The "grain merchant" came to Nomonka for the grain transportation plan that failed to reach a final agreement last time, and he said to Jada, who came to negotiate: "According to what was said last time, we originally planned to transport grain to Noga through Weisha, but now Weisha refuses to send troops to escort us, and there is no big mercenary group willing to accept the mercenary, so we have to recruit people from Shaonan, but Weisha said that we are too many and carry weapons, and we are afraid that we will plot against us, so we are not allowed to enter the country. You can't just send a few people with sticks to escort the grain cart across the entire border, right? ”

Minter's eyebrows jumped, but he didn't say anything

Jada frowned, the relationship between Noga and Weisha is indeed a little tense now, but it has not developed to the point of banning grain transit, right? He said, "Nomonka also has other grain merchants who buy goods from foreign countries, and they don't talk about this kind of thing, so why are you so troublesome?" ”

The merchant exclaimed, "Your Excellency, how do you compare us with those grain merchants?" At most, they can carry about a dozen truckloads, but we have 10,000 kilograms of grain and more than 100 truckloads! So much grain is our output for half a year, in case we encounter robbers or something on the way, who will compensate us for our losses? Originally, if we shipped it to other places and sold it slowly, it would be sold out in a few months at most, and we were willing to spend so much effort to send it to Normonka, it was entirely because we wanted to do business with your royal family, and we were so sincere, couldn't Your Excellency the Duke make a difference? ”

Jada lowered his head and pondered, he knew very well in his heart that this grain was large and the price was not high, as long as it was transported to Normonka, there would be no shortage of domestic food this year, and when facing the Mario army, he could also take the initiative, after all, the latter was also facing the pressure of military food and pondered for a moment, he said: "If you can't go through Weisha, how about taking other roads?" ”

"It's too far to detour to East, you might as well buy it from them directly, but I don't know if they are willing to sell it As for Van A, they are now clamoring to close the border, I don't know if they will let us cross the border" The merchant looked at Jada, rolled his eyes, and said, "Or... Can you keep up and talk? I have heard that Van Ah wants to close the border because the Nogars and the Weshave are making too much trouble in Monri, can you please ask the king to order them to stop making trouble? ”

Minter chuckled, thinking to himself that this was the purpose of the Security Agency, right?

Jada also knew exactly who did what was happening in Monri, and considering that Prince Mario needed food too, perhaps... Can he persuade the latter to temporarily stop his movements in Monri and let the grain trucks come first?

After thinking about him, he said: "I will deal with this matter, you wait first" After that, he turned around and left, and the merchant smiled and watched him go out and pulled Minter to say some homely gossip, and when the people around him dispersed, he lowered his voice and said: "There is an unusual troop movement in the territory of Nuojia, and it is even more obvious in the border area, are they ready to make a move?" ”

Minter shook his head and whispered a brief introduction to the turmoil a few days ago: "It is still unknown whether Noga will raise troops, although the situation has calmed down for the time being, but I have a gut feeling that it will not be long before there will be a bigger upheaval, and this time it will be decided if the winner is defeated If King Noga wins, the possibility of going to war is very likely If it is Prince Mario... Then there will be an army! ”

The merchant narrowed his eyes and slowly bowed his head: "Since this is the case, you must always pay attention to the situation, collect as much information as possible, and report back to China as soon as there is a sign of war!" Mallori has arrived at Sico, and the king has ordered the army to be on guard, and the border area has been deployed, and if the war starts, he will suffer a great loss! ”

Minter nodded solemnly, the merchant paused, looked around, and shoved something into his hand, and when Minter touched it, he saw that it was a key and a small note

"Put it away, this is a hut near the city gate, the keys to the land are prepared, the horses, dry food, water, clothes and clothes, and a full set of identification and customs clearance vouchers are reliable and genuine, there is a dumb man who goes to take care of the horses once a day in the evening, he does not know our identity"

Minter quietly put things into the storage ring and was about to say something, but when he heard the other party suddenly laugh and say loudly: "Last time, you asked me to bring back those linen gauze, your mother likes it very much, saying that it is the coolest to make clothes in summer, and asked me to buy a few more, but those are all high-end goods for the palace, where can I buy them?" I had to find some fine fine muslin instead."

Minter smiled knowingly: "You told me earlier, I will find a way to get two horses, and there should be a lot of land left over there in the palace governor."

"What are you talking about? Seems to be very happy," Jada asked lightly as she walked into the room

The "grain merchant" laughed, "Just casually talk about your don't joke about that... Okay? ”

Jada hesitated: "I haven't found anyone yet, can you wait a few more days?" ”

The other party agreed: "Okay, is there any other business near me that can be done, I just found out that Nuojia's cloth is also very good."

Jada didn't have time to listen to him talk about business, so he hurriedly chatted a few words, so he called Minte: "Come back with me, I have something to tell you"

The "grain merchant" hurriedly said, "Then you go, I'll go first," he said, glancing at Minter, who smiled and folded, but left

Minter followed Jada back to the palace, but was surprised to see him riding out of the city, as if he wanted to go back to the castle, frowned, and whipped his mount, urging his mount to speed up

Jada ran faster and faster, and Minter managed to catch up, and the two rode around the mountain road for more than half an hour, before the former slowed down and slowly climbed up the hill

The weather was getting hotter and hotter lately, and when the wind blew on the mountain, it was much cooler than in the city, and Mint couldn't understand what Jada was mad about, so he had to ride after him and slowly climb up the hill

A large area of rolling mountains of different heights, dotted with many black spots, take a closer look, only to find that it is a dwarf tree, dark brown leaves are large and long, as soon as you open it, you can find a large bunch of fruits under the leaves, each has a fist and big shoes, the golden surface of the ground looks particularly dazzling in the sun, this is the dough fruit of Nuojia, after two months, the husk turns into brown se, and it can be picked

Smelling the unique fragrance of the fruit trees, Minter looked out at the outskirts of Normonka, and saw that the verdant mountains were mixed with brown earth cut into different shapes by the rocks, and the cottages with gray and white stone walls and black roofs were scattered on the edge of the fields at the foot of the mountain, surrounded by colorful wildflowers, many women and children were working in the fields, and the old people were driving their cars and pulling all kinds of daily necessities from the city, and the villagers immediately rushed up and laughed and divided their things

This is probably the scene in the paintings that originally hung on the corridor of the king's bedchamber, right? Minter took a deep breath and moved his gaze to the field, if he was not mistaken, it should be the round rice rice of Shaonan, but at this time, the round rice rice should have matured, but the rice plants here are still half green and half yellow, and they are still a little cowardly, it should be because they are not adapted to the northern climate, right? But when did Nuojia start planting round rice?

Seeing him staring at those rice seedlings, Jada said casually: "That's a trial planting land, Your Majesty can find a second crop suitable for our land, otherwise, relying only on flour fruits, we will starve to death sooner or later."

Mint noticed that he was a little depressed and asked, "What's wrong with you?" Did you just get angry with Prince Mario? ”

Jada shook his head: "I didn't see him, just now, I..." After a pause, he stopped his horse, turned over and walked a few steps forward, looking back at Minter with a very sad expression: "I met the funeral procession at the old doctor's house..."

Minter also dismounted, walked up to him, and listened to him talk about the past: "... The old doctor's family has been a court physician for generations, he was already a physician's assistant when my father was born, my father and brothers, from childhood to adulthood, always love to look for him when he is sick, because he is not verbose, and often brings some interesting toys into the palace When I was born, he was the one who carried out postpartum care for my mother, and then my mother died of illness, and he was also the attending physician... Almost all the children born in the palace were treated by him... Wouldn't Prince Mario and Lawler, father and son, feel sad that an old man was so kind and kind that he didn't even have time to scream and died like this? He'd treated them and gave them toys."

Minter was also upset when he saw the glint in the corner of his eye, and silently handed over a handkerchief, Jada took it and wiped it before continuing: "Also, those dead squires and guards... I recognize one of them as the youngest son of Nurse Lawler, and the other is a female official who has served Prince Mario in the palace for more than ten years... In order to achieve their own goals, they used such insidious and vicious means to forcibly attack the king's bedroom, and they didn't care that in that palace, there were their own brothers and uncles, and people as close as family, how could they be so ruthless?! He couldn't help but shout loudly, kicking the mound in front of him hard, splashing up dust

Minter stepped forward and patted him on the back gently, soothing his emotions, but he shook him off: "I saw Lawler happily going to the Grand Ballroom this morning to prepare for the ball, and he said that he would decorate it with the most splendid brocades, and what gold candlesticks, crystal wine glasses, colored silk wool tapestries... He even asked all the attendants and maids around His Majesty to wear the most beautiful clothes and practice how to smile brightly so that they would not be ashamed when receiving guests - why didn't he want to think about those people who had just lost their relatives and companions?! ”

Minter muttered quietly, "The prom is your proposal"

Jada was stunned for a moment, then smiled self-deprecatingly: "It's Aina who proposed it...", he covered his face with his hands, "Am I excessive?" So many people died, and yet I proposed a grand ball, just to... Competing with others for power and profit, I... Has it become so ugly too? Just now... The grandson of the old doctor, a friend who grew up with me... Pointing at my nose and scolding... I'm so bad, it's so bad, I'm not celebrating their deaths—" He crouched down, unable to tell if he was crying

Minter was silent for a moment, then said softly: "I know you are not celebrating their deaths, mourning the dead, it doesn't have to be expressed in the inherent rituals, you proposed to hold a ball so that their murderers could get the punishment they deserved, right?" I'm sure your friends will forgive you one day."

Jada squatted there motionless, and Minter waited impatiently, so he raised his voice, "When did you become such a mother-in-law?!" Not like you at all! If you feel guilty, put your life on the line to avenge the dead! I only know that hiding here and crying, you are still not a man! ”

Jada glared at him sharply, but quickly smiled again, stood up, and said, "Thank you, I know what to do just... It's just a sad moment" Erasing the suspicious light from the corner of his eye, he walked to his horse, and suddenly looked back at Minter, his eyes were a little complicated: "At first, I really thought you were suspicious in many places, but now I know that you are a trustworthy friend, don't worry, Jada Novella - Conkson will never turn his back on a friend!" ”

Minter was a little weak-hearted and coughed lightly: "What are you talking about..."

"I'm going to go to see those big lords and royal families, whether I can suppress Prince Mario, it depends on how difficult the result is this time, no matter how difficult it is, I will do my best" He said solemnly to Minte, "Your Majesty, I'll leave it to you, please protect him" He stretched out his hand and looked at Minter with a smile: "You won't let me down, will you?" ”

Minter's heart jumped suddenly, and an indescribable feeling suddenly came to his heart, but he still remembered his duty, so he barely maintained a calm expression and stretched out his hand: "Cherish all the way"

Jada shook his hand tightly, turned to mount his horse, and galloped away as Mint watched his back disappear, suddenly feeling a lot more pressure on his back, and the guilt in his heart almost made him breathless

Think of Gale II and Jada's trusting gaze, and think of his own mission... Minter gritted his teeth Anyway, he just concealed his origin and purpose and didn't hurt them, didn't he?

Perhaps out of guilt, since Jada left, he was distracted by Gale II's rest, and instead of going to the palace every day, he moved back to the palace to live, not only personally supervising Gale II's drinking and resting, but also keeping an eye on his diet from time to time, so as to avoid anyone taking advantage of loopholes

The comrades of the Security Service understood his decision, and after two meetings, and in view of the critical situation in Nomonka, the "grain merchant" retreated to the border under the pretext that there was an urgent matter in the country, and before leaving, told Minter of the several secret strongholds that the Security Service had planted in the interior of Nogar, so that he could escape in the future

Jada was gone, and it was not until the day before the ball, when he returned in the dust, and reported to the king that everyone but one of the lords had accepted the invitation and was about to arrive

As for what he had talked to these lords and the royal nobles in private, only the king and him knew

When Prince Lawler learned that his cousin had returned, he immediately came over to "welcome" his return, and when he saw him with a tired and disgraced face, and thought that he had touched a nail, his face showed pride, and he couldn't help but laugh at Jada and endure it one by one, but it made him even more arrogant, and talked about how his ball arrangements were

Jada listened with a smile on his face, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes for such a stupid guy, was it really the ruthless and decisive opponent from the other day? Was he overestimating Lawler, or was the latter too clever in disguise?

The grand ball held for the Queen Mother's birthday and the king's recovery began in a tense but calm atmosphereAccording to tradition, the king would open the first bottle of wine and toast the guests

Dozens of nobles and their families attended the banquet, including officials and attendants, and there were two or three hundred people in the newly decorated Grand Ballroom, all of whom admired the splendid decorations, precious wines, and delicious dishes, and congratulated the Queen Mother and the King on their health and longevity

Prince Lawler smirked triumphantly through the crowd, talking to the guests, showing his bearing and ability as a crown prince, and when he saw that his younger brothers only circled around the young ladies and his cousin Jada hid in the corner and talked to some old men, he smiled contemptuously and told the lords in a loud voice about his glorious deeds

Minter, dressed in a courtesy dress, silently observed the people at the ball in the corner, and after a while, feeling bored, went out to breathe

The garden has fresh air and is a good place to rest, but unfortunately...

Minter looked regretfully at the young man and woman who occupied the gazebo, the man seemed to have started to move, he had to turn around and walk to the other side of the garden, remembering that there was also a pavilion... It's also occupied?! But... Those two people seem familiar...

Junia, who hadn't seen her for a long time, was holding a handkerchief and complaining to Shed, who was dressed in black (he didn't attend the banquet, this was his work clothes): "The Queen Mother still doesn't like me!" She just deliberately embarrassed me in front of the others! I know I'm not as powerful as the other daughters, but I'm also a nobleman, why does she look down on me?! ”

Xie De persuaded in a low voice: "The Queen Mother has always been like this, she just doesn't like people related to Your Excellency, and she is not targeting you."

"Not really!" Junia tugged at her veil harder, "She smiled at Jay just now, she just hates me!" Damn Dijie, I only cared about talking to those old men, I was wronged, and he didn't come to comfort me... It's just going to call you..."

Shedd reluctantly continued to persuade her, and Minter secretly rolled his eyes and quietly left, trying to find a quiet place

He wandered around, and accidentally came to the corridor at the back of the banquet hall, where no one passed, and the mountain breeze was blowing, but it was very quiet, and he looked left and right, so he quietly hid in the curtains, sat on the windowsill, crossed his legs, and sighed softly, feeling much more relaxed

There was a loud sound of footsteps in the hallway, and he frowned, completely hiding his figure in the curtain, and when he heard the footsteps of people passing by, he realized that it was Gale II and Prince Mario

What was this Nogar King thinking? How dare he be alone with Prince Mario? Why don't you even bring an entourage? Even if he recovered, he was still very weak compared to his brother

Minter could not sit still, and quietly slid down the windowsill, followed them, and when he saw them turn into a room, close the door, and quickly walked to the next room, approached the window of the room where they were from the balcony, and peeked in

The two brothers stood far away from the window and talked, at first, the attitude of both parties was quite calm, but the more they talked, the more excited they became, and soon they quarreled Mint could not hear what they were talking about, so he gently pushed the window open, just in time to hear Gale II saying: "... You're not reviving Noga, you're taking Noga into the abyss of hell! I will not allow you to do that! ”

Prince Mario slammed the table in front of him: "Bastard! Do you know what you're talking about?! ”

Minter was startled by the loud noise, retracted his head, and took a few breaths of caution before continuing to listen again, but saw a black shadow flashing in the corner of his eye, turned his head to look, and met Namu with a pair of fairly familiar eyes?! How could she be here?!

(At the end of the month, the plot sped up a little, right?) ）