Kingdom’s Bloodline

"Blood of the Kingdom ()" Find the latest chapter!

"Everyone."

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

Just like he used to, every time he made a decision for the discussion in the imperial meeting.

It looks like the end is set.

With such thoughts in mind, all the ministers restrained their emotions and tidied up their postures. Some people were a little slack, ready to welcome the end of another meeting.

But not this time.

Under everyone's gaze, the Iron Fist King raised his head and glanced at the ministers.

"You are right."

While speaking, the king's right hand suddenly protruded from the shadow of the throne, flipped gently towards the crowd, with the palm facing up, and hovered over the discussion table.

Just like a sharp blade coldly unsheathed.

Even though the sun is warm in autumn, the cold cannot be slightly reduced.

Gilbert, Cullen, Qiu Ke, Soduo...all the officials were stunned, not knowing why.

But the Iron Fist King just kept his face expressionless, and still raised his right palm:

"It's also very thoughtful."

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

The scar-faced man passed every stunned minister, and respectfully and gracefully placed the letter into the king's palm.

"This letter is a barb with malicious intentions."

King Kessel's words came faintly.

"It seems to be compromised and compromised, but in fact, it has seized the weakness of the Fuxing Palace and kept it to itself to hide the mystery."

The king slowly erected the letter, revealing the iris print on it.

"We can't even make it public, or we're going to be passive and injustice."

Every servant was swept by his gaze, subconsciously tightened his nerves, and sat up straight.

"'It's better to be a friend than an enemy', old Leinster has a son like this..."

In the next second, the Iron Fist King's fingers suddenly squeezed the letter to death!

The few people whose eyes were focused on the letter trembled and were taken aback.

Kessel said lightly:

"Live up to the family name."

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

"He will pay the price," Connie bowed respectfully to the king:

"Just for this letter."

King Kessel glanced at him and said nothing.

The letter paper was still in his hands, crumpled and crumpled.

"Of course," Soduo gritted his teeth angrily, "It's also because of his disrespect and disloyalty to you and His Highness..."

Prime Minister Cullen's trembling voice sounded:

"But not this time."

He seemed to have turned back into the old man, coughed, and concluded the heated meeting:

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

at this moment.

"But it got out."

The king's words have no beginning and no end, without waves or ripples, just like muttering to himself.

Everyone didn't react.

"Bi... what?" Qiu Ke looked confused.

"Mine, Your Majesty?" Thor Duo asked tentatively.

"I said."

At that moment, the Iron Fist King raised his eyes, especially in the small Ballard room:

"As we speak, every sentence, every word, every letter of this petition has been made public, leaked, and rumored."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Gilbert couldn't believe it:

"What, what?"

Viscount Connie kept looking back and forth in surprise: "You mean, this letter was leaked?"

Prime Minister Cullen sat up straight, extremely serious:

"When? Why?"

However, the king just shook his head calmly and answered the truth.

"The secret department is still being processed, but if it is not satisfactory...I think it will not be long before everyone in the kingdom will know that the Fuxing Palace will start from Emerald City, change the traditional rules, deprive the lord of military power, reduce the conscripts, and expand the standing army. "

"It has been changed to... the entire star.

"

Renaissance Palace, Emerald City, Traditions, Lords...

Every time the Iron Fist King said a word, the chill in his tone increased.

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

"That means……"

"As you said just now, Bob," the king said in the calmest tone, without hesitation, what the other party thought:

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

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

"There is no way back."

The imperial courtiers quickly understood the significance of this matter, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"What are you doing?"

"Who did it?"

"Has anyone caught it?"

"What should we do now?"

"Strictly investigate the mastermind behind the scenes!"

Amidst the mixed speech and the same panic, the king leaned back thoughtfully, melting into the darkness.

"How could such important correspondence be leaked?"

Consultant Thord turned to the other side angrily, with accusations in his voice:

"What about the secret department? What about the rumors? What's the situation now?"

Beside the conference table, the scar-faced spy from the secret department bowed steadily.

"We are still tracing the source, chasing and intercepting, trying to reduce the influence of rumors."

His tone was calm, as if what he was about to face was not a monstrous wave that would shake the country:

"But the delivery of the letter, the defense on the way, and the secrecy in the palace are all fine."

When the scar-faced man said this, there was an interesting ups and downs in his voice:

"There is only one thing that can't be taken into account - this letter was delivered directly to the palace by Duke Iris' courier."

Everyone fell silent.

"You mean, Jann?" Prime Minister Cullen frowned and said:

"While delivering the letter, he made up his mind to leak the content and spread rumors?"

The scarfaced man neither denies nor affirms:

"Still investigating."

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

"Kevin Dill, how dare he!"

"Damn..."

"More cunning than his father!"

"Did you become angry from embarrassment and overturn the chessboard?"

Among the courtiers, Gilbert just observed quietly at first, and finally sighed softly:

"Perhaps after the banquet, when His Majesty asked him for compensation," the foreign minister put away his dazed expression and said wearily:

"Emerald City has seen our weakness from the terms of negotiation."

But Prime Minister Cullen scratched his chin with a solemn expression:

"Not quite right."

"Zhan En is not a kind person, but he is not a lunatic either. Writing this letter is enough to prove his tact and sophistication, and he is wise and safe."

The Prime Minister was thinking:

"He's not so stupid as to force Fuxing Palace and himself to have no way out."

"That's even worse—someone else did it," Viscount Connie said suspiciously:

"Calculate both of us at the same time."

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

Amidst the chatter, the voice at the end of the long table came out again:

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Everyone was silent and looked at the king together.

"Whether he did it or not doesn't matter."

A cold light flashed in the king's eyes:

"The kingdom never lacks enemies."

"The important thing is..."

"What should we do about it?"

After King Kessel finished his sentence, he let the "Petition" slip from his fingers, and fell between the setting sun and shadows, the crumpled iris crest facing the ceiling alone.

A few seconds later, the imperial meeting was like a group of lions awakened by a crisis, living up to the previous laziness and slowness, and everyone became shrewd and capable.

"Let the secret department work overtime and take action. We will also send a letter to clarify and put an end to such rumors..."

"Starting from the feudal nobles who recently expressed their dissatisfaction, we may be able to find clues..."

"Be careful with the wording of the announcement, there may be room for maneuver..."

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

"Send a special envoy to appease the lords in the grain-producing areas first, and explain to them..."

"I'm afraid the preparations for the reform of the military system will have to be postponed, and there should be no excuses for misunderstanding..."

During the heated discussion, only Prime Minister Cullen and Gilbert remained silent.

The former looked quietly at Kevin Dill's letter, while the latter quietly sorted out the documents at hand, both thoughtful.

And King Kessel V sat quietly on the seat, neither angry nor smiling, neither hot nor cold, he seemed to be the only outsider.

boom!

There was a muffled sound, but it was the military advisor Suoduo who slapped the case, which attracted the attention of the Imperial Council.

"Everyone!"

Su Duo's face was serious, his eyes hesitated a little, but soon became concentrated and determined.

"I think, at this point, the situation is inevitable, and our next choice is actually simple."

Gilbert frowned and turned his head, as if anticipating something:

"Sodo?"

So Duo resolutely said:

"Since you can't retreat, why not go forward with all your strength?"

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

"Your Majesty, please formally reply to Kevin Dill, agree to his petition, and announce to the whole country: starting from Emerald City, military system reform is imperative!"

Everyone was stunned, or in other words, frightened by the proposal.

"Sodor, have you thought about the consequences," Gilbert said with difficulty in the silence, "Including what we just discussed..."

"certainly!"

Su Duo turned around and interrupted him.

"But the matter has come to this point, Xu Xutuzhi's plan has gone bankrupt, we have no chance to disguise, and there is no room for compromise."

Su Duo paused, and his voice became harsh:

"Let's do it."

"Or never again."

"There is no such thing as 'next time'."

His gaze swept around, and many colleagues couldn't help but bow their heads. Some looked dignified, while others hesitated to speak.

Only at the end of the long table, the king remained silent and seemed to be contemplating.

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

"Qiu Ke, find the money."

The treasurer raised his eyebrows:

"What?"

Sodor stared at the chief financial officer:

"If it was done by Emerald City, 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, we will first start from the seals directly under the royal family around Yongxing City. In the hands of the ministers, we can reduce Canxing's private soldiers and expand the standing army, so that we will have the energy to deal with the next thing."

Qiao Ke paused for three seconds, and became furious.

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

"Our budget is already very tight. Once this letter leaks and causes trouble, the financial pressure will only increase. If there is no income, we will even have to use other parts of subsidies, such as the salaries of officials, or even tax increases, which will be even worse. ..."

Qiu Ke looked devastated:

"Besides, reorganizing the army is not as simple as registering and making a list. Even if you prepare all the officers to be reorganized, you know the maintenance cost of a standing army soldier, from salary, equipment, logistics to garrison, how many timely Was it the recruited Canxing private soldiers?"

"I know!"

So Duo hit the meeting table with his fist, startling everyone.

"Qiu Ke, I know, I know your difficulties, but I understand your resentment better!"

He shouted angrily: "Whether it's the discontent when you were fooled by those southern country bumpkins with the account books when collecting taxes, or the anger when your majesty was rebelled by Kevin Dill just now, I feel the same way!"

Joe pursed his lips.

Su Duo stood up abruptly, pressed his arms on the table, and leaned forward:

"But I swear to you, Qiu Ke, the standing army is the key to change all this, expansion and restructuring are just the beginning..."

There was unspeakable fanaticism on Sodor's expression, which made Prime Minister Cullen couldn't help frowning.

"The temporary price is for the future prosperity of the kingdom, and one day, the wrath of the kingdom will bring His Majesty's will, surrounded by countless soldiers, into the Emerald City's Kongming Palace, 'convince' Jann Kevin Deere and his cunning accountants paid their taxes honestly, recovered all costs today, and made a profit."

Speaking of this, Soduo's eyes were bright and there was no doubt about it.

"Stable profit or loss?"

It was Qiu Ke's sneer that answered Suo Duo:

"Yes, when I was young, there was 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 usurers of the Blood Bottle Gang."

Having said that, the treasurer left the back of his chair, leaned forward and yelled:

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

The conflict between the two made everyone frown,

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

"Why don't you understand?"

Sodor was heartbroken:

"With a standing army, you have money!"

"Why don't you understand?" Qiu Ke was also upset:

"Without money, you have no standing army!"

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

"You are the treasurer of the kingdom! Be a beggar, sell your ass, even borrow usury—for the sake of the kingdom, find me the damn budget for military expansion!"

The yelling of the two adults regardless of their manners made colleagues frown, but the prime minister who was supposed to preside over the meeting and the authoritative foreign minister did not make a sound, and the king sat on the throne without moving.

"You're finally right about one damn thing! Soldier!"

Qiu Ke stood up, although she was a head shorter than Soduo, her momentum was not lost at all:

"I'm the treasurer!"

"Remember? Last year, it was your Department of Military Affairs who was also here, brazenly speaking, bragging about the benefits of sending troops to the sky! Forced the Department of Finance and Taxation to approve the budget, and the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to contribute food and grass. Forcing the Department of Foreign Affairs to open up joints for you, forcing the Department of Secrets to clear the way for you, and somehow sending a large number of retired, active, reserve, training, and new military standing troops to the Blade Camp! Desolation! Send it to the desert!"

The expressions of all the people in the imperial meeting changed, thinking of that time, they felt sorry for each other.

"Without your loss-making business, do we need to ask Emerald City for money? As for being tricked by Kevin Dill?"

Qiu Ke glanced at the colleagues around him who agreed with him, and said solemnly:

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

"Hey!"

Sodo clenched his fists:

"That's to welcome back Prince Thales, the blood of Canxing, the heir to the kingdom!"

"That's right!"

Qiu Ke snorted and retorted:

"Then you should ask him for money!"

Suo Duo was so angry at the rascal's sophistry that his words froze and his tongue fell open.

"Qiu Ke, be careful!"

Gilbert couldn't take it anymore, he stopped sharply:

"Sit down, don't lose your dignity in front of the imperial court."

Qiu Ke just sat down on the donkey's land, and deliberately knocked the chair to express his dissatisfaction.

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

"Don't be eccentric here, shirk responsibility and pretend to be innocent, money bag."

"About sending troops to Xihuang to meet the prince, you knew about it and even supported it—you originally had selfish intentions and tried to profit from it!"

Now it was Qiu Ke's turn to be startled.

"Me? Selfishness? For profit?"

Qiu Ke was caught off guard, startled and angry:

"Well, you rough country bumpkin from the vine..."

But Suo Duo was not polite, pointing at the other party's nose:

"I figured it out after the banquet, but yes, Qiu Ke, you, it's you!"

"After the Desert War, many aristocrats in the central government aimed at the vastly changed Western Wilderness, where they illegally occupied and annexed land for personal gain."

"Now, the deadline for the liquidation of the "Land Quantity Order" is approaching, and they are doing everything possible to whitewash themselves..."

Qiu Ke's face turned pale.

"You supported our expedition to the desert back then, and you even bribed several frontline officers in private. You just wanted the standing army to cause a big battle and a big turmoil in the Western Wilderness! You caught these greedy noble landlords by surprise and forced them to show their feet and change It has become a huge source of wealth for your tax department to confiscate and confiscate your home!"

The news released by the military advisor was not trivial, and there was an uproar in the imperial meeting, and King Kessel's eyes moved accordingly.

Qiu Ke was furious: "Bloody spout, nonsense..."

"I have the list of those officers. Why, do you want to confront them? Or should you ask the secret department to look it up?"

"You, Your Majesty, I—" Qiu Ke was anxious, but her mouth was tongue-tied.

Soduo gritted his teeth and chased after him fiercely:

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

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

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

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

Viscount Connie coughed and asked worriedly:

"Well, my father-in-law's family also has a few businesses in Xihuang, don't you..."

"How could it be, Lord Connie!" Qiu Ke smiled obsequiously.

But then he turned to the king, with a mournful face:

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

King Kessel just squinted at him.

"Qiu Ke, you are indeed a 'money bag'." Seeing Qiu Ke's expression, Gilbert had guessed the truth and couldn't help but sigh:

"No wonder they all say that you can even draw money out of your pants to make money and feed the kingdom."

Joke's cheeks twitched.

"yes."

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

"Someone else's crotch."

So Duo snorted angrily, his attitude was self-evident.

Facing everyone's eyes, Qiu Ke swallowed desperately, and quickly raised her hand:

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

"That's right. For this expedition, we originally had a few extra confiscated income, which can be included in the next quarter's budget..."

"The Doyle family?" Gilbert whispered.

Qiu Ke froze, 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 what they deserve! Over the years, they have crossed the border to occupy land, illegally leased tenants, smuggled and evaded taxes, concealed the population, and violated traditions. The hall is dedicated to serving the country and doing things impartially..."

"Stop talking nonsense, where's the money?" So Duo didn't listen to his justification, and went straight to the most critical point:

"Now, it has been several months since the prince came back, and our mission has been completed. You, the Finance and Taxation Department, should have enough food and drink, right?"

Military advisors are aggressive:

"Why are you still pushing and calling for poverty at the imperial meeting! When the Nan'an leader forced us to retreat, we were still clutching our wallets and obstructing your majesty's military reform!"

This accusation was justified, and Qiu Ke was shocked and angry:

"You, you, I, I—"

He looked around, but none of his colleagues dared to intervene, Suoduo's eyes were sharp and menacing.

Qiu Ke felt dizzy before his eyes, he had to take a deep breath, and said in a loud voice:

"Prince Thales!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was startled again.

"What?" Su Duo asked suspiciously.

Qiu Ke took a few breaths and said angrily:

"Sorry, I didn't want to talk about the following, after all..."

He calmed down and resigned to his fate:

"That's right, Doyle's case, Sodor, according to the standard of the standing army, it is enough for you to expand the staffing of 800 to 1,000 heavy cavalry, add their retinue equipment and logistics, and maybe add more."

So Duo thumped the table and mouthed "I knew it".

But Qiu Ke changed the subject:

"But! After Prince Thales, I mean the incident at the banquet. Doyle's case was exposed to the sun. It changed from a simple case to a hot potato that caught the attention of the country. Even the case files were blocked. The Kingdom Secret Division took it away overnight!"

Some people couldn't help but turn their heads: the scar-faced man from the secret department was expressionless, as if he didn't hear anything.

Su Duo frowned: "The Western Wilderness is a vast land, and your financial resources must not be limited to their family."

Qiao Ke sighed pitifully:

"Yes! But don't forget, Prince Thales stood out in the name of His Majesty last night and saved the Doyle family! Now everyone thinks that behind Doyle is the Duke of Xinghu, the heir to the dignified kingdom..."

"This has implicated our other cases. Now, as long as it involves land annexation and old and new nobles, no one dares to touch it, let alone deal with it."

Su Duo's complexion changed slightly.

Qiu Ke said angrily: "So when I said, 'ask Prince Thales for money', hey, that's true!"

Gilbert scolded angrily:

"Juke!"

Qiu Ke reacted and waved her hand regretfully:

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

When the royal family was involved, no one dared to speak easily, and many people secretly glanced at the king at the end of the long table.

But King Kessel remained calm, as if what Qiao Ke complained just now was not his son and heir.

The chief financial officer recovered and saw that no one made a sound, and immediately regained three points of confidence:

"Okay, let's not talk about the prince... so don't always blame me, soldier."

"If you did a better job in the Western Wilderness, more economical, more efficient, and more profitable, why are we here?"

Su Duo wanted to refute, but hesitated again and again.

"For more than half a year, mobilizing teachers and mobilizing people, traveling long distances, and fighting with my family for no reason, how much food was spent all the time?"

Qiu Ke spoke more and more smoothly, so that he slapped the table fiercely, and his voice clearly spread throughout the narrow conference room:

"What did you bring back? Aha, a report saying that you want to expand your army!"

"Eating such a large budget of the kingdom, not only did nothing happen, let alone the spoils of war..."

"I didn't even earn back the money for shoeing the horseshoes!"

"Then what else do you want?"

Soduo couldn't bear it any longer, and beat the table:

"Do I want my soldiers to throw their heads and blood in the Western Wilderness and attack the ruins? Loot the Wing Fort? Or swallow the Fort of Heroes? Confiscate the homes of all the local nobles?"

"Do you want to burn the entire Western Wilderness to nothingness, and send all the loot to the Finance and Taxation Department, so that you won't have so many squabbles when you sit here and count your coppers?"

Qiu Ke snorted lightly:

"Then what are you doing!"

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

The military advisor said angrily:

"What? His Royal Highness is erratic in Xihuang, and he even took a sword and a flag from him!"

"Chrome and Bozdov escorted him back to the royal capital. The team is mighty and respectful!"

"What can we do? What should we do? What should we do?"

Qiu, who had regained his confidence, was knowledgeable and fearless: "Then what are you trying to do to me?"

"Go and find the prince!"

"Maybe tell him about your suffering? Ask him why he mixed with the enemy, blocked your army, and cut off my money, and let Kevin Dill take advantage of it, so that everyone can't do anything, and His Majesty is in a dilemma , and ultimately ruined the kingdom's military reform..."

"You two, that's enough!"

Gilbert reminded sharply.

"You'll never understand, Moneybag!"

Su Duo was so angry that he laughed back, and he didn't hear the foreign minister's reprimand at all:

"You will always only see the reflection of the copper plate, only hear the buzzing of the gold coins, and you will never understand the meaning of our sending troops to the Western Wilderness, and you will not understand that we are for the kingdom—"

Boom! Boom!

Everyone turned their heads in unison, only to see the scar-faced spy from the secret department standing apologetically, with a broken teapot on the ground.

"Sorry," the scar-faced man hurriedly bowed, "My fault."

"I'm just...thirsty."

Only then did the ministers turn around.

"Yes," Prime Minister Cullen muttered with his head down, but his eyes lit up:

"It is indeed your fault."

After being interrupted for a while, Suo Duo and Qiu Ke both hummed, sat back to their original positions, and turned their heads away from each other.

But the Foreign Secretary was furious.

"Sodo, Qiu Ke, pay attention to your words, this has nothing to do with His Royal Highness Thales!"

Gilbert spoke harshly:

"His Royal Highness is a body of ten thousand gold, returning safely to the capital is the greatest contribution to the kingdom! Nothing else!"

"Don't forget, we are going to discuss countermeasures to face the dilemma caused by the leak of this letter. It is the kingdom's official business. Don't turn this into a personal grievance."

So Duo and Qiu Ke calmed down a little.

The Prime Minister coughed at this moment.

"Don't blame them, Earl Casso, Sir Suduo and Master Qiu Ke have nothing to do..."

Duke Cullen shook his head:

"Whether it's sending troops to the Western Wilderness or a royal banquet, the timing of His Highness Thales' appearance is too coincidental..."

"Like this letter."

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

"Push us hard."

"Desperate."