"Duke … Norton! What, what are you trying to do! " The second prince flew into a rage and slammed his palm on the table in front of him. The table broke into pieces and fell to the floor with a loud bang. He was so angry that he had forgotten how to address him as Brother Locke.
"Tell me, Duke Norton, what are you trying to do?" The second prince glared at Laurist with bloodshot eyes.
The hall was silent. All the dukes, marquises, and earls present understood the second prince's anger. If it wasn't for the fact that Laurist was a Sword Saint and the Norton Family was second to none in the kingdom, the second prince would have torn Laurist apart and swallowed him alive …
In two days, it would be the day that the second prince would ascend to the throne and take over the Crimson Empire. However, the Norton Family's armed forces, under the orders of Laurist, had carried out a small massacre on the busiest street in the capital. Not only had they killed people, but they had also chopped off their heads and placed them in a pile. This was a slap to the second prince's face.
When he received the news that the Norton Family's armed forces had clashed with someone on the Royal Avenue and killed someone, the second prince was posing as a model for several famous painters in the palace. He was preparing to paint his heroic image on a canvas and hang it on the wall for people to admire, just like the seven dead emperors of the Crimson Royal Family.
The second prince had already endured for an hour and a half of the estimated two hours of modeling time. As long as he endured for another half an hour, he would be able to call it a day. The second prince didn't want all his efforts to go to waste. Furthermore, he had to check on the preparations for the coronation ceremony in the next two days, so his portrait had to be completed and hung on the wall in the next two days. Thus, the second prince decided to persevere for a little longer. He ordered his guards to rush to the Royal Avenue to stop the conflict between the armed forces of the Norton Family and others, and then invited Laurist to the palace.
In the end, his guards never returned, and after another twenty minutes, his illegitimate son, Earl Wilkeson, ran to the palace and hugged his thigh, shouting for help. Only then did the second prince know that it was his illegitimate son who had clashed with the Norton family.
Feeling wronged, Count Weixas explained how the conflict broke out. He merely admired the elegance of Duke Norton and his wives, so he sent his steward to deliver an invitation to invite them to a welcoming banquet he was hosting. But who would have thought that Duke Norton would tear up the invitation he had sent and declare that he, an illegitimate child, had no right to invite them? The butler who was sent to deliver the invitation was furious. He scolded Grand Duke Norton, saying that Grand Duke Norton had every right to reject the invitation, but he could not tarnish the reputation of a noble …
In the end, Grand Duke Norton ordered his guards to kill the butler who had gone to deliver the invitation on the spot, and even beat up and humiliate the patrol team that had come to stop him. He proudly declared that whoever dared to offend the Norton family would only end up dead …
The onlookers at the scene, because of their indignation, rushed out to stop Grand Duke Norton's guards from insulting and scolding the patrol team. But no one thought that Grand Duke Norton would actually order these guards to kill those brave people. The Royal Avenue had almost become a slaughterhouse. All the people who had rushed out were chopped to the ground, and the Norton guards even chopped off their heads and piled them up to form a so-called capital monument, intending to intimidate all the onlookers at the scene.
The second prince was shocked. He could no longer care about the models, and hurriedly brought a team of guards to the Royal Avenue. His nose was almost crooked from anger. The team of guards he had sent over was currently maintaining order at both ends of the street under the command of their commander. They watched as the twenty to thirty armed men of the Norton family demolished Earl Weixas's Ontario Chamber of Commerce …
The second prince wanted to stab his commander with a sword, but the commander felt wronged and said that he did not dare disobey Grand Duke Norton's order …
At this time, Laurist had already ordered Duke Kemus to escort Princess Sylvia and the rest of the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce's guards to the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce. He also sent someone to inform Master Swordmaster Sandy to gather there with the children. Then, he rushed into the Ontario Chamber of Commerce with Ross, Padt, and a dozen other guards. They chased the people inside out and began to tear down the building.
Laurist originally wanted to settle the score with Earl Weixas, the main culprit. Unfortunately, when Earl Weixas heard that the guards of the Chamber of Commerce had been killed, and that the culprit was the Norton family, he felt that something was wrong. He quickly ran to the palace to find the second prince, who was his biggest protective talisman. He changed his appearance and told the second prince everything that had happened, successfully angering the second prince and causing him to deal with Laurist.
When the second prince saw Laurist standing in front of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and watching his subordinates demolish the building, he suppressed his anger and urged his horse over. "Follow me back, I have something to tell you."
Laurist still gave face to the second prince. He ordered Ross, Padt, and the rest to stop, and ordered them to send Princess Sylvia and the children back to their residences. Only then did he follow the second prince back to the palace.
When he arrived at the palace, a few archdukes who had heard about this matter, such as Duke Handa and Archduke Fisablun, as well as Duke Shahin and Duke Filim, who had rushed over after receiving the news from Duke Kaimus, had already arrived at the palace hall. Soon after, a few marquises and earls also rushed over …
In front of so many nobles, the second prince finally exploded. At this moment, he had forgotten Laurist's identity as the Sword Saint of the Kingdom. Two days before his ascension to the throne, the Norton family had done this to him. This was an unforgivable humiliation to the second prince. This was a challenge to the dignity of the soon-to-be king. This was a provocation to the sacred Chrison Royal Family!
"Speak, are you mute? Duke Norton, what gave you the courage to kill so brazenly in the Imperial Capital? Are you looking down on me, the king? Do you think my ban is bullsh * t? Speak! If you have anything to say, say it in front of everyone! You have to give me an explanation for what happened today! "
The second prince was thinking about how to clean up the mess since it had already happened. Although he still looked angry on the surface, he had already calmed down. To be honest, he could not do anything to Laurist. However, he could use this incident to make Laurist admit defeat and show his authority as the new Emperor of the Chrison Empire. After the empire was established, some of the policies that he had prepared to implement that were detrimental to the interests of the nobles would be implemented. He could also use the Norton family to beat the other Grand Dukes …
Laurist had to admit defeat in front of everyone and hand over the guards who had committed the crime so that he could hang them in front of the citizens of the Imperial City. Finally, the Norton family had to pay compensation for the murder. How much should he ask the Norton family to pay? Ten million gold coins? Or eight million gold coins, but it could not be less than five million …
Duke Gammus had also rushed over. He stood up and said, "Your Majesty, this is what happened …"
"You shut up! Let Duke Norton tell me himself! " The second prince did not give Duke Gammus any face. He glared at Duke Gammus with bloodshot eyes, forcing Duke Gammus to shrug his shoulders and retreat with a bitter smile.
Leurist stood in the hall and watched as the second prince circled around the throne that represented nobility and majesty in a thunderous rage. He finally opened his mouth. However, what surprised everyone was that Loriste was not admitting defeat or admitting his mistakes. Instead, he was angry. His tone was cold, but it was more chilling than the second prince's outburst of anger. "I brought my wife and child to attend Your Majesty's coronation ceremony, not to let my wife come to the Imperial City to be harassed and harassed! Since Your Majesty does not know right from wrong and blames me, I will not attend this bullsh * t ceremony and return to my territory … "
Laurist turned around and left. He did not even bother to open the door. He kicked the two closed doors, and with a loud bang, the two doors flew out and landed on the empty ground far away.
Everyone was stunned. What was going on? What made Laurist turn his back on the king and leave without giving him any face? And it seemed that Laurist's anger was greater than His Majesty's?
"Stop him!" the second prince screamed.
"Those who block me will die!" Laurist turned around and said coldly, glancing at the second prince. The second prince felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. He suddenly froze, because he could feel the murderous intent from Laurist's gaze. That's right, it was the same feeling he had when he faced the Storm Sword Saint during the peace talks with the Commerce Alliance. He was the meat on the chopping block, and he could only allow himself to be slaughtered without any ability to resist …
Not only the second prince, but all the nobles in the hall felt the cold murderous intent in Laurist's eyes. While they were afraid, they were also curious. What was going on? Why did Laurist have such a strong murderous intent, and it was directed at His Majesty?
Laurist turned around and glanced at the main hall before casually leaving. No one dared to block his path …
The hall was silent. Duke Kempis was the first among the nobles to come to his senses. He bowed to the second prince, then turned around and chased after Laurist. Duke Shahin and Duke Phelim also came to their senses as soon as he left. They looked at each other, and did not even bother to bid farewell to the second prince. They just turned around and followed Duke Kempis …
The second prince slumped on the throne behind him. His anger had long dissipated, and his mind was in a mess. What had happened? Why did Laurist turn his back on them and leave? This … This was not taking him seriously at all. The second prince's heart was once again ignited with anger, but Laurist's murderous gaze soon flashed past his eyes, and the anger in his heart was immediately extinguished …
When the second prince woke up from his deep thoughts, he realized that only Grand Duke Fisablun was left in the hall. The rest of the nobles had already left.
"Father-in-law." The Second Royal Highness smiled bitterly. The new Queen that the Second Royal Highness had married was the niece of Grand Duke Fisablun. She had been adopted by Grand Duke Fisablun and married to the Second Royal Highness. Speaking of which, Princess Laurist and Princess Silvia had to address the Second Royal Highness and the new Queen as Uncle and Aunt. This was probably one of the bad habits of the Second Royal Highness. When he had invited Princess Laurist and Princess Silvia to the banquet, he had even forced them to address him as relatives …
"You … You said that without Laurist, can your family's armed forces and the kingdom's armed forces destroy the Norton Family and the Northern Four Family Alliance?" The second prince finally asked what was on his mind.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Grand Duke Fisabulun was exasperated. Only someone with a screw loose would go against the Norton Family's armed forces. Could they win? Even without Laurist, the Norton Family's bronze cannons were enough to make all their opponents flee at the mere sight of them.
As for what the second prince had said about without Laurist, Grand Duke Fisabulun did not mind. There were many ways to plot against a Sword Saint. For example, the Royal Family had a secret stash of potions that could make a person lose their fighting energy. As long as Laurist drank the potion carelessly, and a few Great Swordsmen joined the fray, even a Sword Saint like Laurist would not be able to escape alive.
"But, but he's really too much. Didn't you see it just now? He went on a killing spree in the Imperial City. What about me, the king? He doesn't even care about me. He didn't even admit his mistakes and even threatened us not to block his way. Even if he's a Sword Saint, I can't take this lying down. If worse comes to worst, I'll use the entire army to fight against the Norton Family. It's better than being a king in name only! "The second prince poured out all his grievances.
"Your Majesty, you'd better understand the details of the Norton Family's killing spree. It's very likely that things are not what you think. I feel that you might have misunderstood Grand Duke Norton. As far as I know, Grand Duke Norton is not such a tyrannical person. He wouldn't start a killing spree in the Imperial City for no reason …" Grand Duke Fisabulun hurriedly advised.
Yes, the second prince thought to himself. That's right, Laurist isn't that kind of person. His personality can even be said to be a little weak. He's very sentimental. This is a very big character weakness for a territory noble. Most nobles would turn their backs on their best friends for the sake of their family's interests. However, Laurist wasn't like that. The alliance of the four northern families was a very good example. Even though the Norton Family's strength exceeded the sum of the three families, Laurist still maintained the alliance with the three families. He didn't try to swallow them up so that his own family's strength could rise to the next level.
The second prince was afraid of the Norton Family's strength, but he admired and even respected Laurist. He believed that Laurist didn't have any ambitions. He was only worried that the Norton Family's strength would push Laurist to challenge his own throne when it reached its peak. In the past, the second prince had used Laurist's sentimental weakness to obtain many benefits for himself.
As a superior lord, the second prince understood the difficulties of being in this position. Sometimes, even if he didn't have much ambition, he had no choice but to take that step for the development of his family and the future of his subordinates. Just like in the past, the second prince only wanted to pacify the war in the empire. However, in the end, for the sake of power and the loyal subordinates that gathered around him, he had no choice but to stand against his father and brother. The royal family has no kinship …
As soon as the second prince gave the order, some of the onlookers of the murder on Royal Avenue, the shop assistants on both sides of the street, and the patrolling police were brought in front of him. With the narration of the crowd, the whole process of the matter was clearly presented in front of the second prince and Grand Duke Fisablun.
The second prince was furious. He was once again tricked by this illegitimate son of Laurist. This unfilial son once again used his name to bully the kingdom's nobles who came to attend the coronation ceremony. Most of the kingdom's nobles didn't dare to speak out for the sake of the king. Even Duke Handa had to compromise and treat Earl Laurist with respect. Until this time, he kicked an iron plate and bumped into Laurist and Princess Silvia …
If Laurist wasn't his illegitimate son, he would have died seven or eight times already. Blocking the road and forcing the nobles' female relatives to attend his ball was a humiliation to the nobles. No wonder Laurist lost his temper and killed people on the street. He was the Guardian Swordsman, the Duke of the Northern Lands. If his wife was forced to accept an invitation to the ball, it would be a slap in the face. This was a humiliation to the Norton family's reputation, and he had no choice but to kill. As for the guards of the Ontario Trading Company who rushed over, they had a death wish. They called Laurist a traitor, so they shouldn't blame him for killing them.
But why did Laurist look at him with such murderous intent before he left? The second prince was shocked. Could it be that Laurist thought he was the mastermind behind all this? Otherwise, how could his illegitimate son Laurist be so presumptuous …
A guard rushed over and reported, "Report! Your Majesty, Duke Norton, Duke Philim, Duke Kempis, and Duke Shahin have left the capital through the south gate with their families and armed forces. They seem to be heading to Chilin Port …"
"What did you say?" The second prince was shocked. "Why didn't they stop them …"
The guard didn't reply, and the second prince regained his senses. Who would dare to stop the four dukes, especially when one of them was the Guardian Swordsman? Unless he mobilized the kingdom's army, but wouldn't that give others an excuse to use against him? They weren't traitors, so wouldn't this be forcing them onto the path of rebellion? Moreover, they had brought their families to the capital to attend the ceremony. If the second prince mobilized the royal army and harmed the family of any one of them, it was guaranteed that the crowd would be furious, and no nobles would support him, the king …
The second prince was anxious. Duke Fisabulun said angrily, "Hurry up and chase after them. You go and calm them down first, and I'll contact the other nobles to persuade them to stay. His Majesty's coronation is in two days, and the four dukes can't be absent, especially since Duke Norton is the Guardian Swordsman! If he doesn't attend His Majesty's coronation, the consequences will be dire … "
Duke Fisabulun stopped there. The second prince suddenly understood. "Then I'll rush over immediately. I'll leave the rest to you, father-in-law …"
…
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