Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 749 - 702: Special Consultant

"Did Count Brandelis really say that?" At the cabinet meeting, a Royalist party minister's face was so grave it seemed like it could drip water.

"Count Brandelis has made significant contributions to the Empire. I think her special status can be discussed." A Northern Faction minister's face was beaming with joy, eagerly expressing his stance.

Thus, within the cabinet meeting room, two distinctly different emotions were clearly expressed.

For the Royalist Party, Perfikot's demands were unacceptable under any circumstances, as this would undermine the Royal Family's authority. To put it bluntly, it would even lead to speculation about whether Victory would heed the Royal Family or Perfikot in the future.

There was no way they could agree to demands that shook the Royalist Party's fundamental interests.

However, for the Northern Faction within the cabinet, this was excellent news.

Has Lord finally decided to take things a step further?

The concept of contributions to a dragon is unique to the East in the original world, but such things occur in all countries, and many people aspire to do them.

It's not that they don't want to do it, but rather they haven't had the opportunity.

Royalist Party members supporting Eldest Princess Annie are also seeking the benefits of such contributions, aren't they?

As long as they ensure the smooth ascension of Eldest Princess Annie to the throne, their interests as staunch supporters of the new monarch are naturally secured.

The same logic applies to the Northern Territory; they followed Perfikot and saw the Northern Territory develop to its current state in a few short years. Those who initially followed Perfikot gained unprecedented benefits.

In such circumstances, how could they be satisfied with the current benefits?

This led to the current situation where the Northern Faction wants to advance further, while the Royalist Party guards against it.

Though the members on both sides were arguing fiercely, those who could truly make decisions were still frowning and silent.

Duke Gloucester represented the National Assembly, more precisely symbolizing public opinion, though how much this public opinion truly represented the lower classes was debatable. Yet, at least after Perfikot's adjustments, the National Assembly system could represent some lower-class interests.

Whether Perfikot held a special status was irrelevant to the lower classes. In fact, capitalists and reformists would support it as it undermined the Royal Family's power base. If Perfikot took another step forward, they could abolish the monarchy and establish a republican constitutional government. They'd be too pleased to oppose it!

But Duke Gloucester himself was a Royalist and represented the interests of the high nobility. This caused a conflict between his stance and the interests of the National Assembly.

After all, the National Assembly wasn't monolithic; it was a place for different factions to reconcile their interests, or it was simply an enlarged version of the cabinet.

This made it difficult for Duke Gloucester to clearly express his opinion on this matter. Standing against the National Assembly could lead to his impeachment, forcing him to step down as Speaker.

In contrast, Prime Minister Wellington of the Northern Faction and Eldest Princess Annie, the heir to the throne, had much clearer attitudes.

Prime Minister Wellington naturally preferred to support Perfikot as he was acutely aware of how he secured his position and whom he represented.

However, as a competent politician, he also had his own thoughts and calculations.

So even though he showed support for Perfikot, he did not make an explicit statement. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

On the other hand, Eldest Princess Annie was more conflicted.

Her stance naturally didn't allow her to support Perfikot, as the Royal Family had not yet declined. In fact, due to recent calamities, they had regained some powers gradually ceded to the emerging bourgeoisie.

For Eldest Princess Annie, relying on her prestige from subduing the colonies, as long as she could smoothly inherit the throne, she could regain power and continue to rule the country.

Under such circumstances, Eldest Princess Annie naturally didn't wish to see a powerful minister arise, threatening the Royal Family's control.

However, from her personal feelings, she wanted to support Perfikot.

She knew clearly how important Perfikot was to the country and how much she had contributed.

In Eldest Princess Annie's view, granting Perfikot a slightly special status was insignificant. She even felt that if Perfikot were willing, handing the country over to her wouldn't be a problem.

After all, unlike her, Perfikot had shown the ability to build the current prosperous city in the Northern Territory within three years, achieving such brilliance.

Compared to Perfikot, she felt like a fool who knew nothing.

Were the country entrusted to Perfikot, it might soon return to its past glory, wouldn't it?

Though Eldest Princess Annie thought so in her heart, she couldn't express that desire.

Fundamentally, she was still a princess of the Royal Family, and a responsible one at that.

Coupled with the advice and guidance from her advisors over recent times, Eldest Princess Annie understood what she should and shouldn't do.

So she couldn't express support for Perfikot; the only stance she could convey was firm opposition.

But for personal reasons, Eldest Princess Annie now didn't want to express her opinion directly.

This left the three key decision-makers silent, while the Royalist Party and Northern Faction within the cabinet were about to break each other's heads in argument.

At this point, it was Deputy Prime Minister Kallen, representing the Workers' Federation, who spoke up, thus ending their quarrel: "Regarding this matter, I suggest submitting it to the National Assembly for a collective vote. This is no longer an issue the cabinet can easily decide."

"But to submit it for a National Assembly vote, we need to have a resolution, right? We need a title for granting Count Brandelis special political status, and the same for opposition, don't we?" A minister from the Workers' Federation cooperatively replied to Kallen, though he didn't understand Kallen's intentions.

"In that case, appoint Count Brandelis as the National Advisor. If the National Assembly votes in favor, she will have special power and status; if not, she will only hold the title of advisor." Eldest Princess Annie suddenly spoke up, finalizing the entire matter.