1885, I came to save Greece

Thunderous applause echoed throughout the parliament hall, lasting for a long time.

Zaimis stood on the podium, head slightly bowed, his posture humble, yet he calmly accepted the thunderous applause. He savored this moment, this moment of victory that he had personally created.

He had even planned how, after the vote passed, he would deliver a speech that highlighted his "upholding of the rule of law," and how he would express just the right amount of regret for the young prince who had "gone astray" with a tolerant attitude.

The speaker's gaze shifted to the young man who had remained silent throughout. He cleared his throat; the procedures still needed to be followed.

"Your Highness Constantine, what is your defense against the Prime Minister's accusations and motions?"

Amidst the momentary silence and intense gaze of the entire audience, Constantine slowly rose to his feet.

He did not immediately walk to the podium.

Instead, he nodded slightly towards the heavy side door of the hall.

The side door opened in response.

Two soldiers in the black uniforms of the Royal Tax Police strode in. Together, they carried a large wooden crate with iron-plated edges.

The box looked incredibly heavy, covered with dried marine life remains and bearing mottled rust.

"Bang!"

The heavy iron box was slammed down beside the podium by the soldier with all his might.

"Thump!"

The sound wasn't like wood hitting the ground; it was more like a dull alarm bell, sending a shiver down everyone's spine. The jagged rust and dried-up marine debris on the container seemed to still speak of the coldness and darkness of the deep sea, and everyone who saw it instinctively felt a chill rise from the soles of their feet.

Zaimis looked at the box, his brow furrowed slightly, and that faint unease in his heart resurfaced.

So make a fool of yourself.

He told himself that it was just a dying man's final performance.

Constantine then took his first steps and walked slowly onto the podium.

He didn't look at Zaimis; his deep blue eyes slowly swept over every member of parliament, every ambassador, and every journalist present.

His voice, thanks to the well-designed structure of the hall, traveled clearly to everyone's ears.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister just delivered a brilliant speech."

"He talked about law, about property, about order."

"He portrayed the Skopelos family as law-abiding shipping magnates who dedicated themselves to the country."

He spoke slowly, yet with a strange sense of oppression.

"But I don't want to talk about that today."

"I want to talk to you about a word that is more important than law, property, and order—"

He paused for a moment, then enunciated each word with perfect clarity.

"loyalty."

As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down and, in full view of everyone, personally unlocked the iron box.

"Creak—"

The lid of the box was opened.

A unique smell, a mixture of the salty odor of seawater and the musty smell of paper, instantly filled the air.

Everyone craned their necks, expecting to see some gold and silver treasures, or documents refuting Zaimis.

But inside, there were only nautical logs and account books, all tightly wrapped in tarpaulin.

Constantine took one out of them.

The cover of the ledger was white and wrinkled from being soaked in seawater, and the edges were tattered.

He held the tattered ledger high and showed it to everyone.

"The family that Your Excellency the Prime Minister mentioned, which has made a 'huge contribution' to Greece, has indeed made a huge contribution."

Constantine's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Their contribution was to secretly resell our country's biggest, and only, enemy—the new weapons we bought from Germany with all our taxpayers' money—at a higher price!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence!

Zaimis's smile froze instantly!

Amidst the utterly shocked gazes of everyone, Constantine opened the "Treasoner's Ledger."

He didn't need any amplification equipment; his clear and cold voice, like the pronouncement of death, resounded throughout the entire hall.

"November 7, 1884. The cargo ship 'Helena,' codename 'Nighthawk,' secretly transferred a shipment of goods in the 'Devil's Teeth' waters off the Cyclades Islands."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the face of the Ottoman embassy military attaché below the stage, a face that instantly froze.

"Goods list: 300 German-made Mauser Model 1871 rifles. Accompanying ammunition: 50,000 rounds. These rifles were originally intended for our 5th Infantry Regiment on the Thessalonian border."

In the gallery, the German military attaché's eyebrows shot up sharply, and he subconsciously touched his sword, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp. Beside him, the British ambassador elegantly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, but his eyes gleamed with undisguised excitement and greed.

"Transaction counterparty: Mehmed Pasha, logistics officer of the 4th Army Corps stationed in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire!"

"January 22, 1885. The cargo ship 'Poseidon,' code name 'Siren.' Same location as above."

"Goods list: 200 boxes of Krupp 75mm field gun shells! This is an emergency order we placed with Krupp last year to strengthen the defenses of Athens!"

"The counterparty is the same as above!"

With each statement Constantine read out, the temperature in the entire parliament hall seemed to drop by a degree.

If the previous accusations were merely part of an internal political struggle within Greece.

Now, the nature of the accusations has undergone a complete transformation!

Treason!

This is blatant, unforgivable, treason!

This is using the lives of Greek soldiers to exchange for the gold coins of their own families!

Sir Harding, the British ambassador, leaned forward slightly, his body uncontrollably, and for the first time, his eyes, which always carried a hint of laziness and arrogance, revealed extreme shock.

Those oligarchic members of parliament who had been applauding Zaimis were now ashen-faced. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear and bewilderment.

They came to help Zaimis suppress the Crown Prince, not to be buried with the traitor!

"perjury!!"

A hysterical roar shattered the silence.

Zaimis looked like a mad tiger, pointing at Constantine, his face contorted with anger and fear.

"This is a forgery! It's a lie you fabricated to exonerate yourself and frame a loyal family! What can a tattered ledger, which you probably found out from who-knows-where, prove!"

He was still making a last-ditch effort. But his loss of composure and incoherent speech had already revealed his inner fears.

In response to Zaimis's roar, Constantine simply closed the ledger with disdain.

"perjury?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold dagger piercing Zaimis's heart.

"Of course I know that His Excellency the Prime Minister will not easily admit to something based on just one ledger."

"so……"

Constantine's gaze shifted to the heavy oak doors of the parliament hall.

"I have invited an old friend for you."