Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

18th September 1657

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Imperial Capital-Bengaluru, Parliament Grounds

The parade road in front of the parliament building was adorned with vibrant flowers and intricate ornaments, their colours gleaming in the warm sunlight. A diverse crowd of people moved towards the Parliament grounds, the air filled with a sense of anticipation.

Men, women, and children of all ages could be seen dressed in richly embroidered garments, each outfit reflecting luxury and elegance, and each person carrying themselves with a dignified grace.

Laughter and joy could be heard from the women who were travelling with their husbands, innocence and vitality could be felt by each and every child. All the people paid their respects to the sacred fire of the nation and promptly walked towards the parliament grounds. Inside the parliament grounds, the event venue was already crowded with people.

Ganesh, realizing that he had underestimated the footfall, hurriedly prepared more seats for the guests who had arrived.

"Thank God His Majesty decided to charge for event entry which dissuaded most of the common people. If not, even the large parliament grounds could not have accommodated so many people." Cold sweat began to ooze from Ganesh’s forehead as he shivered at the very thought of the possibility.

"You’re right, Chief. I’ve just received news from the front gate that parking spots for the carriages are almost filled, and the policemen have had to arrange for the carriages to be parked on the land of nearby public facilities."

"Even though His Majesty only limited this event to the affluent and elites, we have received so many attendees from all over the empire, almost causing a few traffic jams in the imperial capital.

I cannot imagine what disasters would befall us if His Majesty had wanted to make it an event that everyone could watch like the first nobility promotion ceremony." Chetan, one of Ganesh’s secretaries, lamented.

---

When the Distinguished personnel of the empire were being escorted to their places by the event organisers, a group of people wearing red armbands with words written in Bharti text saying "media" caught the attention of those around them.

"Hello, Minister Jagannath Mohan. This is Meera from Raya News Corporation. Would you be willing to answer a few of my questions?"

Jagannath Mohan was taken aback when the young woman suddenly approached him, asking for an interview. He was confused at first, but upon hearing the name of the corporation, he immediately realized it might be associated with His Majesty.

Although he was not certain if Raya News Corporation was really His Majesty’s industry since he had not personally seen such a company being established, he was convinced that no one in the empire would use the name "Raya" without His Majesty’s knowledge.

Jagannath Mohan immediately put on a kind smile. "Sure, please go ahead, Miss."

Meera was happy. "Minister Jagannath, as a Minister of Finance, from your perspective, what do you think about this nobility promotion ceremony? Is this event a waste of the nation’s finances, and is such a grand event really a good use of the taxes people pay?"

Jagannath Mohan was taken aback as he did not expect to be asked such a question. ’Doesn’t she know that it was His Majesty who decided to host this event? Is she really working for His Majesty?’ Jagannath Mohan stared at Meera, confused. "You can’t say that, Miss. How could this event be a waste of the nation’s finances?

This event not only shows the people the contributions of those who have worked for their security and prosperity, but it also gives them hope and a strong message that if they work hard, they could also be among the title recipients today."

Meera Nair immediately started to write down everything the minister said.

"Additionally, consider the people who will be honoured today. This day marks the culmination of their efforts, a moment when their hardships have finally paid off. It is a well-deserved reward for those who have excelled in their respective careers to earn a place on this list."

The people who were attracted by the interview nodded their heads in agreement.

"Moreover, financially, the event is actually producing a profit for the city panchayat since, with the arrival of so many important people to the capital, spending has suddenly increased. The ticket sales alone are enough to recover the extravagant costs of this event."

Seeing as how the minister stopped speaking, Meera finally lifted her head after briefly glancing over the content she wrote.

"The answer was very informative. Thank you for the information, Minister. And one last question, if you don’t mind: could you please tell me and the readers of our media what title you expect to receive in this ceremony?" There was curiosity in Meera Nair’s eyes.

The eyes of the onlookers were also focused on the Minister of Finance.

Jagannath Mohan was amused. "Haha, I really cannot answer this question because I don’t know the answer. It is said that His Majesty has changed the structure of nobility in the empire, so it is still a surprise even to a cabinet minister like me."

Meera let out a sweet smile. "Thank you for the interview, Minister. I will not bother you any longer."

Meera immediately spotted the silhouette of the Minister of Justice at the corner of her eye, so she quickly went over to conduct the interview.

Jagannath Mohan couldn’t help but feel curious about what His Majesty wanted to do with this new company and left to find his seat in the front row.

The onlookers who had been attracted by the interview soon dispersed as well.

Meera Nair was not the only one conducting interviews; Her colleagues Arnav Sharma and Kabir Mehta were also present. All three took advantage of their trial period to conduct as many interviews as possible with ministers and societal elites.

Instead of using the budget for themselves, Meera, the elected leader of the group, chose to hire high school students who were on break or seeking part-time work. These students were tasked with gathering information throughout the city on how the nobility promotion ceremony had impacted the imperial capital.

----

Vijay had no idea that the company he was yet to establish was already causing a large talk among the ministers and elites of society, as well as among the citizens throughout the Capital.

But even if he knew, he wouldn’t be angry; instead, he would be very happy and satisfied, as Meera had quickly figured out a way to utilize the advantages she had and also figured out a way to differentiate herself from all other people at the event by wearing red armbands, which are easily visible among the crowd.

Currently, Vijay is having a discussion with Kishore Balabatra, Ganesh, and some other civil servants.

"Kishore, is everything ready?" Vijay was seriously looking through the list of nobles that would be promoted or entitled by his right.

Kishore Balabatra, the Observer and the head of the Election Nobility and Examination Commission, nodded his head with utmost seriousness. "Everything is prepared, Your Majesty. I have already calculated the merits of everyone on the list multiple times, and no mistakes have been detected."

"For the land being rewarded, are all the land documents arranged?" Vijay questioned.

"Everything is arranged, Your Majesty, and the land will be considered registered as soon as the person receives the noble title," the civil servant from the Land Audit and Management Bureau under the direct supervision of the Imperial Committee responded.

"What about the tax exemption? Has it been handled? Has it been coordinated with the Ministry of Finance?" Vijay inquired.

"It has been, Your Majesty. We have even managed to coordinate the tax exemption on the received land with the Land Audit and Management Bureau," the person from the Bharatiya Tax Bureau answered.

"Ganesh, have you coordinated all the other benefits they will be receiving with the relevant departments?"

"I have, Your Majesty. I have already coordinated with the Citizen Database and Management Bureau to enter all the names of the nobles promoted today into the database.

At the end of the ceremony, these people will receive all the benefits of their noble title, including better pensions, lower pricing in hospitals, quotas in special universities and public schools, better chances of entering civil service, police service, or armed forces, and even some benefits related to opening their own companies."

"Good!"

Vijay was finally relieved. his nervousness had reduced, As today’s event is of great importance to the nation and its people.

Ever since the war against the Mughal Empire ended, although Vijay has managed to reward the soldiers and contributors to the war highly in terms of monetary and material gains, the reward of spiritual things like honor and glory has been sorely lacking. Not that he had intentionally held back the ceremony, but after the war, the empire was in a bit of an economic crisis.

He had to handle that, and right after that, he had to pay attention to the cleanup of the empire’s filth and rust that had accumulated due to the rampant and barbaric growth during the war.

It was only after these two major events had been addressed that he had the opportunity to hold the nobility promotion ceremony. With the economic and administrative issues resolved, attention turned to the important task of recognizing contributions to the empire.

Due to the large number of people receiving titles and contributing to the empire, the four nobility ranks of the previous system were no longer sufficient. Thus, Vijay decided to expand the diversity of nobility. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Although, like the old system, nobility will still have four major titles, the new system will feature multiple ranks or classes within each title.