"Everyone. ”

In Ballard's room, King Kessel's voice came steadily, thick and serious, and unequivocal.

As he had done in the past, every time a decision was made for the deliberations of the Imperial Council.

It seems that the ending is decided.

With this in mind, the ministers restrained their emotions and sorted out their postures, and some of them relaxed a little, preparing for the end of another meeting.

But not this time.

Under everyone's gaze, the iron-fisted king raised his head and glanced at his ministers.

"You have a point. ”

As he spoke, the king's right hand suddenly stretched out from the shadow of the throne, flipped lightly to the crowd, palm up, and hovered over the table.

It's like a cold blade.

The warm autumn sun cannot reduce its coldness slightly.

Gilbert, Cullen, Jucke, Sodot...... All the ministers were stunned for a moment, not knowing why.

But the iron-fisted king was just expressionless, still raising his right palm:

"It's also very well thought out. ”

Looking at each other, only the scar-faced spy of the secret department moved his eyes, stepped forward knowingly, and picked up the "Emerald City Substitute Petition" from the table.

The scar-faced man walked past each of the stunned ministers and respectfully and decently placed the letter in the king's palm.

"This letter is a barb with bad intentions. ”

King Kessel's words came out in the shadows.

It seems that he compromised and retreated, but in fact, he grasped the weakness of Fuxing Palace, kept his own hands, and hid mysteries. ”

The king slowly erected the letter, revealing the fleur-de-lis print on it.

"We can't even make it public, otherwise we're falling into passivity and injustice. ”

Every servant was swept by his gaze, and they all subconsciously tensed their nerves and sat up straight.

"'It is better to die because of a friend than to die as an enemy', old Leinster has a son like this......"

In the next second, the Iron Fist King's fingers suddenly strained and pinched the letter firmly!

Several people who were focused on the letter trembled in unison, startled.

Only then did Kessel say lightly:

"Living up to the name. ”

In the unspeakable silence, Viscount Connie, the Minister of Commerce and Trade, coughed bitterly, trying to forget the depression in his heart.

"He'll pay the price," Connie said with a respectful bow to the king.

"Just for this letter. ”

King Kessel glanced at him, but said nothing.

The letter was still crumpled in his hand.

"Of course," said Sodot, grinding his teeth in hatred, "and for his disrespect and disloyalty to you and your Highness......"

Prime Minister Cullen's trembling voice rang out:

"But not this time. ”

He seemed to be back to the old man who was old, coughed, and ended the excitement of the meeting:

"At the very least, the reduction of conscripts and the expansion of the standing army will wait until the next season......"

Right now.

"But it got out. ”

The king's words had no beginning or end, no waves, like muttering to himself.

No one reacted.

"Biography...... What?" said Joke, who looked confused.

"My, Your Majesty?" asked Sordor tentatively.

I said. ”

At that moment, the Iron Fist King raised his gaze, which was particularly compelling in the small Balard room:

"As we speak, every sentence, every word, and every letter of this petition has been made public, leaked, and rumored by those who have a good heart. ”

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Gilbert is incredulous:

"What, what?"

Viscount Connie's surprised gaze kept coming and going: "You mean, this letter, leaked?"

Prime Minister Cullen sat up straight, extremely serious:

"When?" and why?"

The king, however, simply shook his head calmly and replied with the facts.

"The secret department is still dealing with it, but if it is not satisfactory...... I think it won't be long before everyone in the kingdom will know that the Fuxing Palace will start from the Emerald City, change the traditional rules, deprive the lord's military power, reduce the conscription, and expand the standing army. ”

"All the way to ...... The whole star. ”

Fuxing Palace, Emerald City, Tradition, Lordship......

With every word the Iron Fist King spoke, the chill in his tone increased.

The Prime Minister was the first to understand, and his eyes widened slightly:

"That means ......"

"As you have said, Bob," said the King, in the calmest of tones, without shying away from saying what the other man thought:

"From top to bottom, the Kingdom of Stars is about to break out in an uproar. ”

"From this moment on, we are on the cusp. ”

"There is no way back. ”

The imperial ministers quickly understood the significance of this incident, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"What?"

"Who did it?"

"Did you catch it?"

"What now?"

"Strictly investigate the mastermind behind the scenes!"

In the midst of the discord of words and the same panic, the king leaned back thoughtfully, blending into the darkness.

"How could such an important correspondence be leaked?"

Counsellor Soudor angrily turned to the other side, and said accusatory:

"What do you say, what about the rumors, what's going on now?"

At the conference table, the Scarface spy of the secret department bowed steadily.

"We are still going back to the source, trying to reduce the impact of the rumors. ”

He spoke calmly, as if he was not about to face a monstrous wave that would shake the country:

"But there is no problem with the delivery of letters, the defense on the way, and the secrecy in the palace. ”

The scar-faced man said this, but there was an interesting rise and fall in his voice:

"There is only one thing that cannot be taken into account - this letter, it was delivered directly to the palace by the messenger of the Duke of Iris. ”

The crowd was silent.

"You mean, Jenn?" said Prime Minister Cullen, frowning.

"At the same time as he delivered the letter, he made up his mind to leak the content and spread rumors?"

The Scarface Man neither denies nor affirms:

"It's still under investigation. ”

With the goal in mind, the anger of the Imperial Council suddenly erupted like a tide:

"Kevindier, how dare he!"

"Damn ......"

"More cunning than his old man!"

"Are you annoyed and angry, and simply overturn the chessboard?"

Among the courtiers, Gilbert only quietly observed at first, and only sighed softly at the end:

"Perhaps it was after the banquet when His Majesty asked him for compensation," said the Foreign Secretary, with a stunned expression on his face, tiredly:

"Emerald City saw our weaknesses in the terms of negotiation. ”

But Prime Minister Cullen scratched his chin and looked solemn:

"Not quite right. ”

"Jenn isn't a good person, but he's not a madman either. The fact that he can write this letter is enough to prove that he is sleek and sophisticated, and he is wise and wise. ”

The Prime Minister pondered:

"He is not stupid enough to force the Fuxing Palace and himself to the point where there is no way out. ”

"Then it's even worse—someone else did it," said Viscount Connie with a skeptical expression:

"Count both of us at the same time. ”

"Some people are looking forward to the chaos of the kingdom, just as it was ...... back then"

In the midst of all the chatter, the voice at the end of the long table came out again:

"It doesn't matter anymore. ”

The crowd was silent and looked at the king in unison.

"It doesn't matter if he did it or not. ”

A cold light flashed in the king's eyes:

"There is no shortage of enemies in the kingdom. ”

"It's important to ......"

"How do we deal with it. ”

King Kessel said this, and let the Petition slip from his fingers and fall between the setting sun and the shadows, the crumpled iris coat of arms facing the ceiling alone.

A few seconds later, the Imperial Council was like a group of lions awakened by a crisis, living up to its previous lazy slowness, and everyone became shrewd and capable.

"Let the secret department work overtime to act, and we will send a letter to clarify at the same time to put an end to such rumors......"

"Starting from the fiefdom nobles who have recently expressed their dissatisfaction, I may be able to find out the clues......"

"Be careful with the wording of the circular, there may be room for manoeuvre......"

"The reaction of the nobles, especially the fiefdom princes, we need to make a plan immediately......"

"Send an envoy to appease the lords of the grain-producing areas and explain to them......"

"I am afraid that the preparations for the reform of the military system will have to be postponed, and we must not leave a handle that causes misunderstandings......

In the heated discussion, only Prime Minister Cullen and Gilbert did not say a word.

The former looked at Cavendier's letter faintly, while the latter quietly sorted through the papers at hand, thoughtful.

And Kessel V sat quietly in his seat, neither angry nor smiling, neither warm nor lukewarm, and seemed to be the only outsider.

Bang!

There was a muffled sound, but it was the military adviser Suo Duo who slapped the case, attracting the attention of the imperial council.

"Everyone!"

Sodot had a serious face, his gaze slightly hesitant, but he quickly became focused and determined.

"I think that at this point, things are inevitable, and our next choice is simpler. ”

Gilbert frowned and turned his head, as if in anticipation of something:

"Soduo?"

I saw Sodot resolutely say:

"Since you can't go back, why don't you go all out?"

At that moment, the military adviser was in high spirits:

"Your Majesty, give an official reply to Cavendier, grant his petition, and announce to the whole country: starting from the Emerald City, the reform of the military system is imperative!"

Everyone was stunned, or rather, frightened by the proposal.

"Sodot, have you ever thought about the consequences," Gilbert said bitterly in silence, "including the ...... we just discussed."

"Of course!"

Sodot turned back to interrupt him.

"But at this point, Xu Tuzhi's plan has gone bankrupt, and we have no chance to disguise it, and there is no room for compromise. ”

Soduo paused, and his voice was fierce:

"We do. ”

"Or never again. ”

"There's no 'next time'. ”

His gaze swept around, and many colleagues couldn't help but bow their heads, some looked solemn, and some stopped talking.

Only at the end of the long table, the king was silent, as if in deep thought.

But Sodot didn't care so much, he waved his hand:

"Joke, find the money. ”

The treasurer raised his eyebrows:

"What?"

Sodot stared at the treasurer:

"If Emerald City does it, then we don't have to count on their financial assistance, but in this case, the reform of the military system must be put on the agenda! According to the previous plan, first around Yongxing City, from the vassals directly under the royal family, reduce the Bright Star Private Army, and expand the standing army, so that we can have the strength to deal with the next things. ”

Joke paused for three seconds, then furious.

"Well, let's not say that the situation may not be so bad, and not that Your Majesty has not agreed to your bad idea......"

"Our budget is already very tight, once this letter leaks and causes a mess, the financial pressure will only be even greater, and if there is no income, we will even have to use other parts of the subsidy, such as the salaries of officials, and even tax increases, which will be even worse......

Qiu Ke looked overwhelmed:

"Besides, reorganizing the army, this is not as simple as registering and making a book, even if you have all the officers to be recruited, do you know the maintenance cost of a standing army soldier, from salary, equipment, logistics to stationing, how many bright star private soldiers are called up in time?"

"I know!"

Soudor slammed his fist into the table, startling everyone.

"Joke, I know, I know your difficulties, but I understand your resentment better!"

He shouted angrily: "Whether it is your anger when you were fooled by that group of southern hillbillies with a ledger when you collected taxes, or the anger when Your Majesty was countered by Cavendill just now, I can empathize with it!"

Joke pursed his mouth.

Soudor stood up, pressed his arms on the table, and leaned forward:

"But I swear to you, Joke, the standing army is the key to changing all this, and the expansion and restructuring are only the beginning ......"

Sordow's expression was unspeakably fanatical, which made Prime Minister Cullen frown.

"The price of the moment is for the future strength of the kingdom, and one day, the wrath of the kingdom will carry the will of His Majesty, surrounded by countless soldiers, personally enter the Kongming Palace in the Emerald City, and 'persuade' Jenn Cavendier and his cunning accountants to pay their taxes honestly, recover all the costs of today, and make a sure profit. ”

Speaking of which, Sodot's eyes are unquestionable.

"Sure to make money or not to lose money?"

Answering Soudor was Jocko's sneer:

"Yes, when I was a child, I had a relative who liked to gamble, and he said the same thing when he came to my house to borrow money to 'do business' - until he was taken away by the loan sharks in the Blood Bottle Gang. ”

At this point, the treasurer stepped out of his chair and leaned forward:

"What's the difference between you and him, a gambler?"

The conflict between the two made everyone frown,

The military adviser clenched his fists, and the emotion in his eyes turned from disappointment to anger.

"Why don't you understand?"

Sodot was heartbroken:

"With a standing army, you have money!"

"Why don't you understand?" Qiu Ke was equally unhappy:

"Without money, you don't have a standing army!"

"Then find the money!" Sordow's angry shout shook the Ballard room:

"You're the treasurer of the kingdom! Be a beggar, sell your ass, even if it's to borrow from usury—find me that damn budget for the sake of the kingdom!"

The two adults shouted and shouted in disregard of their manners, causing their colleagues to frown, but the Prime Minister, who was supposed to be presiding over the meeting, and the authoritative Foreign Secretary did not speak, and the King sat on the throne and remained unmoved.

"You've got the right!

Joke stood up, although he was a head shorter than Soduo, his momentum was not lost at all:

"I'm the treasurer!"

"Do you remember? In the previous year, it was you, the Military Affairs Department, who was also here, who were unashamed to speak out, coaxed, and boasted the benefits of sending troops to the sky! Forced the Finance and Taxation Department to approve the budget, forced the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to contribute grain and grass, forced the Foreign Affairs Department to open up your joints, and forced the Secret Affairs Department to explore and open the way for you, and inexplicably sent a large number of retired, active, reserve, training, and new standing troops to the Blade Tooth Camp! Send them to the Western Wilderness! Send them to the desert!

The expressions of the people at the Imperial Council moved, and they remembered that time, and they had relatives in their hearts.

"Without your loss-making business, do we need to ask Emerald City for money, as for being tricked like this by Cavendeer?"

Qiu Ke glanced at the colleagues around him who agreed with him, and said in a dark manner:

"Why, do you want to do it again?"

"Hey!"

Sodot clenched his fists:

"That's to welcome back Prince Tails, the bloodline of the Bright Stars, the heir of the kingdom!"

"That's right!"

Qiu Ke snorted angrily and retorted:

"Then you'd go to him and ask for money!"

Soudor was so angry by the scoundrel's quibbly argument that he froze and stammered.

"Joke, be careful!"

Gilbert couldn't take it anymore, and he snapped to stop:

"Sit down, don't lose your manners. ”

Qiu Ke sat down on the donkey, and deliberately banged the chair to show his dissatisfaction.

Sodot snorted angrily and sat down heavily, but had no intention of extinguishing the flames of war:

"Don't be weird here, shirk responsibility and pretend to be innocent, money bags. ”

"Regarding sending troops to the Western Wilderness to welcome the prince, you know and even support it - you have selfish intentions and try to profit from it!"

This time it's Qiu Ke's turn to be stunned,

"Am I selfish and profit-seeking?"

Qiu Ke was caught off guard, shocked and angry:

"Okay, you vulgar hillbilly from a vine ......"

But Sodot was unceremonious, pointing to the other party's nose:

"I didn't figure it out until after the banquet, but that's right, Joke, you, that's you!"

"After the Desert War, many nobles in the central government aimed at the Western Wilderness, where the situation had changed greatly, and illegally occupied and annexed land there for personal gain. ”

"Now, the liquidation deadline of the "Land Measurement Order" is approaching, and they are all trying to clear their hands in every possible way......"

Qiu Ke's face turned pale.

"You supported our expedition to the desert at the beginning, and you also privately bribed several front-line officers, just to want the standing army to cause a big battle and great turmoil in the Western Wilderness! Beat these greedy aristocratic landlords by surprise, force them to show their feet, and turn them into a rolling source of wealth confiscated by your finance and taxation department!"

The news broke by the military adviser was not trivial, and the royal council was in an uproar, and King Kessel's eyes also moved.

Qiu Ke was angry: "Blood spews people, nonsense......"

"I have the list of those officers, what, do you want to confront them?

"You, Your Majesty, I—" Joke was anxious, but he stammered.

Soudor gritted his teeth and chased after him:

"For this reason, you even secretly revealed the news of the Standing Army's westward expedition!"

"And the one who was unlucky at the royal banquet, Doyle of Mirror River?"

"They're just one of the fat sheep on your list!"

At the Imperial Council, the ministers were surprised and couldn't help but look at Qiu Ke with admiration.

Viscount Connie coughed and asked worriedly:

"This, my father-in-law's family also has a few businesses in the Western Wilderness, should you ......?"

"How so, Master Connie!" said Joke, smirking.

But then he turned to the king, and wept and mourned:

"Your Majesty, I'm just, that ......"

King Kessel just squinted at him.

"Qiu Ke, you deserve to be a 'money bag'. When Gilbert saw Jockey's expression, he had already guessed the truth, and couldn't help sighing:

"No wonder they say that you can even take money out of your crotch and make a good fortune to feed the kingdom. ”

Juke's cheeks twitched.

"yes. ”

On the other side, Prime Minister Cullen snorted and added a sentence of unclear meaning:

"Someone else's crotch. ”

Sodot snorted angrily, his attitude self-explanatory.

Facing everyone's gaze, Qiu Ke swallowed a mouthful of saliva and hurriedly raised his hand:

"Well, Your Majesty, everyone listen to me......"

"Yes, for this expedition, we would have had a few extra fines and confiscation revenues, which could be included in the budget for the next quarter......"

"House Doyle?" said Gilbert in a low voice.

Qiu Ke froze for a moment, feeling that everyone's eyes were full of suspicion, and his voice suddenly weakened.

He took a deep breath:

"That's right! But the Doyle family deserves it! Over the past few years, they have crossed the border to occupy land, illegally rented tenants, smuggled taxes, concealed the population, and violated traditions, and so on, and they should have been dealt with a long time ago! We, the Department of Finance and Taxation, are dedicated to serving the country and doing things impartially......

"Less nonsense, what about money?" Soudor did not listen to his argument and went straight to the most crucial point:

"Now, it has been a few months since the prince returned, and our mission has been completed, you should eat and drink enough, right?"

Military advisers are aggressive:

"Why are you still pushing back and shouting poverty at the imperial meeting! When the Nan'an Leader forced us to retreat and there was no way to avoid it, he still held his wallet and hindered His Majesty's military reform!"

This accusation was justified, which made Qiu Ke angry:

"You, you, I, I-"

He looked left and right, but none of his colleagues dared to interject, and Sordor had a sharp gaze.

Qiu Ke only felt dizzy in front of him, he had to take a deep breath, and said in his throat:

"Prince Tails!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned again.

"What?" said Sordow, confused.

Qiu Ke took a few quick breaths and said angrily:

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to talk about it here, after all, ......"

He calmed his breath and resigned himself:

"That's right, Doyle's case, Sord, according to the standards of the standing army, it is enough for you to expand the number of eight hundred to one thousand heavy cavalry, plus their subordinate equipment and logistics, and maybe add more. ”

Sodot slammed the table and mouthed "I know".

But Qiu Ke changed his words:

"But! After Prince Tails, I mean that one thing at the banquet, Doyle's affair was exposed to the sun, and it turned from a simple case into a hot potato that attracted the attention of the whole country, and even the case file was taken away by the kingdom's secret department overnight!"

Someone couldn't help but turn his head: the scar-faced man of the secret department was expressionless and didn't listen.

Soduo frowned: "The land of the Western Wilderness is vast, and your wealth is definitely not the only one of them. ”

Qiu Ke sighed pitifully:

"Yes, but don't forget, Prince Tails came forward in the name of His Majesty last night and saved the Doyle family! Now everyone thinks that behind Doyle is the Duke of Star Lake, the heir of the dignified kingdom......"

"This has affected our other cases, and now, as long as it involves land annexation and old and new aristocracy, no one dares to touch it, let alone deal with it. ”

Sodot's complexion changed slightly.

Juke said indignantly, "So when I said, 'Go to Prince Tails and ask for money,' hey, that's true!"

Gilbert angrily rebuked:

"Jocke!"

Qiu Ke reacted and waved his hand in remorse:

"I know, I know, so I said, I'm sorry! I don't want to say that!"

When it comes to the royal family, no one dares to speak easily, and many people secretly glance at the king at the end of the long table.

But King Kessel remained silent, as if Jocko had just complained that it was not his son and heir.

The financial manager recovered, and when he saw that no one was silent, his confidence suddenly recovered three points:

"Well, let's not mention the prince...... So don't always rely on me, GI. ”

"If you do a better job in the Western Wilderness, save more, be more efficient, and be more profitable, why should we do this?"

Sodot wanted to retort, but hesitated.

"For more than half a year, I mobilized the people, traveled a long distance, and inexplicably fought with my own family, how much food did I consume before and after?"

The more Qiu Ke spoke, the smoother he became, so much so that he slapped the table fiercely, and his voice was clearly heard through the narrow conference room:

"What did you bring back? Aha, a report that says you're going to expand your army!"

"After eating such a large budget of the kingdom, not only did the not work, let alone the loot......"

"I haven't even earned back the money for the horseshoe!"

"And what else do you want?"

Soudor couldn't hold back any longer, and took the case:

"Do you want my warriors to spill their blood in the Western Wilderness and attack the ruins, loot the Wing Fort, or swallow the Heroic Soul Castle, and raid the homes of all the local nobles?"

"Do you want to burn the entire Western Wilderness into a blank field and send all the loot to the Finance and Taxation Department, so that you can sit here and wander around and not have so many crooked and crooked coercion Lai Lai?"

Qiu Ke snorted lightly:

"Then what are you doing!"

"As a result, you went on a trip for a long time, and even the prince himself was sent back by the nobles of the Western Wilderness!"

The military adviser said angrily:

"His Royal Highness the Prince is unpredictable in the Western Wilderness, and he has also received a sword and a flag from others!"

"The procession of Kroma and Bozdorf escorting him back to the royal capital is mighty and respectful!"

"What can we do, what should we do, what should we do?"

Qiu Xian, who had regained his confidence, was well-informed and fearless: "Then what are you doing to me?"

"Go find the prince!"

"Why don't you tell him about your suffering, ask him why he mixed with the enemy, blocked your army, cut off my financial route, and gave Cavendier a chance to make everyone helpless, leaving His Majesty in a dilemma, and finally burying the kingdom's military reform ......"

"You two, that's enough!"

Gilbert snapped a reminder.

"You'll never understand, money bag!"

Soudor laughed angrily, and did not hear the foreign secretary's reprimand:

"You will never see the reflection of the copper plates, you can only hear the hum of the gold coins, you will never understand the meaning of our army to the Western Wilderness, and you will never understand that we are for the kingdom-"

Knock!

Everyone turned their heads in unison, only to see the Scarface Spy of the Secret Branch standing apologetically, and on the ground was a broken teapot.

"I'm sorry," the scarface man hurriedly bowed, "My bad." ”

"I just...... Thirst. ”

Only then did the ministers turn around.

"Yes," Prime Minister Cullen lowered his head and thought of something, but his eyes lit up:

"It's really your fault. ”

Interrupted for a moment, Sordor and Joke both snorted, sat back in their places, and turned their heads away from each other.

But the foreign secretary was furious.

"Sord, Jocke, watch your words, it's none of His Highness Tails' business!"

Gilbert was harshly worded:

"Your Highness, returning to the royal capital safely is the greatest contribution to the kingdom!

"Don't forget, we are here to discuss countermeasures to deal with the dilemma caused by the leak of this letter, which is a royal official, and don't turn this into a personal vendetta. ”

Soduo and Joke only then retracted their faces slightly.

The Prime Minister coughed at this point.

"Don't blame them, Count Cassel, Sordor and Master Jocke can't help it......"

Duke Cullen shook his head:

"Whether it's sending troops to the Western Wilderness or a royal banquet, who made the timing of His Royal Highness Tails too coincidental every time he appeared......"

"It's like this letter. ”

The prime minister shook his head at the king, meaning something.

"We're stretched thin. ”

"Cornered. ”