Urban Seduction: Housewives Club

A salary standard set over a thousand years ago, which can still support people's lives today, is nothing short of a miracle!

In Eric's view, the royal lineage back then must have been exceptionally generous to their followers. And in their gratitude, these followers have remained loyal and devoted to the royal lineage... at least, that's what Eric believes!

After some thought, Eric asked, "Can I change this salary structure?"

"Of course!" Ophelia nodded vigorously, saying, "You are our king, our supreme king!"

Perhaps sensing it or perhaps already anticipating it, almost everyone, except for the elders of the council, looked at Eric with hopeful eyes.

Eric did not disappoint these "employees" hoping for a "raise."

He smiled and said, "I hereby declare that 40% of the shares in the industries controlled by the four guardian families are to be rewarded to the four families, as a token of appreciation for your loyalty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ophelia, Lars, and the other three stood up and thanked him in unison.

Eric waved his hand and continued, "From now on, the profits from all industries of the royal lineage need not be handed over to the royal family. They will be used entirely for the welfare of Greenland's residents... primarily in education and healthcare!"

Although everyone anticipated that the new king would grant some rewards, they did not expect that this genius king, who held both "Paladin" and "Magus" titles, would go to such an extent, cutting off the royal lineage's financial resources...

The meeting room fell silent.

After a while, Anos spoke, "Honorable Magic King, while your decision is admirable, I must remind you that there will be many expenses in the future, and you cannot allocate all the income to the people..."

"Expenses? I do not need for expenses..."

Though Eric had inadvertently become the "Magic King," he had no intention of using the royal lineage's wealth. In his view, as long as he did not encroach on the royal lineage's property or act recklessly, and ensured that these loyal people lived well, he would have no psychological burden in becoming this so-called "Magic King"!

"Even if Your Majesty is frugal, the construction of a palace and the formation of a royal knight order will require a lot of money.

Although the royal family's wealth has accumulated to an astonishing level over the centuries, even the largest fortune cannot withstand continuous expenditure without any income! As a Chinese saying goes, 'Sitting idle and eating away a mountain of wealth,' Your Majesty..."

"Isn't there already a palace?" Eric asked in confusion.

"Why build another one?"

He had heard that the current Gothenburg Palace where he was staying was the royal lineage's residence in Greenland. He would spend most of his time in China, and a residence like this was just perfect for him.

Anos was momentarily stunned. For some reason, he asked a question Eric did not expect, "Are you referring to the palace in Copenhagen?"

"Hmm?" Eric thought this place was called "Nuuk," so why mention "Copenhagen"?

Whether Eric had not expressed himself clearly or Anos had misheard due to old age, he mistakenly took Eric's questioning tone as an affirmative statement and immediately advised anxiously, "Although Your Majesty is the most qualified to inherit the Danish throne, the current Danish royal family has a very good reputation among the people, and Queen Margrethe II is deeply loved by the people. If we hastily force her to abdicate, it may cause social unrest! Please reconsider, Your Majesty..."

What is this all about?

Eric was utterly confused and was about to ask more when Lars Emil Johnsen of the John family jumped up and shouted, "How can His Majesty's decision be wrong?

Anos, don't alarm people! Our four guardian families directly or indirectly control 60% of Denmark's national power.

The Lauritsen family even controls the royal knight order of the Danish royal family. We have Margrethe II's life in our hands. If we all stand together and demand her to step down in favor of the old King Gorm's direct descendant, would she dare to resist?"

"Lars, you can't force everything," Conrad Stenholt stood up, frowning slightly. "Elder Anos is right. We must not rush Margaret II's abdication. Please, Your Majesty, wait a bit longer!"

Eric, rather intrigued, didn't hurry to explain and asked, "Tell me the reason."

"Your Majesty, you may not know. Although our four guardian families control more than sixty percent of Denmark's national power, there is a force we have overlooked, and that is—" Conrad said with some regret, "In the past, our four guardian families focused on industries like manufacturing and fishing, neglecting the emerging media industry.

By the time we realized the power of media, it was too late; most of the media had already been taken over by the Danish royal family. Due to certain agreements, we cannot forcibly take back the royal family's shares, and we can only watch as the royal family controls Denmark's voice..."

The representatives of the four guardian families sighed, seemingly lamenting the short-sightedness of their ancestors.

Eric, though not as sentimental as they were, still smiled and shared his thoughts, "It seems that the current Danish royal family is not simple..."

"After all, the current royal family shares a trace of bloodline with Your Majesty. It's only natural that they're remarkable..." Conrad's words were more flattery than factual.

I have nothing to do with them!

Eric shook his head with a smile and said, "So, the current royal family relies on this media power to build a great reputation among the common people?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Conrad nodded, "The three major newspapers in Denmark with a daily circulation of over 100,000 copies—Jyllands-Posten, Berlingske, and Politiken—as well as the only national news agency, Ritzau, and Denmark's largest national radio and television station, DR, are all under royal control.

They constantly promote the royal family's positive image, and over time, this has deepened the common people's subconscious recognition of the royal family. The Lauritsen family, who have been close to the royal family, must deeply understand this!"

Everyone's eyes turned to Ophelia, who nodded in agreement and frowned, "That's true! The current Danish royal family is very adept at promoting themselves, and coupled with the fact that they are indeed impeccable, their prestige among the common people has almost surpassed that of the royal lineage from hundreds of years ago. Forcing them to abdicate could very well trigger a civil uprising..."

"Ophelia, what do you mean?"

Lars roared again, "Do you mean to have His Majesty give up the throne that rightfully belongs to him? What does a civil uprising matter? We control the majority of the military and police. Even if an uprising occurs, it will not threaten His Majesty's throne! What are you afraid of? Have the Lauritsens been bought by the royal family?"

"Lars, mind your words!" Ophelia's face turned cold, her voice icy, "The Lauritsen family is absolutely loyal to His Majesty. If you dare insult us again, don't blame me for being unkind!"

Lars, seeing Ophelia's cold expression, quickly smiled and said, "Niece Ophelia, don't be angry. You know your Uncle Lars speaks without thinking! I apologize for my previous words and hope you can forgive me this time!"

Apparently, Lars had a genuine problem with "speaking without thinking."

Ophelia rolled her eyes at him but did not pursue the matter further. She explained to Eric, "Your Majesty, we will never allow your throne to fall into anyone else's hands! However, please give us some time to arrange things smoothly and strive for a peaceful transfer of power. Otherwise, even if a civil uprising does not shake the foundation of the state, it would make your reign uncomfortable..."

Faced with the sincere eyes of Ophelia, Anos, Conrad, and others, Eric couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, "You all are jumping to conclusions! When did I say I wanted to replace the current Danish royal family?"

"Ah?" Everyone was stunned, their expressions showing surprise. No one had guessed that the Magic King did not want to replace the current royal family.

"When I said there was a 'palace,' I was referring to this Gothenburg Palace, not running off to Copenhagen." Eric said, glancing at Anos.

Realizing his mistake, Anos felt embarrassed, his old face reddening slightly. He then spoke for Eric, "But, Your Majesty, that throne rightfully belongs to you. How can you not take it back?"
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"Take" is accurate, "back" is debatable! Besides, I have no time to be the king of Denmark; that would be too troublesome...

What he thought, he naturally wouldn't say.

Eric smiled slightly and said righteously, "As you said, the current royal family is doing well and has the people's support. So, let them keep the throne. The stability of the people is what the old King Gorm would have wanted to see! Besides, the current royal family is also related to the old King Gorm by blood, so they're not outsiders!"