Anyone else feel like it was kind of stupid of the steward to try to embarrass our crown when he first met them? Because doesn't he know that after our coronation, since he did that, we are definitely not going to have a good opinion of him and are going to try to replace the first chance we get? Not trying to downplay the game, it's probably my favorite game on itch.io, just wondering what the stewards logic would be.
The Crown isn't as powerful as you (and the Crown themselves at this point) think they are tbh, they cannot replace stewards. Stewards are chosen by the citizens of the city they belong to, not the Crown--if a Crown were to try to replace a steward it would be seen as an act of tyranny. The Crown can't touch Steward Welat and he knows it.
Also, a lot of what the Crown can actually do depends on the willingness of the Imperial Court and other high-ranking officials to obey them - such as Steward Welat, in other words. Underestimate him at your own peril.
Does this mean to say that once the Steward has been 'chosen', they're secure in the position for life? Because - if I recall correctly - Welat is increasingly unpopular with the local populace.
Would it be possible (in a wider historical view of Ashur) for a Crown to use negative public sentiment as a pretext to give a Steward / figure of similar standing the boot without taking the risk of being considered tyrannical?
With that plus Welat's... less-than-favourable position in the court of public opinion and the Crown currently enjoying this desperate awe/reverence from the people in mind, would it stand to reason that he probably can't get away with making an enemy of a more savvy monarch?