Playing the public opinion game?
Aililan didn’t even know how to lose.
Since the other side wanted to spar, then she would fight them head-on; conducting herself with propriety was the way of justice.
Aililan paced back and forth, pondering for a moment before saying, “Renata… ah, no, better yet, Head Maid Yarandale, you go to the Snake Gang for me and deliver some messages.”
Yarandale respectfully replied, “At your command.”
Aililan extended three slender, onion-white fingers.
“There are three things in total. First: Have Arkernard find a painter and have them depict the scene from tonight—when Ibisos mourned the Orcs’ graves. I have big plans for that later… Oh, right, be sure to paint that Bard in as well. Don’t think I’ll let her off just because she’s a woman—when I get ruthless, I even go after myself.”
“Second: Have the Snake Gang keep a tight watch on what’s happening in the city’s streets. If any gangs are spreading malicious rumors or slander, submit a List to me.”
“Third: Take my Snake Mark Mask from when I was the middleman and seek out a mercenary named Taniya. Tell her this time there’s a real big job—she’s to sneak in and investigate everyone colluding with Ibisos. For every key figure she finds, I’ll pay her a commission of fifty gold coins.”
Mercenaries, after all, would do any job if the price was right—be it killing, arson, infiltration, or gathering intelligence, nothing was off the table.
If you wanted to become a legend, you had to learn from that silly girl next door, V Miss.
Yarandale took her orders and left.
As for Aililan, she continued to stay secluded within Frezeya Manor.
Waging a war of public opinion wasn’t something you could just blunder your way through. First, you had to break down the components: What did the other side want? And what did she want herself?
There was no doubt.
The other side wanted Aililan to compromise.
But what Aililan wanted was to control the council.
She also pondered another question: How did those local people dare to bully the Saintess in the first place?
Actually, it wasn’t as complicated as it seemed. The further one was from the center, the less reverence one held for it.
In another world, it wasn’t rare for locals in ancient times to resist imperial officials. Even nowadays, there were cases where imperial envoys got burned to death—could you believe that?
After a night of brewing—
Ibisos and his people began giving speeches all over the city. The opinion of a single commoner was nothing to the Saintess, but what if a thousand, ten thousand, even tens of thousands of citizens were roused by them?
Then it was no longer just an opinion.
It was what could be called The Will of the People.
On the first day, hundreds and thousands were moved by Ibisos’s earnest speeches.
By the second day, their numbers had grown to several thousand.
On the third day, tens of thousands were running about, shouting and rallying.
In taverns, people debated right and wrong, and most felt that Ibisos meant well.
In theaters, the Bard Cassandra’s plays extolled Ibisos’s greatness to the utmost.
On the streets, rumors slowly began to spread: The Saintess was far too arrogant—if she didn’t humbly accept advice, how could she ever be a good Saintess?
Public sentiment surged, willpower flooded forth, and everything seemed to turn more and more against Aililan.
In contrast, Aililan herself remained as immovable as a mountain. She wasn’t anxious at all, but the two secret Saintess sisters were so worried it hurt.
Yegeerlinai sighed, “Chastity probably won’t make it this time. Even I would have to weigh my options if faced with such overwhelming public opinion! If nothing else, I’d have to use some high-pressure governing tactics.”
Lizberu also frowned slightly. “Chastity is still young, after all. It’s her first time facing something like this—it really is tough to handle. But even if she’s at a loss, she shouldn’t do absolutely nothing. I’ll be sure to lecture her about this later.”
The public sentiment was impossible to suppress—it was about to explode.
Ibisos and his people also felt the time was ripe at last. They led the crowd they had roused and surged toward Aililan’s manor.
The two Saintesses were among them.
They could turn the tide at a critical moment.
At Frezeya Manor, it was as if they already knew the public was coming—a High Tower had been built at the entrance.
The two Saintesses were curious.
“Huh, what is Chastity up to now?”
“I can’t figure out what Chastity is thinking either, but… why don’t we just wait and see?”
The two who had wanted to intervene and save the day decided to hold back and observe a while longer.
They weren’t the only ones puzzled.
Even Ibisos was full of doubts and suspicions.
He thought he’d have to try harder—maybe the crowd would have to chant in unison before the Saintess would appear!
But regardless, with tens of thousands of voices surging against a solitary Saintess, the advantage was his.
Aililan walked up onto the platform.
But before she could speak—
Ibisos, fearing some accident, seized the initiative and said, “Saintess, now that things have reached this point, are you willing to listen to what we have to say?”
“Ah, so it’s Lord Ibisos! I—”
Before Aililan could finish, Ibisos cut her off forcefully, “Saintess, look at these loyal ministers, and look at the tens of thousands of people beside us!”
“Can you see their will?”
“If I truly am in the wrong—”
“Then tell me, why do so many people support me and follow me here to urge you?”
With that, Ibisos drew out a rope and wore a look of tragic self-sacrifice.
“We’re doing all this for your sake.”
“But if you still refuse to heed our counsel and ignore the voices of the people, then I will prove my sincerity with death—I shall hang myself before your eyes, only asking that you listen to us. Wuwuwu…”
To die for one’s convictions.
Only seeking to move hearts.
It was too moving—many in the crowd were in tears, sobbing with emotion.
Aililan put on a look of astonishment and disbelief, and cried loudly, “No, Lord Ibisos, you mustn’t! How could I possibly allow such a loyal minister to die before me?”
“The phrase I hear most often now is: Don’t let those who bear firewood for the masses perish in the cold.”
“That is the people’s recognition of you.”
“And it is the ringing bell that awakens me.”
Aililan looked up to the sky, eyes seeming red, and continued, “These days I’ve constantly been thinking, always pondering—was what I did truly right?”
“But today, I think I finally know the answer. Lord Ibisos, your words were like a warning bell in my ears, and the shouts of tens of thousands of people resounded like thunder—I’ve heard it all… I’ve heard all your cries and voices.”
“I believe I really was wrong.”
“I must repent to you all.”
As Aililan’s voice faded, the faces of Ibisos and his people nearly broke into open laughter.
The two Saintesses also sighed.
But then, Aililan called out loudly, “I know exactly what you are asking for. I punished the Orcs for oppressing our people, even to the point of bloody conflict. I thought it was right to protect my people, but who could have guessed things would turn out like this?”
“I swear.”
“I will change my ways.”
“I am grateful to the tens of thousands of citizens who, with your sharp voices, awakened me and let me hear your true feelings.”
“From now on, I will treat the Orcs kindly. I am willing to give them treatment better than the residents of Atester City.”
“And to avoid making any more unforgivable mistakes, I also declare that from this day forward, the death penalty for Orcs shall be abolished from Atester City’s laws. No matter how the Orcs oppress our people in the future, all punishments will be light.”
“This not only shows my resolve to mend my ways, but is also to answer your voices.”
Aililan finished speaking.
The citizens: dumbfounded.
Ibisos and his group: dumbfounded.
The two sighing Saintesses: dumbfounded.
Wait, we just wanted you to compromise, not tear the whole roof off.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.