Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The person who appeared before them was Duke Fisabulon, but he was wearing a nightgown and soft-soled cloth slippers. He was unarmed, as if he had woken up in the middle of the night to relieve himself and drink some water.
Laurist patted Genolio's shoulder and gestured for him to keep his sword. He asked curiously, "Why are you here?"
"Hehe, I couldn't sleep, so I got up and went for a stroll. The moon is beautiful tonight, and I unknowingly wandered over to your place …" Duke Fisabulon said as if it was a fact.
Laurist pursed his lips, a look of disdain on his face. 'Who do you think you're lying to, old man? The villa you live in is three houses away from mine, and you actually wandered all the way to my back garden? You even managed to fool the guards outside the perimeter. Did you do this on purpose?' You clearly have something to talk to me about, but you don't want anyone to find out.
"Let's go to the study." Laurist turned around and left. He couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with this old man.
Although Genolio was tall and strong, he was quick-witted and knew how to read the situation. He went into the study first, lit the candle, and carefully drew the curtains. Then, he asked Laurist, "Your Highness, do you need anything?"
"Go get a few dishes to go with the wine. There are still a few bottles of good wine in the wine cellar. You can go rest after you're done. It's already late, "Laurist said.
Genolio responded and went out. On the other hand, Duke Fisabulon's face was beaming. "Duke Gammus is even more respectful to you than His Majesty. Not only did he leave the best villa for you to live in, he even sent all his best wine collection to your wine cellar. When His Majesty came this time, he only gave up his residence, but he didn't ask you to move out of this house … "
The second prince had rushed over a few days ago. According to usual practice, the most luxurious villa should have been given to him as his place of residence. However, because he had come without notice, the best villa was already occupied by Laurist. Duke Kemus was also very cunning. He did not mention the matter at all. Instead, he gave up his house to the second prince and moved to a small house on the edge of the villa area. This move made those who wanted to laugh at him speechless.
No one dared to ask Lollister to give up his house to His Majesty. Even the second prince did not mind. He told the nobles, "First come, first served. I'm just an uninvited guest. Duke Gammus even gave up his own house to me. What can I blame him for?"
Actually, everyone knew that if Laurist was asked to give the house to the second prince, he would definitely do it. However, he would immediately return to the Northern Lands, and the second prince's plan would be in vain.
"Do you know how many bottles of good wine this fellow Kempis has taken from me, drinking and taking from me? Although he can't compare to you, I can't be bothered to argue with him. "Laurist invited Duke Fisablun to take a seat.
After interacting with this old man for a long time, Laurist realized that although this old man was a grand duke and a level 3 swordsman, he was a drunkard and a lecher. He really did not understand how he had become a level 3 swordsman. Especially good wine, just like Duke Kemus. However, Kemus could enter Laurist's study to find good wine in the wine cabinet, but this old man could not. However, he had other ways. In the past, when he came to participate in the New Year's celebrations, he would quickly disappear and be found in the wine cellar.
All of Laurist's good wine was not bought, but spoils of war. Back when the slave kingdom on the Haneabada Archipelago was destroyed, the greatest harvest was the various kinds of wine in the slave nobles' manors. In total, there were tens of thousands of bottles. At that time, Laurist had wanted to reward the family's armed soldiers with the wine, but he was stopped by Fatty Shi. Fatty Shi said that the cheapest wine was worth a few gold fords, and the most expensive was worth nearly a thousand. It would be a waste for the soldiers to enjoy it, since they would not be able to tell the difference between good and bad wine.
Therefore, these tens of thousands of bottles of good wine were transported back to the Northern Lands for storage. In the past ten years, the family had held various celebrations such as the New Year's celebrations, and Laurist's daily expenses. Almost ten thousand bottles had been used up. Ever since Duke Fisablun came to the Norton Family's New Year's celebration, he would go to the wine cellar every day to choose two or three bottles of good wine throughout the winter and rainy season. When he left, he would bring two boxes back.
Roughly calculating, every time this old man came to the New Year's celebration, he would drink almost 300 bottles of good wine. Spear, who was so angry that her heart ached, secretly cursed him to drink to death. Unfortunately, Duke Fisablun was a level 3 swordsman. He was strong and healthy, and could eat and drink. Mere curses could not harm him in the slightest. As the grandfather of the Norton Family's matriarch, Princess Sylvia, every time he came to the wine cellar, it was like he was strolling in his own vegetable garden. Spear even had to welcome him with a warm smile …
"Tell me, why are you here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" Laurist pulled a chair over and sat in front of Duke Fisablun.
"Nothing, I'm really just strolling." The old man was still reluctant to admit his mistake.
"Do you think I'll believe you?" Laurist said with disdain. "Did His Majesty ask you to test me?"
"No," the old man denied. "I came so late to hide it from him."
"Is that so? What are you planning? "Laurist thought to himself that this old man was cunning and that he had to be careful.
Duke Fisablun leaned back and slumped on the sofa. "I didn't plan anything at all, okay? I just wanted to ask why you are not willing to send troops. "
"Do I even need to think about it? Why would I send troops to help His Majesty? He has promised you very good conditions, but what benefits can he give the Norton Family? He doesn't have as much money as we do, and we've already reached the limit of our title. It's even more impossible for us to increase our territory. I don't want to talk about the great cause of reuniting the empire. That's just nonsense. I only know that the armed soldiers of the Norton Family will not sacrifice themselves for the so-called great cause for nothing, "Laurist said honestly.
"Yes, that's true." Duke Fisablun nodded in agreement. This was also the tradition of the nobles. Benefits were the most important. If there was no conflict of interest, there would be harmony. Once there was a benefit, they would immediately settle accounts with each other. A white knife would go in and a red knife would come out. Every single detail had to be calculated clearly. Those who were loyal and learned from Lei Feng would either be treated as fools or suspected of having bad intentions.
"Oh yes, what conditions and benefits did His Majesty promise the Fisablun Family to agree to send troops?" Laurist asked.
"I haven't agreed to send troops yet," Duke Fisablun replied.
"What did you say?" Laurist was stunned. "Why didn't you agree to send troops?"
He originally thought that Duke Fisablun would be the first to respond to the second prince's request, but he didn't agree to send troops either. This really piqued Laurist's curiosity.
"It's very simple. I told His Majesty that if the Norton Family doesn't send troops, then the Fisablun Family can't send troops either. This is because the Fisablun Family's armed forces have always treated the Norton Family's armed forces as their greatest opponent. If the Norton Family isn't willing to send troops, then we won't be able to send troops in order to guard against them, "Duke Fisablun replied calmly.
"You …" Laurist's gaze immediately became unfriendly. "Old man, are you saying that the Norton Family hasn't grilled the fire enough, and now you're pouring oil on the fire?"
This old man clearly felt that the conditions and price that the second prince had offered him were not good enough, but he couldn't reject it directly, so he used the Norton Family as a shield.
"You're pushing the blame well … But do you think His Majesty will believe your words?" Laurist laughed coldly.
"I don't know if His Majesty believes it, but I do." The old man was very calm.
Laurist gave a thumbs up. "Old man, you're too shameless. These three years, you've come to our family's New Year's celebration every year and drank so much of our family's good wine. Do you really think that His Majesty is deaf and stupid and doesn't know where you are?"
The old man was very calm. "So what if he knows? Don't forget that I'm Sylvia's grandfather. What's wrong with seeing my granddaughter? Moreover, His Majesty is concerned about whether there's any military cooperation between our two families. I've already admitted that the four families in the Northern Lands have forced our family to buy so many daily necessities and civilian goods every year, but you're not willing to sell us military goods. His Majesty even advised me to be patient and not to have a conflict with you, so I had to compromise … "
Laurist was speechless. This old man was indeed an old fox. With just a few words, he had dissociated himself from Laurist. He had even said that attending the New Year's celebration every year was a matter of him enduring humiliation. He had said that the business cooperation between the Fisablon Family and the four families in the Northern Lands was forced and bullied. Furthermore, the second prince, whose mind was filled with the great cause of unifying the Empire, had actually believed his lies …
Laurist shook his head resentfully and sighed. "Old man, you're a two-faced, two-faced man. When the second prince established the Iberian Kingdom, your Fisablon Family was the mastermind behind him. Now, you've become His Majesty's in-laws. His Majesty trusts you more than us, the Norton Family that has always served the Kingdom. This is simply preposterous. "
"Hehe …" Grand Duke Fisablon was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. Genolio came in with a few bottles of good wine and a few plates of dishes from the servants outside the door. He then bid farewell to Laurist and left.
The old man's eyes lit up as he picked up a bottle of good wine and pulled out the pine cork. He poured himself a cup and drank it in one gulp. Only then did he pour wine into the silver cup in front of Laurist.
"Tell me, what conditions did His Majesty give you that you're not satisfied with, and you're trying to push the blame onto us?" Laurist asked as he tasted the wine in the silver cup.
"Nothing much. It's just a promise to give our family another 200,000 immigrants, but we have to send out two legions …" Laurist laughed.
Laurist laughed. "I think that's all there is to it. His Majesty can't possibly offer any better conditions. Don't forget, if our Norton Family falls in the future, your Fisablon Family will immediately become His Majesty's greatest taboo … "
"So, we're now using your Norton Family as an excuse. Even if the sky falls, you'll be holding it up. As long as we openly treat you as our greatest enemy, His Majesty will always trust our family. However, if he wants to use 200,000 immigrants to make our Fisablon Family work for him, he's too naive. "The old man said these treasonous words angrily.
"Then tell me, what do you want?" Laurist asked, amused.
"We want to own a province in the interior," the old man replied.
"Ugh …" Laurist's hands trembled, and he almost dropped the cup. "Is that possible? Stop dreaming, old man. You've drunk too much. Go back and take a bath … "
"Of course it's possible," the old man said seriously. The old man said seriously, "If you are willing to cooperate, this condition will be easily accepted by His Majesty. Also, I've only drunk two cups, not even a bottle. How can I be drunk? "
"Is that so? You're not talking like you're drunk? Think about it, your Fisablon Family is the same as our Norton Family, with one and two territories under direct jurisdiction. That's already the limit. Why would His Majesty give your family another province? Isn't he worried that our two families' power isn't growing fast enough? "Laurist mocked.
"That's why I think this is a good opportunity. You and I both know the first step of His Majesty's plan, which is to recover the provinces of Andvov, Podorg, Cambona, and the northwest region. This goal is easy to achieve, but the two provinces of Lulm will need to be settled through negotiations. It's very likely that there won't be a big war. His Majesty will only use his power to suppress us, and use an army of a million to force the Trade Union to return the two provinces and reach an agreement.
In terms of risk, His Majesty's plan has a high chance of success. There are only benefits to participating in this war. However, our two families still need greater benefits, and not something that His Majesty can slip through his fingers and send us away. If our families cooperate well, His Majesty will satisfy both of our families' requests, "the old man said patiently.
Laurist shook his head. "I still don't want to participate. This war has no benefits for our family."
"Aren't you interested in Makinohara Province?" Duke Fisablon hit the nail on the head.
"Hehe … So what if I'm interested? Could it be that His Majesty is going to give the Norton Family the jurisdiction of Muye Province? Also, what are you planning? Don't forget that Makinohara Province is under the jurisdiction of your Fisablon family … "Laurist stared at the old man.
"What I'm planning is good for both of our families. Just remember this. His Majesty will come to you to discuss the conditions of sending troops in the next two days. Just tell him to transfer Makinohara Province to you, and you'll agree to send troops … "
"That's easy to say. What excuse do I have for Makinohara Province?"
"Silly boy, just say that you're worried that our Fisablon family will launch a surprise attack on the north, just in case. Just look at the map and you'll understand. With Makinohara Province, no one can directly attack the north. This is also a consideration for the northern family's safety … As long as you insist on Makinohara Province before agreeing to send troops, His Majesty will have no choice but to discuss with me … "The old man analyzed very clearly.
Laurist laughed. "Then you'll want His Majesty to take out an inland province as compensation for your Fisablon family, right? But I don't understand. Your Fisablon family has been developing well in the northeast prairies, so why do you want an inland province as your family's territory? Splitting the family's power in two makes it easier for others to attack separately … "
Duke Fisablon let out a long sigh. "Boy, when your Norton family grows stronger, you'll understand the difficulties of being the head of the family. If it was an inland province, the three provinces of our Fisablon family would have been completely enfeoffed. But in the northeast prairies, we can't do that. We can only survive by huddling together.
Now, our family has close to a thousand members, and there's a mix of good and bad people. There's internal strife and conflict. Even as the head of the family, there are some things that I can't do anything about. That's why we want an inland province to kick out the eyesores and let them fend for themselves in that inland province. It's called splitting the family, and it's a way to preserve the family's bloodline. In fact, it's also a way for the family to purify itself and stabilize the foundation of the family's territory. Do you understand? "
Laurist was speechless.
Duke Fisablon gulped down the remaining wine in his cup and grabbed two bottles of good wine. He stood up and said, "As long as you know what you're doing, it's fine. I should also leave before I'm discovered. Remember, as long as you insist on Makinohara Province, His Majesty will discuss the rest with me. Hehe, he'll agree to all of our conditions. Without our two families participating, he won't have any confidence in this war! "
Duke Fisablon left without anyone noticing, while the candles in Laurist's study burned until daybreak.
… …
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