The Duke of Star Lake, and - although he must not say it in public - the current regent of the Emerald City, Thales Canxing was shocked. He uncontrollably turned up the volume, scaring everyone in the study to tremble.
.
The Duke's voice fell, and the study became silent and depressing.
After a moment, Thales finally recovered from the blankness. He closed his mouth, put down the account book with difficulty, and looked at the two rows of people in front of the desk in disbelief:
On the left are the three high-ranking guards, Marius, Strauss and Hugo. They have calm expressions and serious eyes.
On the right stood six serving officials of the Emerald City's Department of Finance and Taxation. They lowered their heads deeply and were nervous. From time to time, they secretly glanced up at the Duke, and then quickly looked down at the ground.
"Your Highness Thales, to be precise," the Financial Controller standing in the front row - Lord Melahovich, who came from Ligur State and has settled in the Emerald City for many years, but whose East China accent is still hard to change, sniffed.
, as if he was about to be executed, "It's 1,178,653 Tormund gold coins."
Thales' expression remained unchanged, dull and numb.
"And only part of it, Your Highness," a financial officer couldn't help but remind him, "is the biggest among them."
"Also, this is an advance repayment," another humble assistant financial officer added in a low voice, "it is an initial amount with a guaranteed nature."
"Yes, if we count the total, it is close to..." Before a younger review officer could finish his words, his colleagues held him down and begged him to shut up with their eyes.
Thales was stunned for a few seconds, then silently let go of the account book in his hand.
If, just if...
If he sold the entire Xinghu Castle, all the land, property, and belongings, including the pile of cats and dogs, would he be able to collect 1.17 million gold coins?
"Tell me, my lords," Thales's eyes were dull and his voice was hollow, "How did you manage to make the Queen's City, which is prosperous and prosperous, owe so much debt, turn it into a pile of bad debts and a mountain of debt?
A bottomless black hole?”
Compared with this, the tens of thousands of foreign debts owed by Anke Bailar, the Western Wilderness assassin, to the Doyle family by his father are nothing, nothing! It’s just water, okay! Why do you need to be so arrogant?
He went to the royal banquet looking for Tails to kill someone with a collapsed look and screamed loudly!
You know, a certain South Coast Guardian Duke who owed millions or even tens of millions of gold coins to different creditors and business groups was running around and spending money like water every day, making everyone in the kingdom think that he had something in his family.
Oil and mines will cause endless harm in a lifetime!
The officials looked at each other, worried.
Under the prince's questioning and Marius's threatening eyes, the officials present were afraid to speak.
After a long while, under the eyes of Chief Melakhovich, an old accountant stood up and told Duke Thales tremblingly and heartbrokenly:
Originally, the Queen's City was a rare example of governance in a kingdom that had no foreign debt, was financially sound, had a balanced balance of payments, and was as rich as any.
Until around the time of the Bloody Year, the situation in the kingdom suddenly changed, and the situation took a turn for the worse. Rebels were sprouting like wildfire, and foreign enemies were also watching with eager eyes.
In order to support the kingdom's war and for the safety of the territory itself, the old Duke Leinster Kevin Deere urgently needed a large amount of funds to prepare for the war. To this end, he raised funds from various sources, borrowed foreign debts, and even re-ordered the Emerald City and surrounding areas.
The overall budget of the fiefdom.
"But that was more than 20 years ago," Logistics Officer Straw said in disbelief, "Don't tell me, you borrowed debt for 20 years in one go?"
"Of course not," Melahovich said righteously, "Since the coronation of the noble and great His Majesty Kessel, the kingdom has ushered in peace and prosperity, and we have quickly paid off our debts, until - the Desert War."
Another financial officer in his prime took over the conversation and talked eloquently, saying that at that time His Majesty Kessel asked the vassals across the country to contribute to the war on the western front, but the old Duke was kind-hearted and did not want to conquer the war.
The government had to raise taxes on military services, so they had to borrow money again. Most of it was invested in the form of military funds to support the kingdom's war, and the rest was used for the construction of facilities and order maintenance in Emerald City and the South Coast Territory.
"But even the Desert War happened more than ten years ago." Flag Officer Hugo pointed out this with a frown.
"Yes, the debt from the desert war would have been paid off soon," Melakhovich rubbed his forehead, "If there hadn't been an emergency..."
The finance and taxation officials burst into tears immediately. They spoke to each other. First, the old Duke was assassinated, Iris was fighting among themselves, the South Bank Territory was shattered, people in the Emerald City were panicked, the war was in chaos, the military and police were rampant, and the merchants were trying to change things. After the war, the people who once recovered their strength
South Coast towns are also becoming increasingly depressed.
Therefore, after Duke Jenn succeeded to the throne and put down the rebellion, he had to borrow money again to reorganize the market, maintain order, and win back confidence and business for the Emerald City.
However, the good times did not last long. Not long after Master Zhan En's rule, various measures began to show some improvement. The hard-working and hospitable citizens of Emerald City were waiting for a new round of thunderbolt from the blue - the shocking general edict of the Kingdom of Stars.
, came urgently from the royal capital, blowing the horn of war again:
The Exter mission was killed on the way, the Northern Army marched on the border, Broken Dragon Fortress was in emergency day and night, and the power of the Star Nation was on the verge of collapse.
Seeing that the war between the two countries was about to break out, and the tragic Year of Blood was about to repeat itself, and everyone in the South Bank was panicking, the courageous Duke Zhan made a decisive order before going to the royal capital to participate in politics, urging everyone in the Emerald City to immediately raise funds and prepare for the war, in order to serve His Majesty,
As for the method of raising funds, the benevolent Duke thought of his father and was unwilling to increase taxes on the people, so naturally he would just borrow——
"As far as I know," Thales interrupted, "that battle didn't happen."
"Yes, it's thanks to His Highness..." Melahovich said with a smile on his face, "But the financial budget has been made, the loan contract and the IOU have been signed, and the subsequent financial and economic crisis has proved that the Duke is far-sighted...
"
"crisis?"
Finance and tax officials spoke out again:
Shortly after Exeter retired from the army, in order to celebrate the establishment of the heir to the kingdom, Duke Jenn donated large areas of mineral deposits, fields and corresponding industries to the royal family. It was a considerable source of income and seriously affected the financial health of the South Coast Territory, and the timing of the donation
Probably around——
"After I went to Exeter," the prince said with an ugly face, "believe me, Zhan gave the land to the royal family not just for congratulations."
Melahovich told him with an embarrassed look, so they had to borrow money again to fill the deficit. In the past thirty years, after experiencing the above numerous crises and disasters, the Emerald City's debts have continued to renew and increase, until today
, with interest...
Thales glanced at the number and felt dizzy.
"So everyone, what are the schedule and arrangements for repaying the debt?" Mallos asked softly.
The officials looked at each other.
"For such a large debt," Mallos said with unquestionable firmness, "you must have made arrangements for repayment early on, right? Instead of waiting until the last day to urgently raise money to repay?"
Thales reacted and his eyes lit up.
"Of course, of course it is. In fact, Duke Zhan was busy with this matter before the celebration, planning to solve it one by one..." Lord Melahovich said hurriedly, "And now with Your Highness sitting in the center,
If we look at things wisely and pay off our debts, we will naturally be more confident!"
Thales took a deep breath and reminded himself that life was still beautiful and he could not be beaten down by reality.
"Well, gentlemen," Thales raised his head, crossed his hands, and calmed his voice, looking very professional and knowledgeable, with a treasure worth tens of thousands of gold in his chest, "Currently, the treasury reserves of Emerald City,
How much funds can be used to pay off debts?”
"A lot, Your Highness, a lot," an auditor raised his chest and raised his head, "You must know that Emerald City is the capital of a party, with a strong family background and a lot of income..."
Thales nodded with satisfaction.
"Compared to debt?" Straw said sadly.
The financial chief immediately retracted his head.
"Not enough, Your Highness, not enough," the accountant who looked dim-sighted said tremblingly, "Please note that the Emerald City is the capital of a country, with complicated expenses and high expenses..."
Thales' smile solidified slightly.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Manager Melahovich quickly spoke:
"In fact, we still have a variety of means to raise enough money, such as flexible changes in the budget, advance payments or even diversion of other less urgent accounts, such as urban construction, disaster construction and relief fund reserves, or delaying the release of certain temporary external staff.
The salary subsidy for officials will be supplemented later when the turnover is sufficient..."
“We will further downsize some redundant and unnecessary urban positions,” the assistant financial officer quickly added. “Of course, positions above a certain level, such as financial and tax collection clerk positions, are related to the operation of the city and cannot be lightly touched.
of."
"We can find an excuse - such as celebrating the prince's visit - to collect this quarter's transaction tax and property tax in advance." A tax official also joined in.
"Just use the income record of each merchant in the previous year as the standard, increase it by 10 to 20% on this basis, and collect taxes in advance?" Another tax official whispered, "After all, people's lives are getting better and better.
Prices are stable but rising."
"A disaster response fund was allocated a few days ago. We can suspend the execution and let the farmers wait..."
"Save the expenses on various public banquets during the Jade Celebration..."
"There is also the equipment ordering plan for the Emerald Legion, which can be pushed to next year, although I think those guys copied by the cuckolds can still use it for a few more years to wrap up the rusty areas..."
"Of course, we can still discuss with the creditors and reach an agreement on certain debt extensions, but we will have to pay more interest."
"Northeast of Shuori Town, there is a piece of wasteland that has just been recovered from a bankrupt lord. There are already buyers asking about it. We might as well urge it and speed up the progress..."
"Including the sale of concessions in certain industries, as well as the exploration and mining rights of the newly discovered lithium mineral deposits, and the fishing rights of the oceanic eternal whales. Of course, there are some border areas where it is difficult to collect taxes, so you might as well outsource them all...
"
The finance and taxation officials were busy discussing ways to raise money to repay debts. Thales' head was as big as a bucket, and Mallos and the other two frowned.
But Thales soon thought of something.
"Okay, okay, gentlemen, let me put it this way," the prince interrupted them and asked tentatively, "well, using all the means you mentioned - regardless of how many bad ideas there are - to show off his magical power to raise money.
Funds, after repaying the 1.17 million..."
"One hundred, one hundred and seventy-eight thousand six hundred and fifty-three, Your Highness."
Thales frowned and changed his words:
"Very good, then after we repay this debt totaling 1,178,653..."
"Part of the debt, Your Highness," a financial officer reminded, "is only the largest part of it."
Thales took a deep breath and spoke again:
"Then, after we repay this part, the total debt will be 1,178,653..."
"And it's just the upfront debt..."
"If you count the total..."
"boom!"
Unable to bear it, Thales slapped the table hard, startling everyone.
"That's enough," His Highness the Prince gritted his teeth, and the officials lowered their heads, "Just tell me directly, how much money will be left in the Emerald City after that?"
The officials exchanged glances with each other, looking left and right, as if they had doubts.
Marius and Strauss also looked at each other.
Until an old accounting officer trembled:
"In fact, Your Highness, we have no left-"
Mailakhovich observed what was happening and quickly stopped his subordinates: "I wonder how much do you want to leave, Your Highness?"
Thales breathed out.
Well, there are still people who know the ropes.
He scratched his chin and sniffed his nose like a cat that smelled something fishy:
"If, just if, if the kingdom is about to go to war, and Emerald City wants to show its desire to serve the country, for example, update the Fury Guards of Kingdom's Wrath, repair their equipment, change their horses, and buy him a pair to increase his height.
Boots, or equip the Broken Dragon Fortress with twenty magic guns, reinforce the city walls, and get a batch of imported tobacco for the Flower of the Fortress..."
Or help a certain king who loves his people like his son and his country like his family to gather a new standing army that can conquer and fight well?
Including Melakhovich, the expressions of the finance and taxation officials changed, and they all shrank back, not daring to look up or reply.
Thales looked hopeful at first, but gradually, his smile became stiffer and awkward.
Isn't it?
"Your Highness," Melahovich finally said cautiously, "I wonder what kind of tobacco Lady Sonia of Broken Dragon Fortress likes?"
Looking at his look, Thales understood.
"I understand……"
Thales took a deep breath and stared at the accounting report on the table with a bad expression.
Therefore, Emerald City can still barely operate and support itself, which is pretty good...
If the debts still need to be repaid, Kongming Palace will not be able to dig out extra money to give to a certain supreme king with great talents and strategies.
But unfortunately, one of the conditions he used to convince King Kessel V to allow him to let go and participate in the chess game was...
Thales swallowed.
Not good.
Pretty bad.
unless……
Thales said quietly:
"You think the royal family shouldn't have any saying that 'the Canxing family must repay its debts', right?"
Mallos frowned:
"What?"
Thales reacted and smiled again:
"It's nothing, don't worry about it, it's just slang from the northern countryside."
He quickly cheered up and tried:
"So, if, gentlemen, or what if, if we don't pay back the 1.17 million due to various force majeure reasons, what will happen?"
As soon as the words came out, the officials were all stunned and looked at each other.
Steward Melakhovich coughed:
"Your Highness, the creditors of most of the debts are prominent figures inside and outside the Nan'an Territory who can influence the Emerald City: industrial owners of several major guilds, big businessmen, several vassal families with a long history, and big foreign donors.
Oh, yes, even Wangjia Bank..."
"Of course, of course, they are all big shots and rich men, but," Thales waved his hand, "but what if I tell them 'more grace'? They can't force me to pay my debts, right? For example, they can send an army to attack me.
'The creditor will not die as the old debtor'?"
The financial officials were speechless. They looked at each other again, as if they were meeting such a ruler for the first time.
"They, they...but our credit..." Director Melakhovich was a little unable to react.
Seeing the other party's reaction, Thales rolled his eyes.
"They can't force you, Your Highness," Mallos coughed, interrupting the conversation. "After all, they have no army and no authority. They can't do anything about your breach of contract. And I remember that in the history of the kingdom, it is not without exception.
Such a precedent..."
Thales' momentum changed and he nodded solemnly: "Then we might as well study it-"
Hugo Fubi, the flag-bearer, interjected coldly:
"The last person to do this was Red King John."
Thales' expression froze on his face.
"Yes, he borrowed money to raise an army to launch a coup. After he successfully came to power, he sent all his creditors to prison as a king and threatened them to postpone, reduce or even cancel their debts," Mallos added softly, "Those who don't want to, just
Let Mi Ke Luo Zhi be accused of being a traitor, his house confiscated and beheaded. In this way, the debts of the Red King will naturally be written off."
The finance and taxation officials' expressions tightened and they hesitated to speak.
Thales frowned tightly.
Mallos picked up the teacup and took a calm sip of tea.
"Why don't you continue to ask questions?"
Mallos turned his head in surprise: "Your Highness?"
"Go on, according to your usual habit, you should ask me," Thales looked unhappy, "'Guess, Your Highness Thales, what happened to the Red King after that?'"
Mallos froze.
After a few seconds, he gently raised the tea cup towards the prince and smiled apologetically.
"Okay, I understand what you mean," Thales didn't wait for him to answer. He covered his face with his hands and sighed, "The iron bank cannot afford to default."
Everyone present looked at each other, confused.
"It's nothing, it's just a folk saying in the Western Wilderness... So now, yes, pay back the money..." Thales came back to his senses, looked at the numbers on the account, and felt uncomfortable all over.
"Actually, Your Highness," Chief Mailahovich reminded worriedly, "if it becomes a fact that we default on the contract after the deadline, there is no need to worry. We still have other solutions, and we don't have to go to the step of... the Red King."
"Oh?" Thales perked up as soon as he heard this.
The manager nodded:
"According to the loan contract and following the old practices left from the era of the Xianjun, when we borrowed the loan, we mortgaged the future tax revenue of the Emerald City and even the South Bank..."
“Future taxes?”
Thales was stunned: "What ones are there?"
"There are many kinds, Your Highness," another tax official mused, "In addition to the traditional land rent of the fiefdom directly under the Emerald City, as well as the territorial tax, agricultural and forestry land tax, and servant tax paid by the vassals, we
The levies also include transaction taxes, real estate taxes, property taxes, public security taxes, land and water toll taxes, customs duties, franchise taxes, deed taxes, notary fees, recognition fees all over the South Bank... There are a total of thirteen major taxes, which are divided into different categories.
There are forty-four sub-tax items, and each tax item is divided into detailed categories..."
"Enough, enough!" Thales' ears hurt when he heard it, "Oh my god, I will never understand finance."
But when he reacted, his expression changed again!
"Wait a minute, are you saying that if we breach the contract, we will have to hand over the income of Nan'an Territory for the next few quarters or even years in the future?"
"It's not all, Your Highness, no," the old accountant said tremblingly. "Based on the amount of the debt principal, the degree of default and late payment, and the level of penalties for each debt contract, the mortgage tax also has a rough proportion.
…”
"Approximate proportion? How much?"
"Not much, Your Highness, after all, the Emerald City is the capital of a country..." The Financial Controller looked heroic and waved his hand.
Thales thought again: "What if, or what if, if the Western Front needs money-"
"Not enough, Your Highness," the tax official replied quickly, cutting off Thales' last chance. "After all, the Emerald City is the capital of a party."
Thales' smile disappeared and the study became quiet.
"Well, to put it simply, because of this damn part of the upfront debt," Thales tried not to think more, "Emerald City is now burdened with debt and short of cash, and cannot withdraw a large amount of funds in the short term.
Support the great cause of national construction and rejuvenation?”
The officials quickly turned their heads and looked away.
"And if I can't repay my debts, it will be even worse," Thales said, his expression getting uglier and uglier, "because the income of the South Coast Territory cannot be guaranteed for several consecutive years, let alone being free to serve the kingdom in the future?
"
After the words fell, the officials bowed their heads deeply and did not dare to speak out loud.
Thales stared at the heads or hats of each of them and waited for several seconds without even waiting for an answer.
Thales held his heart, took a deep breath, and then let it out.
"Then I-"
Thales tried hard to suppress his annoyance and suppress the words he was about to say:
What the hell am I going to do sitting here?
"Hey, I'm sorry, the Department of Finance and Taxation is incompetent and has let you down, Your Highness." Manager Melakhovich looked ashamed.
"disappointment?"
Thales suppressed his temper and squeezed out the curve of his mouth:
"No, no, no, how could I be disappointed? Someone else should be disappointed..."
The prince's smile gradually disappeared, and he numbly looked at the account report in front of him:
"Haha, haha, as for me..."
I am doomed.
Seeing the Duke sitting in his seat, looking ugly and saying nothing, the atmosphere in the study became more and more gloomy and depressing.
until--
"Wait a minute," Thales thought of something and woke up. "These debts were all borrowed in the name of the Kevin Deere family with Jen's signature and approval, right?"
The officials were all stunned.
Lord Melahovich rolled his eyes:
"Well, Duke Zhan himself did guarantee the repayment of the debt when it was due..."
"Thank God!" Thales shook his fist fiercely at first, and then realized that he had gone too far. He quickly sat upright, "I mean, even if he defaults on the debt, it will also damage Kevin Deere's credit, right?"
If Wen Dier is in debt, he will become a prostitute?"
Everyone was stunned again.
Looking at everyone's expressions, Thales put away his sly smile and coughed.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just kidding, the debt still has to be repaid, but... how much wealth does Kevin Deere have?"
"Your Highness?" Melakhovich wanted to understand something, his expression was horrified.
Mallos also had a cold look in his eyes.
"If, I mean if," Thales scratched his chin, "From the inventory of Kongming Palace, to the property under the name of Iris, or the private money of Xiaohuahua, how much are these various things worth in total?
"
The expression of the old accountant changed drastically: "Your Highness, you are going to confiscate the Kevin Dill family..."
The officials all changed their expressions!
Thales shrugged:
"Why, I used his money to repay the mess he left and the debt he signed, and I also helped him stabilize the financial situation of Emerald City. Isn't this just and natural, thank God?"
The Financial Controller trembled and said:
"But Master Zhan..."
Thales waved his hand:
"I believe that he is loyal to the country and has the overall interests in mind, so he will not object."
Bar?
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire study fell silent.
Both the officials of the Department of Finance and Taxation and Mallos looked at him with strange expressions.
Thales' smile froze on his face.
"Okay, it's just a joke. I have no intention of raiding Kongming Palace's house," the prince coughed and waved his hands repeatedly, as if he wanted to drag time back. "I have written to Your Majesty. Don't worry, Fuxing Palace will reply soon.
, decide on relevant matters..."
At that time, whether it is to sell off the ancestral property or repay the mortgage, it will not be Zhan's or his own turn to make the decision.
Thinking of this, Thales' expression darkened.
At that time, it was time for him to truly turn around and face King Kessel.
He rolled his eyes:
"But, of course, it is necessary for arbitration and financial purposes to find out how much money is in the private books of the Kevin Deere family, right?"
The study was quiet, and no one dared to answer him.
Thales had no choice but to put away his smile and waved his hands:
"Go and go about your business, daily affairs, raising money to pay off debts, and..."
Looking at the fiscal and taxation officials in front of him who were docile and did not dare to say anything, Thales sighed:
"So be it."
At the prince's urging, Strauss and Hugo sent all the officials away and sent them back to work, the sooner the better.
After all, there are still many things to worry about.
As soon as the door closed, Thales collapsed on the chair:
"What the fuck is this mess."
Mallos, who stayed behind, was thoughtful, and he walked slowly with a bandage on his arm.
"With a single order, a feudal duke will be deprived of his title, his property confiscated," the watchman said quietly, "Do you know who was the last person to do this?"
"Ha, let me guess," Thales picked up the tea cup and sarcastically said listlessly, "Is he a king? The kind who died miserably? So you can compare him with me?"
"No, not the king."
"Thank God, there's nothing like it."
"He is an emperor," Mallos said softly, "the last emperor in the world."
Thales' hand holding the tea cup froze.
"Hey Thor, how's your injury?"
A second later, Thales smiled and changed the topic in time before the other party told him about the tragic end of Sebastian IX, the Last Emperor.
Mallos looked at the bandages on his body.
"It's okay. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. By the way, congratulations to you for successfully taking charge of Kongming Palace without spending a single soldier."
"It's nothing, it's not my fault anyway," Thales closed the account report on the table with a headache, "And I just took advantage of the situation and made a temporary transition to guard the Kongming Palace."
Damn improvisation.
He remembered something, raised his head and said:
"By the way, thank you, Thor. If you hadn't arrived at the arena in time, Zhan would have..."
"He won't."
Thales raised his head in confusion.
I saw Marius's eyes determined:
"Even if I don't carry that flag to the scene, Duke Zhan will still give in. At most, the process will be difficult and the method will be embarrassing, but you will still sit in this position safely and smoothly and take charge of the Kongming Palace."
Thales' expression condensed.
"how do you know?"
Mallos glanced at the ledger on the table.
Thales frowned and fell silent.
"If, I mean if," Thales hummed after a while, "if I hang those useless financial officials just now..."
He raised his head:
"Then do you think the remaining people in the Financial Secretary will work harder to help me solve my debts and bring in income?"
Mallos frowned slightly.
"Guess, Your Highness," he said quietly a few seconds later, "What happened to the Red King after that?"
Thales stared at him for several seconds and snorted coldly.
"All right!"
Thales no longer struggled with this topic, he opened his hands:
"You know, what surprises me more than this is the Finance and Taxation Department of Emerald City. Their size and manpower are more than three times that of the Kingdom's Finance and Taxation Department."
he pondered.
Looking at that Melakhovich and his men, it's no wonder that Chief Zuko and his accountants and tax collectors can't deal with them.
"Not only this, there are also city officials, trading officers, judges, vigilance officers..." Thales murmured in a daze.
"It's true," Mallos looked at the accounting report on the table: "It's amazing."
"Tell you, Thor, from administration to security to market to finance, I held four meetings in one morning alone." Thales came back to his senses and felt bored when he looked at it. "Most of the time I could only smile.
Nodding, watching the officials coming in and out respectfully, saying correct but useless nonsense..."
"Excuse me," Mallos replied respectfully, "I don't know how many meetings Duke Zhan had in the past."
Taylor was speechless for a moment.
After a few seconds, he sighed deeply.
"Waiya will come over later. Thor, I want to write another letter to the person in Fuxing Palace to remind you."
"You mean to write a letter asking for money to pay off a debt?"
Thales' fingers froze.
How can it be.
Even if I want money, I can only ask for it in the next letter.
Mallos narrowed his eyes:
"I'm afraid Your Majesty will not be too satisfied."
Thales turned to Mallos and sighed helplessly.
"Yes. But he will not be satisfied anyway, Thor, at least not with this account book," the prince patted the table and explained to the watchman and himself, "But if he thinks this place is the same as the North
, he can easily take over by just sending a team of supervisors and royal envoys, and take the money happily, then he is wrong, very wrong, very wrong..."
"uh-huh."
"What's worse is that he is not a person who can face his own mistakes calmly and tolerantly," Thales said to himself in a trance. "On the contrary, as a ruler, he will only be stubborn and persevere until he loses himself.
The fault becomes the world’s.”
As for the price, everyone must bear it with him.
"Because then it wouldn't show that he was wrong?"
Thales raised his head and glanced at Mallos unexpectedly.
He really didn't expect that the other party would answer the call, and his words would be so... undignified.
"Yes, if the cow doesn't drink water, he won't force his head down," Thales said with a chuckle, "but he will dig down the dam until the flood reaches the sky, and then point to the cow sinking to the bottom, 'Look, it doesn't
Just drink water'."
"And I'm full." Mallos said softly.
Thales looked at him and smiled softly.
"Exactly."
"So, Your Highness," Mallos said in a different tone, "have you thought about how to arbitrate between the two 'home away from home' Kevin Dill?"
Thales's face darkened.
"No."
"But now that the matter has come to this, I'm afraid it's not up to me to decide," Thales pointed to the top of his head, "At least there's nothing we can do until the Fuxing Palace replies."
At that time, his battle truly began.
"But they do," Mallos said, "so I suggest you better get ready and do something first."
Thales frowned.
"You mean..."
"Finding the truth about the assassination of the Duke of Leinster," Mallos said, "this is the key to arbitrating this case."
Mallos looked at the accounting report on the table:
"Maybe it's not just this case."
When Thales heard this, his expression darkened and he was silent for a long time.
"Thor, do you really think that Zhan killed his father to seize the throne and framed his uncle as the blame?"
"I'm not sure, Your Highness."
"That means Federico framed him to avenge his father?"
"I am also not certain."
"Then would you rather the truth be the former or the latter?" Thales asked softly.
Marius noticed something was wrong: "Your Highness?"
"Anyway, after we checked over and over again, there are only these two results," Thales said in a daze, "Federico wants the former, and Zhan wants the latter."
Mallos frowned:
"They all only want results that are beneficial to themselves, Your Highness, this is human nature."
Thales sneered.
"In this case, what does it matter and what is the point of finding out the truth about that year, whether it is true or a false accusation? You only need to know that many years ago, Zhan En became the leader because of this matter, and many years later, Federico
Isn't it enough to use this matter to overthrow him?"
The prince thought about everything that had happened in the past few days, from the murder case to the incident in the arena, and he felt extremely bored and nauseated:
"The truth, Thor, to some people, the truth means nothing."
The study became quiet.
"But you are not 'someone', Your Highness," Mallos said softly, "for you, the truth means everything."
Thales moved slightly.
"No matter what the outcome is, only those who know the truth can truly take the initiative."
This time, Thales was silent for a long time.
"Okay, Thor, send someone to investigate the old cases and find out the truth," Thales sighed, "especially the grudge between the old Duke of Leinster and his brother, Viscount Sonar, although I highly
I doubt how many clues and evidence Zhan will have left for us after so many years."
"Yes, Your Highness," Mallos bowed slightly, "In fact, I have already sent someone to start this matter."
Thales was stunned for a moment, then said angrily:
"Humph, I knew it."
Mallos looked expressionless and turned to leave.
"But, Thor," Thales suddenly said just before Mallos walked out of the study, "you and I both know what kind of result the person in Fuxing Palace wants."
Mallos looked stern.
"You know, even if we find out the truth, it won't be worth a letter and a decree from Fuxing Palace."
Thales said in a daze:
"That's the hardest battle we, no, I really have to face."
Mallos was silent for a while:
"Do you really think so? We should worry about Fuxing Palace?"
Thales laughed when he heard this:
"if not?"
Mallos turned around and said solemnly: "Where are you, Your Highness?"
Thales was stunned and looked around:
"Um, VIP study room? The study room that Xianjun used more than a hundred years ago?"
"No," Mallos shook his head and said word by word, "What I'm asking is: where are you at this moment?"
Thales was stunned.
"Kongming Palace," he pondered for a long time, and finally understood: "I am in Kongming Palace--the palace where Iris Kevin Deere's family lives."
Mallos nodded:
"It's better to be friends than to die because of enemies."
Thales looked at his expression and became nervous unconsciously.
"which one?"
The prince said solemnly:
"In this palace, Thor, which Kevin Dill are you really worried about?"
Mallos did not answer, he just asked:
"Who's not Kevin Deere?"
Taylor was startled for a moment.
But they were quickly interrupted. Huaiya and several guards came to the study and informed the Duke of Star Lake excitedly and respectfully:
From yesterday evening to now, after several of the fastest military intelligence crows flying day and night without sleep, the reply letter sent by Fuxing Palace to His Highness Thales finally arrived.
With a heavy heart and a mood to welcome the battle, Thales took the mailbox that was protected by Huai Ya as if he were protecting his life, took out the letter with the Supreme King's will written on it, and slowly unfolded it.
But this time, the king neither wrote him a lengthy and complicated guide to seizing power, nor sent him a long list of officials who would take over the Emerald City. He didn't even have any opinions on Zhan himself or the handling of old cases, not even a harsh sentence (
Neither were the accusations and lessons that Thales was accustomed to.
Under the full expectation of everyone in the Star Lake Guards and the wide-eyed gaze of Thales, this surprisingly short reply from the king contained only a few words - not even the width of the nine-pointed star printed on the outside -