"Brando, do you remember that when we just returned to Tonigel, I asked you to keep our whereabouts secret and not to announce anything to the public, right?" In the smoke-filled room, Veronica finally opened the door first.
Mouth. Brando nodded, something was indeed going on, so Princess Griffin had to wait until Freya arrived at Wallentenburg before she could get the news that they were well. The injured Nimesis
A group of injured people including the Knights of the Broken Sword were also placed in Schavlund, the Kouhua sisters went to Valhalla, and the activities of the few people in Medisa Hippamilla were mostly limited to the castle, although
On weekdays, we also meet with the servants in the castle and Ciel's apprentices, but in fact, these people generally will not leave the castle except for festival celebrations. Antitina even issued a strict order, at least until the harvest festival.
, the news should not be leaked.
On the princess's side, although this was a bit unkind for a sister who was concerned about her brother's safety, Veronica's expression was very solemn when she warned him, so he reluctantly agreed. He looked at Veronica
There was an anxious look on the card, and he was slightly startled, wondering if the news had been leaked?
The problem can only lie with the Shepherd's Inn, but the owner of the inn is an old subordinate of the Copper Dragon, a veteran of the November War. His background is absolutely reliable and it is unlikely to be bribed. Or he is the Knights of the Broken Sword.
The young people were seen by someone who was interested, but the chance is too small. Gris is now a commercial port, and a large part of the merchants traveling from north to south are Cruz people. A few young people here are too
They are inconspicuous, not to mention they are not wearing military uniforms.
Brando thought for a moment and finally decided to wait for Veronica to speak.
Antitina stood behind him without interrupting, with her eyelashes lowered. There was an indistinct light flashing in the dark eyes hidden underneath, and she was also thinking about something. Smoke rings were rising in the room, forming mountains or
It was in the shape of a monster. Marshal Mangrove was smoking his pipe one after another. The inside of the pipe was flashing dark red. He held the pipe with one hand and rested his elbow on his knee. He pressed his thigh with one hand and wore a coat.
Overcoat, he stared at the sheepskin map on the table without raising his head, as if there was some treasure buried on it.
Veronica smiled bitterly and continued: "Do you want to know the reason?"
Brando shook his head: "I'm not used to inquiring into other people's secrets, but I know this is very necessary for you, and it's just a piece of cake for me, so I'm happy to do it."
"Thank you, Brando." Veronica nodded and looked at him with some appreciation.
At this time, Mangrove knocked his pipe on the side of the table and finally raised his head. He looked Brando up and down with his remaining left eye, but strangely, Brando was not there.
The deep-set but very sharp eyes showed the Cruze's usual arrogance, which gave people the feeling of a general sizing up the soldiers.
"You are very good, Mr. Earl. You have not brought shame to your grandfather." Mangrove spoke authentic Bankel Cruz accent. He was born in the northern region of the Four Realms. He has the wildness of the northern Cruz people in him. However,
The burly old soldier just commented like this, as if he raised his head just for such a meaningless sentence. Then he bit his pipe again without saying anything.
Brando was almost a little flattered, knowing that one year later in history, the other party would become the commander-in-chief of Cruz's army, succeeding his grandfather as the marshal of the coalition forces. His authority in the empire can be said to be only under the queen.
The Supreme One in the Temple of Fire is no more than an equal to him.
"Brando. In fact, we hope that Lenaret will continue to stay in your territory and not announce the news to the outside world." Veronica hesitated again and again, and finally said with some difficulty: "I mean, you
It's best to let the outside world think he's dead, do you understand what I mean?"
Brando was stunned for a moment.
Palace struggle. This word seemed to come to his mind naturally. A series of conspiracies and disputes had been rehearsed in his mind several times in an instant. The first thing he thought of was that other successors in the empire might be ready to take action after the big explosion.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, it is unlikely that anyone can survive such an explosion. But in this case, shouldn't the news that the eldest son of the emperor is still alive be announced as soon as possible? What is Veronica's plan?
Could it be that there is someone else supported by the military, so they want to imprison the Cruz emperor's eldest son in Toniguer forever? This idea is so dangerous that Brando breaks out in a cold sweat, but in his opinion, Reiner
Rhett's expression didn't seem to be the case. If that were the case, the eldest son of the emperor might have been under house arrest at this moment.
He looked at the female regiment leader very suspiciously.
Veronica and Mangrove exchanged glances. The former looked very embarrassed, but the latter took off his pipe, blew out a smoke ring, and nodded firmly to her.
"We suspect that Her Majesty the Queen wants to kill his eldest son." The female regiment leader finally said.
"What!" Brando and Antitina shouted in unison.
The two looked at each other, as if they could see the shock in each other's eyes.
Antitina's eyes were filled with disbelief, and she instinctively suspected that this was a conspiracy. She almost stood blankly on the spot. But Brando himself was much calmer. He took a slight breath, forced himself to calm down and asked: "The reason
Woolen cloth?"
Brando's calmness made Veronica take another look, and she replied: "Sit down first, and I will slowly tell you the ins and outs of this." Brando nodded, leading Antitina to
Sitting down across from the sofa, Mangrove was still smoking his pipe, while Veronica pondered for a moment before continuing to talk about the beginning and process of the whole thing. "This matter starts with the political environment of the empire.
Our situation is different from yours in Eruin. During this thousand years, the main problem faced by the empire has always been the dispute between imperial power and religious power." She said, her voice was neither fast nor slow, and seemed very calm; her eyes were on the same level.
There was a faint emerald luster behind the smoke. She intertwined her fingers and laid them flat on her chest, but some of the facts she said did not sound so mysterious to Brando.
The Cruz people founded the country because of Gilt, the King of Flame. Just like the ancestor Ek was to Eruin, Gilt, one of the four sages, also left a belief for the Cruz people. He used this as his doctrine to found the Kingdom of Flame.
After the death of Gilt in the Temple, there was no such outstanding king among the Cruz people. In the subsequent history, the state and religion began to gradually separate, and from this moment on, the hidden danger of disputes between religious power and royal power was laid.
In the subsequent thousand years of history, the dispute between religious power and royal power has never ceased. Unfortunately, most of the leaders of the Temple of Fire are wise people, so the empire has never been divided due to this kind of struggle.
However, the rise and fall of royal power and religious power seemed to form a historical pattern. In this historical trend, the empire gradually separated several traditional forces. One was the representative of the church's interests in the secular world, Sisi.
The Er family is one of the best, and the Williams he killed was from this family. It can be said bluntly that most of the Knights Templar and the Cardinals of the Temple of Fire are from
to these forces.
The second is the so-called imperialist faction. Although the empire maintains a high degree of centralization, two of the only three Grand Ducal Dominions are die-hard imperialists who maintain marriage relationships with the royal family. Among them, the Kirk family of the Mosaic Territory is the representative.
Grand Duke Kirk has been married to the royal family for generations, and almost all members have half of the blood of the Cruz royal family. They are so closely related to the Cruz royal family that they are almost indistinguishable from each other, favoring and disgracing each other. Faye, whom Brando met in the Ring of Trade Winds,
Na is from this family.
The third faction is the military force. The Cruz people are martial, and the military aristocrats enjoy a very high status. The four army commanders of the empire are from three prominent northern aristocratic families. The northern aristocrats are almost synonymous with military aristocrats in Cruz.
, because they have been at war with the Empire's main enemy, the Hazer people, for many years. Therefore, there are many outstanding soldiers in the area north of Banker. In fact, most of the key generals in the army come from the north, such as Ashrico.
Among the major aristocratic families represented by Nigel and the Nona family, the military aristocrats tend to be the imperialists, with the exception of the navy. Most of the imperial navy comes from the wealthy areas in the south. The children of these wealthy families generally attended church schools and received higher education.
The education itself is the most staunch supporter of the Temple of Fire.
The three sects are at odds with each other, as is the case internally and externally. But starting about a hundred and fifty years ago, after the death of the pious Leian, the religious power began to decline. A hundred years ago, the then supreme emperor of the empire under Prime Minister Niederwin
With the help of the emperor, the power was re-centralized under the crown, and it was supposed to be a new cycle; until the Silver Queen came to the throne, this queen herself was a relatively rare emperor in the history of the empire - she hated her mother's birth.
The Gram family also lacked trust in the imperial faction, but also hated the religious faction. She played power in the court and supported the now prominent Parut family to suppress the other two parties. But in fact, she was not good at this.
Beautiful, but Vara, the chief priest of the Temple of Fire generation, saw the toughness and perversity in Her Majesty's character, and took the initiative to give in and compromise - but during Constance's reign, she almost offended almost all the aristocratic forces.
, and in the end he did not end well in his later years. After Lenaret succeeded to the throne, he was quickly forgotten by the world, and it seems that he did not end well.
However, Her Majesty the Queen has created a miracle, that is, she has reigned for nearly forty years amidst the hatred of almost everyone. During her forty-year reign, she was very arbitrary and almost overturned the empire.
The center of power became her sole voice.
The so-called Iron-Blooded Queen is not a wasted name after all.
"Your Majesty has gone crazy," Veronica sighed: "She ordered someone to draw a map of the entire continent in her room. She has bluntly stated in private more than once that her goal is to unify the entire Warnd. Cruz has recently
He has been intensively expanding his army for the past ten years, and we very much suspect that His Majesty wants to use the opportunity of jihad to launch a full-scale war."
"Isn't this possible? Do you suspect that she would kill her son just because of this?" Brando shook his head, feeling that it was a bit unbelievable.
"Of course not. Given His Majesty's physical condition, he will only be in power for two or three years at most, but if you want to unify Warnd within two or three years, Brando, how likely is it to you?"
"So you suspect that she will stay in love, but does her physical condition allow it?" Brando asked suspiciously. In his memory, the Silver Queen did abdicate two years later.
"Brando, I mean 'originally', but Your Majesty is getting younger day by day, and her health and energy are returning to the peak period of her life. Your Majesty once had an adventure when she was young, and since then
After that, her appearance was fixed after the age of fifteen, but that only affected her appearance. This time, Your Majesty seems to be rejuvenated from the inside out."
Brando's first reaction was that this was impossible. In the world of Warnd, mortals would extend their lifespan after being exposed to the law. It is common for existences like sages to live for hundreds of years, but they have never been heard of.
Some people can be rejuvenated. Even the fountain of youth can only change the appearance back to the appearance of youth, but reversing the process of life violates the most basic laws.
Veronica smiled bitterly: "I knew you wouldn't believe it, but it's true. Mangrove won't lie to me. Lenaret is also the successor chosen by our military. On this issue, we
We share weal and woe."
Brando was silent for a moment and then said: "So this is the reason why she doesn't want Lenaret to continue to exist in the empire?"
Veronica nodded and told a secret: "In exchange for the compromise of the Temple of Fire, His Majesty once secretly exchanged a verbal agreement with Vala, that is, in fifteen years, the first person to succeed to the throne will be
He is an heir. And fifteen years after the Year of Praying for Fire, there is still only one and a half years left."
"In this case, how can the Temple of Flame let her act as she pleases?"
When the female regiment leader heard Brando talking about the temple, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional. She said: "It's not that simple, Brando. In fact, the reason why Vala chose to give in back then was because the Dragon Clan stood behind His Majesty."
"Dragon?" Brando was startled. This was the first time he heard this secret. He raised his head and looked at the two of them. Veronica looked helpless, and Mangrove just smoked his pipe one after another until the pipe
The dark red fire inside gradually dimmed, and he put down the pipe, but then took out the box of tobacco from his coat. He seemed to be concentrating on his addiction and not caring at all about the life and death of the empire. The appearance of these two people was actually
It doesn't look like you're lying to him.
Veronica nodded: "We don't know the specific situation, but the Dragon Clan does owe His Majesty a favor, and it seems to be related to her obtaining the ageless appearance." She paused and continued to answer with some embarrassment: "Although
It's a bit offensive to talk about His Majesty's personal affairs like this, but I don't care about it now. Brando, in fact, Your Majesty's temperament was not like this before she became what she is now. Her previous personality was gentle and demure, and she was a member of the Empire.
The most beloved princess can even be said to be a star in the royal family. Even the chief priest of the previous generation once favored her; but since that incident, her temperament has changed greatly.
He must be tough, indifferent, and willful. Only few people know the truth about what happened during that period, but one thing is certain, that is, the Dragon Clan played a major role in it."
"This happened forty years ago?" Brando asked.
"Yes, after that, in order to compensate her, the Dragon Clan secretly signed an agreement with the Empire. The content of the agreement was only known to His Majesty the previous Emperor. The only thing that can prove the existence of this agreement is that the Dragon Clan was involved in the whole process of Her Majesty the Queen's succession.
Shadow, Your Majesty is the eldest daughter of the empire, but in fact according to Cruz's tradition, if one of the princes has the ability to inherit the throne, the eldest daughter is not qualified to become the emperor. But the late emperor seems to have acquiesced in your Majesty's existence. This
At the time, the matter was considered minor or major, but it is said that the previous generation of chief priests also experienced the whole process, so we, the younger generation, cannot find anything wrong."
Brando thought for a moment and then asked: "So, could it be that the Dragon Clan has appeared again?"
Veronica showed an excited look, and even Mangrove stopped filling the tobacco. The one-eyed old soldier stopped and took a deep look at him. Brando understood that he was again
If he guessed correctly, then he could boldly assume that the Dragon Clan must have put pressure on the Temple of Flame. Moreover, since Her Majesty the Queen has the ability to continue to govern, there is indeed no reason for the Temple to force her to abdicate. As for the verbal agreement, after all
It's just a verbal agreement.
Just this way.
Lenaret indeed had a reason to die.
Brando's brows gradually furrowed. He was thinking about whether this was an event that had already happened in history, or whether it was history that was changed because of his arrival. In "The Amber Sword", the Silver Queen abdicated two years later.
, what happened in between, the players at that time had not yet reached the level where they could influence the royal family's decision, so no one should know the inside story, including him.
But there are too many possibilities. It is possible that Her Majesty the Queen was also so crazy at that time, but was eventually stopped by the Temple of Fire, Veronica and others, and then history would reverse course, but what if it wasn't?
Yes, this is all just hypothetical.
He raised his head, looked at Veronica and asked, "What evidence do you have to prove all this?"
"Before I left the empire, Prince Raziel disappeared, and his sister disappeared with him," Veronica replied quietly, but the facts described were a bit creepy: "Your Majesty has always been concerned about
This incident was quite indifferent, as if he was indifferent, which aroused Mangrove's alert, so he asked me to take Lenaret out of the White Rose Garden under the pretext of giving him training."
Raziel is the fourth prince of the Cruz Empire. This incident seems to have indeed happened in history, but he can no longer remember the final result. This shows that it was a trivial matter at the time. After all, there are many conspiracies in the royal family.
Occasionally, it is not strange for one or two heirs to die. As long as the person who dies is not the first heir, it usually does not attract too much attention, let alone just missing. But Brando felt a little strange and asked doubtfully
: "How can your Majesty the Queen agree? She can't see it?"
Mangrove smoked his pipe and finally spoke: "The heir to the throne goes out for training. This is a consistent tradition of the empire. Even someone as noble as Her Majesty the Queen cannot stop it without justifiable reasons."
Veronica also nodded in agreement: "The core of this plan is that as long as Lenaret is not dead, Your Majesty will not openly and openly refuse to acknowledge the verbal agreement. As long as she still acknowledges the agreement, then Lenaret will He can be regarded as the most legitimate heir to the throne of the empire."
…
(ps: Today is someone’s birthday, please update it early to celebrate. It’s 5500 words. Happy birthday to Xiao Tia. Some cute people, I’m watching you silently. The second chapter will be posted at five o’clock. Some time ago Chapter Grayfin Naga is written from Shining Scales, thank you for the reminder.) (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel will be better and updated faster!
