Chapter 262: Succession Structure 3
< 262. Succession Structure 3 >
No, thats
Marcus was momentarily lost in thought at the unexpected question.
He didnt intend to keep it a secret.
He just wanted to explain it step by step after everything was ready.
He knew that if he spoke before then, he would get a reaction like this.
Marcus was not sure how much information he should give.
His hesitation was misunderstood by Julia, whose face grew darker.
You dont do anything without thinking. Thats why Ive been watching you But you didnt really do it without thinking, did you?
Of course not. Have I ever done anything impulsively?
No. But Im worried because its related to your child. Even the most rational and logical person can become emotional when it comes to their child. Especially you, youve been too attached to Sophia since before. You know Im not being anxious for no reason, right?
Marcus made a faintly embarrassed expression and looked around.
As Julia said, considering his actions so far, it was unreasonable to tell her not to worry.
He eventually decided that it would be better to reveal as much as possible.
Youre probably right about what youre thinking. But of course I didnt do anything impulsively, and Ive prepared everything thoroughly, so you dont have to worry. If you have any concerns, feel free to ask me. Ill answer them all.
Are you really going to make your daughter your successor? Its completely against the Roman sentiment.
It doesnt matter if its a daughter or a son. Im giving my position to someone who has the ability to do so. The successor of the Julius Reginius family will be regarded as a living god who has descended in this era. So it doesnt matter if its a man or a woman. Of course, Im not going to insist on that, but Im going to make the Romans naturally feel that way. Ive already started preparing for that.
Are you going to cause the same innovations that youve done so far with Sophia in front of you?
Yes. Changes that no one has ever imagined will happen and the glory will go to Sophia. She might even enjoy more fame than me. People have a different feeling for goddesses than for gods. They are sacred beings, holy maidens, mothers, something like that. They can give both feelings at the same time.
If he considered how much respect and reverence the queens of England had received, he could roughly guess the reaction.
If Marcuss breath was involved, she would probably receive more respect and love than the queens of England in their heyday.
Julia fell silent for a moment and thought.
If what Marcus said was true, it seemed that there was no difficulty for his daughter to reach the highest position in Rome.
It would be a problem if it was a person, but it would be different if it was a god.
There would be no problem if it was seen as someone who had the qualifications of a god taking that position.
There might be some criticism about how he would do that, but Marcus also offered a solution.Rêạd new chapters on no/v/e/lbin(.)com
If he achieved achievements equivalent to those he had achieved so far, such as innovation in agriculture, reducing the incidence of disease by distributing soap, inventing paper and printing press, no one could complain.
The real problem was whether such great inventions could come out in the future, but Marcus gave him a definite answer that it was possible.
Then he could say that he had lessened his biggest worry.
But that wasnt the end of the problem.
Werent you considering Octavius as a son-in-law?
Hes the one with the most ideal conditions. Hes from a commoner background but has a noble bloodline, and his ability is outstanding beyond anyones reach. And most importantly, Sophia seems to like Octavius, so shouldnt I respect her wishes?
I agree that hes the best son-in-law if you only look at the conditions. But thats only if youre healthy.
Are you worried that Octavius will show his true colors when I die?
Julia nodded slowly.
I know it might be an excessive worry, but I cant say that the possibility is zero. You said Octavius has an outstanding ability, but hes more than just excellent.
He also has a ruthlessness that can cut off anything for his purpose. Even if Sophia takes the highest position, shes still a woman after all. How can you be sure that Octavius wont dominate Rome in reality?
That might be possible if you only look at his abilities. Octavius is definitely on a different level.
Politically speaking, there was no one in Rome who could match Octavius except Marcus.
Even Caesar might be inferior to Octavius if he only looked at politics.
If he became Sophias husband, there was no guarantee that he wouldnt try to take over Rome.
The ability to become emperor means that anyone with ability can overthrow the throne.
In fact, in the original history, Rome, where the emperors authority was shaken in the late imperial period, had several civil wars.
How many civil wars were there that some people even described them as folk games?
Julias concern was very reasonable.
But Marcus had the best countermeasure to prevent this.
My successors will be given absolute dignity and legitimacy that no one can shake. You dont have to worry about that.
Even if you hold the nations treasury and legions, that can be shaken over time
No, thats not it. My successors will inherit the wisdom of God that no one else knows. If I arrange it so that only the person who is designated as a successor can see it, no one can deny it.
The wisdom of God
Literally. Who else can doubt it?
Marcus had prepared secret information that only his successors could see in the form of a will.
He couldnt write down all the knowledge he could see, so he only picked out the realistic parts and made them into books, but the amount was so much that it was almost tens of volumes.
He divided the things he pushed forward using the knowledge of the future into three stages.
What he could finish in his generation, and what he could finish in the next generation, and what would only be possible in the distant future.
For example, reforming the administrative system and expanding educational facilities were things he could finish while he was alive.
And he thought that it would have an effect around the time when Sophia or her successor ascended to the throne to be able to destroy the celestial order of the Middle Kingdom (Han Dynasty).
Finally, things like antibiotics or the establishment of a true democracy would be possible after some more time had passed.
Marcus wrote down the things that his successors had to know, the appropriate means to achieve them, and the effective ways to elevate his authority for this.
A representative example was the volcanic eruption of Pompeii and the earthquake that would hit Antioch.
What if the successors of the future predicted these national disasters with precise years and dates? How would the people of that time react?
If such a thing actually happened, then the words of Marcus successors would become literally the voice of God.
Of course, as history went on, the gap between the original history and this one would grow bigger, so writing down the details might not be very helpful.
But anyway, looking at the current rate of development, it would only take a few generations for democracy or true republicanism to sprout.
By then, the emperors position would be meaningless.
He might not be beheaded like the royal families of France or Russia, but there was no guarantee that he would never do so.
He just had to write down information that would help his descendants until they could retire with as much praise as possible.
The words that Marcus left for his descendants would become the true scriptures left by God, and they would follow them without a doubt.
Of course, even if he told Julia all this, it was obvious that she wouldnt believe it properly at this point.
So he just told her a story that he had heard the voice of God in a way that suited him.
Caesar and Julia did not doubt that Marcus was blessed by the gods, so they surprisingly accepted it easily.
Marcus decided to move up his schedule a little more after telling Julia most of the facts and went straight to Octavius.
As expected, Octavius seemed to have a rough idea of what Marcus was going to say just from the recent situation.
Did you come here for something related to Lady Sophia?
You probably already guessed it, so theres no need to waste time explaining it. Thats why I like talking to you.
Youre too kind. I only know that its related to Lady Sophia, but I cant guess exactly what youre going to say.
Octavius lowered himself tightly and listened to Marcus words that followed.
Its up to you and Sophia to refine this thousand-year empire that my father-in-law and I built into an eternal empire. You will become one who knows everything under heaven. But there will be one price to pay.
What is that?
You cant pass on your surname to your children from Sophia. From now on, the women of the Licinius imperial family will inherit matrilineally as descendants of the goddess of Rome.
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