Kingdom’s Bloodline

Oops, did he guess that?

"I don't understand. What does this mean?"

The second prince calmly lowered his right hand and touched the JC dagger at his waist.

Zhan stared at him, intently.

"Don't you understand, Thales?"

The Duke of Nan'an narrowed his eyes:

"You might as well think about it carefully: Do you really don't understand?"

Thales' expression remained unchanged, but he could hear his heart pounding.

calm.

If Zhan sees through me and knows that I am just pretending to be in harmony with the king...

So what will he do?

Fall out directly? Take action? Tell the world? Drive me out of the Emerald City?

still……

But the next second, Zhan En smiled slightly.

He turned back and picked up the kettle and refilled Thales' empty cup.

"Listen: The Kingdom Secret Service killed Moss, but that was just the beginning. The purpose was to attract your attention, provoke us to fight, and let you follow this clue all the way."

Zhan put down the kettle and gave Thales a very meaningful look:

"Like now."

Thales held up the cup steadily: "You have said this before."

Zhan En didn't look at him anymore, just poured himself a glass of clear spring drink:

"And they killed the wool merchant named Diop for the same purpose: to provoke you and your people to take action."

Thales' eyebrows moved.

"real?"

The prince tried his best to suppress the urge to snort:

"The secret department killed Diop to bait me?"

Zhan nodded: "They know your character, they know you will come forward and charge forward."

There must be something there.

The voice in his heart told Thales: Behind the deaths of Moss, Diop, and these people, there must be something that Zhan can't wait to hide, so much so that he uses the secret department as a shield.

"It's a pity that my people couldn't keep the white-clothed assassin from the secret department," Thales sighed naturally, "otherwise, we could have asked for something."

"Neither do I," said the Duke of Nan'an calmly, "but that's the kingdom's secret department, so it's normal."

The killer in white.

Thales carefully observed Zhan's expression, but unfortunately found nothing.

No, it can’t be said that nothing was gained.

After all, the voice in the back of your mind was muttering that you knew from the beginning that Zhan couldn’t be trusted.

After all, the true meaning of alliance is betrayal.

Zhan En paused for a moment: "But there is no doubt that the secret department regards you as a pawn and wants you to come forward to deal with me: from Moss to Diop, maybe to the next person, and so on, until you dig out the secret The secret weapon prepared by Coe will oust me and Kevin Deere in one fell swoop.”

"Secret weapon?"

Thales nodded:

"So, there is indeed something wrong with Diop?"

Zhan fell silent.

After a few seconds, he seemed to have made up his mind, nodded and said:

"Yes, in addition to the wool business, Diop also has another identity: the secret accountant of Kongming Palace."

"Secret account?"

"Agents like Dagory Moss will bring some gray income to the Emerald City that is difficult to talk about or record," Zhan replied calmly, "and Diop is the one who manages these secret accounts. One of the people.”

"You mean, illegal income, accounting and money laundering?"

Duke Iris snorted:

"If the Secret Service digs out his identity and his accounts, and you issue open and just accusations with indignation and righteousness like just now, then it will indeed bring a lot of trouble to Emerald City, and it will bring a lot of trouble to me and my officials. We were in a hurry for a while.”

Thales frowned.

If what Zhan said is true, then Diop is the one in charge of the Emerald City's secret accounts, which is why Moss wants to see him.

But, Zhan actually confessed so simply?

That means he has already prepared everything.

He was confident that the affairs behind Diop had been cleared up, and no clues would be left to the enemies, especially the Kingdom's secret department.

Thales's mood became more solemn.

"Of course you wouldn't let this happen," the prince said expressionlessly, "that's why you hurriedly cut off the clues, even found a scapegoat, and closed the case to make sure it couldn't be raised. Big waves?”

Zhan nodded:

"During the Emerald Celebration, this matter cannot become the focus of the whole city, otherwise it will play into the hands of the Secret Department."

"Like Moss?"

"Just like Moss," Jenn affirmed.

Thales was silent for a few seconds.

"Then you should tell me first, about Diop."

"I should indeed," Zhan admitted without any burden, "but please understand that it involves the internal operations and finances of Emerald City, and maybe some illegal income that is not easy to see. I don't want more people to know. , at least until I eliminate the threat and ensure safety."

Eliminate threats and stay safe…

I don’t want more people to know…

For some reason, when looking at the master of the Emerald City in front of him, Thales thought of the kingdom's secret science.

"Of course, I can understand it, it makes sense, it makes sense." Thales raised the corner of his mouth.

"Believe me, Thales, the current handling method is the most ideal," Zhan said, raising his cup. "You and I, we have cleverly maintained the balance of the situation in the Emerald City under the overt struggle."

Thales' expression changed: "Balance?"

Zhan En took a sip of the clear spring drink:

"First, the Kingdom Secret Department did not succeed, and the Diop case entered the normal process, silently, without causing an earthquake or causing chaos."

"Yes, debt disputes, Bedren's violent behavior after drinking, and killing in anger are normal." Thales whispered.

"Second, you did not fall into the trap of the Secret Department and become their pawn, which led to the breakdown of our relationship and the imbalance of the situation."

"Thanks to you for cutting off the clues in advance, I didn't get the Secret Department's "secret weapon" to deal with you."

"Third, if I really want to make trouble for you, Thales," Zhan En put down the cup and suddenly raised his voice, "How could your men who went to track down Diop escape the blockade and capture of the Emerald Legion so easily?"

Tales frowned deeply.

A few seconds later, the prince took a deep breath.

"So, Diop's line is broken, no matter what conspiracy is behind him..." Thales said slowly, "What do you think the Kingdom Secret Department will do next, and how should we deal with it?"

Zhan En raised the corner of his mouth.

"Whether it's Moss or Diop, their deaths represent that the Kingdom's secret department wants to change, wants to change, and wants chaos," he carefully looked at his wine glass, looking at the distorted scene through the glass, "and we give them the opposite."

The opposite.

"You mean, it's a dead end, just like the case of Moss and Diop, one is an old grudge, and the other is a debt dispute?" Thales said faintly.

Zhan En didn't answer, just smiled.

"Besides that, Zhan En, you shouldn't hide anything from me anymore, right?"

Thales stared at him steadily:

"If there is, now is the time to confess, so as to avoid yesterday's accident and damage the trust between us."

After the voice fell, Zhan En was silent for a long time.

"I can't make a guarantee, because even collaborators with the same interests will have reservations," the Duke said, "but I can say that if something like yesterday happens again, you will be informed in advance."

Thales looked at his expression and nodded slowly.

The two Dukes were thinking about their own things and didn't speak again.

In an instant, the dining room fell into a suffocating silence.

Until Zhane coughed: "Now, if we have nothing else to do..."

"But you know, Zhane."

Thales suddenly spoke.

"If your Emerald Army, if they really caught my guards at the scene of the murder," the prince looked at the Duke, "then I will be accused of murder and unable to defend myself. I will probably have to leave Emerald City in disgrace and withdraw from this chess game."

Zhane paused: "Maybe."

"Why not? Why don't you just kick me out of Emerald City?"

Thales looked straight at Zhane, as if he wanted to see through his heart:

"In this way, no matter what back-up plan the Secret Department has prepared for me, no matter what role they expect me to play in it, it will be discounted or even invalid, once and for all, and it will be over."

Zhane was silent for a long time.

The atmosphere in the dining room became very strange.

"Because we have an agreement and cooperation," Zhan En spoke slowly after a while, his voice slightly tired and hoarse, "We are still on the same chariot, fighting against the most powerful person in this kingdom, right?"

The Duke of South Bank raised his head and resumed his smile:

"If you leave, won't I lose an ally who can fight against the king together? I think we should agree on this point, Thales."

On the same chariot, against the most powerful person...

Looking at the other person's appearance, Thales unconsciously reached out and touched the hideous bone ring in his pocket.

"No."

Tales' answer made Zhan En's face change slightly.

"The reason why you didn't drive me out of Emerald City once and for all is not because we have an agreement."

The prince said seriously: "It's because of my father."

"Because you are afraid of him and afraid of him."

Zhan En's smile froze for a moment.

Thales put down the cup and sighed: "I came to Emerald City this time, whether the purpose is to meet my fiancée or not, I was sent by His Majesty the King." "No matter how annoying I am, no matter how much you hate me, as long as I am in Emerald City, you can use me to spy on the plans of Renaissance Palace and the actions of the king, and always be on guard against the conspiracy of the Kingdom Secret Department through me: whether it is my marriage, my character, or the death of Moss and Diop." He raised his head: "But if I am forced away and defeated by your means, , completely left the chess game, who knows how the Kingdom Secret Department will react, who knows how my father will react? Who knows what other means they will use that you don't know? Maybe it's hard to defend against, maybe it's getting worse, maybe the cost is terrible? "

"And this is why I haven't been driven away by you, or you dare not drive me away," Thales said lightly, "Look, facing him, you, including me, we don't even have the power to overturn the chessboard and turn around and say "I don't want to play anymore." "

Zhan En's eyes slowly focused and nailed on the wine glass.

"Your Highness, it's too early to mobilize for rebellion now," the Duke said maliciously, "Isn't it too early?"

Tils paused for a few seconds.

"You didn't understand what I said," the prince said softly, "or don't you want to understand?"

Tales clenched his bone ring.

"When we were in the Western Wilderness, I asked Falkenhausz: If you knew in advance that the king had bad intentions and knew the other party's conspiracy in advance, why didn't you stop him in advance?"

The Duke of South Bank did not speak.

"The Duke of Xihuang's answer was tactful and cautious. He said that the conflict was necessary. He said that sometimes doing nothing is the best choice," the prince said in a daze, "but behind that trace of cunning and wisdom, I He saw the deep fear that belonged only to the Guardian Duke of the Western Wilderness, the Lord of the Ruins, Duke Cyril Falkenhaus. That fear was not necessarily exaggerated and obvious, but it was so deep that he had the courage to even glance at it. Don’t even look at it.”

Zhan's face was expressionless and he didn't answer, but he held the napkin in his hand tightly.

"Yes, the meaning of my staying here, as you said, is to maintain balance," Thales said, with some loss of interest, "to maintain the tacit understanding between the two parties, to maintain this invisible struggle, and to stay. To the extent that you can understand, accept, and deal with it.”

"Because the butcher's knife above your head is intimidating you and me, and everyone: even if you resist, you must be respectful, polite, rational and peaceful, and you don't dare to cross the line or break this terrifying balance."

Zhan still didn't answer.

But it is worth a thousand words.

The dining room was completely quiet until Thales let out a long sigh:

"So, what's the point?"

Zhan raised his eyes: "What?"

Thales' tone was somewhat emotional:

"I mean, all these fights, cooperation, resistance, internal strife, intrigues, back and forth between you and Fuxing Palace, including my father and I, what's the point? After all, they are just discord under the butcher's knife. , War in the Cage.”

He stared at Zhan, feeling depressed:

"Why, Jenn, why do we have to do this?"

Zhan En was silent for a while, but suddenly smiled, his smile was desolate and tragic:

"Because this is who we are."

Thales came back to his senses and looked at him.

"Sorry, I lost my temper by talking too much." The prince said solemnly.

But unexpectedly, Zhan shook his head.

"We all have those moments."

The Duke was slightly lost in thought: "And you are right, there is discord under the butcher's knife."

At that moment, Thales felt for the first time: the man in front of him was in the same room as him, sitting at the same dining table.

Thales gathered his thoughts, eliminated unnecessary emotions, and took a deep breath.

"Then again, you know, it's not that bad, and we don't have to go that far."

"Which step?"

Teresa paused: "My father, maybe, maybe he doesn't want to kill everyone."

Zhan narrowed his eyes.

"If I can..." Thales took a deep breath and tried his best to sound confident, "As long as you and Emerald City take a step back..."

But he was interrupted by Zhan.

"Take a step back?"

The Duke of Nan'an looked at him with a half-smile.

Facing the other party's eyes, Thales clenched the bone ring in his hand tightly, as if it could give him strength.

"I mean……"

"I know what you mean," Zhan En said coldly, "I figured it out. You probably solved the matter in Xihuang a while ago this way: take a step back, haha."

Thales frowned slightly.

"Take a step back, yes, power belongs to the throne, finances go to the central government, governance belongs to the Fuxing Palace, and resources flow into Yongxing City."

Zhan leaned back on his chair in a rare relaxed posture and enumerated:

"The Emerald City has lost its aura of territorial autonomy. The queen of the city has put down her freedom and pride. Kevin Deer has given up the authority to dominate. He is willing to become the slave, servant, tool, weapon, bargaining chip and stepping stone of the Supreme King to help others. Influence to control other backward territories, distant frontiers, and unruly subjects, to create more of the same kind, and so on, until every inch of the land is like this, in order to realize his grand ambitions: from now on, the stars will be integrated up and down, like arms and fingers, Just like the empire of old.”

Thales was in a heavy mood and was about to speak, but Zhan didn't stop:

"But why?"

The owner of the iris turned his head and his eyes were as sharp as a knife:

"The system of Emerald City has been established by us over the years. The wealth of South Shore people has been accumulated bit by bit by us. The prestige and status of the Kevin Deere family here has been earned through hard work."

"Why should we pay, let us dedicate, let us cooperate, let us sacrifice, let us destroy our families to help the people in trouble, let us be loyal to the public, let us hand over all the territory we have gained, and let us hand over more To pay taxes, to perform more service, to bear more debts, to support the royal family's soldiers, to help the officials of the royal capital, to write the history of the Brilliant Star, to strengthen the authority of the Fuxing Palace, to achieve the glory of the Nine-Star Crown, To realize the ambition of the Supreme King, to share the disasters they brought with the dignitaries from the center, such as the Year of Blood? "

Thales wanted to say something, but he gritted his teeth.

The Duke continued with a sneer: "Why, why should we let the people of the south coast, who have the best life, the best situation and the prosperity in the stars, take the initiative to retreat and support the idle people of the whole star for no reason, so that the mountain savages of the cliff land, the north The vulgar barbarians from the border, the profiteers and lazy people from the East China Sea, the unscrupulous sand people from the Western Wilderness, the bandits and robbers from the Blade Leader, and those from the Central Leader who have eyes above their heads, despise everything, and look at everyone like a king from the remote countryside. You gentlemen, let them steal everything from us, share our dividends, and drag down our lives?”

"Just because a certain person from countless generations of your ancestors drank too much one day, except when he was peeing, he fainted and shouted "The stars are here"?"

Facing Zhan with this appearance, Thales took a deep breath.

"You just said, 'Everyone looks like they came from the remote countryside,' right?"

The prince looked at the Duke and gave a weak smile.

"But you, you talk as if the South Coast Territory is a person, a fisherman living on a deserted island without any friends, completely helpless and self-reliant. You talk as if Kevin Deer has always been isolated from the world, as if he has been isolated from the world for the past seven hundred years. It doesn’t exist, it’s as if you single-handedly built the Emerald City today.”

Zhan frowned.

"But there is no island in this world, Zhan En. You are no different from the stars, the kingdom, or the world."

"Without the developed transportation lines of the southern coast territorial water system, the population, territory, history, culture, and market of the entire Star Kingdom... How do you think the transoceanic trade that you are proud of can be achieved? The resource goods you are transporting need to be Where are you going? How can there be so many visitors from foreign countries looking for business opportunities and profits at the Jade Celebration every Queen’s Day?

Thales raised his head and said decisively:

"Business, market, raw materials, supply, land, system, history, politics, immigration, culture, there are too many... The South Coast Territory is not only drawn on the territory of the kingdom, but is also deeply embedded in the huge system called stars. They interact back and forth and become one, making it difficult to tell them apart.”

Zhan was silent for a while, then sneered disdainfully.

"How long have you lived in Fuxing Palace since you grew up, Your Highness?"

Thales was startled.

"Long enough to think that the kingdom is you and you are the kingdom?"

Zhan En's words turned cold:

"According to what you just said, Xingchen and Exeter have been fighting for many years, with fits and starts. They have the same history and experience, and they have already interacted back and forth to form an indistinguishable whole. Why don't you go to Black Sand City and offer Nine Stars A crown and a staff of stars, kneeling on one's knees and calling Charmaine Lombard "Dad" with tears of gratitude? Or crossing the End Sea to the City of Hope to swear allegiance to the 'Kadir of the Mountains and the Earth', maybe he will be merciful and let him? The Canxing family becomes the eighth clan to serve him? "

Thales swallowed his throat.

"I don't make such sophistry, but you understand what I mean," the prince felt tired and shook his head. "Sometimes, for peace, stability, and balance, maybe we have to pay a price."

"who?"

Duke Iris asked fiercely:

"When you say that, when you always say, 'We have to pay,' who are we?"

"Is it you? Is it the king? Is it the Kingdom of Stars? Is it the Central Territory? Is it the Royal Capital? Is it the Royal Family of the Bright Star? Or are those who can have enough food, clothing, warmth, and high status in this sentence, so they pretend to be righteous and move it out everywhere? Someone else said that?”

Thales didn't answer.

Because he doesn't have an answer either.

He just clutched the Gurtaksa tightly in his pocket.

He knew that his answer would be pale no matter what.

"And who is the 'price'?"

Zhan said disdainfully:

"Is it me? Is it the South Coast Territory? Is it the Emerald City? Is it the Kevin Dill family? Or are they just a bunch of ordinary people who are in a state of confusion and can only be manipulated by this huge mechanism called the stars?"

Thales gasped:

"A commoner?"

He shook his head feebly:

"These words should be spoken by the ordinary people who are struggling to survive, not by a high-ranking duke with a magnificent palace."

"When you face the Brilliant Star royal family with a long history and eternal authority, and the descendants of the Imperial line who have climbed to the top and overlooked the stars," Zhan En snorted coldly, "Who can say that he is not a commoner, just allowed to be slaughtered?"

Thales was silent.

He sighed at last:

"To be honest, after what I have seen and heard these days, I quite like the Emerald City..."

"Does your father like it?" Zhan interrupted him unceremoniously.

Thales frowned: "So, is there really no room left?"

Zhan looked at him seriously and smiled.

"When I was a child, at a family dinner, my father once said: 'As long as someone is willing to take the initiative to step back, there will always be room.'"

Thales squeezed the bone ring "covenant" tightly again, feeling a glimmer of hope.

"Your father, the old Duke is a wise man."

But Zhan En had a mocking look on his face:

"Until my uncle added coldly: 'These words are only useful to the strong.'"

The words fell, and Thales understood.

The two were silent for a long time.

"Your uncle, he is also very interesting." Thales said bitterly.

"Not interesting enough."

"Then do you think my father will take the initiative to retreat?"

Zhan sneered: "What do you think?"

Thales looked at him, his eyes flickering: "What if he was forced?"

The Duke of Nan'an paused for a moment. He raised the cup, only to find that it was empty.

"Who in this country can force him, the supreme king?" he said quietly.

Thales turned his head.

"Believe it or not, Zhan," the prince said seriously, "he also has the same fear we face."

Zhan En snorted coldly:

"I don't take part in rebellion, especially the kind that is doomed to failure."

The two of them looked at each other in silence, without saying a word.

After a few seconds, Thales took a deep breath and stood up.

"I see. So, wish us luck."

But just when Thales was about to walk out of the dining room, Zhan suddenly stopped him.

"Tiles, if, I mean if, if things really come to that point, can I trust you?"

Thales stopped and thought for a while.

"No, we can't."

Zhan frowned deeply.

Thales turned around:

"You know this yourself."

But the next second, Thales smiled slightly.

"But at least you can believe in interests," he nodded, "and now, our interests are aligned."

Zhan looked at his appearance and nodded as well.

Thales turned around, opened the door and left.

But the moment he stepped out of the dining room, Thales's expression turned cold.

"Did you get the interest you asked for?"

The watchman Mallos, who had followed him at some point, asked him this.

Thales paused for a moment.

When he spoke again, he cleared out all the luck and weakness in his mind and threw them into the prison river together with Zhan's nonsense.

Because you know, Thales' inner voice said coldly:

Behind you, Zhan is the same.

Even more decisive than you.

"Moss, and Diop," Duke Xinghu said coldly, "one is Zhan's agent, and the other is his accountant who manages secret accounts for him. They must be hiding something."

Mallos raised his eyebrows.

"Dig three feet into the ground, Thor. Even if you dig through the veins under the South Bank Territory, you must find out their secrets."

Mallos was silent for a while: "But you know that they are dead and the clues have been cut off, right? And according to official records, they all died of normal circumstances..."

"I do not care!"

Thales raised his voice in a rare move, causing Huaiya, who was waiting for them in the distance, to look askance.

"Find a way, Thor, find a way," the prince said with stern eyes, "I have a hunch: as long as we dig something..."

Thales loosened his bone ring and looked at the garden outside Kongming Palace.

"The Emerald City is ours."