Imperial Palace, Garden of Thorns. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Beside a man-made green lake, William and Schika came together and met His Majesty Charles IX once again.

At this moment, the ruler of the current empire is like an ordinary old man, kind and easy-going.

Basking in the sun, he sat on a small stool fishing by the lake with an ordinary wooden fishing rod in his hand, his eyes half-squinted, as if he was dozing.

In the turquoise artificial lake, the fishing line suddenly moved, and it seemed that a fish was biting the bait, and a circle of ripples spread out.

There are fish on the hook!

His Majesty Charles IX remained motionless, without the slightest notice, as if he had fallen asleep.

Even when William and Schika walked side by side, he didn't wake up.

At this time, the fourth princess, who was sitting beside His Majesty, gently pushed his arm and reminded him in a low voice: "Father, Teacher William and Young Master Sika are here." ”

His Majesty Charles IX heard this and woke up slowly.

William and Schika hurriedly saluted, "I've seen His Majesty Charlie!"

His Majesty nodded and sighed, "People are old, old! ”

As he spoke, he shook his head again and again, pulled up the fishing rod, and saw that the hook tied to the end of the thin fishing line was empty, and it was obvious that the bait hanging on it had already been eaten.

Seeing this scene, His Majesty was not discouraged, as if he had long been accustomed to it. He said straight to the point, "I already know about the two of you. ”

When William and the others heard this, they were slightly stunned.

His Majesty continued to ask, "You two, do you know why I called you here?"

"This ...... Your Majesty, what your old man thinks is far-reaching, I can't guess. Shika hesitated slightly, then spoke bluntly.

His Majesty's cloudy eyes showed a slight look of disappointment, and then he looked at William again.

William did not answer in a hurry.

He first looked at Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess, only to see her smile sweetly, and her face showed a look of encouragement.

William was immediately relieved.

He pondered for a moment and guessed softly, "Your Majesty, you are for... Settle our grievances?"

When His Majesty heard this, he couldn't help but glance at William more, and said with a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "You're right." ”

After a pause, His Majesty re-attached the bait to the hook, spilled the line into the lake, and continued to fish, saying, "Sika, do you remember what I said to you a few years ago when General Carlo held a coming-of-age ceremony for you?"

Sika nodded, "I remember, Your Majesty. ”

"What did I say?" asked His Majesty softly.

"You said that we, the younger generation, are the future of the empire. Outside the Holy Spirit Empire, there are elven races eyeing each other, and orcs and dwarves have repeatedly violated our borders and plotted against them. ”

Sika recalled for a while, and then pondered: "The Holy Spirit Empire seems to be a behemoth, and it has been standing for more than seven hundred years since Charlemagne founded the country..."

"But now, the Holy Spirit Empire is weak, the foreign race is ambitious, and it is already in a stage of stormy and misty, and an inevitable race war may break out again at any time. In the future, the burden of defending against foreign races will fall on our younger generation. ”

When His Majesty heard this, his chapped lips cracked, and he smiled with relief: "Now, you understand the purpose of my calling, right? One of you is the heir of the Page family, and the other is a new rising star in the imperial capital...... You two should not be rivals, because you have a common enemy. ”

Sika bowed his head deeply and assured: "Your Majesty, I, Sika, am willing to reconcile with Young Master William from now on, and stand on the same front for the prosperity of the empire." ”

William then said, "Your Majesty, I am also willing to reconcile with Young Master Sika. ”

"As a man, you should have a man's heart. I hope you will remember what you said today. His Majesty nodded and said, "Sika, you can step back first." ”

Sika suddenly agreed, bowed, and turned to leave.

It wasn't until his back disappeared from sight that His Majesty raised his head and looked at William again.

William did not feel the slightest discomfort, and was still watched by His Majesty, with a calm expression.

"Well... Very good. ”

His Majesty spoke one after another and exclaimed: "William, the beer served at the last birthday banquet and the perfume that is now selling in the imperial capital are all made by you, right?"

A smile appeared at the corner of William's mouth, "Yes, Your Majesty." Perfume is only just getting famous, and beer is only selling in Kuwait. ”

After a pause, William suddenly knelt down on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, as a subject of the empire, my Lester family has also made a little money recently...... Now, with foreign nations eyeing each other, my Lester family voluntarily offers 10 million gold coins every year to serve as the military expenses of the empire. ”

When His Majesty Charles IX heard this, a smile immediately froze on his face.

He stared at William expressionlessly, and there was a coldness in his eyes, "What do you mean by this?

William replied without changing his face: "Your Majesty, my Lester family has no other thoughts, and only wants to do a little bit for the empire. ”

His Majesty Charles IX stared at it for a long time, and a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of her mouth, "Anne often told me that she recognized a teacher, and often praised you for your real talent...... Now it seems that you are really good at getting things done. ”

"Military spending of 10 million gold coins, forget it. No matter how unbearable the empire is, it will not be reduced to the point where it needs this gold coin. His Majesty Charles IX sighed: "William, you will be an adult next year, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. ”

"What is your father's title, and where is the fief?"

"Sidestepping on, my father was a hereditary baron, and his fief was a small town in the province of Kuwait. William replied immediately.

"The knighthood is too low. I will now resign your viscount title, and tomorrow I will go to the Doge's Mansion to choose a territory as your fief. His Majesty Charles IX said, "I hope you are indeed truly talented and learned, and do not disappoint me." ”

William nodded solemnly.

His Majesty's true meaning, he heard it very clearly.

If he is really as shrewd and capable as the fourth princess said, his future in the future will never stop at a small viscount.

If the fiefdom is not managed well and messed up...... The consequences are self-evident. Maybe the knighthood will not be deprived, but it is almost impossible to delusionally enter the knighthood in the future.

But in any case, this is an opportunity for him.

This time, he turned the danger into safety, and suddenly won the title of viscount, which is probably indispensable for the good words of Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess.

William understood this very well, so he gave Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess a grateful look.

Feeling William's gaze, Her Royal Highness the Fourth Princess smiled back, "Congratulations to the teacher, Viscount!"