Dada!

Dada!

A column of knights in black armor and black helmets appeared in front of people, and most of the three hundred horsemen stopped at the bottom of the slope, but although they galloped to the front of the door, although they were only thirty horsemen, they ran out of the momentum that hundreds of horsemen could not run.

The blood under the armor of the black-armored knight made the horses under the crotch of the hunting party neigh uneasily and panicked, and the knight immediately pulled the horse's reins and scolded uneasily, reflecting the solemn and high-spirited black-armored knight when he walked into the camp gate.

Everyone looked at the pair of black-armored knights who slowly entered, and the audience was silent, and many people felt a different atmosphere.

The emperor stood in front of the throne on the high platform, looking at the black-armored knight who was the leader, a complicated light flashed in his eyes, and the black-armored knight was also raising his head, and the eyes of father and son instantly collided together.

Odin raised his hand, the twenty-nine horsemen behind him stopped in the open space not far from the door, he took off his helmet, revealing his true face, the onlookers came back to their senses and let out bursts of cheers, the black horse trotted to the high platform, Odin pulled the reins and kicked off the horse, holding the helmet and landing on one knee:

"Odin is late for his return, and he failed to catch up with the engagement ceremony of his two sisters, so he asks his father to forgive him for his sins - the southern front won a great victory a few days ago, and the southern army broke through the barbarian territory in one fell swoop and captured the leader, and Odin is willing to use this merit as an engagement gift for his two sisters!"

"Great victory!? So the war on the Southern Front is over! ”

The bystanders were stunned for a while, and most of them were stunned, thinking that they understood the truth: "I see, no wonder His Majesty will urgently summon His Highness back, although it is a step slower." But the news came at the right time, and there was no better gift than a great victory to congratulate the two princesses on their engagement! ”

I don't know who started, and the whole hunting ground burst into joy: "Hooray! - Great victory! ”

Without waiting for the emperor's signal, Odin held the long sword at his waist and pulled it out suddenly. The sharp sword light swept in front of him, stood up, slammed into the sky, and shouted:

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Merlin! ”

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Merlin! Twenty-nine black-armored knights raised their swords and shouted.

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Merlin! ”

The crowd around paused. Screaming and shouting with all their might, countless people stood up and rushed to the edge of the platform, waving their fists and colored silk handkerchiefs, and the whole scene surged like boiling water.

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Merlin! ”

The audience shouted in unison, the earth seemed to shake, and after a few times, the crowd's cry was changed to:

"Long live His Highness Odin! Long live Her Royal Highness Victoria! Long live Her Royal Highness Elizabeth! ”

"Long live His Highness Odin! Long live Her Royal Highness Victoria! Long live Her Royal Highness Elizabeth! ……”

"Long live Your Highness", mixed with many cheers, made Count Jerfa look stunned. Frightened, he quietly looked at the emperor's expression. But he saw that the emperor's face was not different. Standing on a high platform with his head held high, his face red and his scepter on his crutche.

"It's worthy of His Majesty!"

How could Count Jefa not see the momentum caused by Odin's return, and the intention to take the lead. But the emperor was as calm as usual, as if he had expected it. Count Jefa instantly settled down, and took advantage of the fact that his voice was a little lower, and hurriedly stepped down to invite Odin to come up.

The emperor on the high platform was like every time he welcomed Odin back from a victorious battle, and even those who knew the father and son best could not see any clues from it.

Lancet stood beside Elizabeth, staring at the father and son, his face was as excited and happy as the cheering crowd next to him, his face was slightly tilted towards Elizabeth, and his lips moved slightly: "When did Your Majesty summon His Highness Odin back?" And this great victory, there is no wind at all beforehand! ”

"I don't know, my father didn't tell us about it, maybe he wanted to surprise us!"

Elizabeth's smile was a little reluctant, as a princess, she was not unaware of the abnormal atmosphere between her parents, the queen mother was very silent about it, and the court ladies and maids were silent about the recent situation of their parents, which made Elizabeth sensitive to the strictness of the matter.

While speaking, Byron and Douglas, who had left before, returned to the high platform at some point, Byron looked as usual, Douglas was a little surprised when he saw Odin appear, and his smile seemed unnatural.

Several siblings hugged each other, looking enthusiastic about reuniting after a long absence.

"Second brother, you, you are so deeply hidden!"

Byron heard Odin's whisper, his smile remained unchanged, his pupils shrunk, and Odin noticed his emerald green eyes with pale silver, the cold light in his eyes decreased slightly, and let go of him.

Byron took two steps back, his heart was slightly relieved, and he felt that the pressure had decreased slightly, but his thoughts were still solemn, knowing that after Lop Nur and his party, Odin already knew about the turquoise mine, plus the things he and Lin An sent back after this exploration, Odin had already made a note of him in his heart.

But with Lin An's prior prompt and her last piece of advice, Byron realized that Lin An's admonition was coming true little by little.

"Big brother, when did you come back, but it scared us, my father just ordered us to meet you, it seems that we just missed it, and we were not the first to see our victorious return!"

Douglas didn't know Odin's whisper, and when Odin let go of Byron, he took the initiative to step forward, hugged him hard, and said happily, as if he was very happy to see Odin back.

Odin smiled and patted him, and said a few words, completing the scene of the brother's reunion in the eyes of others, and the servant added a seat between Byron's heads, and the three brothers returned to their seats.

The hunting party continued to enter the arena one after another, but Odin's return and the news of his victory on the southern front had taken all the attention of the audience.

Although he sat quietly in his previous position, the audience still talked excitedly, and from time to time turned their eyes in his direction, and even the hunting party, which had received a huge reward from the emperor, did not forget to salute Odin after being praised by the emperor.

In the middle of the way, there was even a knight who usually had great respect for Odin's martial arts, and after receiving the emperor's reward, he knelt down on the spot and asked to join the royal guard, as long as he could go to the battlefield, even if he was willing to start as a servant who led a horse and wiped his sword!

In the end, Odin asked his guards to test his strength, and personally agreed to include him in the guards. It made the knight's face glow red with excitement, and he almost fell off his horse as he went out.

After that, more than a dozen knights followed suit, and after Odin tested the guards one by one, only one knight was selected into his guard again. But others were also included in the Guards.

The scene was full of excitement and the atmosphere was very warm.

If it weren't for the fact that there were still many nobles who were calm and wanted to see the situation, they suppressed the younger generations in the family who were eager to try. I'm afraid that there will be many young nobles who can't resist the temptation and will jump out to petition to join the Royal Guard!

"What is Your Highness doing? Could it be that you have just returned from victory and have forgotten for a while? Command the people below to let them be cold! Some of the ministers who were relied on by the emperor frowned and gave orders to the younger generations of their own family.

After requesting to join the Royal Guard, the knights of the hunting party who entered the field jumped out and petitioned to join the Royal Guard, the Praetorian Guard, the Southern Legion, and the Northern Front, especially the Northern Front, where the war was in full swing.

Only then did people remember that compared with the southern front, where the war had ended, the northern front, where the fierce fighting was fierce, was the place where the real conquest was made. In the atmosphere of a great victory on the Southern Front. There were also more and more knights petitioning the Northern Front. Finally, the light of the royal guard who had petitioned Odin in the first place was obscured.

When the important ministers near the high platform saw this scene, they were satisfied, even Count Jefa. I also secretly felt relieved.

Odin was the next successor in the eyes of most people, and the Royal Guard served as his descendant after he ascended the throne. It will only go further, and many nobles naturally want the younger generations of their families to be closer to the next emperor, which is human nature.

But today Odin has taken away too much brilliance, too much noise will make the emperor suspicious, as an important pillar to maintain the rule of Merlin's huge empire, these important ministers after faintly aware of the emperor's suspicion of Odin, these important ministers do not want the rift between the father and son to further widen, so that they are put on the stage, making Merlin unstable.

However, after perceiving the changes before and after, Lenster, who was sitting next to Elizabeth, had a slightly condensed face, and looked up at Odin, who seemed to be temporarily forgotten after the limelight was overshadowed.

He leaned on his back with a smile, looked at the audience with an indifferent smile on his cold face, and was not moved by the changes before and after the scene, but his smile was deeper, and he applauded the wonderful competition off the field from time to time.

The emperor's movements sitting on the throne in the middle are very similar to Odin's, and even the frequency of applause is the same, and I have to admit that Odin is indeed recognized as the most similar son to the emperor.

It's just that Randster sat on a high platform, closer to the emperor than those important ministers, and if you pay close attention, you will find that when the petitioners of the royal guard appeared enthusiastically, the emperor still did not react, but when the petitioners who joined the other legions in the audience appeared enthusiastically, the emperor's face was slightly difficult to see, and the green tendons on the back of the hand holding the scepter appeared from time to time.

Lancet sighed, glanced at Odin, and said in his heart, "Sure enough, it's not good. ”

The same ruler of a country, in a certain way, Lenster is more able to guess some of the emperor's mentality than those important ministers who have been with the emperor for decades:

From the point of view of the emperor's position, no matter how many people petitioned Odin before, it was not terrible, and the position of those people was inclined to Odin, whether they jumped out or not, their position was there, even if they jumped enthusiastically, except for the momentary hustle and bustle, in fact, the impact on the emperor's rule was minimal;

But the gestures and arrangements of those important ministers seem to be loyal to the emperor, but a certain kind of Cheng dù does not show their mentality at this time-

They feared that Odin's limelight would overshadow the emperor;

They had already felt the old age of the Emperor and the oppression brought about by Odin, the young son;

They were afraid that the emperor's father and son would cause turmoil;

Their move to make up for it is to consolidate the position of the emperor, but why not make up for Odin's mistakes and omissions, consolidate Odin's position, and hope that the succession to the throne can be completed smoothly?

And who are these important ministers?

They are the courtiers of the emperor, the pillar of the maintenance of the rule, the extension of the emperor's ruling power, they are the emperor, the emperor, the people!

These important ministers who are relied on by the emperor are not disloyal to the emperor, but if the time is pushed forward by ten years, do these important ministers need to worry about Odin overshadowing the emperor, and will they worry about the political turmoil caused by the decline of their sons and fathers?

- If ten years ago, the Emperor had hinted at Odin's displeasure with a particular courtier, the courtiers would not have hesitated. Absolutely will immediately and quietly set out to weaken Odin's power and rip him from the position of first heir!

From the perspective of a ruler, even if it is only a small misalignment, the important ministers who rely on themselves as the cornerstone of their siblings deviate from their own pace. The blow brought by this earth-shattering cheer in front of him and even a hundred knights joining Odin's command could not be compared, which meant that the influence of the next successor to the throne had even penetrated into the core of the cornerstone of his rule. began to shake his throne -

This is something that no ruler can tolerate!

From the perspective of a ruler, it was as if Odin was slapping the emperor in the face with an invisible slap!

If it was because of Lin An's reminder before leaving, Lancet felt the signs of the coming storm, then when he saw today's scene, he suddenly realized that he had unknowingly had unknowingly played a chess game of the royal family about the succession to the throne. It is almost time to see the poor dagger!

Just when Lancet's mind was uncertain. A burst of laughter came from the side. Odin, who had not risen after taking his seat, stood up and strode down the high platform to meet a man.

Lancet only to find out that Charles had returned at some point. Everyone in the hunting ground noticed the "reunion" of the two brothers after a long absence, and their expressions were also a little strange. Especially the important ministers who knew the news of the death of the mother and daughter of the eldest princess, saw this scene and felt even more shocked:

The assassination at the Autumn Festival ball, where Odin lost a son and a daughter, and thus indirectly led to the premature birth of the princess and the death of the mother and daughter shortly after giving birth;

At present, it seems that the assassination has nothing to do with His Royal Highness Charles, but the biggest beneficiary of Odin's successive deaths is Charles, which is beyond doubt, not to mention that in the experience of these old foxes, there are many things that are not documented, and many things do not need any evidence.

At the moment, His Royal Highness Odin has just returned from the front line, and he may not know what is going on at home, but in the eyes of others, the reunion of the two brothers has a subtle sense of irony, and even those who did not suspect Charles before feel a little strange to look at Charles.

The two brothers came to the stage with a smile, but they did not return to their seats directly, and when they came to the vicinity below the emperor, everyone knew what the two of them were going to say to the emperor, and they could finally openly look away and focus on the high platform in the middle.

"Father, I came back from the front quickly, and I didn't bring any gifts for my sister, and the military merits were given to Victoria and Elizabeth, but according to our Merlin tradition, sisters are engaged, and as brothers, they should need the best pairs of stags!"

"Oh? So what do you have to build yì? The emperor had already guessed his next words, touched the golden lion head of the scepter, and asked lightly with a smile.

"The last two days of the winter hunt are the best opportunities, how can you miss it!" Odin said.

"Oh, Charles, you think so too?" The emperor asked.

"Big brother's construction is very good, I also want to move, it just so happened that Via also said that he wanted a white bear skin to make a cloak." Charles smiled as usual, but his smile was a little cloudy because of the pale blue color under his eyes.

"Big brother and Charles have discussed it, and I have no opinion." Byron stood up and said.

"Of course, I can't be missing!" Douglas looked like he was participating in the grand event, and added, "It's a pity that Yokjaran is not here, Elizabeth, don't forget to ask him for a gift when you go back!" ”

Elizabeth pursed her lips and smiled, and took Lanster's hand tightly, and Victoria and Ludwig stood up, smiling faintly reserved, and looking at Charles, who gave her no afterglow.

The emperor sat in the throne, and the throne that was slightly shorter with him was empty, and the emperor looked at the children under him, the scepter paused slightly, and his eyes fell on Odin, and the two fathers and sons looked at each other for a moment, and the emperor slowly spoke:

"Okay, since you brothers want to do the event, of course I'll allow it! …… Go back and get ready! ”

"Yes, Father!" Several princes responded one after another, the corners of Odin's mouth hooked slightly, and the smile disappeared in a flash.

Lancet looked at the communication between the father and son, and narrowed his eyes: "So aggressive, Odin, what do you want to do?" Don't...... Is he sure of victory? ”

He thought, his expression frozen, and he pondered, "If I were him, why would I do this?" ……”

***

The kitchen is a well-informed place, and when Odin returns and his brothers are going to participate in the hunt the next day, Lin An knows about it that night.

Late at night. A figure quietly walked out of the servant's room and entered a forest not far away, where Lin An's figure was already waiting.

"Luckily, there are woods everywhere near the hunting grounds, otherwise it would have been troublesome for us to meet and talk." Saleen Road.

Nights are the peak of surveillance. Maybe the figure he slipped out just now was imprinted in that crystal ball, but as long as there were no spells or fluctuations in fighting qi, they would not be taken seriously by the ** master who was watching, after all, the destructive power of ordinary people was limited.

This is also why Lin An and Salin chose to impersonate themselves and sneak in. Rather than a temporary infiltration, at such a moment, any slight spell fluctuation could provoke the Emperor's sensitive nerves, especially if the Emperor himself was preparing for a bloody battle.

At this time, Lin An, who can use the power of nature, has the role of a surprise soldier.

"He's back."

"It's hard work!" Saleen asked calmly, knowing that Lin An had access to the food given to Odin.

Saleen knew the feeling of having to endure when he wanted to put the man to death, when he was still in the Mage Tower. In the teacher's genius grandson George dangled in front of him was. He wanted to break the poor little neck of the other party directly for the umpteenth time—of course. In the end, he succeeded.

"Patience, the longer you endure, the sweeter the final harvest will be!" Saleen reassured. "For you now." There are better options, just death, too cheap for him. At the last sentence, his face was pale.

Lin An lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, didn't speak, only smiled: Saleen is sometimes like a devil, always able to see the dark side of people's hearts, which is why she chose to come in with him instead of others.

"Odin will not be recalled by the emperor on his own initiative, it seems that this time the emperor is a bad move-I didn't expect it to be guessed by you, and it turned out that the thirty percent outside the seventy percent may become a reality." Lin An opened his mouth and said.

"Odin was able to force the Emperor to acquiesce in his return, but he only saw that the Emperor was unwilling to put the conflict on the table, causing Merlin's turmoil - since you can see that the Emperor is pre-emptive to solve the situation quickly, Odin can certainly see it.

But to be honest, Odin's choice to show up openly was also beyond my expectations, is he really not afraid of the emperor's face? Once he appears, the initiative is not in his hands. ”

Saleen Road.

"No, with Odin's character, he won't just hand over the initiative, he must still have hole cards that we didn't expect!" Lin An shook his head.

"What kind of hole cards can make him turn over? You know, now he and his only son are in the hands of the emperor - the three hundred cavalry can follow him back, and they are already exhausted, even if they are fully armed, those masters can crush them with a single finger. Salin said.

"Have you ever thought that if the emperor only has one son left, then even if the emperor knows the inside story, he has to appoint him." Lin Andao.

"At this point, the emperor and Odin's brothers will only guard against it earlier - not to mention, Yokyadan is in the imperial capital, this is what I admire the emperor the most, unless he is completely sure that he will kill all the brothers, Odin will not act rashly." Saleen Road.

"This may be the reason why Odin took the initiative to appear, in fact, on a certain Cheng dù, Byron, Douglas and Yokjaran are all out, if Charles can't overthrow Odin, Odin's position is still stable," Lin An sighed, "In the end, the emperor has not been able to make up his mind to abolish Odin, otherwise he would not have set Odin's situation so difficult." ”

"Yes, there are only three endings to this game - if Odin's hole cards are strong enough to break the game, then Merlin will get an iron-blooded monarch, the best person to inherit this position;

If Odin is not strong enough to break the game, chooses to enter the game and win against Charles, or delays until the emperor dies, then the succession is also a matter of course;

The last one is that Charles used Odin as a grinding stone, and finally came out on top, which is also a kind of luck for Merlin, who can use the most cruel grinding to reborn him in the shortest time! ”

Salin said lightly, "These three endings, no matter which one they are, may not be considered a loss for the emperor, and the strongest heir can only be revealed by fighting with blood!" ”

(To be continued)

ps：

Thank you chryt and Yunsha Ruoli for your great tip! o(n_n)o~

The update is finished, and it's delayed again, sorry!