At this time, a court attendant came to report that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had arrived.

When the Emperor and Count Koval arrived at a luxurious restaurant, the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer were talking to the Second Prince.

"Your Majesty...... Here!"

Prime Minister Cuarón is a tall man, while Chancellor of the Exchequer Nehwal is a chubby, quick-eyed man. These two people are the right and left henchmen of His Majesty the Emperor, and they are also the two most powerful people in the empire besides the Emperor.

As for the second prince Philip, he was just engaged and was the daughter of a duke. In the past two years, he has grown a beard, which has made him look a lot more mature.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer both boasted at Count Koval as if they didn't want money, and they had never looked at the latter before.

The two ministers could not have imagined that the 1/20th tax they had been trying to collect would be done by the Genoese. Don't say that they are the best ministers, even His Majesty the Emperor doesn't want to think about collecting taxes that can be collected, around 1/20 tax over the years, I don't know how many ministers have been ousted from power, and I don't know how many wars of words and political attacks have occurred.

But now, the Genoese have opened a gap, how can this not please the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Under the glittering crystal lamps is a luxurious rectangular table covered with exquisite tablecloths, and the court servants provide extremely high-quality and delicate service, even the posture in which they serve food and pour wine.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer were very talkative, and His Royal Highness Philip had interjected a sentence or two, and the Emperor was now reverting to his usual ways, but not pretending to be deep.

By contrast, Count Koval suddenly felt that he could not fit in, even if the Prime Minister was only talking about small things that had nothing to do with government affairs and finances. As if sensing the change in Count Coval's mood, His Royal Highness Philip suddenly asked:

"Earl, what has Viscount Sean-Connelly been up to lately?"

This confirmed what Count Koval had always suspected, and that the fellow he did not know was to be taken lightly.

"Your Highness, I have heard that Viscount Connelly has invested in the construction of a shipyard. Count Koval said.

"Oh, it's an ironclad ship with a steam engine, right? I've read it in the newspapers, and it's probably the first in the world. Philip was so excited that he danced with his knife and fork, "Sorry, Earl, this is a remarkable scientific advance, and as Honorary President of the Royal Society of Science, I am honored to see Viscount Connery's breakthrough." ”

"I'm honored and proud of it. Count Koval said this, but in his heart he was not impressed.

For he learned from his wife's letter that it was only a small boat, and in his wife's description it was an iron-hulled boat that would capsize in a slightly stronger storm.

The conversation between the second prince and the Count of Koval successfully attracted the attention of the two ministers. Chancellor of the Exchequer Newal said:

"I heard that rich iron and coal deposits had been discovered in the northern part of Genoa, and that apart from Viscount Connery, the Koval family had obtained the most mining rights. It's a good investment, but ......"

The implication is that this investment was born at the wrong time. Count Koval was convinced that those deposits had now become a nuisance, and although they did not drag the family along, they had seriously affected the family's financial situation.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel angry at his wife's "willfulness", and then turned his anger on Sean, but he would never tell the top people of the empire present what role Sean played in the major event of establishing the 1/20 tax as a universal tax.

"Well, it's a bit tricky, my family mistakenly followed Viscount Connery's propaganda and thought it was a great investment, and now it's a problem. The interest paid back to the bank every year alone is a huge amount. Count Koval complained as he gave a little eye medicine to those present.

"It's really young. I've heard of this young man, and if I'm not mistaken, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did a lot of credit when he put down the rebellion last year?" the prime minister asked.

"It's a real achievement. The second prince said. He quietly looked at his father, and sure enough, His Majesty the Emperor's face was a little unpleasant—because he had recently quarreled with his eldest son.

The emperor threw down the utensils and said to his second son, "Philip, I still have political affairs to take care of, and treat my guests well for me." ”

"Lost company, everyone. The Emperor nodded to the three guests and left the dining room with a blank face.

The Earl of Koval was a little dazed, while the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer sat in their seats, continuing to enjoy the palace cuisine.

"Prime Minister, why do you have to mention my brother?" said the second prince dissatisfied.

"Your Highness, has your brother's name become a forbidden word?" the Prime Minister took a big sip as he raised his glass, "Actually, I don't like the Crown Prince either, but no one can erase his credit, right?"

"The tension between the crown prince and His Majesty is not a blessing for the Empire. The Chancellor of the Exchequer also said, "I have heard that the northern Xinjiang has been unstable recently, and it is not impossible to send the crown prince there, but it will inevitably cause people to think." ”

This kind of thing is very sensitive, especially for the second prince. He had to deliberately change the subject, especially with the presence of Count Coval, because anything that was said in the palace would soon be out of shape and unrecognizable.

"If the Earl returns to his hometown while the Council of Nobles is on leave, please greet Viscount Connelly on my behalf. The second prince said.

"Definitely, definitely. Koval was still thinking about the episode that had happened, and he was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

The second prince said: "Actually, I admire Viscount Connelly, he has a rich personal experience, he was born as an adopted son, he has been on the battlefield, and he is lucky to become a nobleman, and he is quite economically minded, and his life experience is a history of struggle." ”

The second prince had a high opinion of Sean, which made Count Koval both shocked and envious, and secretly decided not to deliberately make an enemy of Sean.

"Is he engaged? I think that a nobleman of such young and rich and very courageous rank must be very popular with the girls of the south in Genoa!" The second prince asked again.

"That might disappoint Your Highness. I heard he was courting a widow. Count Koval nodded quietly, he wasn't lying, anyway.

"It must have been a very rich widow. The Chancellor of the Exchequer joked, "My Earl, you know, that such widows are most popular in Holy City or Gyeonggi, and the older they get, the more popular they are." ”

"Why do you get older and more popular?" asked Count Koval deliberately.

"For once the suitor has succeeded, he can count the days and send his old wife to the end, without delaying in marrying another young and beautiful and noble one, especially after he has inherited his wife's property." Haha!" replied the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer drank a little too much and laughed uncontrollably.

Count Koval suddenly felt a little bored.

Looking at His Royal Highness the Second Prince, he was staring at the wine glass full of wine in front of him, not knowing what he was thinking.