In Kongming Palace, in Zhan En's room, Thales sat in the main hall, silent.

"Doyle's, have you finished checking the food?"

Zhan En's voice sounded coldly, without concealing his disgust and impatience:

"I wonder if there is poison in it? Is there a note stuffed with a message?"

Behind Zhan En, in the side hall opposite, D.D held cutlery in his hands and lifted his face from the plates on the table.

"Ah? Oh - it's almost done. It's almost done."

Doyle's mouth was full of oil. After hearing this, he gave Zhan a vicious look, then scooped up a large spoonful of mashed potatoes from the messy dinner plate and bit into his mouth, as if he was going to crush the spoon:

"Please wait a moment. After all, you are the Grand Duke and a big shot! Your status is noble and important. If something happens, hey, I, who come from a small family in Jinghe River, cannot afford to live in a shabby place - why don't you just have some fun first?

My little stuffed bear to keep me from getting bored?”

Zhan turned his head to look at the stuffed bear on the dining table and pursed his lips in disgust.

He suppressed the burning sensation in his stomach and looked at the clock again:

It's been an hour since meal time.

Over there, D.D ate another bite of roasted meat, not forgetting to let out a sigh of admiration.

The Duke of Southbank finally had enough:

"Is this how you inspect meals for Your Highness?"

"Hey, you're right!"

D.D took a bite from left to right, not forgetting to feed the little bear on the table ("Why are you such a picky eater? No wonder you don't grow up! Tsk tsk, if you don't want to try it first, how will the Duke eat it? Be good, open your mouth, ah)

Ahh..."):

"I was like that back then - cough, sorry, I'll be fine soon."

D.D fainted mid-sentence under Thales' sudden attack without any warning.

Doyle bowed his head obediently, put down his - or rather Zhan's - meal, and hid far away.

Zhan and Thales looked at each other, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed, falling into suffocating silence.

"that's too regretful."

Zhan En sighed softly.

"You must know that my father and I both relied on him very much - Lord Brennan passed away, and the Emerald City's sorrow cannot be filled."

Thales sat quietly and did not answer. The glass full of wine was placed in his hand, but he did not take a sip.

"Promise me, catch the murderer and bring justice."

"Of course," Thales said softly, "If I can wait until that day."

Zhan nodded.

"What's going on in the Emerald City?"

"Worse."

Thales raised his head with cold eyes:

"More than a dozen large business groups have united to see me and begged me to take measures - the market disorder and price instability have begun to affect their income and future plans.

"The Emerald Legion paid their salaries on time, and it was finally stable. However, another group of Construction Department officials who had received the news and knew that they might be owed wages were very dissatisfied. Some people planned to make a big news during the celebration - but they were discovered in time.

We are still negotiating.”

"Oh?" Zhan gracefully picked up a glass of wine to satisfy the hunger in his belly.

"Trouble has happened again in the Blood Bottle Gang. The gangs are fighting, chaos is happening on the streets, and it is gradually beginning to affect ordinary citizens. The legend of the water ghoul is spreading again...

"In addition, the morale of the trial hall is low. There has been a backlog of security cases recently, and the prison is almost full. There are only a dozen prisoners in one room. The police department complains every hour, saying that it is about to become a gang branch. And their control effect is limited.

"The head of the Building and Construction Department happened to be ill, and his deputy couldn't make up his mind. The order to cut expenditures and reduce administration was delayed, and once I got angry and wanted to replace him..."

Thales snorted coldly:

"As for the Financial Secretary and the City Hall, they are still arguing. It seems that if they just shrink their heads and kick the ball to others and throw the responsibility to other departments, the matter will be over and the problem will be solved by itself."

Regardless of the overwhelming flood outside, one day it will eventually flood you.

Thales thought so and was in a bad mood.

After listening to this long list, Zhan En nodded slightly, and then laughed out loud.

"That's a bunch of assholes, right?"

Thales looked at him.

I saw Zhan En shaking his wine glass and sighing with emotion:

"At first they obeyed orders and seemed loyal, which made you quite satisfied as the master, thinking that they could perform their duties and help you rule smoothly.

"But soon, you will find that they will make problems in almost every possible link - the smallest details - whether intentionally, unintentionally, self-interested, or following the trend, just like Bores can always find gaps and hollows in buildings to build their nests and settle there.”

Zhan En’s eyes tightened:

"So as time went on, it became mottled from top to bottom, with flaws and loopholes everywhere, and even if you tried your best, you could only patch it up and paste it here and there.

"In fact, many times, you can only be led by their pretentiousness and cunning schemes. Even if you know about it, you can't act on it.

"In the end, you find that even if you sit at the highest place, you can only adapt to this system, the operating principle and general direction of this machine, try to draw as much as possible from it, try to use the parts that can still be used, take advantage of the situation, go with the flow, but you are unable to turn back. sky."

After Zhan finished speaking, he was silent for a long time and looked at Thales.

But the prince just looked at him quietly and didn't reply.

Zhan lowered his head, thought carefully for a while, and suddenly sighed, as if he had made some decision.

"That's all, I'm going to write a letter right now." The Duke put down his wine glass, walked to the desk, sat down, and picked up a pen. "You can take it to the Popon family who are engaged in the funeral industry. They owe Kevin Dill. After receiving the letter, I will withdraw ten thousand gold coins from you. Of course, if you are charming enough, you may be able to get more."

Thales' eyes moved.

"Why."

"Please use this money to bury Mr. Brennan properly, and make sure he has a peaceful death, so that the people of the Emerald City can be at peace." Zhan didn't even raise his head, just wrote quickly, "You can use the rest to fill the financial deficit. , to tide over the difficulties for the time being.”

Speaking of this, Zhan En's eyes moved:

"Also, get rid of that Lausanne II. I don't want to see him killing people and demanding lives on my territory again, and he is lawless."

Thales picked up an untouched wine glass and rubbed it gently, but his eyes were locked on the other person.

"But if I don't bring your letter and go ask them for money myself, or even borrow money," he said sarcastically, "then I won't be able to even beg for a copper, right?"

"That's not necessarily true," Zhan En said without raising his head, not anxious or annoyed, "Maybe if you show the ancient imperial sword that Old Bones of the Western Wasteland gave you, they will agree to it?"

Thales sneered.

"Huge debt, declining market, disordered prices, poor public security, renegade bureaucracy, and the Emerald City in chaos," Thales counted one thing in a harsh tone, "Ten thousand gold coins can

What's the matter?"

"That's your problem," Zhan kept writing, but turned his attention to the guest, "Regent Thales?"

Thales just played with the wine glass and remained silent.

"As a city lord, do you really know Brennan?"

Zhan En frowned slightly.

Thales thought of the suicide note and sighed with emotion:

"His last wish was to be buried lightly, with no tombstone or writing. The simpler, the better. Even his ashes were scattered into the sea."

Zhan's writing stopped.

"I see, it's a sparse burial and frugality."

He put down his pen, frowned and looked at his half-written letter, his eyes fixed on the phrase 'lush burial'.

After a few seconds, Zhan En sighed, picked up the pen again, and continued writing.

"It doesn't matter, I will still write this letter, and you can still use it to get the money. Even if there is no funeral, Brennan died unexpectedly, and people are panicked. Whether it is the trial hall or the entire Emerald City officialdom, you need to be comforted."

Telspi is smiling but not smiling:

"So, if a few more people die, Emerald City's debt can be solved?"

Zhan hummed and shook his head:.

"I believe you know who killed Brennan and who is eager to add fuel to the flames and use you as a puppet."

"Brennan committed suicide."

Thales' words made the tip of Zhan's pen tremble.

"In his study, he drank poisonous wine."

"Wasn't he killed? Or was he forced to commit suicide?" The Duke of Nan'an frowned in suspicion.

"He also left a suicide note," Thales ignored the other party's doubts. "A suicide note full of regret and pain, condemned by conscience, and admitting that the case was wrongly concluded."

When the prince said this, he raised his head, his eyes like daggers, looking directly at the duke:

"Including the case files and evidence of the old Duke's assassination."
To be continued...