In the spring of 935, when King Henry's condition did not improve, Prince Otto, with the help of the Archbishop of Mainz, actively courted the magnates of the kingdom, and on the surface everything was calm, but in fact the power of the kingdom was undergoing a major change, and most of the magnates were in the attitude of the first and the second, and those who thought that they could be elected as kings adhered to the Carolingian tradition.

Mecklenburg seemed very peaceful at this time, the Slavs in the east were guarded by Count Ron, the Danes in the north became Arrod's allies, and the Duchy of Mason in the south was Arold's bag, and in this rare period of peace, Arold certainly would not let go of precious things.

"Behold, the fabrics of the Eastern Romans, and the objects of the southern city-states."

"Giggle." The pigeons and birds in cages flutter their wings, and the vendors desperately solicit business from passers-by, and the dazzling array of goods is dizzying.

"Look, I said I was right here." An old man dressed as a peddler said to his wife excitedly leading the caravan.

"Old man, it looks like we're going to get rich with so many people." His fat wife, squirming her thick waist, said happily.

"Gray pigeon, come down quickly, help us move the goods down, we didn't adopt you to let you eat." The old man shouted at the caravan.

Soon a girl jumped out of the caravan, and if you look closely at the delicate face, she doesn't look like an ordinary civilian girl at all, so she wears a civilian girl's headscarf to cover her appearance. Under the command of the old couple, they placed objects in a remote corner of the roadside, although they could not be compared with those from distant places, but the ingenious girl's unique wood carving also attracted many people to stop and watch.

"I didn't expect Mecklenburg to be so prosperous." From the west side of the road walked four or five travelers on horseback, led by young men who looked of extraordinary bearing. I saw him looking at the bustling bazaar with anticipation.

"I heard that the Duke of Mecklenburg's border does not charge customs duties, so merchants like to take Mecklenburg's trade route." A companion beside the young man said to him.

"And I heard that even the direct territory of the Principality of Mason has been abolished, so it will be more prosperous!" Another companion gave the latest news.

"Eliminate tariffs? However, the collection of tariffs is not the biggest loss. The young man said with some surprise that all the princes regarded customs duties as very important. They think it is natural for a businessman to pay money to himself through his own doorstep.

"It's not clear, there are also nobles who think the Duke of Mecklenburg is a fool." The young man's companion shrugged his shoulders and said.

"It's been a long time since we've seen Arrod, so let's see if he's stupid." The young man laughed, kicked his horse in the belly, and walked quickly towards the castle.

At this time, Arold did not know that he would have a visitor, and he was listening to the news from Mason in the conference room, because of the authority of the royal family and Arold's power, the Mecklenburg officials sent to control the Mason Territory were successfully controlled. Of course, on the face of it.

"The ratio of private soldiers to the Mason aristocracy is too much, and the next step should be to reduce it." Dressed in a red Germanic robe, Arold listened carefully to the report and pondered for a moment before he spoke to the reporting officer.

"But Lord Duke, will this be too soon, you know that the impact of the abolition of tariffs is not great, but the reduction of the nobles' forces is too sensitive." The official said to Arrod.

"Well, we need an entry point." Arold touched his chin. The reason why he wanted to reduce the ratio of private soldiers of the nobles was for the sake of law and order. On the other hand, it is to liberate the financial resources of the nobles and prepare for the next plan.

"I understand, Lord Duke, I'll figure it out." The officer, who was sent to Mason, said that Arold was satisfied with the officials, who had received a certain amount of education and experience in the court. In fact, Arrod is using common sense to replace the aristocracy with a bureaucratic system.

"Lord Duke, a couple of travelers have asked to visit you." Arold had just finished dealing with Mason's affairs when an attendant walked in to report to Arrod.

"Visitor?" Arold was a little surprised when he heard this, he tilted his head and thought about it, the banquet that invited his vassals and Mason's vassals had not yet begun. There are still three months to prepare for the banquet, so no one should come to visit.

"They asked me to send you this." The attendant took out a brooch and handed it to Arrod, who looked at it.

"Quickly change me into a formal outfit." Suddenly, it dawned on Arrod that he hurriedly shouted to his attendants and servants.

"Oh, it's the Duke." The servants, who had been just standing at the doorway, hurriedly ran out and ran in, and they moved like spinning tops according to Arrod's orders.

"Oh, and my Royal Highness the Princess, as well as Lady Agneska." The servants brought Arjord's suitcase and redressed him directly in the chamber, putting on the gold ornaments befitting his status as a duke.

The servants were busy shuttling like flowing water, and the attendants knelt down in front of Arold to arrange his clothes, they had never seen Arold pay so much attention to his appearance, and seeing Arold's anxious appearance, it was obvious that there was a distinguished visitor, and everyone was uneasy.

"What the hell is going on?" Princess Josie has been cautiously staying in a few fixed places since the Mason noble spy case, and today is the first time that Arold has let her appear in the lord's hall, and she can't help but ask curiously.

"We don't know, but we've heard that there's a visit." The people who delivered the order were also vague, in fact they really did not know what was happening.

"Isn't that Mrs. Agneska?" Miss Shirley, who was with Princess Josie, looked at Agnishka who came over and said.

Lady Agneska had come to Mecklenburg a few years earlier, when she was still carrying a baby in her arms, so there were many rumors among the servants in the castle that Lady Agneska must be Arrod's secret lover, and that the child was Arold's illegitimate son, and when Arold heard about it, the people who spread the rumors were driven out of the castle.

"Your Highness the Princess." The Slavic lady curtsied to Princess Josie, and Princess Josie quickly nodded slightly, in fact, the personal relationship between the two was not bad, so Princess Josie knew that this lady had a very mysterious past.

"Quick, quick, fast." At this time, while putting on the duke's flower crown, Arold strode out of the conference hall and came to the princess and the others, he was wearing a white fringed shirt, an orange robe with gold thread on the outside, and a fox fur on his shoulder, which looked particularly solemn.

"Arrod?" Seeing Arrod's appearance as if she were facing a great enemy, Princess Josie glanced at Miss Shirley in surprise, and Mrs. Agneska beside her seemed to have a premonition of something, and her eyes couldn't help but widen. (To be continued.) )