When the chief inspector of the inner court had an audience, Zhu Chi was reading through the collection of books that recorded the history of the Legrand Empire.
In fact, the castle of Merne where he is now is also his "burial place" to some extent.
The devil's gift to him is the fate line of Purlan I. If the original trajectory is followed, the king will encounter an assassination on the seventh day after Duke Platinum is executed. In this assassination, the king will lose his eyes.
A blind man is not qualified to rule a kingdom.
Three months later, a coup d'etat took place in the royal city, and the citizens, dissatisfied with the tyrant's rule, used this as an excuse to oust the king from the throne. Four months later, at the behest of the Holy See, Purlan was tried by the great nobles, and he was hanged in front of the Tower of Mern—the same place where his uncle died.
This fate line looks very useful.
According to normal thinking, knowing what happened in the future can naturally be avoided.
But Zhu Chi has not forgotten that this is a gift from the devil.
Just as it was not stated in the fate line that Purland's summons to cancel the death penalty was intercepted, many things it deliberately obscure the real reason: Who are the people who were assassinated? Who was assigned? … all key information has been withheld or even deliberately misleading.
- This is a typical "devil's gift".
If Zhu Chi really depends on this fate line, then he is the number one idiot.
The crisis has not yet passed. After saving the Duke of Buckingham, he must immediately find out - who is his enemy, and where did the assassination a few days later come from
"Your Majesty, the Duke..."
The chief of the inner court was hesitant to speak.
When Moen came from the palace, the head of the inner court thought it was just another arbitrary act of the king. When he arrived at the castle and saw the high guillotine, the soul of the inner court chief was scared away. The Duke of Buckingham would have been buried now, had the king not come all the way in a hurry.
- It turns out that His Majesty expected that someone would dare to intercept the summons.
The head of the inner court couldn't help but raise a little hope, feeling that His Majesty didn't seem to be completely nonsense. But now, the king's neat "no see" moment made him realize that the king was, as always, unreasonable.
Zhu Chi really doesn't want to see the Duke of Buckingham.
As a result, it was true that he terminated the death penalty, but it was also true that Purland ordered the execution of his uncle. The relationship between the uncle and nephew is actually quite awkward. Second, Zhu Chi hasn't figured out how to face his nominally closest uncle, especially since the other party is indeed loyal to "him".
It's not that Zhu Chi has never had relatives, but most of those "relatives" are looking forward to his early death.
He'll make deals with the devil, and they have a share of the credit - the more they want him to die, the more he'll have to live.
The head of the inner court stood still with a bitter face.
"Mr. Chief, are you deaf?"
Zhu Chi raised his head, his icy blue eyes looked at Mr. Manager standing at the door without a smile.
"Do you need me to say it again?"
"No... I don't need to..." The head of the Inner Court looked even more bitter, looking like he was in a dilemma.
"Stop embarrassing your poor Mr. Steward."
A low voice sounded, with a bit of battle-hardened toughness. The figure of the Duke of Buckingham appeared behind the head of the inner court. He was still wearing the jet-black robe that he had used when he was executed in the morning, and his snow-white hair fell on his shoulders. As an old man, his blue eyes were too clear and sharp.
It's not hard to understand why Pullan was so ostracized by his only uncle, who seemed particularly stern.
Zhu Chi closed the book and looked at the old man standing at the door.
The head of the inner court, sandwiched between the two, was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
"His Majesty."
The Duke of Buckingham did not look away.
Zhu Chi waved the head of the inner court to step down, which was regarded as tacit approval of the Duke of Buckingham's audience.
The duke went into the room with the warm fireplace, and he sat a little farther away from the king, so as not to bring the lingering cold to the king.
Zhu Chi noticed that the Duke of Buckingham's complexion was not very good.
He was an old man after all, and was imprisoned in the infamous Mern Tower for another month, of which Purland never came to see him. Whether as a king or a nephew, this is too ruthless.
"Walter out of Mourne?"
Zhu Chi lowered his head and opened the book without looking at the old duke.
"Earl Walter is the nephew of Cardinal Chetesmin. The Cardinal tried to persuade the Pope to excommunicate you last month." The Duke of Buckingham replied, "It is not a wise thing to provoke the Pope."
"Excellent." Zhu Chi said, "just enough to confiscate the property and land of the clergy to collect 20,000 pounds of ransom."
The Duke was silent.
Zhu Chi finally looked up at him. The fire of the fireplace shone on his face, and the old man seemed even older at the mention of his captive son.
"Your Majesty, I can assure you that John is absolutely loyal to you."
The old duke answered.
Zhu Chi closed the heavy book with a snap.
The old duke watched him silently, it was not only the courtier watching the king, but the old man watching the younger generation.
He suddenly became irritable.
"What about you?"
In a cold tone, he asked in a sharp tone.
"Are you loyal to me?"
"Yes."
The old old duke stood up, knelt down on one knee in front of the young king, and performed a knightly oath of allegiance.
"I will always be loyal to you."
The fire in the fireplace crackled, and the midwinter chill in the air mingled with the warmth of the fire. Zhu Chi pressed his hand on the page with some force.
The old duke stood up and leaned over to embrace his nephew, who was sitting stiffly in the chair. He gave the young king a kiss of blessing that should have been given by his father.
"Feel sorry."
Zhu Chi said softly, for the Purland who has all the care he doesn't have but doesn't know how to cherish it.
"The king will bless you."
The old duke whispered that the king he was talking about was Purland's father, William III, who died young.
Zhu Chi opened his hands rusty and hugged the old man.
…
Neither Zhu Chi nor the Duke of Buckingham are used to expressing their feelings. The hug that symbolized reconciliation ended quickly, and the two deliberately did not recall the scene that could be called warmth just now.
The old duke did not forget the purpose of his visit to the king.
"I'm here to plead with you."
"For John?"
"No, it's my reckless subordinates." The old duke sighed. "They planned a rebellious assassination, which would have been executed in a few days. I beg you to punish them severely."
Zhu Chi looked at the Duke of Buckingham.
"Would you like to meet them?"
Zhu Chi rubbed the back of the book, he seemed to have found the eyes of the assassination that made Purlan lose his eyes. He nodded slightly.
The old duke clapped his hands and ordered sharply, "Get in."