In the afternoon Flowing Water Garden, the trees are lush and green, and the sunlight shines through the leaves, leaving specks on both sides of the road. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThere is a heat in the air, and July is coming.

"Recently, there was a letter from the school city, and the scholars observed the night sky and stars, and reached a consensus that this year's summer will be longer than before, maybe up to 6 months. Winston Groom, a college scholar, had thinning hair, and he wore a light robe with a collar around his neck, and as he walked, the pieces of iron on the necklace clanged.

"Impossible, it's still so hot in December?" Sebastian bit his head, "It doesn't make sense." ”

"Ever since there were magicians in the Empire, I've questioned common sense. Winston sighed, "There is no common sense, and there have been many of them in recent years." ”

Sebastian saw bees fluttering on a patch of blue, purple delphinium.

"You have something to say, scholar, you have something to say. Sebastian soothed the petals of a delphinium, the blue petals were in the shape of a five-star, and the petals were soft.

The scholar coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty the Regent, do you know why I am in the King's Tower Hall saying that Governor Olaf is shaking the foundations of the empire?"

"Governor Olaf has convinced everyone, including you, to be speechless at the time. Sebastian frowned, he wanted to end the topic, his tone was slightly cold.

The scholar shook his head: "There are some things that I can't say in the long hall. Your Majesty the Regent, remember the last time we had a separate conversation, on the long steps of the King's Tower, when His Majesty the Former Emperor roared to increase the budget for the Imperial Celebration. ”

Sebastian vaguely remembers that it was April, when Krauser Wiggins was devastated by quadrupling his budget. He pursed his lips and asked, "You mean I wronged Krauser and Walzer?"

"Don't dare. Your Majesty, the imperial budget and embezzlement, these are two different things. The scholar touched the necklace, "Even if the budget is quadrupled, it doesn't mean that the amount of work will increase, I understand." ”

Sebastian looked at the scholar in slight surprise. Winston, who was often unsteady on his feet in the Great Hall and often dozed off and drooled in the Imperial Council, was now clear-headed and logical. He's pretending to be confused.

The scholar walked past a field of delphinium, and the branches of the delphinium swayed and sprinkled some petals. He said, "Do you remember the prophecy of the prophets?"

"Contrary to common sense, I am impressed. Sebastian thought of the prophecy, and his heart slipped through his uneasiness, but it felt untrue.

"When the sun rises in the west, the sea in the south goes against the current, and when the moon sets in the east, the wind blows down the snow. The empire is a hundred years old and will never be returned. The scholar muttered, "I don't know when, this prophecy spread in Thundercastle. ”

Sebastian heard a little about this, and when the Suluz Canal flooded the slums, some of the rescued poor people were saying that the emperor had died, and even the heavens wept, and the canal poured out, which was a bad omen.

Sebastian walked to the gazebo in the garden, where the attendant had already placed lemon juice and melon fruits. He sat down, waved his attendant away, and said, "I do hear the children in the streets singing, and they only think that the prophecy is a rhyming ballad, and they dare not sing the last verse. ”

"The Sunset Province is in the east of the empire, and since the sun sets in the east, of course the sun rises in the west. Since the prophet's prophecy contains anomalies in natural phenomena, we might as well interpret it the other way around. The scholar narrowed his eyes, peeled off the peach, and took a bite, the juice of the peach running down his beard.

Sebastian looked more and more impressed with the scholar, looking slightly trembling, but speaking in a coherent manner.

Then the first sentence of the prophecy actually speaks of the setting sun rising in the east. Your Majesty the Regent, you should understand now, right?" the scholar blinked, "Governor Olaf is spawning a new threat. ”

Sebastian put the cup on the table heavily, and the lemon juice shook out and spilled onto his cuffs: "Ridiculous! far-fetched! He was so angry that the old man Rory rambled, but at last he gave a reasonless reason.

"Your Majesty the Regent......"

"You don't have to say it. If I call the province of Gasgarnik the province of Sunset, do you mean that Moody Bayer is going to rebel?" Sebastian sneered, his tone full of disdain, "You are a scholar, not an illiterate poor man in the ghetto, nor a naïve child. ”

The scholar lowered his head, as if he had done something wrong, and fell silent. He licked his lips, and the peach juice left marks on his clothes.

"What else do you want to say besides this nonsense?" Sebastian broke the silence, "like this open election of the members of the Imperial Council?"

The scholar raised his head and smiled wryly: "With all due respect, Your Majesty, you shouldn't have done that. ”

"The members of the Imperial Council of the first emperor were selected from among the founding heroes, and they followed the first emperor to fight in the north and south, and stood out from the crowd. Sebastian pushed aside the plum and stuffed it into his mouth, "Since the members of the Imperial Council are not hereditary, why don't I choose among the Imperial talents?"

The scholar shook his head, and he took out a stone tablet on his necklace: "This stone tablet marks that I have passed the imperial history exam and achieved excellent results." I can assure you that I have researched the history of the empire thoroughly. ”

"Oh, what have you worked out?" Sebastian smiled, shaking the lemon juice in his glass.

"The history of empire is a song of blood and fire, which will never stop. The struggle for power is the theme of the song. The scholar used a number of figurative sentences, and it was heard that he was also accomplished in rhetoric, "The empire is from top to bottom, forming a pyramid, His Majesty the Emperor is at the top of the pyramid, and the prime minister, the imperial council, and officials at all levels constitute each layer of the pyramid, and the lower each layer, the greater the number of people, and the people at the bottom." ”

"I understand. Sebastian nodded, "In my opinion, the stones used to build the pyramids happen to be selected from millions of stones, and the top layers of stones are the most finely polished and exquisitely carved, and the same is true for the talents of the Empire. ”

The scholar smiled, his teeth scarce, and peach skins still remained in the hollow gums. He said, "Your Majesty the Lord Regent is an architect, think about it, what is the key to building the pyramids? From the bottom to the top, the forces are always balanced, so that the stones do not fall and the pyramids do not collapse. The vacant seats of the members of the Imperial Council are not only bricks, but also bargaining chips to balance the forces of all parties. ”

Sebastian lifted his chin and motioned for the scholar to continue.

"The first emperor had to select those founding ministers to enter the imperial council, because some of them had rich fiefs, some were strong and strong, and some were indeed extraordinary. The scholar explained, "This has been the case with emperors throughout the ages. Except for Emperor Peter Rudolph. ”

The emperor who kills relatives and kings. Even the royal family did not want to mention him. Sebastian did not understand why the scholar mentioned Emperor Peter.

"Emperor Judit Rudolf, known as a tyrant, slaughtered countless people, including children who stole a piece of bread. Anyone can report someone, as long as you have the slightest problem with someone, maybe in the blink of an eye, the other person will report you on ridiculous charges. Later, even the church did not bother to judge, and even the bishop was afraid of bearing the sin of cover-up. Sebastian's words sent shivers down the spine.

"The tyrant consolidated his power, but the pyramid was so unstable that even the prince Peter Rudolph could not stand it and slashed him with a knife. "Even so, he still used the seat of the Imperial Council as a bargaining chip to balance the forces of all parties, although some unlucky people sat in the Chancellor of the Exchequer during the day, and in the afternoon they were reported and guillotined." ”

"Relying on the trap of others to ascend to the top is honorless and unpitiful. "In a sense, Emperor Peter saved the empire and saved the people. ”

"Emperor Judit went to extremes in order to consolidate his power, but Emperor Peter went to the other extreme. "He allowed the Church to spread the faith of the Seven Gods and form the Knights Templar and Templar to help suppress the riots. The decentralization of power led to the imperial family being constrained by the Church at every turn, and it was not until Emperor Nicklaus suppressed the Church and forced the Church to abandon its arms that the imperial power was truly consolidated. To maintain the balance of power, don't go to extremes. ”

"I didn't go to extremes, I was sober. Sebastian huffed, "I just want more talented and well-behaved people to come to the Imperial Council." ”

"Because of the massacre, the court lacked talents, and Emperor Peter, as you think, openly campaigned and recruited talents. The result?" the scholar turned his head to look at Sebastian and smiled mysteriously.

"You're old, don't put on that disgusting smile. "Sebastian somehow learned Olaf Kruger's poisonous tongue," he said. ”

"A few are too capable to threaten his rule, and a few go in by nepotism and do nothing. The scholar put the peach pit on the table, "Now that the times are peaceful and prosperous, I advise His Majesty the Regent to withdraw his order." Two royal seats and a governorship are chosen from among the noble families of each province, and as long as they are satisfied, they will be able to govern their territory with peace of mind, and the bottom of the empire's pyramid can be secured. ”

"No, a change in the order will only weaken my prestige. Sebastian patted the table lightly: "This issue doesn't need to be discussed. It is gold that always shines, like the captain of the knights of the imperial guard of Emperor Peter, the 'majestic' Auerbach from the blacksmith's shop in Bromburg, the son of the blacksmith. ”

Sebastian motioned for the bachelor who wanted to say goodbye to continue sitting, and changed the subject: "I am more concerned about the condition of the eldest prince. ”

The scholar sighed deeply: "The eldest prince has been in a coma for more than a month, and there is no sign of waking up. ”

"This is the most important thing in the Empire, you have to write to the Academy, and ask the most skilled medical scholars to come, and you can also write to the church, and the clergy of the church may have a way. Sebastian subconsciously clenched his fists, "The whole empire is full of talents, you bring them all." ”

The scholar shook his head, his brow furrowed, "I remember saying that when it comes to herbalism, the Schultz commissioner of the Magic Council is unsurpassed in the Empire. ”

"Then why haven't you been looking for him for more than a month?" Sebastian yelled angrily, "Get me! Ask for someone from the Council of Magic! If you need permission from the military department, I'll ask for someone from Ludwig!"

"You don't know?" said the scholar's eyes filled with confusion, "Schultz died more than a month ago. On the white tower of Pulsatilla Mountain, the bodies of him and his apprentice were found, and the letter from the Wolf Warrior Team was belated, asserting that he had killed him. I thought Commander Ludwig had reported to you. ”

"No!" Sebastian slammed his fist on the table, the plates shook, and the small tomatoes on it tumbled to the ground.

He was so angry that his lungs were about to explode, and Ludwig had been hiding the investigation into the killing of the mage in Misty Hollow, and now he was even hiding the killing of the members of the Magic Council. Damn Bill Newton, aren't you called the chief of intelligence? Why not?

"There must be a way to treat the Great Prince!, what are the schools and the Magic Council for?" Sebastian glared at the scholar.

"Yes, yes, it's just too risky. Schultz once used a recipe to revive Terrence Howard, one of the Ten Saints who was wounded. But he claimed that the recipe was dangerous and should not be tried lightly. The scholar trembled slightly, "I don't dare ......."

"You have to try, no matter what the cost, you have to succeed!" Sebastian almost overturned the marble table, and the scholar dragged on for more than a month, but he concealed the hope of saving the eldest prince for fear of responsibility.

Either they are embezzlers, or they are afraid of responsibility, or they are deceived and deceitful. Sooner or later, I'll replace all of them. Sebastian swore secretly. When the eldest prince wakes up, I will give him a strong lineup of the Imperial Council.