For every movement, Sophia silently drank her black tea with milk and observed from the side.
Looking at Irene's posture, this wasn't just planting vegetables; this was practically waiting upon one's ancestors.
But it made sense. If these potatoes were ruined in planting, it would be a huge pity.
Sophia hadn't even thought she would pick up such a big windfall.
Potatoes, chili.
It just happened to be these two extremely versatile foods with unique functions.
Irene knelt by the soil, personally burying every potato sprout block into the earth, the depth precise down to the knuckle.
Following that were those tiny chili seeds, which were dibbled into the window sill troughs closest to the sunlight.
Because there were truly too few seeds, in the end, only twenty-five potato plants were planted, along with twenty chili plants.
When the last handful of soil was covered, Irene collapsed onto the ground, sweat sliding down her cheeks, but her smile was as brilliant as a fool's.
"Your Majesty, a few months. In just a few months, I can conjure up a mountain of gold for you!"
Sophia stood up, her black cloak fluttering in the wind on the rooftop.
She looked at that patch of smooth black soil, as if she had already seen the future Kingdom of Mason, where every household's pot was cooking fragrant potatoes.
You've worked hard, Irene.
Once this thing grows out, I will definitely reward you with the first bite.
"Very good."
Sophia spoke coldly.
"From today on, every inch of soil here will be personally guarded by us."
Meanwhile, the soldiers patrolling outside the Palace looked at the purple light faintly flickering on the top of the West Tower and discussed among themselves:
"Look, Her Majesty and the Inventor Miss must be incubating some kind of forbidden magic capable of incinerating the world.
That kind of holy yet terrifying aura... The Kingdom of Mason is truly going to be invincible!"
In reality, it was just that Irene had added some lamps and purple heat-absorbing cloth.
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"Leighton dwarf, who let you set up a stall here?"
An arrogant and vulgar voice shattered the harmony of the morning market.
It was several burly men wearing short cloth clothes, with rusty longswords swaying at their waists.
The leader had a face full of transverse flesh, with a scar slashing diagonally from his forehead to the corner of his mouth, looking exceptionally fierce.
He kicked over a Leighton merchant's basket, and several strips of precious meat jerky rolled onto the stone road covered in muddy water.
"My Lord, we hold the special permit from Your Majesty the Queen..."
The Leighton merchant explained tremblingly, unable to understand how he had provoked this person.
It just so happened that the old minister with the most authority was not present. They couldn't possibly get into a conflict with Mason people on Mason territory, so what should they do?
"Queen?"
The scar-faced man sneered, his tone carrying undisguised contempt.
"On this Clock Tower Avenue, it used to be Earl Barrett who called the shots.
I used to guard the house for Earl Barrett's mansion back in the day!
That little girl who still smells of breast milk killed the Earl; that is her business. But the rules of this territory? You have to listen to me!"
The surrounding populace lowered their heads and stepped aside.
These people were the local ruffians and hooligans of the city, mostly having countless ties with the eight nobles who had been executed previously.
They had once been the dirty tools in the hands of the nobles. They were not among the group of dependents and servants taken away by Her Majesty, so they had escaped disaster.
Now that their masters had fallen, they were borrowing the lingering prestige of the old days, attempting to bite off a piece of bloody meat in this sudden feast of trade.
"Two silver coins a day.
If you can't pay up, you Leighton dogs can roll back to your ruins!"
The scar-faced man's threat was accompanied by the jeering of several ruffians.
In their view, the Kingdom of Mason was currently in a chaotic mess. That teenage Queen hiding in the Palace, aside from knowing how to use strange weapons to kill a few unlucky bastards, simply didn't understand how to govern this street.
Inside the Palace study at this moment.
Sophia was lying prone on the table, her pale golden pupils staring at the account reports Victor had delivered, her left hand unconsciously rubbing the center of her brow.
"Your Majesty, this is the report from Clock Tower Avenue this morning."
Victor stood to the side, somewhat ill at ease.
"The people of the Leighton caravan were harassed. It is the remnants of those old nobles. Relying on their former power in the Royal City, they are forcibly collecting protection fees."
Sophia's movements froze.
"Protection fees?"
Sophia sat up abruptly, a chilling glint that suffocated Victor instantly bursting forth from her originally indifferent eyes.
My God! Those ruffians are robbing my future money pouch?
Those Leighton people handed over so many fat livestock to me, and even claimed that if I liked it, they would bring gifts every time they came hereafter.
Moreover, Mason has finally opened up a trade market. When the old thing was in power, no country would come to do business and drive her country's economy.
Now they are being harassed and plucked clean by these ruffians. Who will dare to come to Mason to do business in the future?
Although she was roaring frantically inside, to Victor and Valery, Her Majesty the Queen's silence seemed more like the calm before the storm.
"Your Majesty, although these ruffians are few in number, they are familiar with the dark alleys of the Royal City and have ties with some old members of the City Defense Army,"
Valery analyzed in a deep voice.
"If we use the musketeer squads for a large-scale purge, it might disturb trade and cause anxiety among the Leighton people.
They will feel that the Kingdom of Mason is still a turbulent land outside the law."
Sophia slowly leaned back against the chair, her slender fingers tapping rhythmically on the redwood desktop.
"Order."
Sophia spoke coldly, her voice like an icy judgment coming from the abyss.
"Prosperity without order is nothing more than a fatty sacrifice.
The Kingdom of Mason does not need hooligans; it only needs taxpayers."
She turned her head to look at Irene and Delilah, whose gazes were burning as they stared at her.
"Since they like talking about the rules of the territory, then This Queen will establish a new rule for them."
In the following three hours, the Palace study became the birthplace of some kind of new civilization.
Sophia relied on the vague memories remaining from her past life, while listening to Valery's local suggestions and a few suggestions from Irene, with Irene responsible for frantically recording with a quill pen on parchment.
This code was abbreviated by Sophia as the "Mason Royal City Comprehensive Governance Act".
But in Valery's heart, this was simply a bible of order that only a deity could write.
1. "Mason Royal City Urban Management Regulations":
Public Order: For all public streets in the Royal City, sovereignty belongs to the Queen.
Prohibition of privately setting up roadblocks, prohibition of forcibly demanding regulatory fees, and prohibition of randomly piling debris or excreting on main roads.
Violent Intervention: Any non-official armed organization engaging in intimidation, beating, or restricting the freedom of others in the blocks is regarded as a provocation of Royal Power, punishable by hanging at the maximum.
Urban Management Guard: Establish specialized patrol squads responsible for stall registration and security maintenance.
2. "Kingdom of Mason Commercial Protection Act":
Tax Uniqueness: All merchants who legally pay taxes (65% of the transaction volume) are absolutely protected by the Mason Royal House. Aside from this, no one is allowed to collect fees for any reason.
Unified Weights and Measures: All transactions must use the standard weights and measuring rulers supervised by the Mason Royal House. Fraudsters will have their family property confiscated.
Trade Immunity: Anyone holding a Trade Permit issued by the Queen enjoys the right to security of life and property within the territory of Mason.
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