Chapter 257 Raising glasses to the same enemy (Part 2)
Place a bet.
gambling?
Facing Zhan and Thales who were looking at him together, Federico was covered in cold sweat and muttered to himself.
How come the topic is going...
Are you here?
"I know, cousin, I don't like this result either," Zhan said slowly, "but he is right about one thing: this is the option with the least loss for the three of us."
Thales nodded slightly and tried his best to get rid of the non-existent trap while taking a deep breath.
"The loss... is minimal?" Federico looked at Zhan En with piercing eyes like a captain retrieving his compass in the fog.
"When I was a kid, Father Fabre said in politics class: The triangle is the balance."
Zhan En picked up the tea cup, but did not taste it. He just rubbed the rim of the cup carefully:
"If one of the parties wants to lose less..."
"It means that the other two parties have suffered greater losses," Federico interrupted. He glanced at the silent Thales and said in a daze, "You forgot, I also took his class, and you...
"
"Before I went on a study tour to the East China Sea," the Duke of Nan'an showed a dangerous smile on his lips, "Fortunately, luckily you didn't forget."
Federico's expression changed slightly.
Triangle to balance...
Then the other two parties...
"What do you say, Feder?"
Thales looked at the Eternal Clock and checked today's schedule:
"Become a Viscount, or should I find another place for you?"
Federico looked at Thales, who looked tense, and then at the confident Zhan, and suddenly realized that he was the only person still standing in the study.
Abrupt and isolated.
Thinking of this, Federico's expression became even more ugly.
However, in just a few seconds, the exiled nobleman took a deep breath, calmed his expression, sat back in his seat with an upright posture, and thought seriously.
Rebalance the height in the study room.
Worthy of Kevin Deere.
Seeing Federico's determination to quickly adjust his mentality and return to calm thinking, Thales couldn't help but admire him secretly.
He is worthy of being the one who can bring down Zhan.
He is worthy of being a person who crawls back to the Emerald City for revenge even though he has been living in exile for more than ten years.
If he wasn't born this way...
Thinking of his past experience as hostage to Exeter, Thales stared at Federico at this moment, understood something, and nodded slowly.
A good opponent.
The voice in the young man's heart spoke out in approval:
I just don’t know if he is also a good ally?
Thales's heart sank.
"Don't worry, I don't mean to force you to put down your grudges and love each other." Thinking of this, Thales spoke again and tried to increase the pressure. "One day, you will have the opportunity to fight to the death again - then I will never
Don't interfere."
Maybe even happy to fan the flames.
The Kevin Deere brothers all frowned.
"After all," Thales sipped his tea and said again the words he once used to tease his opponent, "I am not a devil."
"That's true," Zhan said sarcastically while stroking the tea cup, "How can a devil be as cruel as you?"
"Thank you for the compliment." Thales was not angry and even took a sip of yerba mate.
Well, once you get used to drinking it, the bitter taste will fade away.
"But I have no chance of winning, right?"
Feder, who was deep in thought, looked in a trance:
"As I said before: back to the Emerald City, back to Kongming Palace, back to the home ground where he has been running and ruling for more than ten years, it will be difficult for me to defeat him - even with the support of His Highness."
A meal with a cup of Thales tea.
"Is this why you dare not place a bet?"
Zhan laughed at his cousin:
“When you come back in a rage to take revenge, aren’t there still ‘noble people to help you’?”
Help me...
Federico's expression changed slightly, but he didn't reply.
"I understand, Feder, this decision is not easy to make."
Thales observed his appearance, looked down at the schedule, and said gently:
"It doesn't matter, think about it slowly. You have plenty of time before the praise banquet."
"It's not necessary to figure it out." Zhan En added in a nonchalant manner.
"I suggest you shut up, Zhan," Thales turned to the Duke of South Bank and put away his good expression, "By the way, as a reward for you, from now on, you are free."
Federico frowned and turned to look at Zhan, who was also stunned.
"Reward? Freedom? Now? Even before the Tribute Feast?"
Zhan paused for a moment, then chuckled disdainfully:
"After word spreads, will people think that you decided that I won the case early on?"
Federico lowered his head and clenched his fists.
"Don't push yourself too far, Zhan." Thales said coldly, "I will still be the regent until the praise banquet. If you think the Emerald City is too big and want to go to jail in the royal capital, I will welcome you at any time."
Zhan En's smile faltered.
"The meeting has timed out. You can go out." Thales lowered his head and pretended to circle a few more meaningless circles on the already marked schedule. "I still have a lot of things to do today.
.”
"This is unreasonable."
Federico suddenly spoke, causing Thales and Zhan En to turn their heads.
"Your Highness, Zhan, you...the conversation just now, and the bet with Xini..."
Federico took a deep breath, seemed to have thought of something, and his expression kept changing:
"None of this makes sense."
Thales's eyebrows jumped.
"nonsense."
Zhan En said disgustedly:
"If there is a more reasonable way, who would be willing to accompany him and Xini and gamble with the Emerald City?"
"No!!"
Federico suddenly raised his head, excited:
"You, Zhan En, are the gambler who is in desperate need of a comeback, and His Highness is the dealer who has other plans. You have reached a compromise and joined forces to cheat. What you have to deal with is the owner of the gambling game - the banker!"
Thales and Zhan En had a meal together.
"But you shouldn't, shouldn't drag me, another gambler at the gambling table, into your gambling game so easily and hastily."
Federico looked ugly and shook his head slightly:
"Especially when this gambler entered the game, he was so close to the dealer - what if after hearing the plot, he not only refused to join in the cheating, but even went to inform the dealer?"
Feder picked up the tea cup and emphasized in a daze:
"This shouldn't be the case, and it's not common sense."
Thales squeezed the teacup with his fingers.
"Ask this guy," he pointed at Zhan and sighed: "He has to speak so straightforwardly."
Zhan En's expression remained unchanged.
"unless……"
In an instant, Federico figured out something. He stared at Zhan in disbelief, and then looked at Thales:
"Unless it's intentional."
The study became quiet.
"He deliberately made his words clear, and then deliberately dragged me into the game," Federico's eyes widened, "to force me to... choose."
The prince and the duke couldn't help but look at each other.
Thales had to cough:
"Are you thinking too much..."
But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted loudly by Zhan En:
"What to choose?"
I saw the Duke of Nan'an staring coldly at his cousin:
"At this point, Federico, do you think you still have a choice?"
Federico turned his head in confusion and looked at his brother of the same race and his biggest rival.
"Choose..." He understood something while muttering to himself, and suddenly smiled, "That's it, Zhan, that's it."
Federico turned the teacup in his hand:
"Now, as an insider of this 'cheating', if I don't compromise...even if it is only for our own safety, you and Your Highness will not let me leave this place alive."
He thinks quickly, and the more he thinks about it, the more certain he becomes:
"You have created this situation just to force everyone to this point and force me to figure this out: I will either compromise with you or be killed by you."
Thales frowned when he heard this.
Zhan's eyes became colder and colder, and he glanced at Thales:
"Who knows? This useless snack has always been soft-hearted..."
Thales looked ugly:
What snack?
Which snack?
Just listen to Zhan En say: "...Even if you refuse to compromise, he will probably let you live and let you go back and surrender to the 'banker'?"
Federico's eyes narrowed when he heard this.
"In contrast, the banker must know right from wrong."
Zhan absently picked up the teaspoon and stirred the cup:
"He probably won't doubt why you survived from the Emerald City even though you clearly failed, just to return to his command and tell a well-known secret and then continue to serve?"
Boom!
Federico slammed the teacup on the coaster.
His face was ashen and he stared at Zhan En.
"So, Triangle to Heng...after you said this, as a third party, I have no choice."
Federico suppressed his anger and tried his best to think:
"...Either you join the gang, or you are bound to be out?"
Zhan said nothing.
Thales had to scratch his scalp:
"It's not so absolute..."
"In other words," Federico said quietly, unable to conceal his disappointment, "you two have colluded long ago."
Thales avoided his eyes awkwardly and scratched the back of his hand:
"Of course not! Otherwise, we just talked so much, wouldn't it be..."
"It's all an act."
Federico stared at Zhan with burning eyes, leaving the guilty Thales speechless for a moment.
"As for the shock, hesitation and struggle just now, and even the tense bargaining, you were all pretending to cooperate with His Highness... It was to create a situation and emphasize to me that he had won a great victory, and you had no choice but to bow your head, leaving me alone.
, it’s best to assess the situation?”
Thales coughed repeatedly, but Zhan's expression remained unchanged.
Federico looked at Zhan with a solemn expression:
"That's right, I should have thought of it earlier. It was so easy for His Highness to control the progress of Emerald City. Even before the Kingdom's Secret Department... No, without your active cooperation, without your leakage of secrets, without your help
It is simply impossible to open up all the connections with just the few chips I gave him."
Federico shook his head slowly:
"So Zhan En, you gave up resistance a long time ago. You compromised completely in exchange for His Highness's leniency. As for why you should wait for the praise banquet, why you kill the other one if something happens first, and why you get a discount for agreeing first, and why you reward him
Freedom...haha, it’s all an act.”
Federico laughed sadly.
Thales was embarrassed, but Zhan remained silent.
"Because in today's tripartite negotiation, the only person His Highness wants to convince from the beginning to the end is me."
Federico took a deep breath, hiding anger in his eyes:
"Because for you, I am the person closest to the 'banker', the most difficult to compromise, the most dangerous and uneasy factor."
After the words fell, the study became quiet.
Thales gently covered his forehead and closed his eyes.
Damn it.
He hates smart people.
Zhan En was right before, there is another person in this palace...
Also Kevin Deere.
So what should you do?
The voice in his heart spoke to him:
And you, Thales, do you have the ability to hook the thread again and force him back into your trap?
Thales clenched his fists unconsciously.
"Listen, Feder."
Thales sighed, pointed at Zhan and told the truth:
"I originally wanted to have a frank showdown with you. It's just that Zhan is so embarrassed that he can't agree too quickly and must leave him some dignity, otherwise he will never compromise..."
Federico kept staring at Zhan, the sneer on his face never diminishing.
"Did he also say that he knows me very well, and that I will only agree to compromise if you create an atmosphere for us to compete with each other and arouse my competitiveness and resentment?"
Teresa paused and was about to explain, but he thought of something and finally just sighed and looked away:
"It seems that he doesn't know you that well either."
Especially after more than ten years of living in exile under the shelter of others.
"Sorry, Feder."
At this moment, Zhan finally broke the silence.
He ignored Thales' gaze towards him and slowly turned to Federico:
"I apologize."
This actually impressed Thales.
Hey, this guy can also apologize?
And to the enemy?
Until Zhan En’s next sentence full of disdain:
"I think highly of you."
Thales raised his eyebrows slightly: No, I think highly of you.
Sure enough, people don't change.
Federico's eyes turned cold.
"Yes, he and I, we colluded, tacitly understood, colluded, you name it - but so what?" Zhan En said softly.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Federico frowned and looked at Zhan.
Only Thales was caught in the middle, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"so what?"
Federico narrowed his eyes and slowly repeated his cousin's words.
Zhan En nodded and said:
"It's great that you saw through our plan. This made us embarrassed for a while, but do you have any other choice?"
Federico didn't answer.
"If I were you, Feder, I should show my wisdom as an official in the Emerald City. Even if I find something fishy, I should pretend not to know anything about it. I should cooperate with us and accept the conditions with gratitude."
Zhan raised his teacup nonchalantly:
"Why do you have to expose it and embarrass everyone?"
Federico curled his lips:
"So I'm not you."
Zhan En nodded, shook his head again, and blew the tea that was not hot at all in a relaxed manner:
"It seems that you have really been away from the Emerald City for too long - so long that you have forgotten your last name."
Federico was furious.
Thales frowned:
Is this really good?
Their goal is to reach a compromise, isn't it?
At that moment, Federico stared at his cousin, the expression on his face first being angry, then surprised, and then relieved.
"No, this is not you, cousin."
Federico chuckled as if this was the most ridiculous thing in the world, which was in sharp contrast to the serious face of Zhan.
"You can't compromise so easily and take risks so decisively..."
He glanced at Thales:
"I guess the idea I gave His Highness worked?"
Thales' eyelids twitched, while Zhan's face darkened.
"Tsk, tsk, it seems to be more effective than expected - you probably vomited out of your panties for Xi Lai," Federico observed Zhan's expression and sneered, "I should say you are too weak,
Or are you too afraid of death?"
Zhan En's face became increasingly ugly.
Oops - Thales instinctively felt something was wrong.
"And I still hope that you will resist death and die heroically in the end, so that my great revenge can be avenged."
Federico narrowed his eyes:
"I think highly of you."
And Feder smiled, not forgetting to look at Thales:
"You shouldn't have hidden it from me, Your Highness, you should have let me enjoy it too. He was so panicked that he could only endure the humiliation and kowtow to you, just to save his sister's useless appearance."
Zhan clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and tried his best to suppress his anger.
Thales frowned and said a warning:
"Feder, that's enough."
Perhaps the prince's words had taken effect. Federico stopped smiling and no longer mentioned Hilley, but he was unyielding to Zhan:
"It's unbelievable, cousin, you have become more docile and obedient than Uncle Greg's hound. By the way, where did uncle go after changing his surname? Under the name of the Iris branch, you were cheated in a small town.
A bankrupt baron? Farming in some country manor? Living in a brothel? Reading the ledgers in a certain business? Traveling around the world on a certain ship? Or traveling overseas?"
Zhan suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and shook his head:
"He died of illness."
“It’s no surprise,” Federico’s eyes were filled with resentment. “I don’t know when, but the number of blood relatives from the family branch who are qualified to leave their names on the Ancestral Rock has become less and less.”
"Uncle Sona was supposed to be up there," Zhan said coldly, "and so are you, Feder."
Upon hearing this name, Federico's smile disappeared without a trace.
"As long as you are willing to compromise and take the overall situation into consideration," Zhan said seriously and returned to the topic, "I know this is difficult because it requires restraint and sacrifice."
Thales scratched his head:
These words can come out of Zhan En's mouth, and his style is somewhat strange.
Federico sighed bitterly:
“‘Sacrifice’ like my father?”
Feeling that the topic was leaning towards personal grudges again, Thales couldn't help but frown.
"Believe me, cousin," Zhan En said solemnly, "As long as Iris is unified again and the Emerald City is out of danger, we will solve the rest behind closed doors."
"Solve it behind closed doors?"
Federico snorted coldly:
"that's all?"
Thales shrugged: "If you have other requests..."
"What about the truth?"
Federico said quietly.
As soon as these words came out, Thales and Zhan En were both stunned.
Thales frowned:
"the truth?"
"Yes, the truth."
The next second, Federico looked at Zhan, whose expression remained unchanged, and then at Thales.
"Today, you talked about power, explained your interests clearly, and even arranged things for a few years and decades." He smiled ugly, and the unwillingness and anger in his eyes turned into resentment and indifference, "but you didn't say anything.
…”
Federico said in a solemn tone:
"the truth."
the truth.
At that moment, Thales was a little distracted.
the truth?
At this moment, this word was somewhat unfamiliar to him.
Thales thought of the conversation he had with Mallos:
[The truth, Thor, to 'some people', the truth means nothing.]
That's right, the truth is nothing.
At this moment, the voice in his heart coldly told him the essence:
It's just a way of saying it.
It's just that among the many versions, the one that fits the power best.
Of course, as for what kind of power, what kind of power...
depends on you.
Thales held his chest, instinctively feeling uncomfortable.
but……
【But you are not ‘someone’, Your Highness.】
Mallos's voice echoed in his ears, covering up the disturbing explanation deep in his heart:
【To you, the truth means everything.】
"What is the truth about old cases from back then?"
In reality, Federico raised his voice and looked firmly:
"My father died like that in prison without any explanation."
He turned to the silent Zhan, full of indignation:
"Even Uncle Leinster - that's your father, Jenn - was assassinated in this mysterious way. Will the truth continue to be unknown? If so... then why should I come back?"
Zhan En's face remained expressionless, like a stone sculpture.
Federico's smile slowly disappeared.
He paused and shouted angrily:
"Would you like to play house with you?"
Perhaps it was too loud, as there was a knock on the door and Waiya's worried inquiry.
"I'm fine! No need to come in!"
Thales calmed down his subordinates outside the door with some annoyance, turned around and sighed.
I knew it.
"Feder, people break the cage to get out of the cage," Thales said softly, thinking of the killer prisoner in the corpse tunnel, "rather than reinforcing it, carrying it on your back, and only seeing it from now on."
Feder said nothing, not knowing what to think.
"And I said, Federico..." Thales paused here, and even he felt hypocritical in the rest of his words, "As long as you promise...your father will eventually be cleared of charges..."
"Why?"
Federico showed no appreciation:
"Is it because he is innocent to begin with, or is it because I compromised here and made a shameful deal with you?"
Thales was speechless for a moment.
"And what about him?"
Feder turned to the opposite side angrily and pointed directly at Zhan:
"Whether he is seeking power to usurp the throne, framing someone, fabricating accusations or covering up the truth, what punishment should he receive? Is he just gone after making the deal?"
Thales' heart sank.
"Really?"
At this moment, Zhan En, who had been silent, with a stiff expression, and seemed to have let go of himself, suddenly spoke, attracting the attention of the two people:
"Is this really the case?"
I saw Zhan En slowly turning his head, and his empty eyes gradually gathered light:
"Is all you want, Feder, just the truth?"
Federico couldn't help but be startled.
"how?"
He looked at Zhan En like this and said warily:
"What are you trying to quibble about?"
Zhan En snorted coldly.
"You are the one quibbling, Feder."
"What's the meaning?"
Zhan suddenly smiled:
"Tell me, for so many years, you have been hiding in the underground world of the Kingdom of Night, living under the shelter of others, in the dark. Isn't your life difficult?"
Federico's expression changed, and he looked gloomy:
"Thanks to you."
Zhan sneered and said:
"You must be tired of being manipulated as a bargaining chip, and you have to show off and sell value so that those inhuman old ghosts can reward you with leftovers?"
The last trace of Federico's smile disappeared.
Zhan En continued to say maliciously:
"And in order to escape from that kind of life, to escape from that quagmire, to get back everything you once had, Federico, what price are you willing to pay?"
Federico turned his head coldly:
"I'm tired of listening to your nonsense, Your Highness Zhan, I think..."
But Zhan En refused to let him go. He shouted loudly:
"Be honest! What you want is not the truth at all!"
Zhan En sneered, raised his hand slightly, and slowly made a fist:
"But power."
Federico shuddered slightly.
Thales also raised his arms.
"The power that allows you to change your situation, forget the past, and thereby numb yourself."
Zhan En clicked his tongue, full of contempt:
"Perhaps there is also the...status and importance of being able to return to the center of the stage?"
Federico stared at Zhan in disbelief, with anger in his eyes.
Thales coughed:
"Zhan, maybe we should get back to the topic..."
"That's the theme!"
Zhan interrupted him unceremoniously:
"Since you keep saying you want the truth, Fede, and you still use it as your talisman to accuse me of hypocrisy and coldness, then, dear cousin, let's make it clear!"
He looked directly at Federico and said every word:
"The truth, what is it?"
Federico looked sharply.
"All the scandals you are trying to cover up, your father and my father..." he said softly.
Zhan sneered.
"Then why, Feder? Think about it with your intelligence: Our fathers, Leinster and Sona, those two brothers who once trusted each other, why did they turn against each other and fight among themselves?"
He raised his voice and shouted angrily:
"tell me!"
Outside the door, Huai Ya knocked on the door again and asked, and Thales had to continue to comfort his subordinates through the door.
Perhaps he was startled by his cousin's sudden change of attitude. Federico waited for a few seconds before speaking with difficulty:
"Emerald City."
He gritted his teeth and said:
"The political struggle in Emerald City was fierce back then. They stood in different camps, represented different groups of people, and had completely opposite interests..."
Zhan En asked coldly:
"What camp, what group of people, what interests?"
Federico frowned and looked at Thales.
"Don't look at him! You're a fucking Kevin Deere!"
Zhan En had a cold face and seemed to be scolding his younger brother:
"Look at me and answer me!"
Federico seemed shocked by Zhan's determination. He took a deep breath and then continued:
"Your father, Uncle Leinster, he has poor policies and is impatient and radical..."
"Really?"
"Yes!" As if he didn't want to show weakness in front of Zhan En, Federico couldn't help but emphasize his tone and speed up his speech, "Tax system, service, official system, land, business investment, Emerald Legion, Blood Bottle Gang...especially the Scarlet Gang
Years later, my uncle's measures were too hasty and too fast, arousing a lot of opposition..."
"Whose objection?"
"Everyone!"
Federico roared in reply. He took a deep breath and adjusted his tone back to normal:
"Everyone except those who benefit."
Thales listened to their words with some inexplicable uneasiness.
Federico stared at Zhan:
"My father saw the hidden dangers of the Duke's behavior. He cared about old friendships and valued human relationships. He was not angry, unjust, and dissatisfied, so he stood up and took on his responsibilities, speaking out for them and for those who were knighted from Kevin Deere.
Our old relatives, friends, loyal ministers and good family members who have supported us since the beginning have spoken out!"
"Really? Speak up for justice?" Zhan En sarcastically said, "Speak for a group of moths who are dreaming on their merit books, and for a group that is destined to become obsolete?"
Federico snorted and countered:
"Don't forget, the Popon family your mother came from is in such a group! My mother's family is also, and there are many original..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! But Zhan continued with bad intentions:
"Or is it because if my uncle doesn't object to the Duke, he will lose a lot of privileges and benefits if he changes his surname to enfeoffment one day? Because he can't bear to go through with it, why not just get rid of the Duke of Nan'an and become the Duke himself?"
boom!
Federico punched the armrest of the seat with a cold gaze.
"My father is not you. He is not so narrow-minded and selfish, nor is he so cruel and cruel."
He said coldly:
"No matter what the outcome is or what the disagreements are, everything my father does is for the overall situation and proceeds step by step so that the Emerald City will not be in chaos and Iris will maintain its prosperity!"
boom!
This time it was Zhann who knocked on the armrest.
Unexpectedly, he did not sarcastically or deny the other party as before, but agreed loudly:
"Then you're right."
Federico, who was ready for another quarrel, was suddenly stunned.
"Your father, Uncle Sona, he has never stood in line."
Zhan En showed nostalgia and sadness:
"As the most outstanding male in the Iris family of the previous generation, as well as my father's closest brother and most trusted right-hand man, my uncle has never stood on the opposite side of the South Bank Guardian Duke, let alone become his enemy, never, even once.
No."
Federico and Thales were both startled.
"And the reason why he is regarded as the spokesperson of those old aristocrats and old diehards - many of whom are Iris's in-laws and friends who have been classmates and playmates with him since childhood - is that he even has to confront his eldest brother from time to time.
It is to temporarily appease them, to ensure that their actions will not go too far, to retain their little remaining reason, to give their resentment and hatred an outlet, and to prevent them from losing in the future tide.
The whole house is broken and everyone is dead!”
Zhan En closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again, and said bitterly:
"Do you think that if they hadn't already made an agreement with Uncle Sona, those stinky lizards in Zedi who are so poor and still imagine that they can do a small business without a capital would have been able to escape my reckoning? All the men in the clan would be better off if they were tied together.
How can the Popon family, who is not as smart as an old grandmother who married from the East China Sea, get such a lucrative job in the funeral industry? As for our aunt who can't even count copper coins and her husband who specializes in young male attendants, can they?
Got the opportunity to jointly mine with Karabyan? Can the little idiot from the Pintor family pay back the low-interest loan that even his father committed suicide and failed to pay back indefinitely? "
Thales frowned slightly.
"Not only that, Uncle Sona stood in the middle, easing the conflict between the two forces, and tried his best to support the Emerald City from falling apart! Even if my father was slandered as a witchcraft believer, and he was demented, and my uncle was supported by supporters
When our father-in-law recommended his brother to take office in his stead, he refused."
Thales was a little surprised by Zhan's attitude, but what shocked him even more was the role Viscount Sonar played in Zhan's mouth.
Across the middle...
Struggling to support...
Maintain...and not...fall apart...
Thales clenched his fists slightly.
So did he die for it?
The young man sighed softly in his heart: What a pity.
Just because you stand in the middle?
Federico looked at his cousin in surprise: "You..."
"That's right! Our fathers, whether they are Dukes or Viscounts, they have been in the same camp from the beginning to the end," Zhan said painfully, "Kevin Dill's camp."
The Duke of South Bank suddenly raised his head and stared at Federico as if he was questioning a prisoner:
"You know all this, Feder, you know it, you've known it from the beginning, you know your father."
Federico looked back at Zhan blankly.
"But you don't care at all, whether it's your father's last wish or his sacrifice as Kevin Deere."
Federico's expression changed.
Zhan sneered and said:
"Because all you care about is yourself and your own status and interests."
"No!"
Federico subconsciously denied it.
But Zhan ignored it and continued coldly:
"Do you know why the condition we offered you is Viscount Gonghaicheng?"
Federico clenched his fists.
"Because I know, Federico Kevin Dier: From the beginning, what you wanted was neither the truth, nor justice, nor even revenge. It was not to see me punished. What you wanted was not even a person.
A happy ending to grudges!"
Federico's eyelids twitched!
Zhan En came to the conclusion coldly, even disregarding the politeness of conversation:
"You are not a fool, but you have tried your best to connect the old grudges between our fathers with me and blame me for the murder, not because you really feel that way, nor because it is related to your father's innocence, but just because
Me - because I fucking sit in the seat of the current Duke of Southbank."
Thales subconsciously looked at the expensive chair under his butt.
Whether it was anger or shame, Federico trembled slightly.
Zhan En sneered and said:
"You don't accept the compromise just now, not because you hate me, nor because the truth is not revealed, but because you feel that the spoils are unevenly distributed: even if you become Viscount of Gonghai City, you are still a little lower than me.
In any situation, listen to my orders, accept my control, and bow to me."
Federico scowled.
"As for the old cases of our fathers, what you hate is not injustice, injustice, or the fact that justice and truth cannot be upheld."
Zhan shook his head:
"What you really hate is that the unfair power does not belong to you. What you hate is that you can't benefit from the injustice. What you hate is that the justice and truth that are being upheld are not effective. Damn, I don't happen to be standing in your place."
One side?"
Federico was stunned.
Zhan's eyes became sharp:
"And you, Federico, I have seen through you. You are not worthy of being Uncle Sona's son, and you do not deserve the surname Kevin Deere."
Federico was shocked!
"What did you say?"
He gritted his teeth and was furious.
"Come on, Federico Cavendier!"
Zhan suddenly raised his voice and laughed loudly:
"The so-called truth is how your father, Uncle Sona, died back then, and even how my father, the Duke of Leinster, died..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The Duke of South Bank expressed his hatred:
"You really don't know anything at all, aren't you clear?"
Federico was shocked and angry, but he glanced at Zhan and Thales and hesitated:
"You, no, what excuses are you going to make..."
But Zhan continued, his eyes were cold and never left Federico:
"Yes, for our family and for my brother's ideals, Uncle Sona did his best, burned himself self-righteously, and ignited the last bundle of firewood left in the Emerald City in the old era - to prevent them from spreading to the entire city.
, even if it means that he himself will be buried in the sea of fire."
Zhan paused, his voice hoarse:
"It's just that before that, the accident happened first."
The Duke of Nan'an shook his head tiredly:
"My father died at a time when the conflict was out of control, so my uncle became the most suspected suspect."
"No!"
Federico couldn't help but retort:
"My father, my father protested and explained... He did not murder the Duke, he did not murder his brother..."
"Of course he didn't!"
Zhan interrupted him abruptly.
"But if he insists on resisting, if his subordinates resist like you, just to put him on the throne of Duke..."
Zhan glanced at Thales with a chilling look:
"Then you play into the enemy's hands."
Thales repeated subconsciously:
"enemy?"
Zhan En ignored him and just continued to look at his stunned cousin:
"The Duke of Leinster was involved in a political dispute and was assassinated. As his political enemy, Viscount Sonar refused to admit the murder. As a result, the forces loyal to Kevin Dill split into two factions. The Emerald City was in danger, and the Eight-fingered King and the Covenant were about to reappear.
The past incident of Duke Ke’s confrontation in court..."
He sneered:
"For foreign enemies, is there any better time to intervene in Iris?"
Thales reacted and said in surprise:
"Wait a minute, you mean Viscount Sonar—"
boom!
Zhan Endun clicked the tea cup, his eyes cold:
"Shut up, Thales."
Thales couldn't help frowning and thinking carefully.
"I don't understand why, what does this have to do with my father..." Federico was in a daze.
Zhan sneered.
"What don't you understand?"
He spoke bitterly, with repeated accents and a fierce attitude:
"The Duke of South Shore has been killed, Uncle Sona can't say anything, the Emerald City is torn apart, and the enemy is approaching—they're coming!"
At the end of the sentence, Zhan's chest rose and fell, his breathing became rapid, and he could not control himself.
"Them?" Thales couldn't help but interrupt.
"Tiles, shut the fuck up!"
This time, Zhan didn't even look at Thales and almost shouted at the top of his lungs.
Feeling the other party's unusual anger, Thales could only remain silent.
Federico said nothing, he was just stunned.
"We are facing a formidable enemy. If we procrastinate and do nothing..."
Zhan noticed his gaffe and began to adjust himself consciously, but he still couldn't hide the trembling in his tone:
"Like today, they will condescendingly send an envoy to the Emerald City to label their uncle as a suspect of brother-killing, and bring out the 'Rhodri Regulation' to arbitrate the 'fratricide' of the Kevin Deere family and determine the punishment the family deserves.
Determine the inheritance of Iris, and even go a step further to take the Emerald City and even the South Bank into your hands."
"Them?" Feder struggled to speak, but he just repeated Thales' question.
"At that time, the whole city was in panic, all the subordinates had their own agendas, and the major forces were at odds with each other. Even the lowest-level Blood Bottle Gang was completely dismantled by them. The situation is even worse now," Zhan En nodded with difficulty, "I want to explore
Uncle Na, your father, he is sitting in a dilemma between his brother's body and the Duke's throne."
Just listen to Zhan En's faint voice:
"So, after discussing with my mother, Uncle Sona, he made the bravest choice - before they launched a complete attack and took away the Emerald City."
"What?"
Federico subconsciously clenched the tea cup in front of him.
It seems that the small cup ear is the only handle at the moment.
"Yes, Feder."
Zhan closed his eyes:
"Only your father sacrificed himself, only he confessed to this crime, only he died in prison, only he used justice and reason to force Judge Brennan to bend the law for personal gain, ignored his conscience, and allowed this case to be terminated without any proof. Only he allowed this case to be interrupted.
The coffin must be sealed without delay and quietly..."
Zhan said painfully:
"Only the endangered Iris can survive by cutting off its wrist and withstand the vicious poison that the enemy has prepared for a long time and kills with one arrow."
At this moment, the entire Duke's study became completely silent.
There was silence.
Federico remained motionless.
Thales couldn't believe it.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered Grand Inquisitor Brennan's sincere suicide note.
There are several sentences in it that Thales can't understand no matter how he reads them:
[Ever since the verdict was handed down eleven years ago, I knew that this day would come...]
[...Are the so-called justice, morality and law just tools that we use to unite ourselves and gather public support? Their meaning is to deceive the public, to maintain power, and to serve rule. Their value is worse than nothing, and their meaning is unclear and unclear.
?]
[...Where should the boundaries between justice and public interest be? Where should the people who have the authority to interpret them be?]