The decaying aristocratic class. The hereditary system meant there was only a one-third chance they were smart, a one-third chance they were mediocre, and a one-third chance they were fools.
When a strong and somewhat wise monarch reigned, the intelligent often held more sway.
But when a weak monarch held the throne, the fools would grow conceited and loudly voice their opinions.
Of course, there were those in the council who advocated for war, and they were not few in number, yet they seemed isolated and lacking support.
Among the peace faction, a considerable portion of them likely wanted to default on their loans from the Eternal Domain.
In the Eternal Domain's grand infrastructure plans, most lords lacked the funds for such high construction costs. To push the plan forward, Yan Xing allowed nobles to use various assets or tax revenues as collateral for low-interest loans from the Eternal Domain.
