Section 131 Frustration

"Hey, dear Earl. A short, fat man in an embroidered gold robe greeted Ashrufat from afar. "Here you go again. ”

This one was none other than Minde, the ceremonial minister of the small court.

The bureaucracy of the seven countries is broadly similar, but there are some differences in details. Let's say "Minister". Although there are many officials who can be called "ministers", in reality there is a considerable disparity in status between them. The highest status is the group of people who can attend the Imperial Council. The presiding officer of the Imperial Council was the king, and this council was in fact the highest decision-making body in the whole country. For example, Ashrufat's current position, Chancellor of the Exchequer, is an important official position of this type. He was entitled to sit at the Imperial Council and to express his opinion on various matters of the state. There are even a lot of decisions that must be taken into account with his opinion. The status of Minde, the "Minister of Etiquette", was much worse, because he had no right to attend the Imperial Council unless there were special circumstances.

In fact, the so-called Minister of Ceremonies was supposed to be a subordinate of the Prime Minister. Of course, the position of prime minister is vacant at this moment, so Minde is in a sense temporarily taking over part of the duties of prime minister.

"You've come to see Her Majesty again?" asked Min De with a smile on his face.

"That's right. Ashrufat replied. He could see the gloating expression in the other party's expression. But then again, Ashruphat now rarely cares about other people's looks.

"Her Majesty has rejected your request to see you again?" Minde's smile squeezed even more.

"yes. Ashrufat said. Probably now the entire people of Eagle Falcon City know about this matter. Eshurufat, the nouveau riche who once served as the queen's personal bodyguard, became the heart of the new court by relying on his performance at critical moments, and even became "a one-man royal council" for a time. But now, he has clearly fallen out of favor with the little queen. For for several days in a row, Ashrufat's request to see the little queen was denied. And it's not because of physical discomfort or anything like that.

"Maybe it's because I'm not feeling well. Your Excellency, Lord Count, you have not come at the right time. Minde replied. This sentence is completely a desire to cover up.

"Maybe. Ashruphat replied, then turned to leave.

"By the way, Lord Count," Minde asked suddenly, "I heard...... You're no longer a part-time court supervisor?"

"yes. Ashrufat replied lightly. He really didn't care, but that didn't stop others from seeing his attitude as a disguise.

To tell the truth, since the Byronic coup, the position of Grand Governor of the palace has been insignificant, if not in name. Obviously, the original palace was inhabited by thousands of people (including 300 Janissaries), dozens of officials, large and small, in addition to receiving a large number of guests from all over the world, receiving all kinds of information, and various religious and political activities. Because of this, the work of the Grand Governor of the court, Skadra, was always busy. But now, there are only a few dozen people working in the entire palace (if the former regent's palace is to be counted as a royal palace), and there is no diplomatic reception at all, let alone royal activities. The original intelligence work, which has now been interrupted by Byron taking all the personnel, has not yet resumed - now Gruny has no energy left to care about the affairs of other countries.

The dismissal of Ashrufat from his position as the Grand Governor of the Imperial Court was nothing at all, just the removal of a meaningless position. But such appointments and dismissals are in themselves a harbinger of sorts. People with a keen sense of smell are already aware of the problem.

"Well, there's not much going on right now. Minde said. "Even if the position of the Grand Governor of the palace is vacant, it doesn't matter. ”

"I think so too. Ashrufat had grown impatient with the conversation, so he wanted to leave once more.

"Lord Count Ashrufat, you look like you're going to be out of the blue?"

"That's right, I'm going to the Guards. Ashrufat replied. "Because I'm the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but I'm also the commander of the Guards. ”

"Ah, I remember...... That one...... Barranca ......"

"He's 'temporary'. Ashrufat smiled.

Watching Ashrufat leave quickly, Min De was stunned for a long time. There happened to be no one nearby, so he had plenty of time to think about the meaning of Ashrufat's words. Let's be honest, in the eyes of a person with ulterior motives, anything that would otherwise be meaningless can become meaningful.

......

Two friends sat at the table by the window of the tavern, drinking silently. Outside the window, the remnant sun is like blood.

"Is there any news from the royal city lately?" asked Essian.

I don't know when the Duke of Byron stopped informing Esin to the meeting. As a result, his news immediately became closed, and many things had to be found out by asking rumors or asking Cleo. But Essien wasn't surprised. If Byron's men were to be divided into two factions according to their origins, then the factions of Fornoros City would have been overwhelmingly dominant. The people Byron brought back from Eagle City are slowly being squeezed out.

Putting aside this general trend, the Byerheim affair has also seriously affected Esin's position. By now, almost everyone under Byron knew that Essien had no future. Who but a true bosom friend would meet and chat with someone who has no future?

Then again, things are good for Essien right now. At least because of his previous performance after taking the initiative to ask for reins, Byron has some favor for him. At least he still has a position and a salary to pay. Many of the people who retreated from Falcon City to Fornoros City with Duke Byron are now in trouble. Because they do have a lot of people, there is no need for so many civil servants here in Fornoros.

Eventually, the Duke of Byron issued a new decree that salaries should be paid according to their existing positions. Of course, nominally, there is also some kind of test competition and the like. But every discerning person could see Byron's true intentions. You must know that when Lu Dao first came to Fornorus City, they received the same income as the Eagle Falcon City.

These people can survive now, but the future may not be very bright. On the one hand, the little queen of Eagle Falcon City gritted her teeth at their behavior of following Byron, and regarded them as rebels, and on the other hand, Byron no longer cared about their lives and deaths.

When they followed Byron, they probably didn't expect this situation.

"No news......" Clio replied. "Baier went to Eagle City and hasn't come back yet. In terms of other intelligence, it seems that there are rumors in Eagle Falcon City that the little queen and Aerufate have fallen out. ”

"Ahh Essien let out a meaningless interjection. No matter how much they fall out, the fate of Eshurufaat will not be worse than that of these Eagle Falcon City officials who have chosen the wrong master.

"How much does this wine cost?" asked Cleo, taking a sip of his wine. "To be honest, it doesn't taste good. ”

"Don't ask me, it's not the best kind anyway. Essien replied with some frustration. "You know, I can only receive military pay now, and I don't have a knight's salary. I can't afford to drink better wine...... If you don't like it, then you can buy yourself something good to drink. ”

"You're not a knight anymore. Clio laughed. This is true, because after Byron's failed coup d'état, the little queen of Eagle Falcon City had long since declared a large group of people, including Essien, traitors and stripped them of their titles. However, when they first came to the city of Fornoros, the Duke of Byron would also pay them according to the original noble title.

"yes, I'm not a knight anymore. Essien raised his glass, held it high, and basked in the glow of the setting sun. "And that colleague of mine...... Ashrufat, however, has already made a name for himself. He is now an earl, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Little Queen. ”

"That's what he paid for with his life. Don't be jealous, Essien. Clio said. "In that case, if it were you, would you sacrifice your life to protect the queen?"

"I don't know what to do. Essien replied. "Wealth is in danger. If it's me...... If I knew that there would be such a great reward for doing so...... I...... Maybe he will make the same choice as Ashrufat. People like us should have gambled with their lives to have a chance to get ahead in a short period of time. ”

"Well, don't be so pessimistic, Essien. You know, our little queen won't last long. ”

"To be honest, I don't believe it anymore. ”

"That's what happened, we took all the money from the treasury with us when we retreated...... In fact, we took everything except for those debt bills. Our little queen must be financially strapped now, and a loaf of bread must be divided into three portions. ”

"Ah, Clio, I know what you say. Essien said. "But...... I vividly remember that when the Duke of Byron first returned to Fornoros, he said that the little queen would not last more than a month. Then he changed his tune and said that he couldn't last more than two months...... Then came three months...... Then came four months...... It's been eight months now. The same words, after listening to them so many times, still haven't been fulfilled, anyone has the right to doubt the truth of this sentence, right?"

"Essien, to be honest, it was a miracle. Even Lord Byron doesn't know what to do, our little queen still has so much money. ”

"I don't know, but I at least know the facts. The truth is that our Majesty the Queen is still living well in Eagle Castle, and our loyal Essourofat has become Earl and Chancellor of the Exchequer...... Oh, and he also served as the Grand Governor of the Court and the Commander of the Guards. And the two of us ......"

Essien shook the cup in his hand. The drink in his cup was slightly cloudy in the sunlight. Anyone who knows a little bit about wine knows that this is the most obvious evidence that the wine is not good.

“...... But I can only drink this kind of wine. Essien said lightly.

"You know, the current situation is not the Duke Byron's intention. Clio replied. "At least, he kept his promise to you. You said you wanted a military position, and he gave it. ”

"That's right, I was given a good military position and let me guard the warehouse with a few soldiers. Essien shook his glass again, "It also allows me to afford it." I do owe him a debt of gratitude, but some of us who have followed him from Falcon City can't even afford to drink this kind of wine. ”

Not everyone has a chance to hide a sum of money just in case, and the unlucky ones who don't usually have the savings and can't win a position in the heat of the exam are probably worse than Essien said.

Cleo looked at Essien's face, and the flush on that face clearly showed that Essien was already a little drunk.