Bread and Circuses
“I have come to assist you all.”
The Emperor, visibly pleased, had not forgotten his second question. He pressed on without pause. “Then how should we appease the public sentiment?”
“Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have strictly forbidden theatrical performances and operas in the streets in order to steady the turbulent political climate. However, the time has come to bestow generous favor upon musicians and performers alike. I implore you to encourage such entertainments on a grand scale, so that the citizens might lose themselves in splendor and forget their cares.”
“In other words, bewitch them. So that’s the only method left.”
Bread and circuses. A time-honored policy for pacifying the masses. Give people food and spectacle, and they stop looking at politics. The current Emperor had only reduced taxes so far; it wasn’t quite enough to glaze their eyes over completely.
“Still, after already cutting taxes, that approach would consume far too much wealth. I’m hesitant.”
“Please set your mind at ease, Your Majesty. During the recent coup we confiscated the assets of the traitors who followed the Deposed Sovereign. That should cover a considerable share of the cost.”
Ieorum provided timely support.
“Furthermore, if you fill the starving bellies of the performers with imperial grace, they will be grateful to the marrow of their bones. They will eagerly embroider Your Majesty’s achievements in the most beautiful terms. Should those clowns portray Your Majesty’s deeds through theatrical performances, you will delight the eyes and ears of the people and win their hearts as well.”
In short, they would write their own Yongbieocheonga without being asked.
Throughout Eastern Confucian cultures, rulers who lavished support on the arts were often viewed with suspicion. Yet it was not without its advantages.
When they created media to praise the throne, the imperial family gained an aura of uniqueness, and uniqueness bred authority.
“Having heard your words, Roy, I see the logic in them. It seems I have been too stingy. Very well. We shall do as you suggest.”
“There is one more matter. I believe we must strictly prohibit subversive books and any slander against Your Majesty.” Ieorum took it a step further, advocating for tighter controls. “Instruct the Chief of the Ministry of State Security to root out those who cleverly defame Your Majesty and to purge ideologically impure texts. The effect would be even greater.”
“Understood. That task, too, shall be left to the Chief.”
Hoo. Looks like my workload just exploded.
With my responsibilities suddenly multiplied, I hurried back to my office and set the entire Ministry of State Security in motion. Even my second-in-command, Merylin Malmhead, was visibly rushing about; I caught glimpses of her beyond the desk.
“Merylin. Take this.”
I handed her the sheet of paper. “The individuals listed there are people I personally selected. Have them fill the vacant positions in our department immediately.”
At my order, visible relief washed over her face. She looks like she just got a stay of execution. The department had been so understaffed that everyone was doing two or three people’s worth of work.
The people I had chosen were colleagues I had kept an eye on during my time as a low-ranking officer.
“I would not presume to question your selections, Chief… but are all of them individuals who supported His Majesty’s great undertaking?”
Hard work was one thing, but she still wanted to be sure. I answered the skeptical Merylin.
“There may not be anyone who actively cheers for it as if it were their own cause. But you won’t find a single person among them who harbors other intentions.”
The people I had marked were those capable of doing their jobs quietly. What mattered right now was having warm bodies who could work immediately; there was no time to run loyalty tests on everyone.
Since I spoke with such certainty, Merylin had nothing more to say. She quietly gathered up the list.
“Understood. I will carry it out at once. However, Chief… you seem to have been writing something else for a while now. May I ask what it is?”
“Hm? Oh, this?” I waved the paper she had been glancing at. “Nothing important. Call it my retirement plan.”
“Retirement plan? Already?”
“You have to sketch out a beautiful future if you want to endure the present.”
The paper was covered in scribbles. The content was simple. It was merely a projection of my future based on the promises I had made with Ieorum.
Once I accumulated enough achievements as Chief of the Ministry of State Security and earned sufficient trust, I would watch for the right moment and resign.
Then I would either live quietly in the mansion I received or play the part of a shutter-man on the estate of the noble wife I was promised in marriage. In any case, I had drawn up a rosy blueprint and organized my retirement plan around it.
I laced my fingers together and rested them behind my head.
“Whatever future a man draws for himself is his own business, isn’t it?”
“I… suppose so. Understood. Then I shall take my leave… Ah! While I’m handling these matters, I will also visit the Deposed Sovereign.”
“You will?”
“Yes. I need to inform him that the house arrest has been lifted.”
“I see. Good work… No, wait.” I reconsidered. “Hmm. I’ll go myself.”
“You, Chief?”
“He was once the Emperor of this nation. It is only proper that the head of the agency go in person.”
Besides, I’ve been curious to see his face. Occasionally doing things personally like this also helped maintain face in front of my subordinates.
The place where the Deposed Sovereign—the dethroned Emperor—was confined was a palace deep within the imperial grounds. As I arrived to meet him, I stopped short just outside his room. Someone was pacing restlessly in front of the door like a puppy waiting anxiously for its owner.
It was a woman wearing a dress embroidered with gorgeous patterns. Her pink hair was styled in neat twin tails. When she noticed us approaching, she frowned.
“Why has the leader of the crows come here?”
Hmm. Hostility the moment she sees me.
I glanced sideways at Merylin, who had followed me. She whispered, “That is Princess Almina. She is the older sister of the Deposed Sovereign.”
I see. No wonder she looks at me with such enmity. Even though I was approaching her niece, she appeared to be the same age as her aunt Ieorum. I greeted her politely.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Roy Macrobyce, recently appointed Chief of the Ministry of State Security.”
“I have no desire to receive greetings from someone like you.”
Almina crossed her arms and turned her head away sharply.
“I am truly sorry. It seems I have disturbed Your Highness’s peace of mind.”
“If you’re sorry, then release His Majesty from confinement at once! What is this rudeness supposed to mean!”
“His Majesty…?” She must mean the Deposed Sovereign.
“You already stole the throne from your young nephew. Was it not enough? Must you lock him up like a criminal? Publicly he was your sovereign, and privately he is still your nephew! How truly petty you are!”
“Your Highness, your words go too far!” Merylin, who had been listening quietly, stepped forward, but I raised a hand to stop her.
“I understand Princess Almina’s feelings more deeply than words can express.”
“What exactly do you understand? If you understand, then lift the house arrest!”
“Yes. In fact, that is precisely why I came—to inform you that the house arrest has been lifted.”
“What?” Almina narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious.
“As you said, His Highness the Prince is, privately, His Majesty’s nephew. The ministers insisted so strongly that we had no choice but to confine him, but His Majesty has been troubled by how poorly we have treated his nephew. That is why he sent me here.”
At my words, Almina fidgeted, lips moving uncertainly.
“What is this? Suddenly? What scheme are you hiding by lifting the house arrest?”
Even when I tell her I’m releasing him, she still complains.
“You misunderstand. I wished to convey that the house arrest was never His Majesty’s true intention.”
“Then… does that mean he may now move freely about the palace?”
“Indeed. If you wish, you may go on outings or meet anyone you desire.”
Arms still crossed, Almina remained half-doubtful. To ease her suspicion, I placed a hand over my chest.
“Personally, I have felt great pain and sorrow at treating both of Their Highnesses in this manner. They were once the supreme rulers of this nation. I argued with His Majesty that this treatment was improper. It seems he agreed that it was no way to treat his nephew, and thus sent me here.”
“You argued for it? Then the lifting of the house arrest was your idea?”
“I did bring it up, but it is ultimately His Majesty’s benevolent decision. He has always cherished his nephew.”
Almina snorted, but her suspicion seemed to have softened somewhat.
“If he truly cared for my brother, he should not be sitting on that throne right now… but for now, I understand. Still, you call it a lifting, yet many restrictions will remain, won’t they?”
“Not at all. Someone will accompany you for security, but you may do whatever you wish.”
“Hmph. You say that, but if we gather the people we want to see, you’ll forbid it, won’t you?”
“Is there someone you wish to see? Excellent. In that case, why not hold a banquet?”
At the suggestion, Almina’s eyes widened.
“What did you just say? A banquet?”
“Yes. To commemorate the lifting of Your Highness’s house arrest, how about inviting those you have not been able to see and easing old sorrows?”
“Uh…”
Apparently she had not expected such an offer. Almina looked visibly flustered. Her gaze wandered as she tried to decide how to respond, until she finally nodded.
“Th-then let’s do that.”
“Please tell me the guest list. I will prepare everything.”
“You will prepare it yourself?”
“It is the first time in a long while that Their Highnesses will be able to speak freely. There must be no mistakes.”
“Th-thank you.”
Almina offered her thanks somewhat reluctantly.
“Then, would Your Highness personally inform His Highness the Prince that the house arrest has been lifted?”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“Meeting him personally would only make things awkward for me… and judging by how Your Highness treats me, I doubt His Highness would be pleased to see me either. Would it not be better if his older sister delivered the news? He would surely be happier.”
“…Fine.”
I maintained my smile until the very end, bid her farewell, and turned to leave.
“Wait!” she called. “You. What was your name again?”
“Roy Macrobyce, newly appointed Chief of the Ministry of State Security.”
“Roy. Roy Macrobyce. I’ll remember it.”
I gave a polite bow and finally left the room.
As we walked, Merylin, who had been following, asked, “A banquet? Was it necessary to go that far?”
“If we can learn who the Deposed Sovereign and his sister regard favorably, a mere banquet is a small price. I’ve dangled the bait. Now they only need to play their part well.”
Eliminating them now would only destroy the current Emperor’s justification. It was better to let them act as bait.
“Won’t they realize it’s a trap?”
“Perhaps… but I doubt they’ll attempt open conspiracy. In any case, even if the bait doesn’t want to be bait, the fish will still bite.”
Having convinced Merylin, we returned to the office.
As the sun set, a banquet was held in the palace where the Deposed Sovereign resided.
“Greet him, Your Highness. This is Sir Roy Macrobyce, who prepared tonight’s banquet.”
“I am Roy Macrobyce. It is an honor to meet Your Highness the Prince.”
The one looking at me with a slightly sour expression was the Deposed Sovereign himself, driven from the throne. He appeared to be around middle-school age and gave an impression of frailty at first glance.
“Th-thank you. And Sister, you mustn’t call me ‘Your Majesty.’”
“Habits formed over years are not easily broken. No one will fault a sister for honoring her younger brother with his former title.”
At those words, the Deposed Sovereign gave a bitter smile.
“As you can see from my attire, I am not here today in my capacity as Chief of the Ministry of State Security. Should you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call upon me.”
“Thank you.”
It was Almina who answered in his stead. After parting from them, I sat at a table in a corner of the banquet hall and observed the guests.
There were quite a few people. It showed that the Deposed Sovereign still held influence, but some of them were uninvited. They had come without being called, probably hoping to leave an impression on the current Emperor.
“Your Highnesses! It brings me boundless joy to behold your esteemed faces once more. This is all thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s magnanimous generosity.”
They offered such sudden, effusive praise to the deposed siblings. In simple terms, they were like assembly members raising their voices during confirmation hearings. They were desperate to become stars.
Some merely wanted to make an impression through flattery, but others were likely trying to persuade the siblings in earnest and win them over. That much was tolerable. The real problem was that there were always those who took things too far.
“Princess. Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
Almina’s expression darkened instantly at the proposal. No wonder—the one who had just attempted the “Shall we dance” line was a noble no one had ever heard of.
When I quietly asked one of my agents disguised as a waiter, he confirmed the man was from some insignificant rural estate.
In high society, it was customary for dances to be requested only between those of equal station. This was beyond rudeness; it was a deliberate insult.
The problem was that the other party, though the sister of a deposed emperor, was still a member of the imperial family. Such behavior was an insult to the imperial house itself. People who acted this foolishly never thought that deeply.
Sighing, I had no choice but to intervene. The man was still holding out his hand while Almina glared at it with a fierce expression. I seized his wrist.
“You seem rather drunk. Why don’t you step outside for some fresh air?”
“Wh-what? Who the hell are you?! I’m not drunk!”
“Chief of the Ministry of State Security.”
Apparently that was answer enough. At my imposing declaration, the man sucked in a sharp breath as if he had seen the grim reaper. His face pale, he scratched the back of his head and bowed deeply the moment I released his wrist.
“I did not realize it was the Chief… This lowly one has committed a grave rudeness. Ha ha… P-please forgive me.”
I jerked my chin toward the exit, making it clear he should disappear. He gave an awkward laugh and scurried away.
“Are you all right? My apologies. I failed to pay proper attention, and an insolent fellow has offended you.”
Almina stared at me blankly for a moment, then abruptly turned her head and downed her wine.
“I-I was about to say something myself even if you hadn’t stepped in.”
Her ears were slightly flushed—whether from the alcohol or something else, I couldn’t tell.