Ch.204Senate (2)

“I humbly request the subdivision of the Senate.”

“Subdivision…?”

While I was explaining about the Senate to the noble elders, one of them made an unexpected statement.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Although they may have authority comparable to noble elders, if they are included in the same category, some noble elders will feel insulted by that very fact.”

I’m sure this speaker includes himself among those “some noble elders.”

Hmm… I didn’t expect this.

To think nobles would feel insulted by belonging to the same institution as clergy and commoners.

The clergy appointed to the Senate are only high-ranking clerics, and the commoners are limited to city mayors, key assembly members, and fallen nobles—so in terms of status, they’re hardly inferior to nobles.

‘…This isn’t just stubbornness.’

If they were simply displeased about others entering the Senate, I would have made them pay an appropriate price for such behavior, but judging by their expressions, tone, and gestures, they genuinely seem to feel insulted.

Hmm… I prided myself on understanding noble thinking after ruling as monarch for so long… but I still have much to learn.

I personally can’t understand why they feel insulted by being grouped with those people, but if they dislike it, I should at least separate them nominally.

Above all, it doesn’t cost anything, nor is it difficult to implement.

“I see. Then I will divide the Senate into three: the noble senators will form the House of Nobles, the commoner senators will form the House of Commons, and the clergy senators will form the House of Clergy. However, this is purely a classification for convenience; no Senate house shall be considered superior or inferior to another, and each Senate house and senator shall legally exercise equal authority.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Subdividing the parliament like this might make it harder to divide senators who now share a sense of identity with others in their house, but it will make it much easier to foster competition between houses—so it’s not entirely bad.

Since each person has one vote, with the House of Nobles holding 35% of seats, the House of Clergy 35%, and the House of Commons 30%, even if they develop a sense of unity, no group can dominate the Senate through competitive consciousness alone. They can’t even exceed 40%.

Moreover, even with a shared identity, division is still possible. This is proven by how modern political parties with shared ideologies still fail to unify and split into factions that fight among themselves.

The subdivided Senate is separated by social status rather than political ideology, so it should be even more chaotic than modern political parties… Looking at it this way, it’s not so bad—it might even be better.

……….

“…Assembly Chairman? Me?”

“Yes, isn’t it an honor to be appointed as chairman of the Assembly, where you’ll control city citizens, coordinate opinions, and advise the mayor?”

A few days ago, I was suddenly appointed as a senator and was studying various subjects to prepare for the role, when an official came with another strange announcement.

The Assembly… I recall it was a political institution in ancient times.

It was an organization where city citizens gathered to handle various matters, but it quickly disappeared when rule by monarchs became commonplace.

From a ruler’s perspective, there’s no reason to keep an institution where people whisper among themselves and debate whether to obey orders when they should simply follow the ruler’s word.

So why revive the Assembly now? Why?

“Um… I’m curious—if everyone is loyal to His Majesty, is such an Assembly really necessary?”

If domestic politics were unstable, I could understand this decision. Since ancient times, the way to handle dissatisfied masses has been to listen to their opinions.

But creating an Assembly now is completely incomprehensible.

Domestic resistance has been completely eliminated, and far from resenting His Majesty’s rule, commoners have adopted the attitude of loyal subjects thanks to His Majesty’s concern for them and their improving living standards.

Why create an Assembly in this situation? As I recall, His Majesty even established racetracks and various entertainment venues to keep commoners from taking interest in politics, so why this change?

Is His Majesty seeing something I cannot?

“I don’t know the details either… but as a senator of fallen noble origin, you’ve now been appointed Assembly Chairman, giving you status no less than high nobles and high clergy. In my opinion, the re-establishment of this Assembly seems to be part of an effort to elevate commoner-origin senators to equal standing with high nobles and clergy. I’ve looked into it, and other commoner senators have also been assigned various positions in the newly established Assemblies.”

“Hmm… I see. So what exactly am I supposed to do now?”

Unfortunately, the official doesn’t seem to properly understand His Majesty’s intentions either. Allowing commoners political participation just to match their status seems like the losses far outweigh the benefits.

Well… it can’t be helped. How could a low-ranking official who merely delivers messages possibly understand His Majesty’s intentions?

“Nothing complicated. You simply gather opinions from selected citizens in the Assembly, mediate and coordinate them, reach a final conclusion, and report it to the mayor, who serves as the administrative officer. When the Senate convenes, you attend the Senate in Dijon and participate in senatorial activities.”

“…Isn’t that too much work?”

“Haha, but you won’t have to handle any actual paperwork! You just need to coordinate opinions and exercise your voting rights in the Senate.”

The low-ranking official laughs off Hugh’s complaints, recalling his own desk work experience, but Hugh, who has never experienced such things, is simply intimidated by the seemingly overwhelming workload.

Of course, even while intimidated, he never considers giving up his position as senator and Assembly Chairman.

No matter how much work it seems, he cannot abandon the honor and title that are more important than anything else to a pre-modern person.

……….

“—Thus, I hereby convene the first Senate meeting. Please, everyone, feel free to express your own opinions on the agenda.”

“””Yes, Your Majesty.”””

Wow… the pressure here is no joke.

Since becoming monarch, I’ve had plenty of experience speaking in public, but this is different.

All the senators seated in the semicircular arrangement like a national assembly are standing, looking at me and greeting me simultaneously.

Moreover, unlike the general public, these senators are filled with high-status individuals. Of course, they can’t compare to me, the king, but the mere fact that people with political power have gathered carries significant weight.

‘The reaction from the House of Nobles is… not bad.’

True to their noble nature, they care greatly about appearances. Since I filled the clergy seats with priests and cardinals who manage church territories, and the commoner seats with fallen nobles, mayors, and newly established Assembly members, they seem quite satisfied that they can maintain their dignity.

Ah, troublesome fellows.

Rather than being angry about the increase in senators, they’re more upset about their subordinates holding senatorial positions. If it were me, I would have been more outraged by the former, which weakens the power of individual senators.

“The first agenda item is… regarding taxation. Although Lotaring has become incomparably stronger than before, the taxation system remains unchanged from the days of the Burgundy Duchy. This is clearly inefficient, like applying ducal laws to a kingdom, and needs to be reformed.”

“—?!”

As soon as Leclerc explains the first agenda item after everyone is seated, the atmosphere instantly freezes.

It seems no one could have imagined such a massive issue would be thrown at them as the very first agenda item.

Hmm, it was worth keeping the agenda items strictly confidential until now.

To be honest, creating this parliament was largely about implementing tax increases without incurring blame. Security had to be tight for that reason.

“Tax reduction is impossible. Due to territorial expansion, administrative reforms, and unprecedented growth of administrative institutions, followed by expanded military facilities, tax increases are essential. However, the structure of these tax increases has not yet been determined. Yes, you may ask your question.”

“I am Hugh, Assembly Chairman of Arlongsi. Does this mean that even the same land could be taxed at different rates? For example, could harvest taxes applied to fields cultivated by tenant farmers differ from those cultivated by independent farmers?”

“Yes, that’s correct. That’s what we’re about to discuss.”

“…!”

In other words, to explain Leclerc’s statement—

[The country has grown too large, so tax increases are inevitable. However, we haven’t decided who should pay more taxes, so the Senate must determine who will bear the additional burden.]

“Not all tenant farmers are the same. Church territories have shrunk to just enough to maintain a single church, but lords’ manors are not in the same situation. Therefore, tenant farmers on church lands and those on feudal lands should be treated differently.”

“What are you saying?! Are you suggesting nobles should pay more taxes?!”

“Nobles are the wealthiest, so shouldn’t they be able to pay more taxes?!”

“No, tenant farmers on estates and church lands already pay rent, so the limit on what can be collected from them is low. This means we should raise harvest taxes on independent farmers, who have a higher limit on what can be collected.”

“How can you say such a thing?! Unlike tenant farmers, independent farmers stand alone and have so many challenges to overcome on their own—how can you make such an outrageous statement?! Moreover, if there’s no difference in the burden placed on tenant farmers and independent farmers, what’s the point of being an independent farmer—”

The senators who just moments ago were giving me looks that suggested they wouldn’t be led around by me are now completely ignoring me and fighting among themselves.

Leclerc is desperately trying to mediate by only allowing those who have been granted the right to speak, but even that can’t fully contain the heated atmosphere.

…Wow.

I designed the parliament with this in mind, but seeing the results firsthand is incredibly satisfying. With them fighting like this from the very first agenda item, dividing the senators will proceed very smoothly.

I’m the one who decided on the tax increase, but instead of directing their resentment at me—the cause of the tax increase—they’re resenting each other. Of course, I planted a few instigators to help create this result, but even accounting for that, it’s quite impressive.