In the summer of that year,
It began in the chaos of war.
Under the hot sun, countless horse hooves with iron nails trampled over the hot ground.
Dust surged up,
Covering the sky and the sun.
In the dust, screams, cries, and the clanging sound of swords clashing rang out. In the heat wave,
The smell of gunpowder smoke, burnt flesh, and blood mixed into the rotten smell of the battlefield.
The artillery soldiers in groups of eight moved neatly, constantly filling the cannons. The thunderous explosion set off a huge wave for a moment, and a white flag was finally hung on the sturdy castle.
The rows of soldiers put down their muskets and retreated.
The cavalry on both wings crouched on their horses. The moment the gate of the fortress was lowered,
They raised their whips and rushed in.
"Why did you capture me? Call your commander over! "His hair was disheveled, and he was dressed in a golden robe.
He had a beard.
The middle-aged man wearing a wig was dragged out rudely, struggling and shouting in panic.
The officer who was holding him kicked him. "Shut up! Traitor! "
The middle-aged man was dragged all the way to the officer.
Riding on a silver saddle horse, the young officer wore a red velvet cap embroidered with a lion. His face was sickly pale.
He coughed lightly.
After being reminded by the adjutant that the number one captive had arrived, he lowered his head and glanced at the captive. "Help this gentleman up."
The middle-aged man's wig had long fallen into the dust.
He was dragged until his robe was tattered.
There were many injuries on his body. At this moment, he was pulled up.
He thought he was going to be beaten and shivered as he hugged his head and screamed.
The corners of the officer's mouth curled up. His thin, straight eyebrows did not move in the wind. He looked down from above and gave an arrogant fake smile. "Hello, Viscount. I heard that you wanted to see me? "
The viscount heard him accurately call out his position and was surrounded by people in the formation. He was sure that this was the commander sent by the emperor. He struggled and shouted, "I am a noble! I am a noble! I should be treated with courtesy! You don't have the right to capture me! "
At this moment, not far away, in the castle, there were also women being driven out by the cavalry. Their fluffy skirts, narrow waists, and powder rustling down. When they smelled blood, they were arrogant and screamed at the inferior people to get lost. Their faces were pale.
"Adjutant."
"Yes."
On the officer's overly pale face, his rosy lips opened slightly, "Kill him. All of them. "
The adjutant and the viscount were both stunned.
"Adjutant."
That's the second time. "The officer reached out his white-gloved hand and made a" two "sign.
The adjutant felt his neck go numb. He no longer had time to be shocked. He closed his legs, saluted, and ran to carry out the order.
Under the golden sunlight, in front of the stone castle, in the smoke mixed with the dust, all the soldiers and officers saw with their own eyes the delicate noble ladies and young ladies being escorted to the front of the formation. Their heads, which were as beautiful as flowers and jade, were easily chopped off by large swords. They rolled in the dust, and blood spurted out into a bloody mist with a bang.
The viscount also saw it. He fainted. Fell down beside the officer's horse. The soldier dragged him over to the heads, and soon the viscount's head was placed beside those of his wife and children.
The soldiers were all hired mercenaries. They were used to fighting in other countries, so they cut off their ears in passing. This was one of the guarantees to exchange for military merits and treasures. They also wanted to curry favor by offering a bag to their superiors.
The officer sternly stopped him, "Don't bring it over!"
He pointed to the bag of bloody ears in the soldier's hand, frowned, and called the adjutant in a sickly voice, "It's too barbaric. Tell them to take it away. "
Didn't you order the extermination of the viscount's family? The adjutant and the surrounding soldiers were puzzled.
The magistrate, however, was already driving his horse gracefully away from the rows of heads.
At the same time, the last group of people poured out of the castle. A large number of serfs were released from the deep dungeons of the castle by cavalry and infantry. Their clothes were ragged, their legs were crippled, and their hands were crippled. Some only had half of their bodies left, and they were struggling at death's door.
At first, they shrank to the side, but when they saw the heads of the lord's family, their eyes suddenly widened into copper bells. Some of them stared, and suddenly, tears of blood flowed from their eyes. They crawled on the ground and cried ecstatically. Their mouths were mixed, as if they were cursing, but also as if they were grateful.
A few of the soldiers standing at the side couldn't bear to see this.
The officer's horse didn't stop at all as it passed by the overjoyed serfs. His green eyes didn't show the slightest emotion for the death of the viscount's family, nor did he show the slightest pity for the serfs he ordered to be released.
*
[I killed them, a decision made from a rational point of view. Their family was a diehard faction, and they firmly resisted the order to abolish tariffs, causing the local people to be the most indignant. Exterminating them in exchange for the trust of the local farmers and the smooth distribution of land is the most effective way for Your Majesty to rule.]
"Phew." Allan I finished reading the letter, exhaled softly, and muttered with a smile, "Eugene, that little bastard. Always causing trouble for me. "
The empress came in from behind the door and blinked, "What did Eugene do? He has always been a polite and kind child, but his health has been poor since he was a child, and his behavior and temperament are inevitably somewhat eccentric. Your Majesty, since you want his knowledge and send him to do things, you can't blame him because of his temper. "
The emperor shook his hand helplessly, "How would I dare? Your two cousins, Eugene and Cremond, are not easy to deal with. "
The empress looked curious and opened her mouth, as if she wanted to ask. Allan I didn't want to tell his cousin about Eugene's actions, so as not to scare her, so he gave a look behind him.
Hathaway, who came in behind the empress, stepped out from behind the tent and interrupted her with a smile, "Your Majesty, your younger sister has something important to report."
When the empress heard this, she hurriedly put away her girlish attitude and meekly excused herself from her husband.
In the spacious room, there were only the emperor, the archduchess, and the servants standing on the side.
"Hathaway, how are the examiners?"
The archduchess, who was also the empire's prime minister, replied, "They have already passed two rounds of written examinations. They are only waiting for the next interview. "
The location of the interview was in the palace's large garden. The sculptures were cleared to the side, and a group of young examinees who had never been qualified to enter the palace were flustered and excited. They kept tucking in the corners of their clothes and wiping the sweat from their palms. They followed the servants who led the way and filed in. They stood stiffly in the imperial garden, waiting for the examiners to arrive.
Looking down from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the black heads of these examinees were like a group of crowded ants.
Although the garden was large, it already seemed cramped with so many people crowded in.
The emperor was high up and swept his gaze over them, silently observing the young and inexperienced faces.
With so many people crowded in the royal garden, it was cramped.
But when scattered throughout Luster, it was like a few drops of water in the sea.
It was still not enough.
He suddenly asked, "How are the eastern scholars who helped you organize the examinations?"
"…" Hathaway was silent for a moment, then replied, "They told me everything they knew about organizing the examinations. But they were not very useful when ordered around. "
The emperor immediately sneered, "How tactful. Why don't you say it directly: they have a lot of bad habits and can't be ordered around? "
These eastern scholars who were hired from the sea with a lot of money were not very knowledgeable, but their tempers were worse than the other, and they were sour. They often looked down on this and that. One moment, they despised the industrial and commercial people among the examinees, and the next moment, they despised the shameless barbarian women.
Even the female chief examiner didn't have a good impression of her.
Kill them, but they could not be killed easily.
"I'm afraid they are quite compatible with the people of the previous Divine Sect." Hathaway could only reply with a slight sarcasm.
The emperor sighed and said, "It's been hard on you. When you really can't stand these people anymore, you can just go to Anna with the award document. Tell her that the eastern emperor has already sent the portrait and arrest warrant of the traitor Lin Daiyu to our country, and the eastern envoys have already arrived in Bona. Ask her if she wants to be a baroness in our country and serve as a royal advisor, or if she wants to return to her country as a prisoner. Thinking about it, Anna's talent should be enough to help you. "
As he spoke, he exhaled deeply and said, "Bear with it a little longer. Bear with it a little longer … Wait for the rebellion to be cleared up … Wait for this batch of examinees to grow up, wait for our elementary schools and grammar schools to be built … "
*
"Eastern envoys?" Lin Daiyu put down the pen in her hand.
"Yes! I heard that they were sent by the eastern emperor himself, and they are all rich and powerful young masters. They also brought a large number of eastern specialties. I don't know when they came quietly. Only when they moved out of the palace and lived in another residence did our Bona know! It was a sensation, and everyone rushed to see them! Miss, will there be people from your hometown? "The maid was enraptured.
Lin Daiyu sucked in a breath of cold air, stood up, and paced back and forth. However, there was no joy between her brows as the maid thought. Instead, her brows were tightly knitted, and her expression was rather cold.
After a while, she stopped and said quickly, "I'm going out. Prepare the carriage immediately. "
"Yes."
The maid answered and went to prepare, but she heard the doorbell downstairs ring.
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