Such a huge country, with only a few officials to handle state affairs? Vernor felt something unusual. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 But from what she observed, Gondor's state affairs were not affected too much. The officials who could enter the royal city every day would leave the palace late at night, and they all looked tired. At that time, Vernor believed that Merendil was really ill, and that he was so sick that he did not even have the energy to deal with state affairs, so he would leave it to the most trusted officials. What makes her suspect that Merandil is not at Gondor at all, it originated from a conversation between two civilians.

It must be said that under the teachings of Essidor and Medi Jones, Merendil was a king who loved his people deeply. This is evident in the conversation between the two commoners who are concerned about the king's health. When they were once again moved by the king's affection, and exchanged the scene of meeting the king, Vernor, who had been listening quietly, interjected curiously.

"For all this time, I went to the statue of Rosalind every night to pay my respects? Still crying silently many times? Such an affectionate king is really inspiring. Opening the way with the language of praise, Vernor inserted their conversation lightly. She pretended not to know anything, and asked cautiously: "The last queen Rosalind was the king's mother, right?" ”

"If the previous queen was the mother of our majesty, it would not be touching." A commoner bowed in the direction of the royal city and said with great respect: "Empress Rosalind is our Majesty's aunt. ”

"But why didn't the mourning start after the death of the queen, but only recently?" Vernorr accosted him with a slight apprehension. The question, which contained questioning information, drew the eyes of the two civilians.

One civilian reproached, "What do you know. There are so many things in the country, maybe there was no time before? Speaking of which, do you remember when it started? ”

Another civilian thought for a moment and said affirmatively, "I remember it very well. The officials who had followed the future Emperor to Rivendell had returned, and His Majesty had personally greeted him at the gate of the palace. It was only on that day that I saw His Majesty's true face. In the evening, the palace guards would fence off the statue of the queen after evening, so that Her Majesty, dressed in white, could pay his respects under the statue. His Majesty has been sick for the past few days, so he has not gone. It's a pity that the royal cemetery is in Arnoor, and there are only statues to worship here in Gondor......"

The latter words were not heard by Vernor at all. She was completely immersed in her thoughts. The officials returning from Rivendell must have brought some news that made Merandiel feel guilty about Rosalind, leading to nightly mourning. The news from Rivendell, except for Helana's statement of "taking away the honor of Empress Rosalind", there is no other news related to the deceased human queen. In other words, Melandiel's pressure was not just that he would face expulsion after returning Gondor's real power, but that he was not satisfied with Helana's remarks about trying to take away the queen's honor? Under double pressure, Merandiel either resigned himself or fought back.

Vernorr stood up and hurried in the direction of the palace. She exchanged all the jewels on her body for a reply from the attendant of the wine cellar in the inner palace: "Your Majesty has not asked for alcohol in the past few days, maybe you are planning to quit drinking." It seems that you want to sell the best wine to your Majesty's business, and it will be difficult to succeed. ”

Sighing in frustration, Vernor's steps seemed heavier, but his mind was spinning rapidly. Human royalty has always thought that they all have the habit of drinking, and Merendil is no different. Although the Denden Royals drink less alcohol per day than the Wood Elves, they have never heard of them stopping drinking when they are sick, and at most reducing the amount they use. So did Merendil really get sick and stop drinking, or was she not in the palace at all? Where would he go if he wasn't at the palace, and how could Thranduil get in touch with her?

A few days later, she found the answer in Thrandil's reply.

The letter states that Feige, the son of Merandiel's nurse, leads the group into the Woodland Kingdom, and offers terms of trade that are very tempting and will definitely convey to the king. And Thranduil also stated his attitude in the letter - pretending to ignore it, arousing the other party's eagerness, so as to better hide in the shadows and control the overall situation.

After reading the letter, Vernor first shouted hello to the elven king's pretended to ignore it, and let Vernor, who had mastered part of the situation in the city of Gondor, discover a bigger secret. The secret is this: Merandiel is not in Gondor, and he is most likely in the Woodland Kingdom! Otherwise, how could Feige, who was employed by Long River, leave behind the joint defense line and stay in the woodland for so long? The reason for this must have been given instructions from someone who seemed to him to be more important.

Take 10,000 steps back and say, where did a mercenary leader who grew up under strict military orders have the courage to decide the right to purchase timber for the entire kingdom? Even if he grew up with Merendil as a child, he did have such a great influence. Then he should understand that those who hold military power are deeply feared by the king, and must not make decisions on behalf of the king. There is only one reason that can explain Feige's unreasonable behavior - King Melandil of Gondor is by Feige's side. Whether it was to bring people into the woodlands or to get rid of the timber trade, it was Merandiel's decision.

That night, Vernore set out for his return to the woodland. When she met the Elven Queen, the first thing she said was, "Have you never seen Feiqi?" Thrandil, you've done a fantastic job! ”

The Elven King, who had been wandering by Vernor's side since the meeting, finally found an opportunity to dismiss all his attendants, and hurriedly restrained his happy expression, and waved his hand in a deep manner. As soon as the attendant left, he lay directly on the desk, and tried his best to stretch his neck closer to the other party.

"But I think it's almost time for the Dandens to wait. has already told the officials to release their words that they will go to the anniversary banquet held by the mayor of Changhe Town for his son. ”

"There's no better place to meet than in Long River. It seems that we have to send a few retinues to Changhe Town to arrange it first. Ask the mayor to prepare a room closest to the banquet in advance. It should also be absolutely secretive and not easy to attract attention. Tilting his head and smiling at Thranduil, Vernorr blinked and said, "After all, Merendil is the King of Gondor, and many of the Denden mercenaries over there in Long River Town should be able to recognize him." ”

The Elven King, who was well versed in the trivialities of state affairs, was a little unconvinced: "Gondor is not much smaller than the woodland, and the state affairs must be very busy. Will Melendil be so anxious to leave his state affairs behind and come to Long River to interview me? ”