to look at Hilda with a smile, and fear appeared on her face.
She could already imagine how terrifying it would be for a noble to grow strong enough to oppose the entire country.
"Your Highness... you..."
Hilda's gaze as she looked at me was slightly dazed.
I shook my head. Indeed, while Hilda was a bit of a closeted pervert, she had the personality of an honest person.
"Hilda, have you ever kept animals?"
"...Well, Your Highness, does my knight's horse count?"
"It counts, but not entirely."
I smiled and continued to answer for this slightly confused knight girl.
"When there are several tigers in a cage, food becomes something these tigers must obtain. To get that food, the tigers will inevitably fight and snatch from each other, eventually deciding on the strongest tiger to get the most food."
"The tiger that gets the most food will grow stronger and stronger, while the other tigers can only watch with wide eyes. Eventually, the other tigers will starve to death, leaving only the strongest tiger. Tell me... will those tigers be content?"
"This... they will not."
Hilda hesitated for a moment before shaking her head with certainty.
"Correct. The other tigers will not just watch one tiger grow strong. Therefore, the other tigers will unite to suppress the strongest tiger, ensuring that all the food is distributed evenly. They absolutely do not want to see one family dominate."
At this point, I paused and gazed at the knight girl.
"So... when I throw a massive piece of fatty meat to this one tiger, how will the other tigers react?"
"They will attack it as a group."
Hilda answered seriously, and her eyes suddenly brightened.
"Your Highness, do you plan to use the knives of the other nobles to cut down the Cavendish family?"
"Exactly. What I need to do now is sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. When two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. Moreover, there are more than just two tigers in the cage. No matter who gets hurt, I will get what I want."
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