I will be crowned king

At the moment when the rare sunset appeared at the end of the skyline, the New Year's banquet at the Osteria Palace finally kicked off.

According to the tradition of the Clovis people, the vast majority of visitors are only qualified to "observe the ceremony" - that is, to meet the king and offer gifts and blessings. Only a very small part are actually qualified to participate in the banquet.

This is not because the Osterian royal family is stingy, but because the Clovis people's custom of "family banquets" is deeply ingrained. Even the king's banquet cannot retain his guests; on the contrary, high-ranking officials and nobles with high status have to attend the banquet. Similar to the fact that the Franz family did not attend the King's New Year's banquet last year but went home to celebrate, this is a "privilege" of special favor.

However, due to the "little" accident that occurred this year, and the banquet and the coronation ceremony of the new king being held at the same time, the restrictions on hospitality were relaxed a lot; all guests present, even many who did not actually get invitations at all, were also Allowed to enter the banquet hall and enjoy the hospitality provided by the king.

Of course, you don’t have to think about toasting and drinking in the same room as the king... In order to cope with the number of guests that are several times more than usual, the Osteria Palace opened the Royal Garden and two other halls to roughly accommodate the guests. It is divided into three categories of entertainment: the most important one is of course the inner court, where non-local nobles and some groups directly related to the royal family are in the banquet hall, and cabinet ministers and privy councilors are in the Queen's Hall, which is equipped with card tables, dance floors and other entertainment facilities, as well as small boxes. .

As for the minor nobles, wealthy businessmen with important industries, family members of wealthy families, and "influential people" in the royal capital... they are all arranged in the imperial garden - they are clearly separated from each other and the hierarchy is strict.

"So...some people should know how to be grateful. If I weren't here, I wouldn't even be qualified to walk through the door of this banquet hall!"

In the colorful banquet hall, the eldest lady of North Port, Laura Cecil, hugged the arm of a certain deputy commander tightly, her slightly drunken cheeks filled with great arrogance: "I can only talk to your colleagues. Just like us, we wandered around the imperial garden, drank two glasses of wine, and wasted such an important banquet!"

"Yes, yes, all of this is the result of Miss Fula Laura." Fabian, whose upper body remained motionless with a stiff face as if his body was entangled by an octopus, said in a rather perfunctory voice: "I am so lucky to have Fula Laura. It is truly a blessing to be favored by the young lady."

"Hmph, it's good to know."

Laura Fula blushed and expressed her dissatisfaction with her words, but she was secretly happy in her heart.

After all, this is the first time since leaving Beigang that I can dress up with this guy.

Since Furaura left North Port without the consent of the Cecil family, after arriving in Clovis City, she always acted as a member of the Free Confederate Diplomatic Corps and spent most of her time at the Osteria Palace. Inside; let alone meeting Fabian, even the scope of activities is severely restricted.

Fortunately, Carlos II has already planned to form an alliance with the Free Confederation, and the conditions provided in terms of living conditions are quite generous; plus Christian Bach has taken the initiative many times, members of the mission can even buy newspapers and shop... and they will not be there. The long wait was too boring.

But for a girl who loves crime novels and longs to be the protagonist of detective novels, such a life is still too painful.

Therefore, she attaches great importance to this dinner - not only to get along with Fabian in private, but also to use this opportunity to find ways to no longer be bound by the family and stay in Clovis City forever. stay with someone...

"Look around, everyone here is a group of people who are closest to the king in Clovis City - in the words of their father and uncle, this is a hunting ground." The girl looked serious and deliberately lowered her voice: "As long as we can get along with you. If you establish a relationship with one of them, you may be able to smoothly transform yourself from a small officer into a powerful figure in Clovis City!"

"Of course, such an opportunity is very rare, and it is not an exaggeration to describe it as finding a needle in a haystack... But Fabian, you are very lucky today, because your female companion has a unique eye and is very good at discovering such existence that can help your future. .”

Laura pretended to be reserved and coughed slightly: "Besides, having someone as young, beautiful and charismatic as me accompanying you can also make you look more attractive just wearing a military uniform and increase the probability of being chosen by others. "

"Ah...then I'll thank you in advance." Fabian twitched his lips and pretended not to notice the expectant gaze of the girl beside him.

This wood! stone! sculpture! Is he blind? He is obviously right next to him but... Laura, who is specially dressed up, is screaming in her heart, but on the surface she still pretends to be indifferent and doesn't care at all:

"It's good to know, then let me wait and see for you first; since it is a hunting ground, choosing prey is a very important thing, and it is not an exaggeration to call it the most important; let me see, um... "

Looking around, the smile on the girl's lips suddenly became a little unnatural.

"That... Fabian."

"Um?"

"Have you ever felt..."

"What do you think?"

"I feel like the people around us are looking at us." Laura turned her head stiffly, her eyes seeming to be frightened:

"It's a little strange..."

"Is it?"

Fabian said expressionlessly, patting the girl's shoulder comfortingly, and swept the whole place with cold eyes. Countless pairs of eyes instantly avoided his sight, and the lively banquet hall suddenly became a little deserted:

"Don't worry, that's just your illusion. No one here dares to hurt you."

……………………

"But in doing so, you are turning the entire Privy Council against you."

In the small box in the Queen's Hall, Luther Franz quietly listened to Anson's plan, his expression unchanged as if there was no possibility of losing his composure: "I don't think you two have realized yet, what a united Privy Council means. What are you wearing?"

"But you have to admit, this is a good plan." Anson nodded, and the old man's reaction was completely as he expected:

"What happened like this is also beyond my expectation. I must admit that Queen Anne is indeed one step ahead; she wants to divide the Franz family to prevent one family from becoming a dominant one, so that she can get rid of the fate of being a puppet."

"But she gave us a perfect opportunity... Without this opportunity, the Privy Council would never have been able to give birth to something similar to a 'ruling'... This is an extraordinary variable."

"You introduced steam core technology to Clovis, became an enemy of the Holy See, cooperated with people like Périgord Jr., and even acquiesced in the death of Carlos II... weren't all of this because of this variable? ?”

"I'm not telling you whether it's worth it, nor am I preparing to sacrifice Ludwig." Anson took a deep breath: "What I'm saying is that if we miss this opportunity, it may be difficult for us to create such a huge product again." has changed."

"If everything is on track, what happens next is just the same political game that has happened countless times in the past hundreds and thousands of years; royalists and liberal parties, reformists and conservatives, wealthy families and upstarts... there is no change. .”

"But! A group of soldiers whose goal is to protect the kingdom's highest interests, a brand new political party with a common program and goals, they... can create something brand new, this is something you absolutely cannot deny."

"I totally agree."

The Archbishop nodded slightly and said almost without thinking: "But you need to think clearly, Ludwig will not thank you for this. He will probably regard you as his opponent and enemy forever."

"Most of the Kingdom of Clovis will not thank you. In their eyes, you are a true careerist, and you are ready to eat all the cake. This kind of undisguised greed will make it difficult for you to move forward. "

"Most of Clovis, or most of the nobles of Clovis." Anson smiled: "Let them oppose it. With the Storm Legion and the support of 'True Heart', I don't care."

"Or I can also ask you, have you ever hesitated to try to confront the entire church as the archbishop?"

At that moment, the old man's face showed a very rare surprise - although it was really only for a moment.

"Draco is not wrong, you are indeed born to be with the Society of Truth." Luther Franz said with emotion:

"The desirelessness you once had was just your disguise. You protected your heart so perfectly that you ignored your rapidly expanding ambition. The more you are content with the status quo, the more it proves that you want to break the destruction. In other words, the changes created are beyond the limits of everyone’s imagination.”

"I don't have any ambitions, I'm just an ordinary person."

Anson smiled: "Everything I did was only for the benefit of myself and Clovis."

"The interests of you and Clovis - repeat this sentence ten thousand times, and those who follow you will regard it as a treasure." Luther Franz did not take it seriously:

"This world needs to change. Maybe it will perish because of the changes. But if it really follows the eternal order stipulated by the Church of the Ring of Order, what awaits will only be slow death."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

Anson breathed a sigh of relief: "So, you agree?"

"I have nothing to agree with - I am no longer the real person in power in the Franz family." The old man shook his head: "I only have one question, who are you going to tell Ludwig about this?" ?”

…………………………

"It is no exaggeration to say that apart from you, there is no other more suitable person."

At the wine table in the corner of the inner court, Old Renard looked at the Major General in front of him with serious words: "After discussion, we agreed that only you are the most suitable for this position."

"Really, then I'm really honored." Ludwig looked very ugly: "Then can I ask, who did you discuss with, and who are we...?"

"Everyone!"

Old Renard said solemnly: "All members of the Privy Council, including at least two hundred conservatives and reformists, hold this view!"

"……Why?"

"Because of who you are."

"identity?"

"You are a bloodline of the Franz family. Although this bloodline is not famous, it has at least hundreds of years of history. It may not be a big deal in the empire, but in Clovis, it is enough to meet the minimum status of a wealthy family. standard."

Old Renard's tone was very serious: "At the same time, because of your father's relationship, you also have a pretty good friendship with the reformist MPs; it is no exaggeration to say that if the entire Kingdom of Clovis except His Majesty Carlos who has left us Besides, who else can unite the entire Privy Council, that is your father, and secondly...it is you!"

"Of course, Lord Luther Franz is the archbishop of the Diocese of Clovis and cannot participate in politics. But you are different. This position is almost tailor-made for you."

"You made it specially for me, right?"

Ludwig, who looked ugly, said coldly: "In order to become this so-called...Governor, you want me to take off my military uniform, join the Privy Council, and become a...Member?"

"To govern is to govern!" Old Renard corrected:

"Your identity is the chief consul of the Kingdom of Clovis. As a plenipotentiary representative of the Privy Council, you propose proposals to the king, and even replace the king to rule the entire government of Clovis!"

Finally, Ludwig's eyes changed slightly.

"You might as well think about it, Anson Bach's current military rank is higher than yours, and he has also obtained the position of chief of the Royal Guards. With the support of the Minister of War, even if you continue to stay in the Ministry of War, you are definitely not theirs. Opponents are almost destined to be ostracized - why should an excellent general fight a battle that is certain to lose?"

Old Renard's voice was like a battering ram, constantly hitting Ludwig's psychological defense line: "Joining the Privy Council is completely different. You can immediately gain the absolute support of all members, stand up to the army department, and even Overwhelm the other side.

"After all...the Ministry of War is only the Ministry of War after all. They are just a pure army, but the Privy Council's governance...has the real power to manage the entire kingdom."

"Yes, but this is just your promise, and it is still an empty promise."

Ludwig's expression was still cold, but his eyes betrayed his heart: "Why do you believe that Queen Mother Anne can agree to this matter? Is there anything that can guarantee that I can definitely become this... ruler?"

"In that case, are you willing to make a bet with me?" Old Renard suddenly smiled playfully.

"Bet on whether you can successfully convince the Queen Mother?"

"No, I bet Queen Anne...she will also take the initiative to suggest this."

The old Renard with stern eyes said word by word: "She will announce this decision in public immediately after signing the alliance with the Free Confederacy; if she does not say it, then we will treat today's conversation as if it does not exist; but if she says it, You must promise us."

"How about, do you dare to take a gamble?"