Elara had been in a relatively good mood, but the moment she heard Kristof's words, her mood plummeted, and the aura around her changed sharply.
Her brows tightened, and a cold, fierce look uncontrollably spread across her face.
For a moment, Elara even wondered if she had misheard.
Just a few months ago, she had led her forces to crush the decaying remains of the Plumera Kingdom's system and rebuilt it with a brand-new order.
Now, only a few months later, she had become the target of a rebellion organized by refugees?
All because of some worthless rats. Did the people in that city now see all her efforts as nothing but a fake smile used to cover up corruption?
Elara's mood dropped even lower. She took a deep breath and looked coldly at Kristof. "Were there any deaths?"
Kristof paused, lowered his eyes, and answered, "When the Ministry of Justice officials went to investigate, the local people, lacking food, clothing, and medicine to survive, stormed the city office. As a result... 137 people died, more than 80 were severely injured. The anger in Xunding City has grown stronger, and the uprising has expanded. Many desperate refugees have joined, shouting to overthrow the local office, to overthrow... the Plumera Kingdom."
Overthrow... the Plumera Kingdom...
If it had been any other official, they wouldn't have dared to say such rebellious words in the main hall, in front of all the officials and Elara herself.
But Kristof dared.
He not only dared, but also kept his head high, staring straight at Elara, watching every small change in her expression.
As soon as he finished, the court went completely silent. You could hear a pin drop. A strange, invisible pressure filled the entire hall. Some timid officials didn't dare breathe, and a few with weak legs nearly collapsed.
Elara sat on the high platform. The veins on her arm, which rested on the armrest, were bulging slightly.
She took another deep breath, trying hard to push down the fury in her heart.
Even though she had long learned to control her emotions in her past life, no matter how she tried now, the rage kept rising.
In her previous life, she had lived in a lawful, peaceful, and prosperous society.
Although she had made great efforts for the Plumera Corporation, she never had to risk her life in dangerous situations. The worst she faced was just losing some money in her bank account.
But ever since she came here in this life, Elara had faced countless life-and-death situations. Every time, she survived by using every method she could think of. Then she slowly gathered her own power until she finally reached her current position.
But after risking her life and pouring her heart into building everything she had now, someone actually dared to secretly suck her blood. Behind her back, they took bribes, oppressed the people, and destroyed everything she had worked so hard to create.
How could Elara not be furious?
"I really didn't expect it. I've only been on the throne for a few months, yet I've already become the kind of tyrant the people think must be overthrown to survive." Elara almost gritted each word out with a cold sneer. Her eyes slowly turned to the back of the court hall.
At the back stood Hu Chen, the governor of Lupine County. His face was pale with fear, his expression panicked, his legs trembling, almost falling over.
In this ancient alternate world, a county governor's position was almost as high as a provincial leader. They already had the right to attend court sessions and take part in political discussions.
Hu Chen was standing among the other county governors at the back of the court. Ever since Kristof revealed his crimes, he had remained frozen in shock, trembling and confused.
Elara's figure moved in a flash, and in the next moment, she was standing right in front of Hu Chen. Her cold eyes stared into him as she said word by word,
"One hundred thirty-seven people. One hundred thirty-seven are already dead... Governor Hu, how many people are in your family?"
Hu Chen was not one of the new officials who passed the big exam after Elara's reforms. He was part of the old batch of officials left behind from the time when Lord Gregory was still in power.
Back then, while Lord Gregory was still in office, Hu Chen had already been the governor of Lupine County. But he was timid and overly cautious. In the historical files Kristof dug up, there wasn't much connection between him and Lord Gregory. Hu Chen mostly avoided him and kept his distance. He rarely accepted anything from him and never tried to offend him either. He belonged to the middle-ground group in the Plumera Kingdom's neutral faction.
When Kristof investigated him before, there weren't any major issues. He was seen as obedient and steady, so he stayed on as one of the remaining old officials in court.
After Elara took the throne, she was always busy with other affairs, constantly traveling and fighting abroad.
Meanwhile, the officials at home were all overwhelmed with responsibilities under the country's new construction efforts.
There were already too many vacancies in court. Everyone was buried in their own workload. Except for the Ministry of Justice, whose job was to supervise, no one had extra time to deal with others.
After assigning roles to those old ministers, Elara hadn't had time to check on them again. That included Hu Chen's position as governor of Lupine County. Until a more suitable person came along, she hadn't planned to touch them.
But she didn't expect this man, who once appeared moderate and honest, had changed so much in just a few months.
What was it? Did he think she was easier to fool than Lord Gregory? So now the coward had grown bold?
Or did he think she was always too busy with war outside the country to care about internal affairs?