It's winter, and the morning sun in southern Poitu is still warm, but the wind on the sea is a little cool.

Sean sits in the middle of a small boat in a cloak jacket, and Clark Nelson sits facing him in the bow of the boat with a rifle in his lap, rowing Wayne the fisherman of Vichy Town.

Sean tossed Nelson a cigar and lit one himself. He thought about it for a moment and gave Wayne one as well.

Wayne held the cigar in both hands, put it in front of his nose and sniffed it, he was reluctant to smoke it, smiled embarrassedly, put the cigar in his pocket, and continued rowing.

Sean was invited to the Robinson family as a guest, the future Earl Carl Robinson's 6th birthday.

In fact, Sean's rose garden is by the sea, and the Robinson family's estate is also by the sea, so they are close in a straight line, but the steep ridge of Rocky Mountain jutting out to the sea separates the two families. Since it would take at least 1 hour to hike over Mount Rocky, Sean decided to take a boat.

"Wayne, did I see the tax collector come to town two days ago, how much did your family pay?" asked Sean.

Wayne replied:

"My lord, my family has a small plot of land, and the land tax is paid for two gold louis, and there are seven people in my family, and the poll tax is fifty-six silver louis, and the military service tax is seventy silver louis, and in general, it is one percent less than the original one. This is thanks to our mayor Pierre. ”

Nelson spat out a smoke ring and scolded:

"Old Wayne, you're talking nonsense. This is the credit of our Viscount, and if it weren't for his advice in front of the Governor, you fellows would have been able to save this achievement?

Wayne was surprised and said, "I really don't know!

Sean waved his hand: "It's not your fault. ”

"Rest assured, my lordship, I will make your favor known to all the townspeople. Wayne assured.

The Robinson family's estate is close by sea, and in less than half an hour, you can see Fort Ron's tall buildings in the distance around Rocky Hill.

This is a real castle belonging to the Robinson family, with a rich history and surrounded by several seemingly wealthy villages. The family had always been wealthy, and at one point owned one-third of Poitou's land.

There is a small wharf through which the output from the Robinson family's land is usually sent directly to Poitou by small offshore cargo ships, without having to bypass Rocky Hills.

Butler Miller personally stood on the dock to greet Sean.

"Welcome, Your Excellency Viscount Connery!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Steward Miller. Sean jumped on the trestle, "You seem to look a lot younger." ”

"Is it?" said the Miller butler, who was pleased to hear this, "this is probably the miraculous effect of the tea you have given me, it has given me another kind of enjoyment, I have found it both to relieve greasy and refreshing, and to drink a glass after a meal, it is a refreshing drink, it is an excellent drink." ”

"Haha, of course it's premium. Sean turned around and motioned for Nelson to hand over a porcelain jar, "This is a freshly made tea, enjoy it." ”

"Thank you, Viscount!" Miller happily took it, turning and handing it to the servant behind him.

Steward Miller showed Sean the way, and Fort Rohn stood on a hillside, which was just choked by a major road because of the topography, bordered by the sea to the south, blocked by the Rocky Mountains to the east, bypassing the Rocky Mountains to the north to the hinterland of Genoa and the provincial capital of Poittu, and to the west to the province of Javia.

"The Robinson family has been a military aristocracy from the beginning of its history, was the founding father of the Second Empire, and during the Third and Fourth Empires, there were many generals in the family, but no one served in the army in this dynasty. Butler Miller introduced.

Sean understands this, because when the Fifth Empire was established, the Robinson family was on the opposite side of the royal family, opposing the surrender of the South to the Northern regime, and because of the loss of power, they buried themselves in the output of the land.

But don't underestimate the influence of an old aristocracy, the late Earl Robinson was a member of the aristocratic council during his lifetime, and he also had considerable influence in the political arena.

Now, with the death of Earl Robinson, the family has lost its banner and apparently shrunk, and the Countess has sold her husband's property in the Holy City and returned to her hometown to raise her young son to grow up and make a comeback.

The castle was majestic and tall, but in Sean's opinion, there was something cold, just like the impression that the countess gave him, proud and alone.

There are many people in the garden in front of the castle, all of whom are members of the Robinson family.

The previous count had five brothers and sisters, while the previous generation had six brothers and sisters.

If you were a countess or a housekeeper of Miller, you would be worried about this. Sean thought to himself.

But on the surface, the relationship between the members of this family is very close, and when they meet Sean, they are all polite, and even those women who usually blush when they meet strange women of the same age and the opposite sex at the beginning of their love are also generous, showing the good upbringing of a wealthy family.

The guests invited today, with the exception of Sean, are all members and relatives of the Robinson family.

Only Percy Robinson was lukewarm to Shaun, who noticed that his left hand was wrapped in gauze.

"Why? Did you steal the cook's job and let the kitchen knife cut the palm of your hand?" said Sean with a smile.

"I'm no better than Your Excellency the Viscount, who went down to the kitchen myself. I don't know where my kitchen door opens. Percy Robinson sneered mercilessly.

Regarding Sean's matter, as a neighbor, although there is a big mountain blocking it, he can't resist a gossip heart.

In the face of Posey's sarcasm, Sean shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "No way, I just like this hand." The people live on food. Maybe I'm a chef reincarnated. ”

The visitor was a guest, and Percy did not embarrass Sean and personally led him to the castle.

The countess was named Audrey Cummings before she married, and she was born into a family of former municipal officials, and after marrying into the Robinson family at the age of 16, she became a husband named Audrey Robinson.

She is only 24 years old this year, which is the most touching age, beautiful and mature without losing her youth and beauty.

Today is little Carl's birthday, and she finally changed out of her dull filial piety clothes and put on a brightly colored dress with intricate folds and bows, and a narrow waist that highlights Sean's eyes.

This belonged to the clothing of high-class women, and although the common people had similar styles, they could never afford to buy such a dress.

Percy coughed uncharacteristically, for Sean's gaze was rude. Of course, Percy has seen a lot of this situation, and even his cousin, who often meets with Audrey, is often attracted by his style, let alone outsiders.

"Well, the weather is nice today. Sean came back to his senses.

Audrey smiled lightly:

"Welcome to the Viscount, for you are a lifesaver to the heir of the Robinson family, so I leave to Butler Miller that you must take the time to attend Karl's birthday celebration. ”

"It is my pleasure, ma'am. Sean nodded.

Carl Robinson popped up from behind Audrey, "Viscount, did you bring a present?"

Sean smiled, "Of course!"

Sean clapped his palms, and Nelson walked in with a big dick on his shoulder, changing into his overcoat, and a wooden horse appeared in front of Carl Jr.

This Trojan horse is lifelike, and it is also intimately wrapped in several layers of calfskin, and filled with a kind of flexible hay, which is very soft.

Little Carl rushed over excitedly, and shouted on his horse.

"He looks very mentally and will be physically great in the future. Sean said.

"No, he was sick a lot, and I didn't dare to get him out of my sight every day. Audrey whispered.

"In my opinion, he was just too harshly restrained. The little ones should run around so that they will be in good health. Percy interjected, and then said to Sean, "Viscount, I heard that you are very passionate about fitness, and I don't mean hunting. Is it the same in the military?"

Sean said, "It seems that I belong to the other among the nobles, and Mr. Percy cares about me. ”

"Don't get me wrong, in the south, especially in Genoa, where people have always been conservative and conformist, but the slightest difference is at the centre of conversation. It's like when you say in front of the governor that you want to reduce taxes for civilians. Posey said.

At this time, the housekeeper Miller interjected: "Young Master Percy Tang graduated from the University of the Holy City, and when the Earl was alive, he insisted on his studies while assisting the Earl in taking care of the family's property in the Holy City. ”

Sean asked, "What are you studying at Al-Quds University?"

"Philosophy. "At first I thought it was an all-encompassing science. When I graduated, my dear cousin asked me what I had learned during my years at Quds University, and I replied that I had learned to read words, to be inflammatory, and to be smuggled. My cousin laughed and told me that I hadn't paid my tuition in vain. ”

"Is the secret police too?" Percy's confession made Sean curious, he had a bad impression of him.

"As far as I know, this is a general trend, and we in Genoa are no exception, and it is better to ...... than to block it"

Audrey coughed at the right time, and Percy looked at her with dissatisfaction.

"Posey, why don't you entertain my relatives for me?" said Audrey.

Percy shook his hand and walked out of the living room with a cold snort. Audrey said with a slight apology on her face:

"Viscount, Posey is a bit cynical, please don't be surprised. He is actually a person with a lot of family honor, and he also cares about Carl. My husband also said before his death that Percy was a very talented man, and after the death of the Earl, he helped me to maintain the family business, which was not easy. ”

"No, no, who hasn't been young. Sean said.

This was a common remark in his previous life, and it could also be said to be polite words, but it sounded very strange to Audrey, because Sean himself was not yet 20 years old, and he was not as old as Percy.

The countess was also very young, but in the two years since she lost her husband, she felt that she had suddenly aged a few decades.

There is no shortage of careerists in the ostensibly harmonious family, and there are always people who try to get their hands on the property that belongs to Carl Jr., and even have illusions about the title.

Audrey struggled to maintain it, and she kept her children tightly guarded, for fear that something would go wrong. A strong lady in the eyes of others is actually cautious every step of the way.

Therefore, in front of an outsider like Sean, she shows a strong and cold demeanor.

Her background as the daughter of a city official kept her intellect from being impoverished, and at least she could easily point out errors in the accounting books, giving them a sense of walking on thin ice.

The Robinson family's birthday party was very warm, except for Sean, they were all relatives, and everyone sent their best wishes to the future earl.

At least to Sean, an outsider, it's a close family.