After Count Randner finished reading the report in his hand, he gently placed the parchment on top of the fireplace. This old noble who had experienced many hardships in life fell into a rare silence. After a while, he raised his head and looked at his trusted aide with a gloomy expression.
"You're trash, and your subordinates are trash as well. How long ago was this report?"
"Half a month ago."
"It's been half a month, and Tónigel has caused such a huge mess."
"My lord, this might not be a riot." Count Randner's trusted aide said: "No matter how weak Lord Macsen is, he shouldn't have been defeated by a bunch of mobs."
"They're mercenaries, but mercenaries are annoying flies. If they don't smell the stench of profit, they won't come buzzing over —" Count Randner replied: "There's someone behind this."
Even though the report mentioned that Graudin had offended the mercenaries, the old noble who had experienced many hardships in his life knew that they would not easily go against a lord without sufficient conditions.
They would definitely think that Graudin had Count Randner's backing.
Count Randner calmed down and tapped the emerald ring on his right index finger with his left hand. Those who were familiar with him knew that this meant that he was deep in thought, and should not be disturbed when he was deep in thought.
Count Randner's trusted aide saw this and shut his mouth, waiting for him to make a decision.
"I'm only concerned about two things," Count Randner replied after a long pause: "First, is Graudin dead or alive? Second, who is the person behind all this? "
Count Randner's trusted aide lowered his head and pretended to listen carefully. He knew that this important person had not finished speaking yet.
But at this moment, the door was opened with a creak, interrupting Count Randner's words. A tall youth rushed in from outside.
"Father."
The youth's voice was faster than the person's, and his voice was full of energy.
"How many times have I told you to knock before you come in?" Randner looked at the newcomer and replied coldly, "How many times have I told you to knock before you enter?"
"Didn't you tell me before, father? A man of great ambition doesn't bother with trifles."
The young man strode to his father's side. This young man was Count Randner's second son, and he was the only one who did not receive a fief at his age. He gave up his fief on his own accord and insisted on staying by Count Randner's side.
Count Randner naturally understood his son's thoughts, but he did not mind. "It seems like you already know?"
The urgent news had alarmed the entire castle. He did not think it was strange for his son to rush over so quickly. If he did not know, it meant that his son was not alert enough.
"Well, did something happen?" The young man looked around, then casually sat on the sofa at the side and raised his head to ask.
"Something happened to your brother."
"Really?"
Count Randner raised an eyebrow, and for the first time, he spoke with a hint of anger in his voice: "Why do you sound so happy when your brother is in trouble?"
"I'm sorry, Father." The young man picked up the cup on the side and then put it down with a smile. "I know it's not very good, but I have no choice. I still don't know how to hide my emotions."
The smile on his face was obvious, and it was obvious that Count Randner was right.
Count Randner shook his head. He was the same in the past, but this was a small matter in his eyes. The conflict between families was one thing, but it was different when outsiders hurt his descendants. This was a precedent that could not be set in any noble family.
Even the conflicts between nobles rarely involved killing each other. Conspiracy and violence were two different things. The blood of nobles was precious, and it could not be spilled in vain.
When Count Randner received this report, he had already made up his mind to take revenge in a bloody manner to serve as a warning to others.
However, he did not think that this matter was as simple as it seemed. He patted the report and said: "There's a riot in Tónigel, and we don't know if your brother is still alive or not —"
He paused for a moment: "But I think he's most likely dead." Count Randner snorted coldly and ordered his trusted aide to explain the current situation to him.
Lord Macsen was defeated?
The young man shook his head when he heard that his brother was killed by a group of rioters. In his eyes, rioters were rioters, and it was too shameful for a lord to die in a riot. Even he could not help but feel a little gloomy.
No matter what, Lord Macsen was still his younger brother, and it was hard for him to raise his head in front of outsiders. But when he heard the news of Lord Macsen's defeat, his expression changed completely.
This was not a riot.
The young man might be carefree, but he was a person with dense thoughts. He immediately stood up and said to Count Randner: "Father, there's something fishy behind this. Please allow me to summon the army immediately. I will make the person behind all of this pay the price."
Count Randner looked at his son and shook his head in disappointment.
"Do you know who's behind all of this?"
The young man was stunned for a moment before he replied: "As long as the army presses on the border, they will reveal their true colors."
You're not too stupid! Count Randner's expression softened a little, but he still shook his head: "It's not a bad idea, but someone is waiting for us to make a fool of ourselves. If you mobilize the army, won't you be sending the laughingstock to them?"
The young man frowned.
The experienced old man tapped his forehead: "You need to use your brain more. The sword in your hand can destroy your enemies, but it can't lead you to victory. Think about it again."
"Of course, whoever benefits from it has the motive." The young man replied.
"Correct," Count Randner nodded: "The kingdom is divided into three factions, but the most likely to do so is the princess's faction. That cunning little girl really made people feel uneasy. Because what they lacked was time, she wanted to pressure me. She's underestimating the Randner family. "
"But it's not impossible that someone is trying to sow discord, father." The young man did not want his father to side with Arreck because of this. He wanted the princess to pull him to her side. Of course, it would be best if they could form an alliance through marriage. With the princess's help, his position as the heir to the family would be in the bag.
Besides, he had long heard of the beauty of the half Fairy Princess. Her reputation as the most dazzling jewel on the ancient kingdom's crown was not only in Erouine, but also in the nearby Cruz Empire.
However, Count Randner saw through his thoughts. The old man with a gloomy expression looked at his son coldly: "Don't worry, I'm not going to lose my head over this matter. I'm already past your age."
"Father?"
"You must remember one thing, Andre," Count Randner said sternly: "It doesn't matter which faction the Randner family favors. What's important is that the Randner family must maintain, or at least obtain, an even more independent status than it is now."
The old man raised an eyebrow and said in a gloomy tone: "If you can't obtain that much, then don't think so much. It's important to set your own goals. Greedy people will only make others hate you. "
The young man paused for a moment, then shrugged: "Of course I understand. But what should we do now?"
Count Randner tapped the emerald ring on his right index finger and replied coldly: "That sly little girl tried to play tricks on me, so the Randner Family must pay her back in kind. She killed my son, so I'll eat her chess piece. Let's see what she's going to do next —"
"Then?" The young man patted the hilt of his sword excitedly.
"No, there's always an opportunity in danger. We can't handle this matter like this. If I have to personally deal with a small rebellion in a small territory, then won't the Randner family be lowering their status?" The old count shook his head. He was dissatisfied with the young man's eagerness. "Besides, that cunning girl and Duke Arreck are keeping a close eye on me. I can't afford to let them take me lightly at this time."
The young man clicked his tongue and threw his sword on the sofa: "I understand, father. You have a plan."
Count Randner trembled in anger at Brendel's sloppy actions, but before he could reprimand him, Brendel had already interrupted him.
"If we don't act, Lord Palas won't be a match for those rioters, father."
The young man rested his hands on the back of the sofa and leaned back comfortably with a lazy expression: "That old Knight might have a decent army, but his strength is limited compared to Lord Macsen's. If Lord Macsen loses, then this Knight won't win either, right?"
Count Randner nodded with a gloomy face. Even though he did not like his son's behavior, he had to admit that his second son was the most outstanding among his sons. While the rest of his sons were not as useless as Graudin, they were still mediocre.
"Let me think, father," the young man replied: "Don't tell me you want those skeletons from Madara to act. They might have the ability to do so, but they are not of our race. Lord Palas, that honest Knight, might not be able to control them."
"In other words, father, do you really trust them? That smiling Incirsta Dragon? I heard that he's just a knight in Madara — "
"Why not?" Count Randner said in a low voice. He no longer looked at his son and turned to his confidant: "Help me draft two letters —"
"Count Randner?" The confidant raised his head.
"The first letter, write it to the dark nobles of Madara. Tell them that the thing they want is still in Abies. If they still want to complete the deal with me, then they have to contribute." Count Randner ordered coldly.
"The second letter, give it to the messenger of the mountain people. Don't they want to be exempted from taxes? Tell them that if they are willing to participate in this war, not only will I reduce their taxes, I will also provide food for their troops! " (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please go to www.qidian.com, there are more chapters. Support the author, support legal reading!)
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