"Earl Midnight?" the Emperor's distinctive bushy eyebrows furrowed, "is there a problem?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The new Earl of Midnight had arrived in the imperial capital, but the date for the canonization ceremony had not yet been set, so it was not appropriate to delay it further. ”

"Isn't that your duty?" the Emperor's tone became stern, "if you have an arrangement, just say it." ”

"Yes. So, what's the April 3rd?"

"April 3rd? a little longer. Forget it, it's up to you. The Emperor did not think that the dignified Marquis of Metternich would come to ask him for advice for such a trivial matter, "You should have come to see me not only for such a trivial matter, but if there is anything else, please tell me." ”

"Yes, and one more thing, concerning the succession of the Earl of Midnight. Although the Emperor's tone sounded rather intimidating, the Marquis was not one of those courtiers of little status, nor was he his descendant, the current Foreign Secretary, Menken, and he would not and did not need to show fear in front of the Emperor.

"Why, isn't the new Midnight Earl already decided? Do you think the new Earl is not suitable, or for whom you want to open your eyes, as in the last era?" the Emperor joked, but his face was still majestic, and there was no one laughing at it, and no one could laugh at such a joke.

"Actually, I want to talk about Viscount Ernest No. Jericht, the biological father of the present Earl, the only son of the modern Earl, and also the commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison. The Marquis was still not in a hurry, and looked light-hearted. He has gone through too many ups and downs, and his current status is very special, and he has no special feeling in front of the emperor.

"Oh, I remember, this time the Earl of Midnight is the eldest grandson inheritance, and the eldest son seems to have been stripped of his inheritance because of a feud with his ancestors, right?"

"In fact, it was the earl of the first generation who designated in his will that the eldest grandson, that is, the current earl Swin No. Jericht, inherited the eldest son, although the eldest son was skipped, but according to the imperial noble inheritance law, when the eldest son could not fulfill the obligations of vassals and families, the eldest grandson could inherit it. Therefore, such an inheritance is legal after the review of the Imperial Court, but Viscount Jericho still has the right to inherit, because the current Earl Swain is not married and has no heirs, so the successor of Earl Midnight is still Viscount Ernest no Jericho. ”

"Ho, a Viscount Jericho who served in the Imperial Government. The emperor said suddenly in an inexplicable tone that seemed to be mocking. He half-tilted his head, and his expression was as mocking as his tone, but the Marquis saw the contemplative color in the emperor's eyes in the indistinct backlight.

"So, you mentioned this matter to me in order to recommend this Viscount Jericho?" Soon, the Emperor broke away from that contemplative state, and his expression was fierce again.

In the face of the emperor's stern questioning, the marquis did not answer, but moved on to another topic. "Your Majesty, do you remember the Earl of Midnight in your ancestors?"

The Emperor remembered for a moment, after all, it had been more than forty years ago, and the appearance of old Winston had been blurred in his memory to a single outline, and the Emperor found that he could not remember the face of the vassal.

"It was all so long ago, and I don't even remember what Alexander looked like when he was born, and I have only seen the earl once. Recalling these old events, the emperor couldn't help but sigh a little, "What, does Your Excellency the Marquis want to reminisce about the past years with me?"

The Emperor's tone gradually softened, as if recalling some past events, reminding him that he and the marquis were old men who should live in peace.

"When babies are born, they all look the same, but when they grow up and have their own characteristics, people can remember. I'd love to talk to you about the past if you want. Old Winston's, children's.

The Marquis's words were very gloomy, which made the emperor feel quite late. Probably because of this feeling, the Emperor did not turn the subject back to Viscount Jericho, but sat down on the seat behind the desk, and then pointed to the seat in front of him and said to the Marquis: "Indeed, as you said, we are all old, and it is difficult to stand for a long time. Surely you are too. ”

The marquis sat down, looked at the emperor, and suddenly laughed. "How long has it been since you and I have sat down and talked about something that has nothing to do with politics?"

"It should be said that never. However, today is just a small talk, you say it, and I will listen to it. Let's take a look at the boredom caused by the bad news that comes in the morning. ”

"So. I'll take up your precious time, sir. The Marquis treated him like an old friend, and he didn't even have a formal name, "Do you want to hear old Winston's story?"

"If you want to say, Oliver. I'm in a bit of a mood right now. ”

"You probably don't remember him, after all, he was knighted before you succeeded to the throne. But I, and Wood, and some of the other old fellows, always remembered him, and remembered him vividly. When the young midnight earl came to the imperial capital to accept the canonization, at first no one looked down on this rural nobleman, and the people of the imperial capital were like this, although they looked enthusiastic on the surface, but in their bones they looked down on people from other provinces, and they didn't look down on them at all. However, the earl later conquered the imperial capital with his charm and knowledge, and the young people of the time were proud to befriend him, and if he hadn't been married, there would probably have been many young ladies who loved him. ”

The Marquis's narration made the Emperor slowly recall something. He remembered that before he succeeded to the throne, there was indeed a learned earl who had made a name for himself in the imperial capital, but he and the earl had only met once at the count's canonization ceremony, and even if he remembered some details, he still couldn't remember his face.

"Winston Noe Jerichault, very knowledgeable, he was a rising star in the academic world, he was brilliant, he was also a gentleman in the social arena, and Wood and I at that time, we were like followers behind him. However, who would have thought that after a few decades, the followers at that time would become high-ranking officials and dignitaries of the empire, and what about the superstars at that time?

The Emperor could understand the reason why the count did not leave Midnight Castle, but looking at the emotional marquis, he did not say it.

"I am sorry for him, I am not worthy of him, but no one can shake his heart. Only Wood has never given up on the idea of letting him out of the mountain, but unfortunately he can't do it at all now. Wood has been working hard for more than forty years, and he is also the person who has the most contact with Winston Sr. Probably for this reason, when Ernest ran to the imperial capital more than ten years ago, it was Wood who defected. ”

"Wood...... "The Emperor muttered," muttered the Emperor, "it was his character, he had always been an honest fellow. After so many years, the years have only made his honesty look more cunning, but they can't wear away his nature. ”

The Marquis nodded, agreeing with the Emperor's words. So Wood readily took Ernest in, and then honestly wrote to Old Winston about it. He knew that Ernest was running away from home, but while taking Ernest in, he told Old Winston that this guy is always like this, he wants to be a good person on both sides, but he only suffers a loss. ”

The Emperor couldn't help but chuckle, and when the Marquis said this, he did find that the chief justice was a little honest and cute. "You mean, Viscount Jericho ran away from home at that time?" Laughing back to laughter, the emperor was still keenly aware of the key point.

"Yes, old Winston wants his son to carry on his career and duties, and to stay at Fort Midnight for good. But what young man in this day and age would want to stay in the country and live a boring life all the time? So Ernest and his father were at odds all the time, and the two had great differences of opinion. Ernest felt that even the nobles should not eat their own land in this era, and only by giving up that pitiful pride and entering the imperial government could the family truly prosper and prosper, but old Winston clung to his own set of traditions and refused to let Ernest leave Midnight Castle. In order to completely tie Ernest to Fort Midnight, old Winston simply tried his best to stuff his son with a marriage. As a result, the wedding completely angered Ernest - he ran to Wood when he was exactly two months newlywed, and his wife was pregnant by then.

When the elder Winston learned of his son's whereabouts from Wood, he immediately sent him a very harshly worded letter to Wood, asking him to pass it on to Ernest, and asking Wood to take Earnest back by any means necessary if Ernest refused to return. Wood may be a good deceit, but he's not stupid, and he has his own agendas. He hoped that Ernest would change the old Winston's mind by taking advantage of Ernest's affairs, so that he would not stay in Fort Midnight all the time, but that he would be able to go to the imperial capital, even if he wanted to catch Ernest back, he would come personally. So, that time, Wood was very resolute on Ernest's side, and saved Ernest from being forcibly captured by old Winston. ”

The marquis, who recalled the past, seemed to open the conversation, kept talking, and gradually spoke with emotion, and the nostalgia for the past years in his eyes became stronger and stronger. However, when the marquis was immersed in the memories, the emperor looked at him strangely. The Emperor knew that it was impossible for Winston No. Jericht to leave Midnight Castle, and although he had not heard of the rest of the matter, he could guess a thing or two based on the facts he knew, which made him feel more and more dramatic.

"Then what then? Viscount Jericho is in the Ministry of the Interior, and the child that his wife bore to him is now the Earl of Midnight. Reining in his strange expression, the Emperor asked as if he were careless.

His wife died in childbirth, and he remarried soon after receiving news of her death. ”

Even the emperor, who was accustomed to seeing all kinds of things, couldn't help but be a little surprised. Remarried immediately after his wife's death, this Viscount Jericho did not seem to have a relationship with his wife, and perhaps some hatred. However, that woman is really a little pitiful, it was originally a forced marriage, her husband ran away from home after two months of marriage, and she was working hard to conceive a child. Maybe dystocia is also the fate arranged for her by the Lord, even if it is not such an ending, how much happier can she be if she survives.

"It's pitiful, it's hateful. The emperor couldn't help but sigh.

"Indeed, it is fortunate that the newspapers and reporters in the imperial capital were not as they are now, otherwise Ernest's notoriety would probably have spread throughout the empire. At that time, I also felt that Wood was looking at the wrong person, and such a person did not deserve his attention and help at all. However, it was Wood who came forward to defend Ernest, and it was because of Wood's explanation and assurance that I would face up to this young man. ”

The Emperor frowned, and he didn't ask what Wood had explained at the time. Although it seems that it is really an ordinary chat now, as the emperor himself said, he and the Marquis of Metternich have never had a chat that did not involve politics. Therefore, now that the mutual temptation between him and the Marquis continues, he does not want to speak by himself before he sees through the Marquis's true purpose, and loses the initiative of words.

Although the Marquis saw the emperor's expression, he did not stop his words, and continued: "Old Winston was furious when he learned about this, he had written to Ernest once before, hoping that he would go back to his wife's funeral, and by the way look at the newborn child, but he received such news. He wrote to us several times, asking us to break Ernest's leg and arrest him no matter what we could do. To be honest, I've never seen old Winston force a mild-mannered person to such an extent, and maybe Ernest knew his father well enough. ”

"It seems that you did not do so," the Emperor began, "or else my commander of the Imperial Capital Garrison would have been someone else." ”

"For a lot of reasons. On the one hand, Wood's request, and on the other hand, Ernest's new lady really did not deserve such suffering. If Ernest is caught, then this woman's life will probably not be much better than that of her predecessor. Although many people pleaded for him—including my sons who were former colleagues of Ernest—Ernest himself refused to bow his head. Hmph, even now that I think about it, I still think that this kid should be taught a good lesson. ”

I thought the same when you were Foreign Secretary. Looking at the Marquis of Metternich, who was a little indignant, the emperor silently scolded in his heart.

In the end, Ernest was uneventful. This guy, every time something happens, he looks like he doesn't care about himself, and as a result, others do their best for him, but his luck has always been good, and he can save the day every time. ”

"If you had been ruthless, you wouldn't be complaining about this here today. The Emperor sneered a little in a flat tone.

The Marquis did not care about such a mockery, and continued. Two years later, Ernest's new wife gave birth to twin daughters for him, and honest Wood was honest with Winston Sr. Old Winston probably figured it out this time, and knew that he could no longer discipline this son by words alone, so he threatened the inheritance of the title this time, and demanded that Ernest send his daughter back to Midnight Castle to raise, otherwise he would be completely stripped of his inheritance. Perhaps Ernest himself didn't care much about the title of Earl of Midnight, which he hated so much, but Wood, an honest man, did care very much, and for this matter, he personally ran to Fort Midnight to plead with old Winston. However, I don't know if it was luck or misfortune, old Winston didn't know that Ernest's wife gave birth to twins. When Wood returned to the imperial capital with the news, he advised Ernest to continue to hide the matter from the elder Winston and send only one daughter back, so that he could leave one daughter to raise himself. For this compromise plan, Ernest finally compromised, after all, it was the proposal of Wood, who had so much kindness to him. In the end, it was Wood who took his little daughter to Fort Midnight again, and of course, the Djerichoff, who had sent away a daughter, was probably the saddest person in the deal. ”

With that, the Marquis sighed, and silence fell into the study. It took a long time for the Emperor to break the silence.

"And then, at the cost of a daughter, Viscount Jericho still didn't inherit the title, didn't he? ”

"Ah, yes, ahem, because Wood is a bit of a clever guy. The Marquis smiled mockingly, while the Emperor frowned in disgust, "How could such a thing be kept hidden, and in the end old Winston still knew the truth, so in a fit of rage, he identified his grandson as his heir in his will, and did not give his son a chance." And the funny thing is that he still gave this will to Wood who deceived him for safekeeping. ”

"Self-inflicted, huh?" said the Emperor at the arrival of poor Wood.