In the Ballard Room, King Kessel's voice came steadily, thick, serious, and decisive.
Just like he did in the past, every time he made a decision for the discussion of the Imperial Council.
It seems the outcome has been decided.
With this in mind, all the ministers calmed down their emotions and adjusted their posture. Some people relaxed slightly and prepared to welcome the end of another meeting.
But not this time.
Under everyone's gaze, the Iron-fisted King raised his head and scanned the officials.
"What you say makes sense."
As he spoke, the king's right hand suddenly stretched out from the shadow of the throne, turned it over gently towards the crowd, palm upward, and hovered over the discussion table.
Just like a coldly drawn blade.
Even though the sun is warm in autumn, it cannot reduce the coldness even a little.
Gilbert, Cullen, Qiu Ke, Soduo...all the officials were stunned and didn't know why.
But the Iron Fist King just showed no expression on his face and still raised his right palm flat:
“It’s very thoughtful.”
As they looked at each other, only the scarred-faced detective from the secret department moved his eyes, stepped forward with the opportunity, and picked up the "Emerald City Replacement Petition" from the table.
The scar-faced man passed over every stunned minister and respectfully and gracefully placed the letter into the king's hand.
"This letter is a barb with ill intentions."
King Kessel's words came out faintly.
"It seems to be a compromise and compromise, but in fact it has seized on the weakness of the Fuxing Palace and kept its own back-up tactics, hiding mysteries."
The king slowly raised the letter, revealing the fleur-de-lis print on it.
"We can't even make it public, otherwise we would be trapping ourselves in passivity and injustice."
Every servant caught his gaze and subconsciously tensed up their nerves and sat upright.
"'It's better to be friends than to die because of enemies', the old Leinster son is like this..."
The next second, the Iron Fist King's fingers suddenly used force and squeezed the letter tightly to death!
Several people whose eyes were focused on the letter trembled and were startled.
Kassel then said calmly:
"Live up to the family name."
In the unspeakable silence, Viscount Coney, the Minister of Commerce and Trade, coughed hard and tried to forget the depression in his heart.
"He will pay the price," Connie bowed to the king respectfully:
"Just for this letter."
King Kessel glanced at him without saying a word.
The letter was still in his hand, ragged and wrinkled.
"Of course," Soduo grinded his teeth bitterly: "It is also because of his disrespect and disloyalty to you and His Highness..."
Prime Minister Cullen’s trembling voice sounded:
"But not this time."
He seemed to have turned back into the decrepit old man. He coughed and concluded the exciting meeting:
"At least, the reduction of conscripts and the expansion of the standing army will have to wait until next season..."
At this moment.
"But it got out."
The king's words had no beginning or end, no waves, just like mumbling to himself.
No one reacted.
"Pass...what?" Qiu Ke looked confused.
"My, Your Majesty?" Soduo asked tentatively.
"I said."
At that moment, the Iron-fisted King raised his gaze, which was particularly compelling in the small Ballard room:
"As we speak, every sentence, every word, every letter in this petition has been made public, leaked and circulated, and rumors are spreading."
The conference room was quiet for a moment.
Gilbert couldn't believe it:
"Wha, what?"
Viscount Connie's surprised eyes kept coming and going: "You mean, this letter has been leaked?"
Prime Minister Cullen sat up straight and looked extremely serious:
"When? Why?"
However, the king just shook his head calmly and answered the truth.
"The secret department is still being processed, but if it doesn't go as expected... I think it won't be long before everyone in the kingdom will know that the Fuxing Palace will start from the Emerald City, change the traditional rules, deprive the lord of military power, reduce the levy, and expand the standing army.
"
"Always change it to...the entire star."
Fuxing Palace, Emerald City, Tradition, Lords...
Every time the Iron-fisted King spoke a word, the chill in his tone became more intense.
The Prime Minister understood it first and his eyes widened slightly:
"That means……"
"As you just said, Bob," the king said in the calmest tone, not shying away from saying what the other party was thinking:
"A huge uproar is about to erupt in the Kingdom of Stars from top to bottom."
"From now on, we are at the forefront of the storm."
"There is no retreat."
The imperial ministers quickly understood the significance of this matter, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
"What are you doing?"
"Who did it?"
"Has anyone been caught?"
"What should we do now?"
"Strictly investigate the mastermind behind the scenes!"
Amid everyone's different words and the same panic, the king leaned back thoughtfully and blended into the darkness.
"How could such important correspondence be leaked?"
Advisor Thordo turned to the other side angrily and said accusingly:
"What did the secret department say? What about the rumors? What's the situation now?"
Beside the conference table, the scar-faced spy from the Secret Service bowed steadily.
"We are still tracing the source, pursuing and intercepting it, and trying to reduce the impact of the rumors."
His tone was calm, as if what he was about to face was not a huge wave that would shake the country:
"But there is no problem with the delivery of the letter, the defense on the way, and the confidentiality in the palace."
When the scar-faced man said this, his voice had an interesting ups and downs:
"There is only one thing that cannot be taken into consideration - this letter was delivered directly to the palace by Duke Iris's messenger."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"You mean, Zhan?" Prime Minister Cullen frowned and said:
"While delivering the letter, he made up his mind to leak the content and spread rumors?"
The scar-faced man neither denies nor affirms:
"Still investigating."
With the target in mind, the anger of the Imperial Council suddenly erupted like a tide:
"Kevin Deere, how dare he!"
"Damn..."
"More cunning than his father!"
"Did you get so angry that you overturned the chessboard?"
Among the ministers, Gilbert just observed quietly at first, and finally sighed softly:
"Perhaps after the banquet, when His Majesty asked him for compensation," the Foreign Secretary put away his stunned expression and said tiredly:
"Emerald City saw our weakness from the negotiation conditions."
But Prime Minister Cullen scratched his chin and looked solemn:
"Not quite right."
"Zhan is not a kind person, but he is not a madman either. The fact that he wrote this letter is enough to prove that he is tactful and wise in protecting himself."
The Prime Minister thought:
"He is not so stupid that he has forced Fuxing Palace and himself to have no way out."
"That's even worse - someone else did it," Viscount Conney said with doubt.
"Consider both of us at the same time."
"Some people are looking forward to the kingdom being in chaos, just like before..."
Amidst all the chatter, the voice from the end of the long table came out again:
"It's not important anymore."
Everyone fell silent and looked at the king.
"Whether he did it or not, it doesn't matter anymore."
A cold light flashed in the king's eyes:
"The kingdom never lacks enemies."
"The important thing is..."
"How should we respond?"
After King Kessel said these words, he let the "Petition" slip from his fingers and fall between the sunset and the shadows, with the wrinkled fleur-de-lis facing the ceiling alone.
A few seconds later, the imperial meeting was like a pride of lions awakened by the crisis. It lived up to its previous lazy pace, and everyone became shrewd and capable.
"Let the secret department work overtime and take action. We will also send a letter to clarify and put an end to such rumors..."
"Starting from the feudal nobles who have recently expressed dissatisfaction, we may be able to find clues..."
"The wording of the announcement needs to be more careful, there may be room for maneuver..."
"We need to make plans immediately for the reaction of the nobles, especially the feudal princes..."
"Send a special envoy to first appease the lords in the grain-producing areas and explain to them..."
"I'm afraid the preparations for the reform of the military system will be delayed, and we cannot leave anything to cause misunderstandings..."
In the heated discussion, only Prime Minister Cullen and Gilbert remained silent.
The former looked at Kevin Dill's letter quietly, while the latter quietly sorted out the documents at hand, both thoughtfully.
But Kessel V sat quietly in his seat, neither angry nor smiling, neither cold nor hot, and seemed to be the only outsider.
boom!
There was a muffled sound, but it was the military adviser Soduo who slapped the case, attracting the attention of the Imperial Council.
"Everyone!"
Soduo's face was serious, and his eyes were slightly hesitant, but they soon became focused and firm.
"I think that at this point, the situation is inevitable, and our next choice is actually simple."
Gilbert frowned and turned his head, as if he expected something:
"Thordor?"
I saw Soduo saying decisively:
"Since you can't retreat, why not move forward with all your strength?"
At that moment, the military adviser was in high spirits:
"Your Majesty, please give a formal reply to Kevin Dill, grant his petition, and announce to the whole country: Starting from the Emerald City, reform of the military system is imperative!"
Everyone was stunned, or in other words, frightened by this proposal.
"Sodor, have you ever thought about the consequences," Gilbert said with difficulty in the silence, "Including what we just discussed..."
"certainly!"
Sodo turned around and interrupted him.
"But the matter is now at this point. Xu Tuzhi's plan has gone bankrupt. We have no chance to pretend and cover up, and there is no room for compromise."
Soduo paused and said in a fierce voice:
"Let's do it."
"Or never do it again."
"There is no such thing as 'next time'."
His gaze swept around, and many of his colleagues couldn't help but duck their heads. Some looked solemn, while others hesitated to speak.
Only at the end of the long table, the king remained silent, seeming to be deep in thought.
But Soduo didn't care about that. He waved his hand:
"Qiu Ke, found the money."
The Financial Controller raised his eyebrows:
"What?"
Soduo stared at the financial controller:
"If it was done by Emerald City, then we don't have to count on their financial support, but in this case, the reform of the military system must be put on the agenda! According to the previous plan, first around Yongxing City, from the feudal government directly under the royal family
In the hands of ministers, we must reduce the number of private soldiers of Bright Star and expand the standing army, so that we can have enough energy to deal with the next thing."
Qiu Ke paused for three seconds and became furious.
"Well, let's not say that the situation may not be that bad, nor that His Majesty has not yet agreed to your bad idea..."
"Our budget is already very tight. Once this letter is leaked and causes trouble, the financial pressure will only be greater. If there is no income, we will even have to use other parts of the subsidies, such as officials' salaries, or even increase taxes, which will be even worse.
…”
Qiu Ke looked very anxious:
"Besides, reorganizing the army is not as simple as registering. Even if you have prepared all the officers to be reorganized, you know the maintenance cost of a standing army soldier, from salary, equipment, logistics to the station, how many on-time personnel it costs.
The private soldiers of Bright Star recruited?"
"I know!"
Soduo slammed his fist on the discussion table, startling everyone.
"Qiu Ke, I know, I know your difficulties, but I understand your anger better!"
He shouted angrily: "Whether it was your displeasure when you were fooled by those southern hillbillies with their account books when you were collecting taxes, or your majesty's anger just now when Kevin Dill rebelled against the general's army, I feel the same!"
Qiu Ke pursed his lips.
Soduo stood up suddenly, put his arms on the table, and leaned forward:
"But I swear to you, Qiu Ke, the standing army is the key to changing all this. Expansion and restructuring are just the beginning..."
There was an unspeakable fanaticism in Sodor's expression, which made Prime Minister Cullen frown.
"The price of the moment is for the future prosperity of the kingdom, and one day, the wrath of the kingdom will carry His Majesty's will, surrounded by countless soldiers, and personally walk into the Kongming Palace in the Emerald City to 'persuade' Zhan En.
Kevin Deere and his crooked accountants pay their taxes and recoup all of today's costs with a guaranteed profit."
Having said this, Soduo's eyes lit up and there was no room for doubt.
"A sure profit without loss?"
Soduo's answer was Qiu Ke's sneer:
"Yes, when I was young, I had a relative who liked to gamble. He said the same thing when he came to my house to borrow money for 'business' - until he was taken away by a loan shark from the Blood Bottle Gang."
Having said this, the Financial Controller left the back of his chair, leaned forward and said:
"What's the difference between you and him? A gambler?"
The conflict between the two made everyone frown,
The military adviser clenched his fists, and the emotion in his eyes developed from disappointment to anger.
"Why don't you understand?"
Soduo was heartbroken:
"With a standing army, you have money!"
"Why don't you understand?" Qiu Ke was equally unhappy:
"Without money, you don't have a standing army!"
"Then find the money!" Thordo's roar shook the Ballard Room:
"You are the financial controller of the kingdom! It doesn't matter if you are a beggar, sell your ass, or even borrow money at usury - for the sake of the kingdom, find me that damn military expansion budget!"
The two adults yelled regardless of their manners, which made their colleagues frown. However, the Prime Minister and the prestigious Foreign Minister who were supposed to preside over the meeting did not say anything. The King even sat on the throne and remained motionless.
"You finally said something right! Private!"
Qiu Ke stood up. Although he was a head shorter than Soduo, his momentum was not lost at all:
"I am the financial controller!"
"Remember? Last year, it was your Military Affairs Department, which was also here, bragging and cajoling, boasting the benefits of sending troops to the sky! It forced the Department of Finance and Taxation to approve the budget, and forced the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to contribute grain and grass.
Force the Foreign Affairs Department to open up your joints, force the Secret Service to explore and clear the way for you, and inexplicably send a large number of retired, active, reserve, training, and new standing troops to the Blade Tooth Camp! Send them to the West
Desolate! Send to the desert!"
The expressions of everyone in the imperial meeting changed. Thinking of that time, they felt sad.
"Without your loss-making business, would we need to ask Emerald City for money? As for being tricked by Kevin Deere?"
Qiu Ke glanced at the colleagues around him who agreed with him, and said solemnly:
"Why, do you want to do it again?"
"Hey!"
Soduo clenched his fists:
"That's to welcome back Prince Thales, the bloodline of Bright Star, the heir to the kingdom!"
"That's so right!"
Qiu Ke retorted angrily:
"Then you go to him and ask for money!"
Soduo was so angry at the scoundrel's sophistry that he was speechless and speechless.
"Qiu Ke, be careful what you say!"
Gilbert couldn't stand it anymore, so he stopped him sternly:
"Everyone, sit down. Don't be disrespectful in front of the emperor."
Qiu Ke sat down on the donkey ground down the slope and deliberately bumped the chair to show his dissatisfaction.
Soduo snorted angrily and sat down heavily, but had no intention of extinguishing the flames of war:
"Stop being so weird here, shirking responsibility and pretending to be innocent, money bag."
"About sending troops to the Western Wilderness to welcome the prince, you knew about it and even supported it - you had selfish motives and tried to make profits from it!"
Now it was Qiu Ke's turn to be startled.
"Me? Selfish? Profit?"
Qiu Ke was caught off guard, shocked and angry:
"Okay, you, a vulgar country bumpkin from a grapevine background..."
But Soduo was not polite and pointed at the other person's nose:
"I only figured it out after the banquet, but yes, Qiu Ke, you are you!"
"After the Desert War, many nobles in the central territory targeted the Western Wilderness where the situation had changed drastically, illegally occupying and annexing land for personal gain."
"Now, the liquidation deadline for the Land Measurement Order is coming soon, and they are trying every possible means to clear themselves..."
Qiu Ke's face turned pale.
"You supported our expedition to the desert and privately bribed several frontline officers, just to have the standing army cause a big battle and great turmoil in the Western Wilderness! Catch these greedy noble landowners off guard and force them to show their feet and become corrupt.
It will become a huge source of money for your Finance and Taxation Department to confiscate your home!"
The news revealed by the military advisor was of great importance, and the royal council suddenly went into an uproar, and King Kessel's eyes also moved accordingly.
Qiu Ke was furious: "You are spitting blood and talking nonsense..."
"I have the names of those officers. What, do you want to confront them? Or do you want the secret department to check?"
"You, Your Majesty, I -" Qiu Ke was anxious but speechless.
Soduo gritted his teeth and chased after him fiercely:
"For this reason, you even secretly revealed the news of the standing army's western expedition!"
"And the one who was unlucky at the royal banquet, Doyle of Mirror River?"
"They're just one of the fat sheep on your list!"
At the imperial meeting, the ministers were surprised and couldn't help but look at Qiu Ke with admiration.
Viscount Connie coughed and asked worriedly:
"Well, my father-in-law's family also has several businesses in Xihuang. Don't you think..."
"How could it be possible, Master Connie!" Qiu Ke smiled flatteringly.
But then he turned to the king with a mournful face:
"Your Majesty, I just, that..."
King Kessel just stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"Qiu Ke, you are worthy of being a 'money bag'." Seeing Qiu Ke's expression, Gilbert already guessed the truth and couldn't help but sigh:
"No wonder they all say that you can even take money out of your crotch, make money wisely, and feed the kingdom."
Qiu Ke's cheek twitched.
"yes."
On the other side, Prime Minister Cullen sneered and added something unclear:
"Someone else's crotch."
Soduo snorted angrily, his attitude self-evident.
Facing everyone's gaze, Qiu Ke swallowed hard and quickly raised his hand:
"Okay, Your Majesty, everyone listen to me..."
"Yes, from this expedition, we originally had some additional confiscated income, which can be incorporated into next quarter's financial budget..."
"The Doyles?" Gilbert whispered.
Qiu Ke paused, feeling that everyone's eyes were full of suspicion, and his voice suddenly weakened.
He took a deep breath:
"That's right! But the Doyle family deserves it! In recent years, they have crossed the border to occupy land, illegally rented tenants, smuggled and evaded taxes, concealed population reports, and violated traditions. They should have been punished long ago! Our finance and taxation
The office is dedicated to serving the country and doing things impartially..."
"Stop talking nonsense, where's the money?" Soduo didn't listen to his excuse and went straight to the most critical point:
"Now, it has been a few months since the prince returned, and our mission has been completed. Your Department of Finance and Taxation should have had enough to eat and drink, right?"
The military adviser was aggressive:
"Why are you still pushing back and complaining about poverty at the imperial meeting! When the Nan'an leader forced us to retreat and there was no way to escape, we still held our wallet tightly and obstructed His Majesty's military reform!"
This accusation was so justified that Qiu Ke was shocked and angry:
"You, you, I, I -"
He looked around, but none of his colleagues dared to interrupt. Soduo's eyes were sharp and menacing.
Qiu Ke felt dizzy. He had to take a deep breath and said at the top of his voice:
"Prince Thales!"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was startled again.
"What?" Soduo asked in confusion.
Qiu Ke took a few breaths and said angrily:
"Sorry, I didn't want to say the following words here originally, after all..."
He calmed down and accepted his fate:
"That's right, Doyle's case, Thordo, according to the standards of a standing army, is enough for you to expand the number of heavy cavalry from 800 to 1,000, plus their retinue, equipment and logistics, maybe even more."
Soduo banged the table and said "I knew it".
But Qiu Ke changed the subject:
"But! After Prince Thales, I mean something like that at the banquet, Doyle's matter was exposed to the sun. It turned from a simple case into a hot potato that attracted national attention. Even the case files were
The kingdom’s secret department was taken away overnight!”
Some people couldn't help but turn their heads: The scar-faced man in the secret department had an expressionless face, as if he didn't hear anything.
Soduo frowned: "The land in the Western Wasteland is vast, and your financial resources must be more than just theirs."
Qiu Ke sighed pitifully:
"Yes! But don't forget, Prince Thales came forward in the name of His Majesty last night and saved the Doyle family! Now everyone thinks that behind Doyle is the Duke of Star Lake, the heir to the kingdom..."
"This has affected our other cases. Now, as long as they involve land annexation and old and new nobles, no one dares to touch it, let alone deal with it."
Soduo's complexion changed slightly.
Qiu Ke said angrily: "So when I said, 'Go to Prince Thales and ask for money,' hey, that's true!"
Gilbert angrily said:
"Qiu Ke!"
Qiu Ke reacted and waved his hands regretfully:
"I know, I know, so I said, I'm sorry! I didn't want to say that either!"
The matter involved the royal family, and no one dared to speak easily. Many people secretly glanced at the king at the end of the long table.
But King Kessel remained calm, as if what Qiu Ke had just complained about was not his son and heir.
The Financial Controller recovered and saw that no one said anything, and his confidence suddenly returned to three points:
"Okay, let's not talk about the prince...so don't always blame me, soldier."
"If you had done better, more economically, more efficiently and more profitably in Xihuang, why would we be like this?"
Soduo wanted to refute out loud, but hesitated again and again.
"For more than half a year, we mobilized troops, traveled long distances, and even fought a battle with our own family for no reason. How much food did we waste?"
Qiu Ke became more and more fluent as he spoke, so much so that he slapped the table fiercely, and his voice clearly spread throughout the narrow conference room:
"What did I bring back? Aha, a report saying that you want to expand the army!"
"With such a huge budget from the kingdom, not only will nothing be accomplished, let alone the spoils..."
“I didn’t even make back the money for horse shoeing!”
"Then what else do you want?"
Suo Duo couldn't bear it anymore and started to protest:
"Do you want my warriors to shed their blood in the Western Wasteland and attack the ruins? Loot the Winged Fortress? Or swallow the Heroic Soul Castle? Ransom the homes of all the local nobles?"
"How about burning the entire Western Wasteland to ashes and sending all the loot to the Department of Finance and Taxation, so that you can sit here and count coins without too much chattering?"
Qiu Ke snorted lightly:
"Then you do it!"
"What's the result? After a long time, you just went on a trip, and even the prince himself was sent back by the nobles of the Western Wasteland!"
The military advisor said angrily:
"What? His Highness the Prince is everywhere in the Western Wilderness, and he even took away a sword and a flag from me!"
"The team of Chroma and Bozdov escorting him back to the royal capital is huge and respectful!"
"What can we do? What should we do? What should we do?"
Qiu Shi, who had regained his confidence, was well-informed and unafraid: "Then why are you trying to hurt me?"
"Go find the prince!"
"Why don't you tell him about your sufferings? Ask him why he mingled with the enemy, blocked your army, cut off my financial path, and gave Kevin Dill an opportunity to take advantage of it, leaving everyone helpless and putting His Majesty in a dilemma.
, ultimately ruining the kingdom’s military reform..."
"You two, that's enough!"
Gilbert reminded sharply.
"You'll never understand, money bag!"
Soduo laughed angrily, not hearing the Foreign Minister's reprimand at all:
"You will always only see the reflection of the copper plates, and you will only hear the buzzing of the gold coins. You will never understand the significance of our sending troops to the Western Wilderness, and you will not understand that we are for the kingdom-"
Boom! Boom!
Everyone turned their heads and saw the scar-faced spy from the secret department standing with an apologetic look on his face, with a broken teapot on the ground.
"Sorry," the scar-faced man bowed hurriedly: "My fault."
"I'm just... thirsty."
Only then did the ministers turn around.
"Yes," Prime Minister Cullen lowered his head and muttered, but his eyes lit up:
"It's indeed your fault."
After being interrupted for a moment, Soduo and Qiu Ke both hummed, sat back down, and turned their heads to each other.
But the Foreign Secretary was furious.
"Thodol, Qiu Ke, pay attention to your words, this has nothing to do with His Highness Thales!"
Gilbert's words were harsh:
"His Royal Highness is rich in gold. Returning to the royal capital safely is the greatest contribution to the kingdom! There is no other!"
"Don't forget, we need to discuss countermeasures to face the difficulties caused by the leakage of this letter. It is the official business of the kingdom. Don't turn this into a personal grudge."
Only then did Soduo and Qiu Ke calm down their expressions.
The Prime Minister coughed at this moment.
"Don't blame them, Count Kasuo, Soduo and Master Qiu Ke can't do anything..."
Duke Cullen shook his head:
"Whether it's sending troops to the Western Wilderness or having a royal banquet, the timing of His Highness Thales' appearance every time is so coincidental..."
"Just like this letter."
The Prime Minister shook his head at the King, indicating something.