chsdbacks #584 - Representatives of the people
#584 - Representatives of the people
Sitting in the carriage, half-asleep, Rang Bang felt his buttocks jolt violently. He leaned his head towards the door and saw an iron gate getting closer.
With a "Whoa there!" from the coachman, the carriage stopped in front of the three-story U-shaped building, about 9 meters high.
Compared to the "big shots" in the carriage, Rang Bang, being a small figure, naturally jumped down first, followed by the dyer Liborole.
Rang Bang was a wealthy armed farmer with a hundred acres of land, while Liborole was temporarily replacing his sick father, the head of the guild, old Liborole; he also had five younger brothers.
In terms of age, living standards, and property, Rang Bang and Liborole weren't too different, so they always subconsciously gravitated towards each other.
"What is this place?" Rang Bang asked in a low voice, as he followed the guiding servant.
Liborole was clearly more worldly; he pointed to the sign beside them and said, "This used to be the White Gate Hall, a place for visiting clergy to report for duty. Now it's been given to us."
The representatives of the people certainly wouldn't be housed in some small inn, but were instead placed in the White Gate Hall on the street next to where the Constitutional Convention was being held.
This monastery wasn't large, built of square stones, bonded with rice paste and egg white, and the exterior walls were painted with yellow ochre; it had about 90 rooms.
This time, only 62 representatives of the people arrived in Feiliu Fort to discuss national affairs, not nearly enough to fill all the rooms.
The ostensible number of representatives was only 62, but in reality, far more than that gathered in Feiliu Fort.
Estate stewards, foremen, large and small landlords, merchants, notaries, craftsmen, defrocked priests... almost all the leading figures from the Qianhe Valley region came.
They wore silk robes, shook the lace of their linen shirt cuffs, and while despising what those mud-legged people could discuss about national affairs, they regretted not having had time to run for representative.
During this time, rumors flew thick and fast in Qianhe Valley. One moment the nobles were going to be stripped of their land, the next the merchants were going to have their homes confiscated, and then it was said that farmers and citizens could actually legislate.
Naturally, they had to come to Feiliu Fort to find out the news, lest they not even have time to run away.
At this moment, many of them were gathered at the entrance of the Saint Shelley Monastery, and seeing a new carriage arrive, they immediately ran out from under the shade of the trees, calling out to friends and acquaintances to inquire about news.
"When will the Constitutional Convention be held?"
"Are you from Lower Ruifu County? I'm also from Lower Ruifu County."
The Knight Ovid and those two monks certainly had news; they had their own internal news network, but naturally, that news couldn't be shared with these people whose backgrounds were unknown.
Entering the courtyard of the monastery, a dozen people dressed in upper-class attire sat on stone tables, playing cards while turning their heads to look at the newcomers.
"You are the representatives of the people from Lower Ruifu County?"
A tall knight with his shirt collar open and reeking of alcohol stood up from the stone bench and covered the cards on the table.
Several representatives quickly smelled the aura of transcendence, and high-level transcendence at that; their previously arrogant expressions quickly turned to subservience.
As a knight with an empty title (having a title but no breathing technique), Ovid even gave a proper courtly bow with his bloated body.
This courtly bow clearly didn't meet the knight's approval; he snorted contemptuously, "The people of Pingyuan County are such sissies. I'm Steve, the administrator of this monastery. Do you know what you're here for?"
"To attend a meeting."
"Eh, right, the Constitutional Convention. Do you know what this meeting is about?"
Liborole subconsciously answered, "What about?"
"We drove away Prince Kongdai, and next is to establish a country belonging to us Kush people... hic..." Knight Steve hiccuped, "Calling you here is to listen to your opinions, then recognize the future monarch, and swear allegiance, that's all."
"Isn't there supposed to be legislation?" the head of the stonemasons' guild couldn't help but ask.
First stunned, Knight Steve grinned crookedly, "If you oppose the laws established by the two Highnesses, who are you?"
He looked disdainfully at these respectful representatives, "You didn't fight this battle, you have no merit at all, what face do you have to legislate? We mountain people shed all our blood in this battle, oh, you plain people want to pick the fruits?"
Don't even mention the Savior Army, they are also mountain people, just went to Pingyuan County.
Originally, Her Highness Molia didn't intend to let you mud-legged people come to make trouble, if it wasn't for His Highness Saint Sun insisting, you wouldn't even have the qualification to see me... I really don't know what he's thinking..."
Knight Steve muttered at the end, then took out nine keys from his pocket and threw them over, "The keys are here, divide them yourselves, I still have a card game."
The representatives, who had been given a rude awakening and covered in dirt, walked into the small building in a disheveled manner, looking for their rooms.
This room was a bit simple for those Ovids, but it was okay for Liborole, and for Rang Bang, it was simply the Palace of Fran.
Standing in front of that snow-white, soft bed, Rang Bang was at a loss for a moment.
He walked around the bed several times, hesitating for almost a quarter of an hour, before finally making up his mind to gently move his butt onto it.
The soft touch under his buttocks gave Rang Bang, who had slept on wooden planks all his life, a feeling of happiness.
Don't look at him having a hundred acres of land, but a flood, drought, or rice fruit plague would bankrupt him and force him to borrow money.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford this kind of bed, but that he needed enough savings to cope with disasters.
This was a habit passed down from his father, before becoming a squire-level landlord, don't spend money lavishly.
"Knock, knock, knock--"
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Rang Bang jumped up from the bed abruptly, although he didn't know what he was nervous about, he was still very nervous.
"Open the door, Rang Bang, it's Liborole."
Relieved for some unknown reason, Rang Bang opened the door. Liborole didn't stand on ceremony at all, put half a block of gift cheese on the table, and sat down on Rang Bang's soft bed that he couldn't bear to step on.
"Have you thought about what proposal to make?" Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Liborole looked up and asked Rang Bang.
"Didn't they say our opinions are useless?"
Liborole waved his hand, "It's not that our opinions are useless, it's that our opinions are useless to Her Highness Molia. His Majesty Huoen is willing to listen to us.
I just heard from my friend that every morning, the monks of the Bai Shengfu Society will come here to stay for a morning. We can write our proposals and opinions into petitions and hand them to him.
If it is reasonable at that time, His Majesty will help us bring it up at the meeting."
Rang Bang felt dizzy listening, "It's so troublesome, do we have to write it? What petition are you going to write?"
"Prohibit stealing skills, preferably execute the thieves." Saying this through gritted teeth, Liborole complained, "The apprentice in my uncle's workshop stole the dye formula and process and ran to another city.
The guild can't go to other cities to deal with him, so they can only hire people at their own expense to kill him, and those mercenaries often subcontract and take money and do nothing.
If a law is established, as long as he doesn't run out of Qianhe Valley, the night watchmen will chase after him, that's more like it."
Rang Bang couldn't understand Liborole's words, but just put on a bitter face, "That Knight Ovid..."
"What are you afraid of him for? Executive Catherine said that everyone is equal in the future, and knights can't kill people casually." Liborole pinched Rang Bang's shoulders, "Don't you want the future Grand Duke to introduce laws to stipulate the minimum grain price to ensure that there will be no losses every year?"
"Can this pass?" Rang Bang's heart skipped a beat.
Liborole shrugged, "If you don't submit it, it will never pass, might as well give it a try."
Rang Bang rubbed his hands excitedly at first, then remembered something and said dejectedly, "But I can barely read, I can't write."
"It's okay, several craftsmen and farmers in Pingyuan County, as well as the folks outside, have formed a small group. We can join it, and they will help you write it for free." Liborole held up a finger, "But they said, we are all together, the petition can't write anything that harms the members of the association."
"Definitely not!" Rang Bang shook his head quickly.