The Pharaoh is trying to reform the half-ruined country, and is running into entrenched opinions, vested interests and pervese incentives.

Yeah, I probably could have translated more carefully and with more context.

There's also an interesting passage where he speaks of himself as an Uncentivised Incentiviser:

"Lord, six million Egyptians, and me and my friends before others, will agree that you draw from that treasure... But delude yourself not, your holiness! The hundred highest dignitaries of the state will vote against it, and then the Labirynth will give out nothing [...] they will suspect your most faithful servants of defrauding the gains from this source, and jealousy will make them wonder if you too are profiting... not dislike towards you, but mutual distrust and greed will push them to resist..."

"If that's how it is, dear Pentuer, then be at peace. In this moment I understood exactly: why Amon established the rule of a pharaoh, and gave him superhuman power. It is, you see, so that even a hundred of even the most dignified scoundrels couldn't ruin the state."

(No, I don't necessarily equate rationality with pro-monarchy sentiment. :) Still, a bunch of things in that book have new interest for me after exposure to Less Wrong and its environs).