Who wanted to assassinate Duke Gammus? Although Loriste insisted that it was Duke Gammus's philandering that brought him this disaster, he was actually muttering in his heart and thinking about this problem nervously. As for Duke Gammus's self-righteous intuition, Loriste didn't take it seriously. Everyone knew that Knight Wyksas was only the second prince's illegitimate son. Especially since the second prince's new wife had given birth to a legitimate son of the royal family, Knight Wyksas's importance and possibility of inheriting the throne had greatly decreased.
Although Knight Wyksas was now conferred the title of a territorial earl and had the second prince's forgiveness to continue staying in the imperial capital, he had been stripped of his position as the commander of the palace guards. Right now, he was just an idle noble. That was why he went to open a business to find something to do. He just wanted to use his identity as the second prince's illegitimate son to scrounge up some money. Loriste didn't think much of him. With his wealth, he couldn't afford to support a great swordsman, let alone take out a large sum of money to bribe a great swordsman to assassinate a territorial duke.
Could it be that the second prince was the mastermind behind this? After thinking about it, Loriste realized that the most suspicious person was the second prince, who was about to ascend the throne. If His Royal Highness was really behind this, then it was obvious that His Royal Highness was still very wary of the Norton Family, especially since the Norton Family was the leader of the Four Families Alliance in the Northern Region, which had already become the largest aristocratic faction in the Empire. Even His Royal Highness had to reconsider his policies in order to avoid harming the interests and influence of the four families.
Loriste shook his head. Although he didn't know if his guess was reliable, he still suspected that the second prince wouldn't be so unwise. No matter how he looked at it, it was a taboo to send someone to assassinate a territorial duke. With the second prince's rationality, he wouldn't make such a brainless arrangement. If the great swordsman who came to assassinate the duke was caught and confessed to the second prince, then the good situation in the Andenak Kingdom would be ruined by the second prince himself. At this crucial moment, when he was about to ascend the throne and revive the Crimson Empire, the second prince wouldn't do such a thing. Moreover, Duke Gammus wasn't a problem for the second prince.
Could it be that someone was framing him? Trade alliance? It was unlikely. The Merchant Union had just experienced a rebellion and could barely fend for itself. They would not have the energy to send a Great Swordsman to cause trouble in the kingdom. If they failed, they would have to bear the consequences. Duke Cambert would not do such a stupid thing. Other than the Trade Alliance, Loriste couldn't think of anyone else in the kingdom and the surrounding regions who would have such a huge grudge against Kemus. For a 1st Rank Great Swordsman to repeatedly assassinate Kenneth, this couldn't be a coincidence.
Laurist rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He was currently sitting in a spacious and luxurious cabin, and Redi was sitting opposite him. The two of them had been trying to figure out who the mastermind behind the assassination of Duke Gaimus was, but they had come up with nothing. The more they guessed, the more confused they became.
"It can't be Duke Fisablun. How did you guess it was him?" Laurist reprimanded, "The Great Swordmasters of the Fisablen Family are only the old man, Great Swordmaster Sandy, and Viscount Christopher. These few years, the Fisablen Family has not recruited any Great Swordmasters, and none of their descendants have become Great Swordmasters. Besides, the Fisablon Family is on the side of the Second Prince. If the Second Prince didn't make a move, then the Fisablon Family wouldn't have made a move on Kenneth. Besides, killing Kenneth wouldn't benefit the Fisablon Family at all. Instead, it would offend the Northern Four Family Alliance. Grand Duke Fisablon wouldn't be that stupid. "
Redi shrugged, "Your Highness, you know I don't like to use my brain, but you still want me to guess. Based on what you said, I still think that His Highness is the biggest suspect. After all, in the entire kingdom, only His Highness has the power and influence to recruit new Great Swordsman to serve the royal family. Duke Gaimus also said that the Great Swordsman who came to assassinate him was unfamiliar. He was not the personal Great Swordsman of any of the Dukes in the kingdom. Didn't His Highness recruit two new Great Swordsman from the royal family last year? Perhaps that assassin is one of the two Great Swordsmen.
Laurist shook his head, "That is even more impossible. His Highness would not be so stupid as to send two newly recruited Great Swordsman to assassinate Kenneth. Furthermore, it is not like Kenneth does not know the two newly recruited Great Swordsman. He had already said that the assassin is an unfamiliar Great Swordsman …."
"This matter is a little strange," Redi said, "If I did not see Duke Kenneth change the bandage on his chest with my own eyes, I would have thought that he was joking. Who would try to assassinate such an insignificant person as him? Furthermore, he is not the only Duke in the Fisablun Family. Even if he is assassinated, there are many other candidates to inherit the Duke's position. His Highness would not take back the Fisablun Family's territory just because of Duke Kenneth's assassination. The more I look at it, the more it seems like you said that someone is venting his personal anger. Perhaps it is because of his philandering …. "
"No, the most unlikely reason for the assassination is because of his philandering. No one would assassinate a Duke for personal reasons. Even though Kenneth is a philanderer and has attracted many women, he would not force himself on them. Every time, they would part on good terms. The women he is involved with are all noblewomen with no background. It is just a game of love. It is impossible for a Great Swordsman to assassinate him out of jealousy. "
Laurist rapped his fingers on the table, "As for what you said about Kenneth being an insignificant person, that is wrong. In fact, I suspect that His Highness is the mastermind behind the assassination. Our family is now the strongest noble family in the kingdom. Even His Highness, as the king, cannot go against us. Even if I become a Sword Saint, I will not be able to eliminate His Highness's suspicions. Under such circumstances, if His Highness wants to reduce our family's influence, the best target would be the Four Noble Families of the North. "
"Your Highness, our family does not need the help of the three families. From a certain point of view, the three families will only drag our family down … …" Redi said unhappily.
Buckingham nodded, "You're right, but that's only because our family's development has far surpassed that of our alliance. They've long since been unable to keep up with us. But what could he do? Should we just tear up the alliance agreement? No, we can't rely on our own family to conquer the world, and we can never do without the help of our allies.
Right now, our family doesn't have any conflicts with the alliance of the three families. Moreover, with the alliance of the three families, we can expand our family's sphere of influence, especially when it comes to dealing with the second prince. With our allies, our family won't be isolated from the circle of nobles.
So, if His Highness wants to deal with the Northern Four Families Alliance, then Duke Kempis is the key. Don't be fooled by the fact that Kemus looked like a merchant, dissolute and dissolute. But in reality, he's the key to maintaining our alliance. Even I didn't expect that the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce, which was proposed on a whim, would become the best union of interests between our four alliances under Kenneth's leadership.
To our family, the Snow Salt Merchant Guild is another large buyer of goods from our family's territory, and it's the representative of the Andinak Kingdom's market. To the Shahin and Filim families, the Snow Salt Merchant Guild has become a financial pillar for both families. It's because of the large dividends that the Snow Salt Merchant Guild gives them every year that they can build up their armed forces and develop their territories. To Kemus's family, the Snow Salt Merchant Guild allows them to have three strong and reliable allies. It's enough for them to become a noble family with a hundred years of history.
To Duke Kemus, the better he manages the Snow Salt Merchant Guild, the more stable his family's foundation will be, and the longer our alliance will last. Then let's think about it from another perspective. If His Highness wants to dissolve the alliance between our four families, as long as he gets rid of Duke Kempis, then the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce will most likely be unable to continue operating. Without the involvement and distribution of interests, perhaps he can use favorable conditions to rope in the Philip and Sha families to become his supporters, so that the alliance between our four families can no longer be maintained, thus isolating our families.
This is why I know Duke Kemus was so angry when he was assassinated. This is indeed the biggest weakness of our four families alliance. Perhaps in the eyes of others, the Kemus Family, which was born as a merchant family, is the weakest and most inconspicuous among the four families of the Northern Lands. But in reality, the Kemus family is the most important link in our alliance. If there is no profit as the bond of the alliance, then even the most beautiful oath is just a piece of paper. "
Redi was a little shocked: "Your Highness, do you think that without Duke Kemus, Duke Filim and Duke Shahin will withdraw from the alliance?"
"That is a possibility. No one can say for sure what will happen." Laurist waved his hand to stop Redi from asking any more questions: "I know what you want to say. Do you think that our family's military is invincible, and that there is no need to care about the other three families? Redi, as a noble of a territory, you still have a lot to learn. In the world of Galinthea, every noble's first consideration is their own family's benefits. Only after will they think about their superior lords, allies, and the country they belong to.
Without Duke Gammus, Duke Phelim would consider it unwise to maintain the alliance. It is true that being an ally of our family will reduce the pressure his family faces from House Fisablon, but Duke Filim is also worried that he will become a vassal of our family. But Duke Filim was also worried about whether he would become a vassal of our family, which was intolerable to him. After all, he was well aware of the strength of our armed forces. That is why if Duke Filim decides to withdraw from the alliance, he will quickly change his stance and treat our family as an enemy.
Sometimes, our family's overbearing might give our allies a greater sense of insecurity than our enemies. Look at the map and you will understand. The Filim family's territory is the southern province, adjacent to our Winston province. It is also our first line of defense against the Van Fisablen family. If the Filim Family withdraws from our alliance and joins the side of the second prince and the Fisablen Family, our family will have to deploy troops in Winston Province and Makinohara Province for strict defense. This will not only increase our family's military expenditure, but the southern province will also block our family's trade route to the central provinces of the empire …
That is why the purpose of an alliance is to reduce the family's financial burden and expenditure. It also allows us to have allies to speak up for us. This is why I have always been willing to maintain the alliance. The assassination attempt on Duke Kemus was quite lucky this time, and the assassin did not succeed. I sent you to be Duke Kemus's personal bodyguard in the hopes that if the assassin attacks again, you will first ensure Duke Kemus's safety, and second, do your best to injure him but not kill him. Capture the assassin swordsman and find out who is behind this. I'm confident in your skills … "
Redi said solemnly, "Your Highness, please rest assured. With me around, Duke Kemus will definitely be safe."
The voyage was smooth, and they arrived at Port Qilin after eleven days. After that, Laurist, Duke Gaimus, and the rest stayed at Port Qilin for a day, waiting for the thousand-strong garrison that Laurist had transferred from Cilovas Island to arrive at Port Qilin. Only then did they pack up and gather the three thousand-strong army to head for the imperial capital.
The day they arrived at the imperial capital was the fourth of August. The second prince gave them face and first sent the commander of the Royal Guards, Knight Lepired, to lead a thousand men to welcome them from ten miles away. Then, he brought the nobles who had already arrived at the imperial capital to wait at the city gates. Laurist had no choice but to dismount early and put on a show of unity and unity with the second prince at the city gates. He also demonstrated to all the nobles and the citizens of the imperial capital that Laurist, the Guardian Sword Saint of the Kingdom, was loyal to the second prince …
He was made a fool of by the second prince as soon as he arrived at the imperial capital. Laurist was a little displeased, but he had no choice. As the king, the second prince personally went to the city gates to welcome Laurist. This was already a very grand ceremony. Usually, it was the nobles who went to the palace to see the second prince. There was no reason for the king to personally go to the city gates to welcome him. This was already giving him a lot of face, and could even be said to be overly courteous.
Thus, Laurist had no choice but to dismount and show humility and respect to the second prince. In the eyes of the bystanders, this was the second prince and Laurist expressing respect for each other. At the same time, it was also a way for the second prince to show everyone that Laurist, the Sword Saint of the Kingdom, was on his side and was loyal to him. Just like what he called Laurist, Laurist kept calling him Brother Locke.
There were only five days left until the second prince's coronation ceremony. The entire imperial city was decorated with lanterns, colorful flags, and flowers. The streets and alleys were very clean, and the pedestrians were all wearing new clothes.
The second prince was very satisfied and happy that Laurist brought his wife and children to the ceremony. He arranged for Laurist's family to stay in a luxurious courtyard near the palace. Because of Laurist's request, he also arranged for Duke Kempis to stay next to Laurist's courtyard. He also decided to hold a grand welcome party for Laurist and Duke Kempis at night.
… …
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