A moment later, there was another room in Kongming Palace.
"I can not believe it."
Zhan looked at Thales in front of him with cold eyes: "Tails Bright Star, how could you make such a low-level and stupid mistake?"
Look how happy he is.
Thales sat opposite him and coughed after hearing this:
"So now I..."
"You actually let an unarmed little girl with no foundation in the Emerald City steal the prey in front of everyone?" Zhan couldn't believe it, and his words were full of accusations.
Wrong, she is not without foundation.
Instead, she plants her roots in the ground that you can't see.
Thales shrugged:
"She has an extreme knight at her disposal."
"And you have a whole Emerald City!"
"A disobedient Emerald City."
But Jenn blamed him relentlessly:
"Then why didn't you take good care of her? Let her get involved in such a dangerous game?"
"You mean, you want me to lock her up like you?"
"We had an agreement, Thales!"
Zhan waved his hand impatiently:
"No matter how badly we beat her, it has nothing to do with her. Let her stay away from this mess!"
The other party's attitude was fierce, and Thales bowed his head helplessly:
"I know, but this time she made the decision..."
As soon as the words came to his lips, Thales woke up.
His expression changed and he responded suspiciously:
"Wait, that's wrong. Why are you accusing me so aggressively?"
The prince slapped the eucalyptus in displeasure:
"Hey! I'm obviously the one who was robbed. I'm the one who should be aggrieved!"
Zhan En snorted coldly.
"You brought it upon yourself. It's the retribution for sitting in this position, being ambitious and short-sighted, acting treacherously and being weak and incompetent."
Zhan En said coldly, showing no sympathy.
Thales took a deep breath.
Great ambition but little talent.
High-minded but low-handed.
treachery.
Weak and incompetent.
retribution.
Normally, no matter how unpleasant or humiliating the scoldings were - even if it was from the star under the skirt - His Highness would be able to laugh it off without changing his expression. After all, he had experienced hundreds of Northland men in the Palace of Heroes.
A hero who protects the country and is baptized by spitting stars in turn (who never separates his genitals from his parents and family).
But compared to those venting curses with no technical content, Zhan En's curses were so plausible, well-founded, clear and serious, which made him a little...
"The stars are bright, but there is a prince like you, really..."
Zhan was both disappointed and disdainful. At the end of the sentence, he turned his head and lowered his voice, but he was still caught by the hell sense:
"It's true that the idiot is in power and the country's fortunes are not good."
Straw bag...
Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath again.
It's okay, it's okay.
Come on, Thales, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in again...
After all, it was his sister who had the accident. If he cares about her, he will be confused. I understand, I understand very much.
Let him say a few words to vent his anger.
Inhale, exhale...
The idiot of a country - bah, the prince of a country should be tolerant and tolerant of being offended.
No big deal.
Inhale, exhale...
Nothing!
!
Thales opened his eyes angrily and faced Zhan with a look of disdain.
Wait, wait, wait until I bounce back from a temporary setback, wisely strategize, turn the situation around and save the day, and when the oars and oars are wiped out while talking and laughing, then slap him in the face hard!
Thales thought viciously as he let out a long breath.
"So, that's what happened."
Thales replied with a straight face, trying his best to make his words not sound so sinister:
"Ms. Cecilia Cavendill is extremely courageous, bravely champions the three armies, outsmarts the prince, single-handedly captures the murderer, brings justice to the endangered Emerald City, punishes evil and promotes good, and by the way
Blackmail me into letting you go."
Zhan En sneered, showing both sarcasm and disdain.
"As a brother, you don't have anything to say?"
"I know that you lost your place and face outside. You became angry and wanted to get it back." Zhan En didn't even look at him, "That's why you came to me."
Thales choked again.
"Wrong," he coughed, "In fact, I went to arrest Lausanne II, the killer who obeyed Federico, for no other reason than to cooperate with you, to clear your suspicion as soon as possible, and to bring you to justice.
from……"
"Cooperation? Really?"
Zhan said in a disdainful tone:
"But how do I remember that the last time we met, you were still pretending to be airs and said you still wanted to 'think about it'?"
Thales gritted his teeth and continued:
"No, what we said last time was that you wanted me to show some 'sincerity' and then promote our cooperation..."
"And it's Federico I want," Zhane added. "Is he dead?"
Thales couldn't help but pause.
"I was about to say this. In fact, due to Xilai's impulsiveness and interference, our cooperation had some accidents."
Zhan frowned and looked back.
Thales smiled and shrugged:
"Look, without Lausanne II and the information he was supposed to provide, I wouldn't have been able to kill so many people, and I wouldn't have been able to successfully convict and execute Federico, let alone clear you in arbitration.
suspicion, in order to rule you innocent——"
"Are you really helpless," Zhan interrupted: "Or don't want to, are reluctant to let go?"
Thales was silent for a while.
"You mean, after being humiliated and threatened by your sister in front of so many people, and losing all face?" The prince raised his voice, "Maybe both."
Zhan's face turned cold:
"Stop talking nonsense and stop acting, Thales, say: What do you want?"
Thales looked at him deeply, and after a few seconds, he sighed and spoke.
"Okay. Because of your sister, I have to pay more costs to correct the situation and maintain the deteriorating Emerald City. Therefore, I believe you need to take some joint responsibility for Xilai's impulse and make up for it..."
Zhan interrupted:
"Okay, as long as Federico dies, I will successfully return the government to the Kongming Palace. Not to mention making up for it, I promise to give you a vibrant and rich Emerald City, and even the entire South Coast Territory."
He looked at Thales confidently.
Thales stopped talking and paused.
"Look, it's Federico again. So we're back to square one," the prince shook his head. "This isn't going to work."
Zhan En glanced at him coldly and snorted softly.
"Let me see Xi Lai, and I will persuade her to return the prisoner to you."
"Okay, as long as I find her first," Thales agreed happily, "By the way, do you want to see her alive or dead?"
"I was serious."
"Me too!"
Thales' cold refusal made Zhan couldn't help but look sideways.
"You have to understand, little Huahua, the problem now is not with me," he took a deep breath and tilted his head, "but with her, your good sister who is hindering me, threatening me, causing me trouble, and preventing the return of the Emerald City.
normal."
This time, Zhan En stared at him for a long time.
After a few seconds, he showed a disdainful smile.
"Yes, I can imagine," the South Coast Guardian Duke snorted, "When this matter spreads, the entire Emerald City will surely laugh and say that the dignified Duke of Xinghu was fooled around by a little girl, 'There is not even an incompetent prince.
Murderers can't even be caught', 'The star under the skirt becomes soft-hearted when seeing a woman' and so on..."
Thales' complexion changed slightly.
People, would they really say that?
But he didn't show it on his face, he just kept a straight face:
"You think this is funny?"
"It's a little bit..."
Zhan shook his head and quickly returned to the topic:
"Actually, I mean, it sounds terrible: the second prince acted recklessly and came back in vain. Not only was he unable to protect the country and the people at an emergency, but he also had a little Kevin Deere girl threaten you without any pretense.
, openly disobeying orders, causing you to become disgraced and lose all your prestige..."
Thales's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
Zhan En became more and more fluent as he spoke, with a strange smile:
"It is conceivable that the new ruler is incompetent and has difficulty convincing the public. From the bureaucrats and powerful people to the common people, people will be very disappointed. Their confidence in the Emerald City has further declined, and they have begun to believe that the Emerald City has indeed become worse.
And it will surely decline in chaos..."
Thales couldn't help but counterattacked:
"So it will be easier for you to manipulate me, force me to compromise with you and your sister, and release you as soon as possible to save the Emerald City?"
Zhan En glanced at him and snorted disdainfully.
"Believe me, I didn't know anything about it beforehand. It was Xilai who was eager to save people. She underestimated the impact of this move."
"But it's me who has to clean up the mess." Thales said coldly.
Jenn smiled.
"Then you should understand, Thales, your chips are getting less and less." He leaned forward, showing a vague sense of intimidation, "If you lose your wallet, you should try to find it back."
, or go back to making money in a legitimate way to make up for your losses, instead of blackmailing your good neighbor out of anger."
"Even if the person who stole my wallet was my good neighbor's sister?"
"Stop making excuses for your incompetence, Thales, do you really think your situation will get better without Xilai? Many things may seem unexpected, but they are inevitable."
Zhan En clicked his tongue and shook his head:
"It is always easier for rulers to blame others, especially the weak, than to reflect on themselves."
He narrowed his eyes:
"However, seeking the easy way out of difficulty is often the origin of tyranny."
After hearing this, Thales was silent for a long time.
Zhan refused to give in and backed away.
And what he said was right. After Xilai made such a fuss, the Emerald City was in danger.
He has no time.
Thinking of this, the prince raised his eyes.
"Let's be honest. Once Zhan Federico dies, I will lose the leverage to control you," Thales said with certainty, "That is something I cannot accept."
Zhan hummed unintelligibly.
Thales knocked on the eucalyptus table:
"Unless you let me see it now, even if you return to the position of city lord, our previous agreement will still count."
Zhan En smiled and said:
"For example, let's use the money to pay off the debt now and give you a complete Emerald City so that you can supply it to the Fuxing Palace?"
Thales said nothing.
Zhan En's smile faded and his face suddenly turned cold.
"Then I lose the leverage to control you," Duke Iris refused to give in. "You will most likely unseat me after that and put Federico in his place."
Thales frowned:
"So this is a dead end and there is no need to discuss it?"
Zhan En snorted lightly.
"Remember, Thales, you are pretending here and want to blackmail me every minute and every second. The Emerald City and even the South Coast Territory are burning, and rebuilding the burned parts will require more costs and
time."
Zhan turned his face.
"And once it is burned to rubble and completely destroyed, we will both lose," the Duke of Nan'an said. "Your father will not be satisfied."
Seeing the other party's attitude, Thales' heart sank.
He couldn't help but think of Federico's words just now:
[Consider my proposal, Your Highness, use this matter to manipulate Zhan En, maybe there will be a surprise. 】
Thales closed his eyes gently and sighed in his heart.
"Anyway, he won't be satisfied no matter what." The prince whispered.
Zhan En turned around with doubts in his eyes:
"What did you say?"
Thales opened his eyes and looked up with a tired expression.
"You know, I also advised him this way," he shook his head and said in a bitter tone, "my father."
Thales let out a long sigh.
"I advised him that his plan to conquer the Western Wilderness had so many accidents. It seemed that he had bad luck, but in fact it was all inevitable." The second prince leaned back in his chair and said with a wry smile, "It is because of his domineering behavior for many years.
Radicals deserve consequences.”
Hearing such outrageous words as "conquering the Western Wilderness", Zhan En couldn't help but frown.
"And I also advised him not to blame others, but to look for the cause within himself," Thales' eyes solidified, as if he was talking to himself, "You should solve the problem, not the person who caused the problem -
More often than not, they are just the ones who discover the problem."
Perhaps it was the first time he heard Thales talk about the king emotionally. Zhan didn't react in time and was stunned.
"Because as you said, 'Seek something easy when it is difficult, is often the origin of tyranny'," Thales said with emotion, "It comes from "The Political Strategy of a Wise King," right?"
"oh?"
Zhan En's eyes moved and he was slightly surprised:
"I thought you had only read books written by people from the North, or the mysterious author Hegel who couldn't be found in the collection of books."
Thales shook his head and didn't explain much:
"But even though I forced the palace with my sword and was exiled from the royal capital, he still refused to listen to the advice. He still insisted on going his own way, insisting on using the fastest speed and the most force to capture the Emerald City at any cost."
Zhan's breath hitched.
"That's why I asked myself to come, because I know that if he is allowed to do this," the prince's eyes were sad, with a bit of despair, "it will only be a matter of time before not only the Emerald City, but also the kingdom will collapse."
He thought of the confrontation with King Kessel in the Balad Chamber, and felt tired.
Zhan En rolled his eyes:
"Then you shouldn't follow me..."
Thales continued talking to himself and interrupted him:
"But during this period of time, whether it was fighting with him, you, or even Xilai, I was exhausted and frustrated - I've had enough."
It's really enough.
Thales raised his head and looked directly at the Duke of South Bank.
"Especially after meeting with you today, I understand even more," the prince gritted his teeth, his eyes burning, "He will absolutely never listen to my advice."
At that moment, Zhan En had an ominous premonition.
"As your uncle said, Zhan, the strong, especially those in power, never have to and will not take the initiative to retreat."
Thales held his knees and slowly stood up.
"And I want to persuade him, or in other words, there is only one way to stop him."
only one.
Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Zhan's eyelids twitched, and he stood up subconsciously: "Tales, we don't need..."
"That is to return to the Fuxing Palace," Thales opened his eyes, his gaze was firm, and his tone was decisive, "put on that damn nine-star crown as soon as possible."
Nine-star crown.
Zhan frowned slightly.
These words seemed to have some kind of magic power. When they were spoken, the whole room was as silent as a tomb.
Even the noise outside the window cannot penetrate.
It's very depressing.
Thales stood up straight and stared at Zhan.
"So, you have to understand, Jenn."
He retracted his finger and tapped his chest.
"I am Thales, and I am the second prince," he gritted his teeth and spoke word by word with great strength, "Tails... is going to be the king's shining star."
Zhan was surprised when he saw Thales like this for the first time.
“So, I don’t care who is sitting in your bullshit Duke Iris position, and I don’t care who is right or wrong in this dispute between you and Feder, and I don’t care who killed your father and his father.
Who is not interested..."
Zhan and Thales looked at each other and were startled.
"And the only thing I care about..."
Thales raised his finger, his eyes filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
"When all this is over, how much wealth can be left in the Emerald City? Let me take it to the Fuxing Palace in exchange for my——"
Speaking of this, Thales' eyes were cold.
He pointed to the top of his head:
"Future Crown?"
At that moment, Zhan En's expression changed slightly.
"But whether it was Xilai's unexpected behavior last night or your perfunctory response at the moment, I am very disappointed and angry."
Thales took a deep breath and gritted his teeth every word:
"If I worry about the deteriorating Emerald City, compromise with Xilai, and give you a clean slate, and let you, the son of a bitch, come out intact and regain power, and continue to live happily, then nothing has changed. I
I handed in a blank paper to Fuxing Palace...
"If I refuse to compromise and watch the economy of the Emerald City collapse under my rule, the South Coast Territory's rule is in chaos, and the wealthy City of Queens collapses, then what I will hand over to the Fuxing Palace will be a job that will be deducted from the beginning if it is wrong from beginning to end.
Red roll...
"Or worse, just imagine, if Xilai really digs out some incredible things and truth from Lausanne II, counterattacks me with reasonable evidence, and allows you to win with dignity... That's even better, I don't need anything.
Submit it, and tear up the test paper before returning to Fuxing Palace."
Contrary to his previous calmness, at this moment, every time the prince said a decisive word, Zhan En's expression inevitably became more solemn.
To this end, Duke Iris coughed and tried to lighten the atmosphere:
"Yes, your situation is indeed at a disadvantage when facing His Majesty, but you may not be at the end of your rope. Many knowledgeable people from all over the kingdom..."
"And do you know what these three situations have in common?" Thales unconsciously raised his voice.
Although he had countless confrontations with him, Zhan suddenly found that he didn't know how to react when faced with such a serious Thales.
"That's it," Thales took a deep breath and forced out an ugly but heart-wrenching smile, "No matter which one I choose, that damn crown will be farther and farther away from me."
"I can only sit in Sleepy City and watch him act recklessly on the throne and push the entire kingdom..."
"Tiles!" Zhan interrupted him sharply.
Thales raised his head suddenly!
"so!"
The prince spoke softly, but each word was as heavy as a thousand words:
"So I'm really, really fed up with it."
"I know," Zhan tried hard to explain, "but because of this, you can't let the Emerald City fall into his hands..."
But Thales ignored him.
He just walked to the door, turned around, and looked at Zhan sincerely.
"So, for the sake of what's going to happen next, I have to apologize: Jenn, I'm sorry, but I'm really, really sorry."
He closed his eyes and nodded slightly to apologize.
But Zhan smelled something amiss.
"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"
He left his seat and looked at Thales suspiciously.
Thales raised his head, smiled bitterly, and sighed helplessly.
"I admit that I cannot break your financial and governance trap in Emerald City, nor can I ignore the wishes of Fuxing Palace." The prince shook his head and admitted his powerlessness. "In this situation, everything I do is wrong, and Emerald City
The chaos is getting worse day by day. I have no time. I must..."
Zhan's brows are getting tighter and tighter:
"What are you going to do?"
Thales looked at Zhan.
"I know this is hard for you to accept. Me too, and I don't want to...even Xilai himself may not be so willing."
Zhan En's eyelids twitched:
"Who are you talking about?"
Thales shook his head haggardly:
"But he, my father will be satisfied, and I believe Emerald City will be too."
Zhan stepped forward quickly and came to Thales, suppressing his uneasiness and anger:
"What are you satisfied with? What are you going to do to Xilai!"
"You are unwilling to give in, and neither is my father, but Kevin Dill and the Bright Star Family can," Thales said with a bitter look, "I have decided that as long as Xilai and I get married, then the dilemma facing Emerald City...
…”
winter!
Before he finished speaking, the unsuspecting Thales felt his face go numb and stars appeared in front of his eyes!
He fell to the ground with a thud, feeling a buzzing in his ears, and the numbness on his cheekbone gradually turned into unbearable pain.
"You son of a bitch!"
Zhan En’s furious roar was deafening:
"impossible!"
Thales raised his upper body in pain and touched his cheek, which made him hiss in pain.
But he still insisted on speaking:
"I'm afraid that's not up to you. If Xilai knew this could save you, she wouldn't have resisted..."
boom!
Zhan punched him hard again, this time hitting Thales' face-protecting arm!
"how dare you!"
Thales had never seen the Duke of Iris lose his temper like this.
"I understand your anger, Zhan," Thales gritted his teeth and endured the pain, guarding Zhan's next punch, "But I swear, I swear I will be good to her, and I will not let her be wronged.
She will be the most noble queen in the stars, and the Bright Star royal family will not insult her..."
The furious Zhan grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up from the ground with a terrifying expression:
"I'm going to kill you!"
boom!
There was a muffled sound, and the door was knocked open. Huaiya, D.D. and others rushed in in a panic. They were startled by the sight in front of them: What happened?
"Your Highness——"
"Help!"
"Stop him!"
"Hold him down!"
Although the royal guards were shocked, everyone had experience in handling this kind of thing. Zhan was quickly pulled away and isolated from Thales. Wyatt was shocked when he saw the injuries on Thales' face.
"This is also the best result for the Emerald City."
Thales let go of D.D's hand to help him up and spoke with difficulty:
"For the sake of the kingdom, for the future I want, and even more superficially - for the crown, I have to do something...that I don't want to do."
On the other side, although the guards tried their best to stop him, Zhan En was so angry that he struggled with strength beyond imagination:
"How dare you! No, no, no, no, you bastard! We had an agreement! We had an agreement! Come back! Come back! I'm going to kill you! Kill you!"
Because they were concerned about the other party's status, the guards were usually polite when guarding the Duke of Nan'an. Now, even though he offended His Highness, they did not dare to do anything serious. They just held down his arm with difficulty, so the effect was ineffective.
He almost broke free again.
"You are not allowed to touch her! No! I'm going to kill you, kill you!"
At this moment, a figure suddenly stepped forward, decisively separated the crowd, faced Zhan En who was struggling furiously, and punched him hard in the face!
winter!
Zhan En fell to the ground with a plop, and his roar stopped abruptly.
Everyone was also stunned.
I saw the person who had just severely beaten Duke Kevin Dill - the prince's attendant, Wyatt Castle, standing above Zhan, breathing rapidly and gritting his teeth.
He glanced back at the others and shouted angrily:
"Is it so difficult!"
D.D, Nishi, Piloga, Morgan, Intariano... No one dared to speak out. Everyone just looked away and suppressed Zhan with embarrassment and guilt.
After getting along for a long time, Huaiya, although serious and serious, has always been kind and tolerant. Therefore, instead of being afraid of him, the members of the Star Lake Guards became accustomed to laughing and joking with him. Some of the bolder ones, such as D.D, even joked about his character and family background from time to time.
But for the first time in history, no one dared to look him in the eye.
Just accept his scolding obediently.
Only the civilized and polite Morgan finally happily followed the example because he had a precedent. He punched Zhan hard in the abdomen while he was still struggling.
boom!
Waiya steadied his breathing. He turned around and looked at Thales, who had red and swollen cheeks but was also shocked. He felt guilty:
"Your Highness, we are all protecting you..."
But Thales raised a hand to stop his words, and at the same time motioned for others to let go of the dying Duke.
He took a step forward and looked at Zhan En with mixed emotions, his face covered in blood and his eyes distracted.
"I'm sorry, Jenn."
Thales said sadly.
"Really. But I believe... you can understand."
Zhan fell to the ground, his bloodshot eyes looking at Thales helplessly.
While everyone was waiting without daring to say a word, Thales just shook his head in frustration, turned around, and left the room. Huaiya quickly followed, not forgetting to give Zhan a vicious slap on the ground.
eyes.
Everyone looked at me, and I looked at you, and then they breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally left.
No need to face it again...
At this moment.
"etc……"
Zhan En's angry voice sounded.
Thales paused and turned around.
Everyone became nervous again.
"Hey," although D.D was the first to help the prince up, he still felt that he was upright and upright because he failed to get the first credit. He grabbed Zhan En's collar and raised his fist high, "If you dare to misbehave with His Highness again...
…”
Zhan trembled, pushed him away, and looked at Thales who was surrounded by guards.
"Say it, Your Highness Thales..."
His nose was dripping with blood, and his eyes were bitter and gray:
"You, you want...what can I do for you?"
At that moment, after seeing the other person's expression clearly, Thales felt something:
It’s done.
He won.
Just like Federico said.
Jenn surrendered.
The guards looked at each other in confusion, wondering what the two powerful men wanted after the fight.
Thales should have been happy that the problem was solved, but when he looked at Zhan at this moment, he felt complicated and couldn't squeeze out a smile.
【He won’t believe it.】
He remembered the conversation he had just had with Federico.
【But he has that thing, so he will believe that this is enough.】
That thing.
Thinking of this, looking at Zhan who looked like a defeated warrior in front of him, Thales' eyes darkened and he felt sad.
That's right, Thales.
That's what it is.
At that moment, the voice in his heart, with an indifference he had never known before, silently said to him:
Zhan En knows you deeply.
Of course he doesn't believe that you are an insidious villain who has no bottom line and is willing to use his sister or even sacrifice the Emerald City.
But he will believe that for the sake of that crown, you will be willing to do something and sacrifice something.