Chapter 173 – Result of Secret Act (1) *Illustration of Younger Sister Marie’s Secret Happiness*
Result of secret practice (1)
Diane had told her that it would take about two weeks to analyze the ingredients of the suspicious liquid obtained secretly, so Yuno decided to solve other problems first and took out her sword.
“Does the Minister of Public Administration know whether the money he gave to Heinrich for the children who lost their parents is being put to good use?”
Ten days later, when Juno suddenly convened a royal meeting and suddenly asked about the use of the grant, the Marquis of Trier was momentarily taken aback, but confidently answered with his chest out.
“Yes, Your Majesty! The support money was distributed without a single penny missing, and the children were also reported to be living a leisurely life.”
“Hmm~ Is that so? Who on earth did the Minister receive reports from? Did you properly confirm the facts after proceeding with the project? In my opinion, it seems like the administration is not doing its job properly.”
“No, that’s not true, Your Majesty! God and the Vice-Minister have clearly received reports twice! The person who reported was Viscount Lumbly, the head of the Capital Administration, who has been working in the administration for a long time and is said to be an exemplary nobleman who has worked with sincerity and integrity. A person with a name is coming!”
When Juno seemed to know something, the Marquis of Trier paused for a moment, but still defended Viscount Lumbly, saying he trusted him.
“Then what do I mean by what I saw? They say that there are scammers running rampant trying to rip off orphans who received large sums of money, and that the children who lost all their money to scammers are barely surviving each day in the slums!!”
“Well, that is… God will check again!”
“There is no need! The head of the intelligence department has already investigated thoroughly!!”
Juno threw a document at the Marquis of Trier.
The document contained the fact that 126 of the 142 war orphans were living in the slums, and that some officials had even siphoned off the subsidies registered in the names of children who entered the orphanage too young, so the Marquis of Trier kept his mouth shut. It was wide open.
“What on earth did the minister and vice minister do to get to this point?”
In front of the enraged Juno, the Minister of Administration, the Marquis of Trier, and the Deputy Minister, the Count Salier, had to bow their heads.
“Your Majesty, I apologize. The gods will thoroughly investigate the truth and severely punish those responsible…”
“If that’s all I’m saying, I wouldn’t say anything!! Do you know that the security guard’s budget is constantly leaking? When I investigated it myself, I found that there were officials who contracted with blacksmiths and received kickbacks to repair good weapons!! If the guard is like that, There must be plenty of officials committing corruption in other departments as well!!”
When Yuno shouted that the officials under the administration had embezzled, the two ministers and vice-ministers’ complexions turned pale.
“Oh, the sins of the gods are great!! I never thought the officials below would be like that…”
As the two people didn’t know what to do, Yuno’s anger subsided a little.
“I know very well that the officers are always devoted to their work, and that they have not received any kickbacks!! But! Don’t you also know that properly managing your subordinates is an important part of your work?”〈 Br〉
“Your Majesty’s words are 100% correct…”
“I will give my officers one more chance. I will give them a week to finish, so I will investigate the corruption of all officials in the administration and dismiss anyone who received even a single penny in bribes or participated in embezzlement, regardless of their rank. If you have a title, take it away from you too!!”
“Your Majesty!! Dismissal and even stripping your title is too much…”
“If we are not careful, the entire department could become paralyzed.”
Yuno glared with anger in his eyes at the administrative minister and vice minister who were trying to dissuade him.
“Do you think my intention is a joke? I said it clearly! Anyone involved in corruption, regardless of whether they are nobles or nobles, should be dismissed and stripped of their titles, and then be forcibly enlisted in the imperial army!! Commander of the Knights of the Guard!!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!!”
“Send the 12th Division of the Knights of the Guard together with the vice-captain to the administration and tell them that if there is anyone who rebels against the Emperor’s orders, they will behead immediately!”
“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty!!”
When Liechtenauer sent the royal guard to headquarters to deliver the order, Juno looked at the Marquis of Trier and Count Salier, who were standing in front of him.
“What are you doing?”
“Yes? Uh, attending the royal meeting…”
“Are you still out of your mind? Why do you think Jim convened the royal meeting? Hurry up and start the investigation!! Right now! Don’t you run?”
The two ministers and vice ministers were so frightened by the anger of Yuno, who threw away even their respect and scolded them, that they had to run out of the palace.
“Next! Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Construction!!”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty… I am with the Colonel…”
The Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Construction, Count Milione, trembled and prostrated himself at the tragedy that occurred in front of him.
The count himself did not think that there would be any corruption due to the nature of the department, so he closed his eyes tightly, anticipating the storm that was to come.
“If Jim has made it this far, you know what he wants, right? I hope that there will no longer be any talk of doing things according to custom in this Balkan country that he rules.”
“Of course, Your Majesty!”
“First, I personally confirmed that there is no corruption between you and the Vice Minister… But I have not yet been able to investigate each and every detail inside the department… So, I hope the officers take care of it before I start the investigation! Take care of it!! What does this mean? Do you understand?”
The tone itself was soft, but Juno was threatening to blow off his head if he did not properly investigate, so Count Milione rushed out of the palace, saying he would conduct a thorough investigation.
Even Juno’s confidant, Count Mayer, could not escape the storm that broke out overnight, and although he muttered his dissatisfaction, he too left the palace, promising to conduct a thorough investigation.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs… Becomes a spy who sells out the country that commits corruption… He said he is conducting his own audit, right?”
“Yes! That’s right, Your Majesty! The head of the Intelligence Department would know better, so I can tell you that there is absolutely no such thing in our Ministry of Foreign Affairs!”
“I will believe it. Next is the Cultural Propaganda Department… This is…”
As Juno slurred his words, Count Pavels, Minister of Culture and Propaganda, smiled bitterly.
Due to the nature of the Cultural Propaganda Department, there were no projects for which a large budget had been allocated yet, so Yuno was well aware that there was little room for embezzlement, so he took it easy.
“Hmm… The Minister of Culture and Propaganda just needs to be careful. However, if the horse racing project currently being planned goes on track, you will have to be more careful than anyone else. Do you understand?”
“Of course, Your Majesty!! I will be very careful to ensure that there is not a single word of denial.”
Once it was somewhat finished, Yuno sighed deeply.
‘It’s fortunate that the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance, which are managed by you and Rachel, are being managed thoroughly… As for the judiciary, those principled people can’t do that… They didn’t even provide a budget for that. … Ah!!’
Juno, with a flash of thought in his head, smiled as he looked at Count Doppel-Redburg, the Minister of Justice.
“Minister of Justice! Aren’t there some of the officials working under you who are particularly cold-blooded and look like they wouldn’t bleed even if you prick them with a needle?”
“Yes, yes… Of course there are quite a few… But I wonder why…”
“Director of Intelligence! Please select a few of the Intelligence Department agents who investigated the corruption of officials this time to apply to the new department.”
“Yes, I understand. Your Majesty!”
“I will create a temporary department called the Audit Office by mixing agents from the Intelligence Department and talented people from the Ministry of Justice! This department will be headed by the Minister and the Prime Minister, and anyone who refuses to comply with the Audit Office’s investigation will be punished for treason! !”
Yuno’s bombshell declaration shocked even Prime Minister Rachel, who had been smiling beside her until now, and brought backlash from many nobles.
“Ah, no! Your Majesty!! There is a risk that it will lead to excessive excesses of authority…”
“Your Majesty! Please take back your orders. Many nobles will be punished unjustly.”
“Aye!! Then, if you don’t commit a crime, you’ll be fine!! I will definitely crack down on the corruption that is rampant in this empire!! I will cut out the rotten parts that are eating away Balkan, even if it means risking blood loss. !! Won’t that allow new skin to sprout quickly and make the empire healthier?”
The nobles protested against Yuno’s imperial decree, but their arguments lost their justification when the Audit Office was launched and numerous corruptions were actually uncovered in each department.
The actions of the Board of Audit and Inspection, with the Emperor at its back, were like waves.
They instantly devastated all departments and, under Rachel’s leadership, tracked down the details of each budget’s use, uncovered details of embezzlement, and brought out the officials who had received kickbacks and handed them over to the Knights of the Guard.
Viscount Rumbley, the head of the capital administration who conspired with fraudsters to embezzle his orphans’ support money, was hanged as an example, and numerous corrupt figures were stripped of their positions.
The officials were forcibly incorporated into the imperial army and ordered to serve a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 20 years of compulsory service depending on the amount of money embezzled, so the boot camp in the Balkans had to suffer from the influx of enlistees, but the front line The corps commanders and soldiers welcomed the new recruits warmly.
Details of these activities were disseminated throughout the empire by the Ministry of Culture and Propaganda, and local lords also had an impact by conducting their own investigation into the financial details of their fiefdoms.
Accordingly, the people of the empire, who had been suffering under the tyranny of nobles and officials until now, supported Juno even more passionately.
Naturally, Juno’s imperial power became more powerful, and the small number of noble forces that had been dissatisfied with Juno’s strong policies were completely wiped out through this audit, so the Balkan Empire became increasingly stronger under Juno’s absolute imperial power.
*Mari Cancer Happiness Illustration (ver1)
*Marie Cancer Happiness Illustration (ver2)
