00:00so casually. Little did she know that, to the protagonist, the asterisk truly asterisk precious
00:04things were people. Those who risked their lives to convey intelligence, those who strove wholeheartedly
00:08to live up to the legacy of the seventh prince, and those who swore their fealty to him, burning
00:12themselves out in selfless dedication. Thus, people, not objects, were the true treasures.
00:16After being reincarnated as the thirteenth prince, the protagonist acquired a unique ability. His
00:20power would grow infinitely, expanding in tandem with the size of the faction under his command.
00:25By strictly adhering to the law, and daring to publicly point out the emperor's errors,
00:28he had earned the emperor's deep favor, becoming the second princely minister in the realm,
00:32second only to the fourth prince. It was now the protagonist's twelfth birthday. His newly arrived
00:36maids looked on in utter disbelief. The procession of gift-bearers alone had lasted for three whole
00:41days. They were unaware, however, that the previous year's procession had lasted for an entire week.
00:45Yet, the protagonist's mind remained remarkably clear. Accepting gifts of courtesy was not the
00:50end of the matter. Both the gift-givers and the gifts themselves required a massive amount of time
00:54to meticulously record. Fortunately, among his maids was a bound spirit, a supernatural
00:58entity who was always able to handle these administrative tasks with perfect efficiency.
01:02As the wielder of the water demon sword, the protagonist had received a personal decree
01:06from the emperor assigning him to serve under the fourth prince for his practical training.
01:09As the only princely minister among the emperor's sons, the fourth prince commanded the empire's
01:14military forces and was charged with quelling rebellions. Coincidentally, he had business to
01:18discuss with the protagonist that very day. The emperor had just issued an edict ordering
01:21him to deploy troops to repel an invasion by barbarian tribes. Standing beside him was
01:26Nicholas Cage, a trusted confidant of the fourth prince, who possessed not only. He brought his
01:30son along, thinking it the perfect opportunity for the boy to apprentice under the family physician.
01:34However, the very next day, Shirley discovered that the maids within the estate were still
01:38gossiping about potential candidates for the future princess consort. After all, the other princes
01:42had all married the moment they came of age. His personal maidservant felt they were being a
01:46bit presumptuous, yet she was unaware just how popular the young prince, the story's protagonist,
01:50had become. Indeed, the streets nearby had recently seen the opening of numerous coffee houses'
01:55establishments catering specifically to those hoping to catch a glimpse of the prince,
01:59or perhaps even be fortunate enough to catch his eye. After all, as Evelyn had once remarked,
02:03it would be nearly impossible to find another prince as gentle and kind-hearted as him.
02:07Some time later, the prince suddenly received a mysterious letter. The gatekeeper reported that
02:11the messenger had fled immediately after delivering it. The letter served as a warning to the prince,
02:16the remnants of the former rebel army might be planning a move, and the sender appeared to be
02:19conducting covert reconnaissance. The prince surmised that the sender was likely the same individual
02:24who had tipped him off during the previous crisis. That man had subsequently learned that the prince
02:28had, in fact, already possessed full intelligence regarding the rebellion all along, yet the prince
02:32had feigned ignorance and had even rewarded him handsomely. This latest act was likely an attempt
02:37to repay that debt of gratitude. However, the prince did not view this as a positive development.
02:41It was far too dangerous for an inexperienced layman to engage in espionage.
02:45Discovery would inevitably lead to a violent death. He needed to immediately contact the
02:49fourth prince, who was still stationed in the local area. Soon, the prince received a reply from
02:53his fourth brother. As he had feared, the man had indeed been discovered and subjected to brutal
02:57interrogation. Because he had steadfastly refused to break his silence, he had been tortured mercilessly.
03:02Although the fourth prince had managed to rescue him in the nick of time, the man had yet to regain
03:06consciousness. The prince reproached himself. Had he only heeded the emperor's teachings and gathered
03:11intelligence sooner, the man would never have had to take such a risk. Consequently,
03:14he immediately dispatched his subordinates with strict orders to save the man's life at any cost.
03:18But to sacrifice the life of a loyal subject merely to obtain intelligence would be a loss far too
03:23great to bear. On that particular day, he took Shirley along to an antique shop to acquire new stock.
03:27Gazing at the dazzling array of treasures on display, gems and artifacts of a caliber she had
03:31never encountered before, Shirley was utterly mesmerized. The prince, however, noticed a particular
03:36object that had been kept concealed from view. It was a masterpiece crafted by a renowned Western artisan
03:41using techniques now lost to history, a statue of a goddess, preserved in exquisite detail.
03:45It was said that only two such statues remained in existence throughout the entire world. The prince,
03:50sparing no expense, purchased it on the spot, unaware that the eighth prince happened to be
03:54visiting the very same shop that day. He immediately spotted a glass statue of a goddess standing nearby.
03:59He was truly impressed. He never imagined that the second and final of only two such statues in the
04:03entire world would be discovered so quickly. This was particularly striking to him because the
04:07asterisk other asterisk statue of the goddess was currently in his own possession. Consequently,
04:12the protagonist acted with the cunning of a corrupt official. He promptly knocked over the statue
04:15right there on the spot. He then instructed the shopkeeper to spread the news that the second
04:19statue had been destroyed. In doing so, the value of the goddess statue currently held by
04:23eight prince would skyrocket. The eighth prince acknowledged this favor, promising to repay the debt
04:27in the future. Shirley, who witnessed the scene, felt her eyes truly opened that day,
04:31though she couldn't help but feel it was a pity to see such a valuable object destroyed so casually.
04:35Little did she know that, to the protagonist, the asterisk truly asterisk precious things were
04:39people, those who risked their lives to convey intelligence, those who strove wholeheartedly
04:43to live up to the legacy of the seventh prince, and those who swore their fealty to him,
04:46burning themselves out in selfless dedication. Thus, people, not objects, were the true treasures.
04:51After being reincarnated as the thirteenth prince, the protagonist acquired a unique ability.
04:55His power would grow infinitely, expanding in tandem with the size of the faction under his command.
05:00By strictly adhering to the law and daring to publicly point out the emperor's errors,
05:03he had earned the emperor's deep favor, becoming the second princely minister in the realm,
05:07second only to the fourth prince. It was now the protagonist's twelfth birthday.
05:10His newly arrived maids looked on in utter disbelief. The procession of gift-bearers alone
05:14had lasted for three whole days. They were unaware, however, that the previous year's procession had
05:19lasted for an entire week. Yet, the protagonist's mind remained remarkably clear, accepting gifts of
05:24courtesy was not the end of the matter. Both the gift-givers and the gifts themselves required
05:27a massive amount of time to meticulously record. Fortunately, among his maids was a bound spirit,
05:32a supernatural entity, who was always able to handle these administrative tasks with perfect
05:36efficiency. As the wielder of the water demon sword, the protagonist had received a personal
05:40decree from the emperor assigning him to serve under the fourth prince for his practical
05:44training. As the only princely minister among the emperor's sons, the fourth prince commanded
05:48the empire's military forces and was charged with quelling rebellions. Coincidentally, he had business
05:53to discuss with the protagonist that very day. The emperor had just issued an edict ordering him to
05:57deploy troops to repel an invasion by barbarian tribes. Standing beside him was Nicolas Cage,
06:02a trusted confidant of the fourth prince, who possessed not only exceptional martial prowess,
06:06but also extraordinary talent for military command. The protagonist had but one question.
06:10How many asterisk actual asterisk regular troops do you currently have under your command, Cage?
06:14Upon hearing this, the man instantly broke into a cold sweat. He immediately confessed his
06:18transgressions and begged for mercy, but the protagonist understood a fundamental truth about the military.
06:23Funding was allocated based on the asterisk registered asterisk headcount of soldiers on the
06:27official rolls. Consequently, it was a common practice to pair the roster with the names of men
06:31who were merely laborious, merchants, or other non-combatants. It is a common occurrence for
06:35auxiliary personnel to be officially registered, often in inflated numbers, to allow those in
06:39charge to line their own pockets. However, the protagonist's objective here was not to assign
06:43blame. Under normal circumstances, such practices posed no significant issue, as the ostensibly large
06:48troop figures served as a deterrent against potential enemies. This time, however, things were different.
06:53The emperor demanded a resounding victory and would not tolerate any padding of the army's headcount.
06:57Cage confessed that 2,000 of his men were merely placeholders. The protagonist simply required him
07:02to fill this actual manpower deficit. He then penned a note instructing Cage to approach the Ministry of
07:07Finance to request funds for an additional 2,000 men, money that Cage could keep entirely for himself,
07:11on the sole condition that he secure a victory. Young members of the imperial family frequently met
07:16with untimely deaths officially attributed to outbreaks of plague, though any insider knew that most were.
07:20In reality, casualties of power struggles, imperial princes were forbidden from entering the
07:24battlefield without a direct command from the emperor until they reached adulthood. Unexpectedly,
07:29the very next moment, a group of children suddenly blocked the road, pleading for help as several
07:33burly men roughly attempted to drag them away. Upon witnessing this, the protagonist stepped forward
07:37to intervene. Enraged and humiliated, the men attempted to attack him. The protagonist showed no mercy,
07:42instantly summoning his magic sword to cut them all down on the spot. To his surprise,
07:46a skilled combatant emerged from a nearby alleyway, declaring that the confrontation must end there.
07:51Recognizing his opponents as the fourth prince and the thirteenth prince, the man publicly flaunted his
07:55powerful patron, the first prince, Gilbert, as if he did not recognize the man. The fourth prince,
08:00playing along with perfect tacit understanding, likewise denied knowing him. With lightning speed,
08:04the protagonist knocked a man unconscious, then publicly accused him of impersonating a subordinate
08:08of the first prince, a ruse. He declared that could never fool them.
08:11Courtesans. The protagonist then deliberately issued a loud command to his subordinate,
08:15find all these thieves and deliver them to the first prince's residence, reporting that they had
08:19dared to impersonate the first prince's retainers in broad daylight. To shake the very foundations
08:23of the empire, acting on the emperor's instructions, the protagonist was ordered to
08:27handle the entire affair strictly in accordance with the law. Grasping the emperor's true intent,
08:31he swiftly concluded the sentencing of all those implicated. Every single individual arrested met
08:36the same fate, the death penalty, to be carried out immediately two and a half days later. The
08:40protagonist perceived that the emperor had no desire to implicate the crown prince, thus,
08:44he resolved to downplay the incident and keep it from escalating further. The emperor was highly
08:48pleased with his approach and rewarded him with an annual stipend increase of 1,000 tails. However,
08:53no sooner had he returned to his office than he found all the guards lying prostrate on the ground.
08:57Intruders had breached the premises during his absence and they had yet to depart. Drawing his
09:01demonic sword, the protagonist stepped inside alone to confront the enemy. With just a few swift moves,
09:06he instantly subdued one of the attackers, even taking the precaution of severing the man's
09:10tongue to prevent him from biting it to commit suicide. In mere moments, every single intruder had been
09:15taken down. It was then revealed that these men were the very conspirators involved in the rebellion,
09:20the ones who had been sentenced to death, and that they had been silenced. This meant, of course,
09:24that this group was acting under the orders of the crown prince. The protagonist had no choice but to
09:28inflict a wound upon himself, feigning injury at the hands of the intruders, for under the law,
09:32the maximum penalty for assaulting a prince minister was immediate execution on the spot. In this manner,
09:37the entire affair was finally brought to a definitive close. Although the protagonist felt deeply aggrieved,
09:41knowing that were it not for the crown prince, he would not have had to endure such suffering.
09:45The emperor recognized his sacrifice and felt deeply gratified by his choice. If all his subjects
09:49were as principled as the protagonist, the emperor's own reign would be far less arduous. For among those
09:54rulers hailed as enlightened monarchs, 9 out of 10 ultimately suffer a tarnished reputation in their
09:59twilight years. After all, while the empire
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