Minter and Jada looked at each other, smiled at each other, and then listened intently to the conversation next door.
The discussion at the next table continued. The man sitting opposite the man looked around hurriedly, pulled him back to the wooden chair, and shouted in a low voice: "Are you crazy?! Is this what you should say? If someone reports you, you will He’s going to jail, and maybe even executed!”
The man gradually lost his temper, but his attitude was still angry: "The weather this year is good, and there will be a bumper harvest in a few months. But now I have to hand over half of the grain to the public warehouse. Where do you want me to find grain?! The price of food is high now. I want to feed my whole family, how can it be enough with just this small amount of food?!"
The third man sitting next to him glanced at him contemptuously: "This is called hard work? How ignorant!" He motioned his two friends to come closer, then leaned over and whispered: "In recent years, the country has been We are accumulating food, hay, horses, iron tools and other things, didn’t you guess?”
"Guess what?" The two men were confused.
The third man rolled his eyes at them and said mysteriously: "I heard it from my grandfather, and he heard it from his grandfather's grandfather... In short, it is passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors. It is said that Nicodi This is how Emperor Meuse collected military supplies when he launched the continental war."
The other two people took a breath, and one of them stepped up and asked: "You mean... there is going to be a war? Then will we be captured and used as soldiers..." Ignorant things! The third man rolled his eyes at his companions again, "What's the point of suffering now?" Think about it, as long as we capture the rich areas in the south, we will have as much food as we want, as well as all kinds of delicious meat, fine wine, beautiful clothes, beautiful girls... We can have as much of these as we want. ! "
The eyes of the other two people were shining when they heard: "That's great..." The one who was still cursing just now clenched his fist: "Okay! As long as I can enjoy the treasures and beauties in the south, I will tighten my pants. Take it and keep it going for a few years!" Another person talked enthusiastically about which country has delicious food, good wine, and which country has fertile land. He wants to grab more land...
Minte listened. Very unpleasant. These Nuojia people are indeed not good people. They only want to rob other countries' property. Don't they know how to work hard to create
He turned his head angrily and stuffed the boiled pasta into his mouth, feeling that it was more and more tasteless, but he heard Jada whisper beside him: "It seems that ordinary people also know that many policies are promulgated by Prince Mario. You can't blame your Majesty." Now, in order to satisfy his own wishes, the prince has put the survival of the people behind, and everyone will soon discover his true identity. We must seize the opportunity to weaken his power!" Shade nodded in agreement.
Minte glared at them angrily, and Jada felt a little strange: "What's wrong, Minte?"
Minte endured it again and again. Still couldn't help but said: "You don't think the war is a big deal, right? After listening to those people, you only think about how to deal with Prince Mario! But have you ever thought about how many people will die once the war breaks out? People? The people who are fighting are your citizens. Many of the people who are dying are your citizens. Don’t you think about this at all?! As a person in a position of power in the country, if you only focus on the power struggle, but ignore the interests of the people, then what are you doing? What’s the difference between Prince Mario?!”
Jada's expression was solemn. Look directly at Mint. And Minte stared at him without giving in. The atmosphere became a little tense for a moment. Junia glared at Minter angrily. She looked at her fiancé with worry on her face.
Xie De suddenly spoke: "You are just the magician invited by Your Excellency. You are not qualified to speak to Your Excellency in this tone! This is a matter for ministers. Don't forget your identity!"
Minte sneered. He looked away: "I understand." After saying that, he ignored the three of them. Just keep eating. Wait until everyone has finished breakfast. When getting back on the road. He found that he seemed to be left out. Jada didn't say anything though. The attitude remains mild. But both Junia and Shade were very repulsive to him.
He sneered inwardly. But a little regretful. Why are you saying those words when you have nothing to do? Noga was an enemy country to him. Those in power fight against each other regardless of the interests of the people. It brought the country down. Isn't it just right? Now it makes Jada angry. In case it affects the mission. But that's not good. He secretly made up his mind. I won’t talk too much anymore. Let those people fight on their own!
The entire journey was silent. Minte also pretended to be mute and did not provoke the other three. So everything was fine. Wait until you stop to rest at noon. He specially found a tree farther away. Sit under the shade of a tree and eat dry food. Jada suddenly walked towards him.
He blinked, slowly stood up and saluted: "What can I do for you?"
"You don't have to be so polite." Jada waved her hand and sat on the ground next to her nonchalantly, gesturing for him to sit down too. "I have thought carefully about what you said this morning. I want to thank you for reminding me."
Minte slowly sat down one meter away from him: "What do you mean..."
"In the past few years, in order to maintain the authority of His Majesty the King, I have been fighting against Prince Mario. As time went by, I only remembered fighting for power, but forgot the original intention of the fight. Originally, even if I didn't intervene, I was still a distinguished royal duke. They have their own territories, castles and properties. The reason why they took this road is because they feel that Prince Mario and Prince Lawler are not qualified king candidates. They will stand by the king for the benefit of the country and the people. No. It occurred to me that I would get lost in the whirlpool of power and forget that the interests of the people are the most important thing."
After Jie Da said these words, she turned to look at Min Te and said solemnly: "My subordinates may praise me too much. They will never remind me or advise me in this tone, or even think that my subordinates praise me too much." My thoughts and decisions were correct, so I never noticed that my heart had changed, and I gradually became people like Prince Mario and his son. Thank you for reminding me, it’s not too late to change now, right? You come from another country and have a completely different thinking perspective. You are smart and insightful. You can bring us new ideas and you will not condone my mistakes. I hope I can continue to hear your advice in the future. If you find me I made a mistake again, please remind me again."
Minte suddenly felt a little moved in his heart. The man in front of him had a noble status. It is rare for someone who holds power to be able to deal with criticism from others rationally and humbly, and seriously reflect on his own mistakes. Maybe he is really a good ruler
The thought just came up. He immediately became vigilant and secretly warned himself not to be confused by Jedda. In the final analysis, the other party was hostile to him. As long as Noga still thinks about attacking East and other countries, they will never be true friends.
He pretended to be moved and said "sincerely": "Please don't say that. I was too reckless this morning, probably because as soon as I heard about the war, I remembered the information leaked by Prince Mario. My hometown was also included in his attack plan, so I was very excited. I saw that you didn’t deny the news of the war. That’s why I made a sudden slip of the tongue. Not only did you forgive me for my rudeness, but you also told me your true feelings. I really don’t like it. I know how to thank you, so please rest assured that I will never forget my responsibilities." As he spoke, he carefully observed the other person's reaction.
"That's good. Let's work together from now on to strive for a better future for this country and ourselves." Jada smiled with satisfaction. Patting Mint's shoulder affectionately, he turned back to call Junia and Shade: "That's the end of the matter. You must get along well with Mint in the future, you know?"
Junia bit her lip and said nothing, but she still looked at Minte with some dissatisfaction. But Shaide just took a deep look at Minte, then lowered his head and saluted Jada: "Yes, Your Excellency."
Minte returned the greeting with a smile, but a hint of awe rose in his heart.
Jada did not deny the war plan.
After the break. They were on the road again, probably because it wouldn't take long to reach Nomonka. The three of them were in a relaxed and happy mood, and they were traveling much faster than before.
The villages and towns passed along the way are much more lively than those before. Although they are not as prosperous as Shaonan, East and other countries, they are no longer as prosperous as Mengli, Anke and other places. The merchants and customers coming and going are all There is an endless stream of people, and there is no sign of depression at all.
When Mint came to Noga with his grandfather when he was a child, because after leaving Nomonka. He has always been in a state of hiding and running away. I have to avoid crowded towns, so I haven’t been to these places. But he noticed that these vendors were all from Nuojia, and the decoration of some shops unexpectedly had the colorful style of Weisha, Shaonan and East, and these shops were all old without exception. He guessed that these shops were probably left behind by foreign businessmen who were expelled back then. Although the market seems to be very prosperous now, it always feels like something is missing.
Jada seemed to relax a lot, and Junia kept talking and joking. Although she was still wearing a hooded cloak, people's eyes were still attracted by her laughter, which made Mint look sideways frequently. Shade actually didn't think anything of it. Dissatisfied, and even occasionally interject a few words.
When they stayed in the evening, Jada took the initiative to enter the city without Junia asking. She also sent Shade to contact the chief official in the city, and they had dinner at the official's villa. Although it is not as luxurious as the palace, it is very exquisitely decorated and the food tastes very good. Compared with ordinary high-end hotels, it is not even the slightest bit better.
Junia was very satisfied, especially when she saw that the official sent several clever maids to serve her to wash herself.
Minte felt a little strange. Jada was suddenly so arrogant. Wasn't he afraid that the news would be leaked? He guessed that this official was probably from Jedah's group, so he secretly wrote down his name, address, and other information. He also noticed that this official's actions were actually quite confidential, and he specially transported them in an opaque carriage. When he met an acquaintance on the road, he lied about the reason for his trip.
In this way, Jada's swagger was actually just aimed at this official.
At night, the official sent a carriage and a close escort to secretly protect them heading north, and Minte got the correct answer from Jada.
It turned out that this official was not from Jada, but was loyal to the king. Now King Gael II is increasingly using his nephew Jedda, so his cronies are gradually leaning towards Jedda. The reason why the latter specifically contacted the official was actually just to secretly convey a message to the king, indicating that he had returned and hoped to be summoned as soon as possible.
Before Jada left Nomonka, she was fined and grounded for certain things and could not leave her residence openly. Therefore, in order to report something to his uncle Gael II, he had to summon him.
Jedda and his entourage rushed back to their castle, a small fortress located on the outskirts of Nomonka, through the night, trying to get home before dawn, and then appear in front of the envoy that the king was about to send in the morning, showing the outside world that he had never left.
Minte and others sat in the carriage and headed towards the outskirts of Nomoncai. It was dark outside the window, and occasionally the rolling mountain lines could be seen under the moonlight, but in fact, it was impossible to estimate their location. He had no choice but to force himself to remember the shapes of the mountains and the position of the moon in the sky to deduce the direction he was heading.
At dawn, they finally arrived at their destination and drove directly into the castle gate. As soon as Minte jumped out of the car, he quickly glanced around and saw a crowd of black crows all around, but judging from the topography, soil and vegetation, it was probably halfway up a hillside.
They are located in the main courtyard of Jedda Castle. The courtyard is huge and square, surrounded by three-story buildings made of dark gray stone. They are square, unpretentious, and look a bit old. . There is a thick stone wall four to five meters high around the outside of the castle, with reconnaissance holes and other things on it. There are flags on the wall with a griffin painted on it, but with an extra laurel pattern embroidered on it. The guards stood guard on the wall, but turned a blind eye to the carriage under the wall. They were quite well-trained.
As soon as Junia got off the carriage, a very well-dressed middle-aged woman led a dozen servants to pick her up. Shade took three steps back and stood behind Jada, bowing his head humbly.
Minte discovered that at that moment, Jada raised his head with a straight face, and his whole person became much more majestic. He suddenly remembered that although he behaved very cordially along the way, he was nominally his "employer" and "boss" , and cannot be equal friends. So, as a "subordinate", am I being too arrogant? As a guard who has served in a noble house all year round, isn't this attitude unusual
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
(I just realized that I seem to have forgotten to vote this month. Everyone, please vote for me more)