The second prince was in a good mood when he received the news that Count Norton had come to see him. Five years ago, he made use of the Norton family's northbound convoy to turn the tables and regain the ruling power of the Andinac Kingdom. Then, he threw a large number of refugees to the convoy and used the convoy to purge the disobedient nobles in the kingdom. The resources and wealth he received from the convoy allowed him to reorganize the Royal Guards. In the end, with the cooperation of the Norton family's armed forces, he fought a series of brilliant battles, making his name spread far and wide, and laying the foundation for the powerful Andinac Kingdom.
The second prince was no longer the pitiful wretch who relied on the Norton family's northbound convoy. He now had 300,000 troops in his hands, and every move he made could set off a huge storm in Galinthea. All the nobles of the kingdom bowed humbly at his feet and obeyed his orders. Therefore, even the Norton family in the far north had to be like the nobles of the kingdom and listen to his orders respectfully.
However, the second prince was a great strategist. He clearly remembered the scene of the Norton family's armed forces sweeping through everything in their path. With such a powerful armed force, the nobles of the territory had to be fully respected in order to make them willing to serve him.
Especially when he received a report some time ago that the Iberian Kingdom and a few nobles in the north had a huge conflict and even fought a war. However, there was no news from the Madras Duchy, and the news from the Melaine Duchy was vague. It was a good time to ask Count Norton, and perhaps he could use the Norton family's powerful force to increase his chances of victory in the war to unify the kingdom.
Therefore, the second prince arranged for a grand banquet to welcome Earl Norton. This was to show how much he valued the Norton family. He also invited all the nobles in the Imperial Capital to attend the banquet. This was also to show off that all the nobles in the Kingdom were as dedicated as he was and that they were united under his command, ready to unify the Empire at any time.
The second prince believed that Count Norton would definitely be convinced by his ambition and be willing to be a pawn, making his due contribution to the great cause of unifying the kingdom.
With the Norton Family as his ally, he would have a few more unexpected choices in his future strategy. He would have the powerful Norton Family become a surprise force to break into the enemy's core and attract the attention of the enemy's main force. At that time, he would be able to use this opportunity to surround the enemy from the outside, allowing the Norton family's armed forces to strike at the center. This way, he would be able to annihilate the enemy's main force in one fell swoop and achieve the greatest victory with minimal losses.
Of course, the casualties of the armed forces of the Norton Family were not within the second prince's calculations. As the lesser lords of the Andinac royal family, they should have the awareness to do their best for the royal family. This was their duty and responsibility.
The script was already written, but what the second prince didn't expect was that Laurist didn't act according to the steps he had planned. To put it bluntly, Laurist's audience this time was to mess things up.
The place where the banquet was arranged was a palace in the King's Court. It was magnificent, but there was a hint of lethargy in it. Leaning against the railing, he reminisced about the flourishing times of the Empire in the past. Thinking back to the current situation where the Empire was torn apart, he could not help but feel a myriad of emotions …
The second prince very cordially introduced Laurist to the various nobles, ministers, and trusted subordinates who came to attend the banquet. Laurist saw many familiar faces, such as the handsome David and the delicate and inviolable Princess Kerry. Of course, they were all clothed at the moment. There were also a few regiment commanders that Laurist recognized from their body shapes and movements.
After seeing them naked, and seeing their serious looks now, Laurist really wanted to laugh out loud. He had a faint smile on his face as he nodded at these people introduced by the second prince and swept past them like the wind, not caring about their status and power at all. Even though it was Princess Kerry, whom the second prince had emphasized, Laurist pretended not to see the hand that the princess was preparing to kiss. He nodded lightly, turned around, and left on his own.
Laurist's behavior stunned all the nobles present. They did not understand why this country bumpkin count from the Northern Lands could be so arrogant and rude. Princess Kerry's face was red with anger. She had never encountered such an awkward situation before. Fortunately, the handsome David reacted quickly and held the princess's hand, kissing it lightly. Only then did the princess not have to stretch her hand out for no one to kiss.
The second prince did not pay attention to this little interlude. He had just exchanged a few words with a noble beside him when he turned his head and found that Laurist had walked far away, admiring the murals on the palace walls. These were all depictions of the great achievements of the previous Emperor Chrison. It was either the enemies being slaughtered to the point of wetting their pants, or the Emperor Chrison commanding the battlefield in a dignified manner.
The second prince hurriedly walked over and said, "What, are you interested in these murals? Soon, we will accomplish the same great feats as the previous Emperors. I will paint all the soldiers who have made great contributions on the walls as a memorial … "
Laurist smiled. "Your Highness, I just sigh when I look at these murals. One general becomes famous with ten thousand bones …"
One general becomes famous with ten thousand bones? What did that mean? As the second prince pondered, a palace steward came to report that the banquet had been prepared and invited the second prince to take a seat.
The banquet in the palace was not the kind of long table that the ordinary nobles used to entertain their guests. Instead, it was divided into two, with two people to a small table. For example, if a noble came with his wife, there would be a table for them. For someone like Laurist who was alone, the master would arrange for a noble lady to accompany him.
As a guest who had come from afar, and to show his goodwill towards the Norton family, Laurist was arranged to sit at the seat on the right of the second prince. What Buckingham did not expect was that the female companion that the second prince had arranged for him was not his cousin, Christie, but Princess Kerry, who was staring at him coldly with eyes full of anger.
What was going on? Laurist was stunned for a moment, but he did not show it. He smiled and bowed slightly to Princess Kerry before sitting down. Then, he heard a disdainful snort from the side.
The musicians changed their tune and began to play a relaxing and melodious tune to liven up the banquet. The second prince raised the golden cup in his hand and wished the heavens, the earth, and the former emperor. Then, he gave a long speech about the past and the future. Laurist shook his head. No matter how nice the second prince sounded, he had forgotten the most important point, which was to establish a foothold in the present. What right did a person who did not even know that he was sitting on a volcano that was about to erupt have to look forward to the future?
"… In the near future, in the great cause of unifying the empire, I look forward to everyone's achievements. The royal family will not be stingy with the rewards of titles and territories. The future of your families will depend on your performance." The second prince finally finished his long speech. Then, everyone cheered three times, "Long live Andinak," and even more aggressively shouted the second prince's name, "Long live Ogsero." Then, everyone drank the wine in their cups, and the banquet officially began.
The lamb sausages made by the royal family looked good. Let's try it first. I'm a little hungry after spending so much time with the second prince. Laurist picked up a fork and forked a piece of red lamb sausage into his mouth. Then, he heard Princess Kerry's bell-like voice.
"Earl Norton, when Her Highness was speaking, I saw you shaking your head disapprovingly. Do you have any opinions or dissatisfaction with what Her Highness said?"
"Uh …" Laurist almost choked. A woman's heart was the most vicious. He only looked down on the flirtatious princess, but after seeing her naked in front of everyone, he naturally lost respect. Thus, he did not want to kiss the hand that had touched who knew how many men. Princess Kerry actually remembered this little bit of rudeness and embarrassed him at the beginning of the banquet.
Everyone listened attentively to the princess's speech. Laurist immediately found himself the center of attention.
This banquet was not a good one. Laurist stood up and did not even look at Princess Kerry. He walked to the middle aisle and bowed to the second prince. "Your Highness, I came to see Your Highness this time to express the loyalty of the Norton Family and to bring offerings to the royal family. Secondly, I have a few questions to ask Your Highness …"
"What questions do you have?" The second prince was a little impatient. What matters needed to be explained in public? The most important thing now was how the Norton Family would cooperate with his plan to unify the empire.
"Your Highness, I've captured a few people and need to bring them in for Your Highness to see. I can only deal with them after Your Highness has seen them," Laurist said.
The second prince's curiosity was piqued. He nodded and said, "Bring them in then."
Freya brought in the eight children of the noble families who had been captured from Seaview Manor with two guards. These eight spoiled children had suffered greatly during this time. Not to mention the whipping on the first night, it was normal for them to eat black bread and drink a bowl of wild vegetable soup for the rest of the day. If they were not careful, they would get a beating. Their hair was dirty and their faces were dirty. They trembled in fear and did not know what to say. Not long after they came in, they saw their relatives sitting together and crying for their parents.
Well, now the banquet had become a pot of porridge. The second prince's face was as dark as water. "Count Norton, can you tell me what is going on?"
Laurist asked, "Your Highness, may I ask if Syrovas belongs to the Norton Family?"
The second prince was stunned. "Of course it belongs to the Norton Family. There is no doubt about it."
"Then these eight children of nobles have occupied Seaview Manor on Syrovas for five years. They even expelled the steward of my family's territory and the people I sent to manage the manor, forcing me to personally come from the north to deal with this matter. I would like to ask these eight families, do they want to declare war on the Norton Family? Our family's armed forces have already made preparations. We would like to replicate the scene when our convoy swept through the kingdom's three provinces. "Laurist boasted shamelessly.
The second prince's anger flared. Count Norton, are you here to cause trouble? Even if you are in the right, don't be so arrogant. Can't we talk things out? Do you still think the Andinac Kingdom is that weak and powerless royal family from a few years ago? Even if the old convoy comes again, do they still want to run amok in the face of my 300,000 troops?
An old man stood up. "Count Norton, my son has always been arrogant and disobedient. He secretly came to your territory and caused you a lot of trouble. Count, please forgive them this time on account of their young age and ignorance. Your Highness's army is preparing to unify the kingdom. At this juncture, as the lords of the kingdom, we shouldn't cause trouble. Everyone should unite against the enemy and contribute their strength to the kingdom and His Highness … "
The second prince almost slapped the table in admiration. Look at how well the other person spoke, and how clear the reasoning was. It's not that we are afraid of the Norton Family's armed forces, but we are doing our best to unify the kingdom and have no time for you. Look at how reasonable he is …
"Who are you?" Laurist asked.
"I am Marquis Raide. That is the good-for-nothing of our family. Please let them go, Count Norton," the old man said.
"Your Highness, what do you think we should do?" Laurist turned to ask the second prince.
The second prince said expressionlessly, "They are just children playing around. I don't think Count Norton should be bothered with them."
"Very well, then I will let them go for the sake of Your Highness." Laurist readily agreed and ordered Freya to let the eight noble children go.
So the eight noble children went straight to their families, crying and complaining about the abuse they had suffered, shouting for their families to avenge them.
What a blind fool. Didn't he see what kind of occasion this was? Did he still think that he was the darling of his family? As expected, a few of them were slapped by their parents and ordered to go home to reflect on their mistakes.
The second prince was about to say a few words to ease the atmosphere, but Laurist shouted, "Bring them in."
There's more? Everyone's eyes widened, wanting to see who would be the unlucky one …
This time, it was Aire who came in with two guards. He was escorting the captured Gold Knight Fivenmantle.
"Your Highness, this is Gold Knight Fivenmantle, the commander of the 3rd Division of the 1st Reserve Legion. He brought a hundred soldiers to White Bird Town on the Lower Lovas Island and hung the mayor up to extort money. We caught him red-handed. I would like to ask Your Highness, is this considered an invasion or a private act? "
Bang! The second prince slammed the table and stood up. "Very good, Vivenmantle. The first reserve legion reported that you've been missing for many days. So you've gone to Count Norton's territory to be a bandit! Someone, bring Fivenmantle out and give him a hundred lashes. He will be stripped of his position as commander and stay in the 3rd Division to redeem himself! " The Second Prince cut the Gordian knot and immediately decided on Vivemant's punishment plan, not giving Buckingham a chance to react.
Damn, this is outrageous, Laurist cursed. It seemed like a harsh punishment, but it was actually lenient. Laurist was unwilling to let the Gold Knight go just like that. Very well, if you do the same to the next Viscount Aslan, I will turn against you on the spot.
"Next!" Laurist roared.
The second prince shuddered. There was more?
Jim brought Viscount Aslan in with two guards, causing a commotion on the spot. Was this monster covered in chicken and duck feathers even human? It took a long time to recognize him as the second prince's tax inspector, Viscount Aslan.
When the second prince recognized the man lying on the ground as Viscount Aslan, he couldn't help but get angry, "Count Norton, how can you treat a noble like this, a tax inspector appointed by me? Are you looking down on the Andinac Royal Family?! "
"Your Highness, I just asked you. You said that Syrovas Island is the territory of the Norton Family, so Your Highness should know how much the income of Syrovas Island was when it was a prince's territory. It was only two thousand gold fords, right? So is this the tax inspector you appointed? I thought he was the new lord of Syrovas Island appointed by you. Why should he collect nearly six thousand gold fords in taxes from Syrovas Island for three years? Not only did he wantonly increase taxes, but he also almost caused a riot on the island. This is a provocation to the Norton Family!
I really want to know. He wants to collect tithes from our old territory in the north because the border is not connected. Was this ordered by Your Highness? He also threatened to send three hundred thousand troops to wash Syrovas Island with blood if we don't collect the tax. Is this true? Is Your Highness going to conquer the Norton Family? It is precisely because he is His Royal Highness's tax inspector that we specially brought him here for questioning. Otherwise, we would have hung him on the island long ago. "Loriste argued back, unafraid of the second prince's anger.
The second prince finally understood that Loriste was not here to cause trouble, but to slap his face. However, the second prince was thinking that Viscount Aslan was a genius. Viscount Aslan was able to squeeze six thousand gold fords from the barren Syrovas Island, but the second prince only received thirty percent of the previous two thousand gold fords, which was six hundred gold fords. This guy must be ruthlessly beaten to make him spit out the money he had embezzled. In the future, he would be monitored to collect taxes, so that the second prince would not have to worry about the huge military expenses.
But now, how should he explain to Loriste so that he would let Viscount Aslan go? After all, Viscount Aslan had gone too far and had touched the dignity of the Norton Family. The second prince knew very well that if he hanged Viscount Aslan, he would be able to give the Norton Family an explanation, but the problem was that he wanted to save Viscount Aslan's life.
"How dare you humiliate my brother like this! The Aslan Family and the Norton Family are irreconcilable!" A sudden roar sounded in the palace.
…
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