The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

"The Inquisition has no clue yet. The cultists are very vigilant, and even the ghoul doesn't know her true appearance or identity. However, we have obtained a map of the hidden paths in the sewers and the hiding place of the ghoul family. At most, the Inquisition should make some progress in the next two days..."

"Haha, you're completely clueless. I'd give you two days, and those ghouls would have already run away." Hestia sneered. "I heard your Inquiry Office has arrested quite a few people these past few days. With thousands of rebels talking, you should be able to pry out some useful intelligence, right?"

"This one……"

Sweat dripped from the cold censor's forehead.

"Or, rather than contributing to the empire, you inquisitors are better at digging up the foundations, arresting 'suspects' on trumped-up charges and squeezing every last penny out of them?"

"Your Highness, there are indeed some termites within the Inquiry Office, but there are no fish in clear water. Many things still need to be carried out by the common people. As long as we ensure that the officials are loyal to the empire, it is unavoidable to relax supervision..."

"Loyalty?! Filling your own fat stomach with the Wopishan flesh of the people below, and finally throwing the mess of the riot to the Iron Army and the High Knights is called loyalty?" Hestia stared at Lucas Stein with a smile. Even a master of torture could not stand being stared at like this by the Celestial Dragons.

Among the Empire's three hundred chief judges, he couldn't really be ranked high. To maintain his power and position, Stein had to earn the trust of those above him while also gaining the support of those below him.

The former relied on harsh criminal laws to maintain order. As long as they could arrest everyone and extinguish the flames of rebellion before attracting the attention of the High Knights, their rule would be secure and last for generations. As for the latter, of course, they used the flesh and blood of the untouchables to feed the wolves. Only in this way could they remain rootless and continue to create achievements.

However, everyone knew what kind of mess Yunling Province was. It was an important seaport for the empire with a huge cargo throughput, but it was also the most active area for rebels. It was also adjacent to the Kingdom of Tailan, and adventurers from all over the world gathered here, and unrest had become the norm.

All Stein hoped was that the rebellion wouldn't happen during his tenure, and Adrian probably had the same idea.

Even though the girl in front of him had no authority, she was not only the Sixth Princess, but also a great lord second only to the Emperor of the Empire. She was extremely loyal, and with just a few words she could summon an order from the Divine Capital to take their heads.

"Why are you silent?" Hestia took a sip from the translucent enamel teacup, indigo bird feathers soaring in her hand. "Or do you have a flexible loyalty line? You only bark at your master when you're well fed. If you're not fed well, if you can't keep me tamed, you'll eat my flesh and gnaw my bones."

"Your Highness..."

"Who allowed you to talk to me standing? Kneel down!"

Being so violently scolded by a spirit girl, Stein felt his face turn pale. However, he was deeply afraid of the royal family. Even though he was a harsh censor to the outside world, here he was just a henchman of some value, his life and honor all due to Heberus.

Finally, he slowly knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, please understand. Stein's loyalty to the Empire and the Royal Family is unwavering, even at the cost of his life!"

Adrian looked at the Chief Inspector with a playful expression. "You're so cool! This idiotic dog who won't budge unless whipped by his master deserves the scolding. Unlike him, he's been lying on the ground since he entered the room and hasn't gotten up."

Hestia stood up and paced slowly in front of the fireplace. The firelight illuminated her face, as if it was illuminated by the dusk from hell.

"The body of that little creature in Rat Alley still hasn't been found. If the ghoul's information is true, then the person behind it has been studying flesh alchemy for at least thirty years. Why would they reveal their true identity in a small creature for thirty years? And this is exactly when the rebels are attacking the statue. Tell me, what do you think the rebels' motives are?"

"The rebels are all heretics who disrespect the God-Emperor. Daring to act so brazenly at the celebration, they must be challenging the Imperial authority and attempting to undermine the prestige of the royal family!" Stein finally seized the opportunity and declared his loyalty through gritted teeth. "I assure Your Highness that any criminal who undermines the dignity of the Empire will be tortured in the most brutal way and will regret ever being born into this world!"

"Stupid." Hestia sneered and looked at the governor lying on the ground.

Adrien's eyes swung as he thought about it.

The statue was blown up, but His Highness described Stein's decision as stupid and did not seem angry about the damage to the empire's prestige.

In other words, His Highness believed the rebels' provocations were merely superficial, with a deeper purpose hidden behind them. Combined with the matter of flesh and blood alchemy, Adrian vaguely felt that his term had been drawn into a sinister vortex.

He pondered carefully:

"Although the free-will rebels may be reckless and foolish, they certainly have a few more brains than Lord Stein. Therefore, before they decided to blow up the statue, they must have anticipated the Empire's strong suppression.

"This is intriguing. After all, the ruthlessness of the Inquisition is well known. Given the magnitude of the attack on the statue, they'll undoubtedly dig up the entirety of Yunding City to suppress the incident as quickly as possible and avoid the gods' censure. Those self-absorbed officials are the most short-sighted and will undoubtedly seize this opportunity to enrich themselves."

"Your Highness's execution of the corrupt and abusive prosecutor in Rat Alley is a prime example of this. Without Your Highness's intervention, this investigation would have ended in a bloodbath... But that doesn't make sense. A bloodbath would not only eradicate the rebels, but would also severely damage them during the reckoning. So, why would you resort to such an act that would hurt your own interests while harming the enemy?"

In any case, Adrian, who openly and covertly disparaged the Censorate, would never admit that the rebels were more stupid than Stein.

"Your Excellency the Governor speaks as if he is not a bureaucrat." Stein laughed sinisterly.

Adrian said righteously, "I am a noble. My territory is my home, and the people are my relatives. Although my barony is not in Yunling, this is my hometown! This Governor loves the people like his own children, and naturally cannot be compared to corrupt and lawless officials like you. Your Highness, if the Inquiry Office did not have a monopoly on law enforcement in Yunding City, and the Governor's Office was the one investigating this matter, it would be done flawlessly and to the satisfaction of all parties!"

"you!"

Hestia waved her hand, cutting off the argument between the two.

"The Governor is right. Attacking the idol is of no value to the rebels."

"Your Highness, are you saying that there are people behind this who are fanning the flames and deliberately exacerbating the conflict between the Empire and the rebels?" Adrian pondered cautiously.

"That's exactly what you're investigating." Hestia nodded, then turned to the Chief Inquisitor. "But Stein, the Inquisition doesn't need to get involved for now. Lift martial law, and have your lackeys keep their tails between their legs. Keep the useful hounds, and eliminate the useless silverfish. Don't cause chaos in the empire during this critical period. Am I making myself clear enough?"

"But Your Highness, if martial law is lifted, those scoundrels might..."

"If they don't show their heads, how can I catch them by the tail?" Hestia sneered. "Even if there are a thousand or ten thousand rebellions, what's the big deal? It'll just be a few casualties. I'll personally interrogate the rebels who attacked the statue later. You go down and investigate. If you can't handle it well, let the Governor's Office help you manage your subordinates."

When these words were spoken, some people were frightened, while others were ecstatic.

Stein's breathing almost stopped.

If the Governor's Office were allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Inquiry Office, he, as the Chief Inquiry Officer, would surely become a laughing stock. How could he have any authority?

In particular, the Governor-General, who represented the will of the Attorney General, was a group of arbitrators of the law who had been secretly scheming against the Inquisitors for more than two hundred years.

"Also, I will be transferring some people from the Governor's Office to the Inspectorate to serve as supervisors. If you understand, please go."

Hestia's simple words made the Chief Inspector look ashen.

Is the princess favoring the Governor-General's Office because she sees the power of the Censorate?

“It’s a sad feeling.”

Stein took a deep breath and swallowed his anger. For the sake of his career, he had to make his subordinates bleed heavily.

After the Chief Inspector left, Adrian, still lying on the ground, tried his best to suppress his ecstasy, and remained motionless, waiting for the princess's order.

"Your Excellency the Governor." Hestia spoke softly.

"I am here! Your Highness, please obey my orders. I will never refuse even if it means death!"

"Well said. The empire needs loyal servants like you." Hestia clapped her hands, asked Iyana to hand over a list, and threw it in front of Adrian. "Read it yourself."

"This, this is..."

"The High Knight has memorized every list of Yunling Province's nobles and bureaucrats. They're all familiar acquaintances of Your Excellency the Governor. Your in-laws, your students, your allies—if I didn't know, I would have thought Yunling was truly ruled by the Frans." Hestia smiled. "Your Excellency the Governor, tell me, you're not a traitor, are you?"

Adrien sweatdropped. "It's unfair, Your Highness! I've dedicated my utmost loyalty to the Empire. What I've done is truly tantamount to betraying Fran! Those lowly people are so busy chewing on my flesh and sleeping on my skin, how could they possibly be secretly colluding with me, Your Highness!"

"The alchemical explosives needed to damage the statue can only be produced in the government workshop. You know what that means," Hestia said sternly. "Within a month, I want you to fabricate evidence and show those people the consequences of collaborating with the rebels."

"..."

Adrien was silent.

Doing business with the rebels had become an unspoken rule. It didn't matter whose money they made. Yunling Province was not short of smuggling, not to mention the rebels. Even with the Empire's sworn enemy, the Kingdom of Tailan, Yunling Province had no shortage of smuggling.

Anyway, it is impossible to completely ban it. Not only will it cause dissatisfaction among merchants, but it will also deprive them of a large source of income. Instead of letting others do it, it is better for us to do it ourselves.

Adrian did not personally deal with these things, but he understood the principle that one move could affect the whole body. God knows how much fat in his stomach came from the rebels.

But he is responsible for everything, and those people are his most trusted ones. The princess wants him to deal with them...how should he deal with them?

If you are not careful, you will be abandoned by everyone.

First, the group cut off the financial resources of the Investigation Bureau, and then, after drinking, they wanted to purge the loyal officials of the Qing Dynasty's Governor Wu Fu. Such a perverse act...

The princess is unwise!

"Do you think I've offended too many people?" Hestia sneered.

"Your Highness, what are you talking about? How could I..."

"Remember, it's you who's investigating the rebellion, not me. If you don't know how to do it, the High Master Knight will teach you what to do." Hestia played with the enamel teacup and continued, "The land of Fran is too large and unbalanced, which is a loss-making business for the empire. The emperor has already considered granting them territories and letting them serve as a shield to protect the empire. If things go well, I'll take the initiative to make you a duke and establish a kingdom... What if you can even become the King of Fran? After all, your last name is Hessen."

Immediately, Adrian's fat trembled again and again, revealing a greedy look, his blood boiling with excitement, he bowed to the end, his loyalty beyond words.

"I will follow your Highness' orders!"

Volume 15: Dreamer: . Being the Princess's Dog is the Greatest Honor

After the two annoying hawks and dogs rolled out of Cloud Court Villa, Hestia stretched out her limbs lazily, lying on the sofa, and Iyana massaged her cheeks.

The elf maid-mother had not seen Hestia look so enjoyable for a long time. The princess's satisfaction was the highest praise for her service.

Only occasionally, His Highness's thoughtful brows would frown slightly, like a ripple on a clear mirror lake caused by the wind, making this familiar face suddenly become dreamy, and separating it from the once domineering Tianlong people by a shallow ravine.

"Your Highness is worried?"

"It's not a big deal."

Hestia murmured, her mind racing.

To avoid the guillotine, she has only two options: one is to become a dream-like myth and leave behind an eternal beacon of immortality, and the other is to change the outcome of the empire's fall.

It would be difficult to become a legend in a short period of time, not to mention that she is already a witch - even if she doesn't know a single spell now - she will continue to be rejected by Meng Su before she preys on the secret practitioners and uses their ways to cover up her aura.

But there was no trace of the witch's cultivation method, so she had to use two approaches at the same time.

The problem is obvious: she can't do anything alone, and she lacks her own faction.

Aside from Iyana, she couldn't even muster a few servants worth her salt, let alone loyal subordinates. Even if she suppressed Yunling's old aristocracy and bureaucracy, she wouldn't have any "own people" to support.

However, what can be done even if we support “our own people”?

When they become a gear in the operation of the imperial machinery, they will involuntarily merge into the surging torrent of the axle.

The interests of the empire are deeply tied to the army and the nobility. Even though she is the princess and the future leader of the Southern Parliament, she must comply with the demands of both.

This is following the same path as the beastly princess, and the ending is doomed to destruction.

The purpose of cracking down on the Governor and the Attorney General is not to restore order to the citizens of Yunling, but to make these two dogs restrain each other so that they can be used more conveniently.

If her last name wasn't Heberus, and her fate wasn't tied to the rise and fall of the Supreme Empire, Hestia would have already found the Cocoon Sisterhood's clothing store on the first day of her time travel, waiting for an opportunity to party with her mentor and become a moth cultivator.

"I must find an opportunity to face the glorious blade of free will."

Hestia muttered to herself.

"Free will?" Iyana exclaimed in surprise. She never thought that the princess could say this term so calmly.

"As the name suggests, free will is the ultimate in freedom," Hestia said with a playful smile. "The Path of Change is the path of change and change, and also the path of struggle and resistance. Without external pressure, they are nothing more than a mob."

"Your Highness knows a lot about the rebels...? Is it the High Knights' intelligence network?"

"Not in detail. They are actually just a loose alliance, divided among the six Blades. I just don't know who is leading this rebel group in Yunling."

"Why does Your Highness wish to meet with their superiors?" the elven maid said softly. "I have no other intentions. If Your Highness truly wishes to meet with the so-called Brilliant Blade, I must be fully prepared."