Chapter 388: Rearing Nobles


    Not just for housing the royal family?


    Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.


    Following Louis V’s gaze, she looked at the Kingdom’s fief map on the wall.


    Scanning the crests symbolizing various noble families, Charlotte had a peculiar thought.


    “Your Majesty, do you mean to invite the Kingdom’s nobles to reside here as well?”


    She asked calmly.


    Louis V smiled faintly, with an approving look.


    “Countess Castell, you are correct. Building this pce, I indeed n to invite the nobles to live here.”


    Saying this, Louis V stood up, looked out at the Royal za, and sighed.“In recent years, the kingdom has developed rapidly. The poption of Lutecia has doubled several times over the past few decades. Land and housing within the city are quite scarce, with many poor people even having no homes, resorting to setting up simple tents around the city walls…”


    “Nobles face simr issues. Especially when the Central Council convenes, it is nearly impossible to find a room in the inner city. I suppose… Countess, you have also felt this.”


    “Moreover, each time the Central Council is held, the influx of numerous nobles greatly pressures public order. Theirpetitive buying of city mansions has driven up Lutecia’s real estate prices to an unattainable level for ordinary people.”


    “Under such high prices, forced sales and purchases aremonce, bankrupting more and more citizens while arrogant nobles and wastrels increase.”


    “Although the capital is prosperous, beneath this prosperity lies increasingly sharp social contradictions…”


    As he spoke, Louis V turned around and paused slightly before calmly saying,


    “Therefore, I built this Crescent Pce…”


    “Crescent Pce is thergest pce in Myria’s history. The main pce alone can amodate at least eight thousand people in daily life. Including the surrounding auxiliary buildings, it canfortably house twelve thousand people.”


    “Furthermore, crescent Pce offers the kingdom’s most luxurious andfortable environment, with extraordinary facilities far surpassing those of other countries in Yte, fully meeting the daily needs of nobles.”


    “In addition, Crescent Pce possesses the most advanced magical inscriptions in the entire Yte region. Its activated magical array can even iste Legendary’s probes, maximizing the residents’ privacy…”


    “Therefore, I n to gradually revoke the nobles’ residences in the capital. All nobles in Lutecia must move into Crescent Pce in the future.”


    “This Crescent Pce is not just the royal pce, but also the residence for nobles in the capital.”


    Listening to Louis V’s words, Charlotte felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu.


    Looking at this most assertive king in Crescent’s history, she continued calmly.


    “Your Majesty, when you say revoke residences, does this include vassal’s residences from various regions?”


    Louis V smiled faintly.


    “Of course.”


    “Residences of regional vassals in the capital upy over two-thirds of Lutecia’s inner city. Most of this area is vacant most of the time.”


    “This is a tremendous waste and must be addressed.”


    “After this Central Council meeting, I will issue a royal decree limiting regional nobles’ property in Lutecia to no more than 200 square meters. Each family can hold one to three properties based on their rank.”


    “Any property exceeding the specifications must be revoked, and I will exchange it for the right to reside in Crescent Pce.”


    Charlotte: …


    She felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu.


    “Your Majesty, is this the deal you n to make with the nobles?”


    She asked.


    Louis V nced at her and said tly.


    “No, this will be the king’s order.”


    Charlotte felt unsurprised by this answer.


    She understood Louis V’s intention. He nned to make Crescent Pce the residence for nobles’ activities in the capital.


    Nobles livevishly, and a mere 200 square meters might not even amodate the attendants of major nobles.


    If Louis V enforced this policy, most nobles would likely move into Crescent Pce during the Central Council…


    “And what about the daily maintenance of the pce? Running such arge and luxurious pce will require substantial daily expenses. Is Your Majesty nning to have the nobles pay for it themselves?”


    Charlotte asked.


    Louis V smiled slightly.


    “Of course, I only provide the residence. As for daily expenses, the nobles must cover them.”


    “However, living in Crescent Pce may be cheaper for the nobles than maintaining theirrge estates.”


    Not necessarily.


    Nobles are often extravagant and love to show off, alwayspeting.


    If they all lived together, Charlotte could foresee what might happen.


    For instance, if Louis V set different standards of living conditions with outrageous prices for the highest tier, many nobles might go to great lengths to maintain their status.


    It’s like ying a video game.


    When ying alone, everyone does their own thing. But once connected,parisons begin.


    In the past, rich yers would spend extravagantly for top ranks in trivial mobile games, let alone Myria nobles.


    However, this is not the most crucial part.


    The most important part is how long Louis V ns for the nobles to stay in Crescent Pce.


    “Your Majesty, what about outside of the Central Council? After the council, the nobles will return to their fiefs. How will Crescent Pce be maintained then? What about the servants in the pce?”


    Charlotte asked tentatively.


    Louis V looked at her and said matter-of-factly.


    “Outside of the Central Council, the Crescent Pce will still operate normally. Nobles will naturally still need to pay for the daily maintenance of the pce, and this will be deducted from their contract taxes.”


    “As for the servants…aside from necessary personal attendants that can be brought into the pce, the rest of the general servants will be provided by the royal family.”


    Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.


    “You mean the Crescent Pce will always have a sufficient supply of servants? Even outside of the Central Council?”


    Louis V nodded slightly.


    “Of course, nobles can still reside in the Crescent Pce at any time outside of the Central Council.”


    Hearing Louis V’s words, Charlotte fell into deep thought.


    She had discerned Louis V’s intentions.


    This wasn’t just about providing nobles with a unified residence during the Central Council, but about encouraging them to reside in the Crescent Pce long-term.


    If Louis V intended for nobles to only stay during the Central Council, he would likely only provide temporary amodations and reduce operational costs outside of council periods.


    But Louis V’s intention was to keep the Crescent Pce running continuously, regardless of whether nobles resided there.


    Louis V was an ambitious and assertive ruler with a vision. Spending a fortune to build such a colossal pce was not just about providing temporary lodging for nobles or easing Lutecia’s housing pressure.


    The answer was clear.


    It was all about centralization.


    It was obvious that Louis V aimed to have all the Kingdom’s lords reside in the Crescent Pce in the future.


    Perhaps now, it’s only during the Central Council that nobles move in, but once they all move in during the council, it sets a precedent.


    The first step is always the hardest.


    Once the first step is taken, it bes easier to continue subtly.


    Whether through strong measures, coercion and inducement, or other means, getting nobles to live in the Crescent Pce long-term bes a possibility.


    Charlotte believed that as long as nobles moved into the Crescent Pce even once, Louis V would find a way to go further.


    Initially, nobles might fiercely resist, but as the royal family’s power grew, this resistance would weaken.


    Once nobles got used to life in the Crescent Pce, they would gradually detach from their fiefs, possibly never returning, effectively bing “domesticated” in the Crescent Pce.


    This was highly likely.


    Not all noble territories were as wealthy as Castell, and Louis V’s pce was indeed luxurious.


    Once Louis V managed to keep nobles away from their fiefs and local power centers through various means, their connection to theirnds would weaken, and the royal family could better control and influence their activities, even managing and monitoring them through the Crescent Pce.


    Thus, the influence of nobles would diminish, while the King’s authority and control would strengthen.


    When all the kingdom’s nobles were concentrated in the Crescent Pce, quantitative changes could even lead to qualitative changes.


    At that point, the Crescent Pce would be a hub of social and cultural life for nobles.


    Then, Louis V’s centralization efforts would be easier.


    For instance, he could establish strict court etiquette and regtions, demanding noblesply to reinforce his authority and limit their freedom. He could also hold political gatherings and meetings in the Crescent Pce to monitor and control noble activities.


    This transformation could be reciprocal.


    The Crescent Pce would also serve as a tform for nobles to interact,pete, showcase their wealth and status, and directly express opinions and requests to the king, significantly diminishing the importance of the Central Council.


    Even those nobles unwilling to reside long-term in the Crescent Pce would have to frequently travel between their fiefs and the pce, weakening their local influence.


    Over time, the connection between nobles and their fiefs would grow increasingly tenuous.


    Meanwhile, the royal family would gain opportunities to intervene in local affairs, gradually infiltrating and controlling them, even managing local finances through contract taxes.


    Ultimately, nobles could be titrndholders with no actual control over their territories.


    This was highly likely, and Charlotte was almost certain this was Louis V’s future n.


    Otherwise, why spend a fortune building such a “marvel” as the Crescent Pce?


    As for why Charlotte thought of so much, it was because history had shown simr scenarios, with a king known as the “Sun King” Louis XIV, who built Versailles in France.


    The difference was that by Louis XIV’s time, the feudal nobility in France was already in decline, whereas local feudal forces in the Crescent Kingdom were still strong.


    But Louis V had his advantages.


    This was a world of extraordinary powers, and the Crescent Royal Family was the most powerful extraordinary force in the kingdom, with Louis V being the most powerful secr extraordinary being.


    The authority and prestige he umted through war and saving the country were far beyond those of Louis XIV.


    Thinking of this, Charlotte couldn’t help but look again at this king known as “the Great.”


    The King summoning her was not just to chat.


    Charlotte had past-life memories, allowing her to connect many dots.


    Even without past-life memories, her political instincts honed over the past two years would sense Louis V’s unspoken ns.


    Such detailed exnations of the Crescent Pce and the reasoning behind it were clearly indicative…


    “Your Majesty, you…don’t just want to talk about the future of the Crescent Pce, do you?”


    Charlotte looked up, meeting Louis V’s deep ck eyes, and asked calmly.


    Louis V looked at her with appreciation.


    “Countess Castell, I know of your deeds in the North. In my view, although you are young, you have the vision and skill far beyond other nobles.”


    “Like your parents, you are an excellent noble. If your father were still alive, I would have likely granted him a higher title and made him a direct vassal of the kingdom, joining my cab…”


    “You are the same. I see many virtues in you. I greatly admire the policies you implemented in the North, especially your suppression of dissidents. To haveplete control over your territory and defeat thebined forces of two duchies within six months is truly remarkable.”


    “I’m sorry about Philip. This matter is not over, and I will offer youpensation as a token of the royal family’s apology to the Castell family…”


    Hearing Louis V’s words, Charlotte was quite surprised.


    She hadn’t expected such high praise and sincere attitude from him.


    She smiled slightly, maintaining herposure as she asked.


    “Your Majesty, may I be so bold as to ask, are you trying to win me over?”


    Louis V nced at her.


    “You could say that.”


    “Of course, I am also expressing the Royal Family’s stance. And… I believe you have already understood my intentions.”


    As he spoke, Louis V looked directly into Charlotte’s eyes, his demeanor bing imposing in an instant.


    “Castell, no one can change my determination to strengthen the central authority, not the nobles, and not the church.”


    “Since the end of the Star-Moon War, the number of dukes with real power and lesiastical territories in the kingdom will only decrease, never increase.”