Minte soon followed Shade's example, taking two steps back and lowering his head slightly, acting like a competent subordinate. Jada noticed this, smiled slightly, then turned her head and looked forward.
Jada's housekeeper was already waiting in the courtyard. He bowed respectfully to his master and said softly: "I just received an order from the palace. Your Majesty wants the Duke to enter the palace on time at nine o'clock in the morning and report that you have been reflecting on these days." Self-understanding in the process. His Majesty specifically stated...that you should go to see him alone."
Jada narrowed her eyes, nodded slightly, whispered something, then turned back and smiled at Minte: "I want to go to the palace to see His Majesty. You can stay here for two days and have a good rest. If you are free, Just make some potions. If you have any requirements, just ask the butler. I'll excuse you first." After that, he strode towards the main room. Minte wanted to follow, but was stopped by the housekeeper: "Please stay."
"As a bodyguard and potion master specially invited by Your Excellency, I have to know what kind of medicine you want to prepare, right?" Minte looked at Jada who disappeared in the hall and replied patiently.
"I will ask your Excellency for instructions on this. Please come here." The butler reached out to indicate the east entrance without even moving his eyebrows: "All outside guards live there."
Minte turned to look at Shade, who walked towards the west entrance in a swaggering manner. When the housekeeper saw this, he said: "Mr. Shade grew up with you. He has a unique identity and never lives with other people." ." Then he will live with others? Minte frowned. If you live with others, not only will it be inconvenient to do things, but it will also be difficult to track Jada's whereabouts. He raised his eyes and looked at the butler: "Are you sure? I hope there is enough space for me to place a potion cooking table where I live. After all, this is the reason why you invited me."
The butler still smiled politely: "Of course, you don't have to worry. You have a separate room, and it is very convenient to see you. Your Excellency just ordered that you must be entertained. If you have any requests, you can feel free to do so. Mention it to me." Minte had no choice but to follow him into the east gate.
A building made of stone. It is very cold in winter, but very cool in summer. The oil lamp in the corridor had just gone out, and the sun was rising outside the bright window. Minte looked through the window and found that the castle was indeed located halfway up the mountain, with its back against a large mountain wall and a whole green hillside in front of it. You can vaguely see a large area of white, gray, earthy yellow and brown buildings at the foot of the mountain, dotted with colorful flowers.
"Good morning, gentlemen. I got up really early today. This...is the new Mr. Minter."
Hearing the butler's voice, Minte turned around and saw three or four men of different ages standing at the end of the corridor. They all had a powerful appearance and a beard on their faces, looking very powerful.
Taking another look at the living room behind the corridor, there seemed to be a few more shaking figures. are whispering.
What does it mean? Show off your power
But it was different from what he imagined. Those men didn't say anything harsh to him. Or to establish some authority. I just greeted him politely. It seemed that he was very welcome to come. But there is more to the story than anything else. But he was deliberately inquiring about his origins and specialties. His eyes scanned the calluses on his hands. Then he moved it to the waist knife he carried with him. Even the way he stood. Place your hand on the knife handle. And his reaction when faced with questions from everyone. They all observed very carefully. in. The swordsman standing at the edge remained silent. The look he looked at had some evil meaning.
as he introduces himself. After explaining that he was invited by Jada because of his talent in potions. The swordsman's face relaxed. Without interest, he made an excuse and left with another companion. The remaining two people still refused to give up. Minte was specially invited to the living room. With several other men dressed as warriors sitting on the sofa and "chatting" with him, he had to brace himself to deal with it.
This chat. The conversation made him break out in a cold sweat. It turns out that among these people. There is also one who is from the southern region of Weisha. But he has been making a living in Shaonan for many years. Fortunately he has lived in both areas. I know some details such as people’s names, places, customs and customs. Otherwise, I might be in trouble.
It seems. He has to deal with more than just a few superiors. These little people cannot be underestimated. Accidentally. Flaws will be exposed. This is a latent mission. It seems more difficult than imagined. Can he pull it off
For this group of warriors who have worked under Duke Jedda for many years. Minte's arrival has a rather complicated meaning. Most of them are traditional martial arts practitioners. There are also many veterans who left their original posts for various reasons. Most people are straight-minded. But it is inevitable to have a utilitarian heart. We have been together for a long time. They all know each other's abilities thoroughly. So everything has been fine. But suddenly a little brat came along. No hair has grown yet. But it was the boss who personally invited him back. I heard it seems to be taken seriously. How can you convince them
Therefore, as soon as they heard the news that the Duke was coming back and bringing such a person with him, they couldn't sit still and got up early to wait to see someone. As a result, when we met, he looked more childish than expected. He didn't even take off the childishness on his face, and his figure was thin and small. Although the calluses on his hands were a bit thick, he had only learned some martial arts at most, so there was no comparison. Fuck them? I was relieved when I heard that he was actually a potion master.
However, they could not help but look down upon such a young potion master. They were even more displeased when they saw that this kid actually lived in a separate apartment as soon as he arrived, and it was a high-class one. They were all waiting to see his jokes and find fault with him.
But to their surprise, this child was valued by the Duke at such a young age, and enjoyed treatment above everyone else, but he had no pride at all and no airs about others. Since Duke Jedda entered the capital, he has been staying in the palace and has not returned. The child wakes up early and goes to bed early every day, concentrating on making potions. I heard that they are all for healing wounds, stopping bleeding, replenishing physical strength, and nourishing the body. Calming, sleeping... Occasionally, I would give them a few bottles of less effective ones, but even this inferior product was much better than what they usually used. Gradually, they became less dazzled by the child.
By chance, they had a horse racing competition with the boy and found that his riding skills were quite good. When wielding a sword, he was obviously an expert, but his small body looked too weak. but. Think about it, he is a potion master, and he is still young. These grown men are all elders, so what is the point of arguing with a child? So I stopped thinking about finding trouble with him.
Among these warriors, there were two or three who were suspicious of Minte's identity. They saw that he only ran twice with them outside the castle. He never went out much, never wandered around the castle, never went to the small town at the foot of the mountain, and never pestered people to ask questions. I felt that he should be quite honest, so I gradually relaxed my attention to him. Put your mind on other things.
If they had any dissatisfaction with the newcomer Mint, it was just one thing: The child didn't know if he had stopped breastfeeding yet, but he seemed to particularly like to get close to the aunts and uncles in the castle. He usually pays little attention to the young and beautiful ones (which makes them think children are very attractive), but he prefers to look for the older ones when it is time to rest. He would run to the kitchen or the maid's room to help them with work, kneading noodles, lighting fires, and helping others. He would sit by the side with a shy smile, quietly, not talking much, and just listen to their chatter. After sitting for an hour and a half, I went back to my room to continue making medicine.
The maids were a little nervous at first. He was afraid of offending the Duke's valued guest, but later found out that this distinguished guest was actually just a child, and was very "honest", "shy" and "kind and considerate", so he treated him as a nephew and let him go. Chat special chat. The housekeeper thought it was too shameful at first, so he tried to persuade Mint a few words, but Mint said: "It sounds cordial, just like seeing your mother, aunt, and the others when you go home. It's okay." He remembered what the Duke had said before leaving. As long as his demands are not excessive. As satisfied as possible, the housekeeper had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
After the warriors heard about this incident, they secretly laughed several times, saying that the children from the country were just ignorant. When they came to the Duke's staff, they did not make friends with capable and promising people, but hung out with the servants and women. It was really No future. After they finished laughing, they left it alone.
Minte secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was so pretentious. You should be able to gain a foothold in this castle, right? The medicines prepared in the past few days have been sent to the royal city by the housekeeper to Jada. There was no reply, so it should be effective, but Jada didn't come back for nearly ten days. What on earth was she doing
But Jida was not around, so he was happy and relaxed. At least he didn't need to worry about it every day, for fear that he would reveal his flaws. Don't think that he is really that laid-back. He chats with aunties every day. This is a good channel for gathering information.
Not long after he arrived, he discovered that almost all of the servants in this castle, who were over forty years old, had followed Jedda's father and moved out of the palace, and many of them were from Noga who had been a member of the royal family for generations. The families serving the royal family know very well some palace secrets. In addition, they still have relatives and friends who are still serving in the palace or the homes of other royal members. Although they do not dare to interact too much in public due to the position of each other's masters, But in fact, private communication has never been cut off, and they know some gossip better than others.
Among these servants, those with more status, such as the housekeeper or the housekeeper Mrs. Pell - the one who specially welcomes Junia, are very cautious in their words and deeds. The male and female servants who serve in the study, sword practice room, living room and other places, They are also very alert. Jie Da must have put a lot of effort into these people. If they are not close confidants, they will never be placed in important positions. However, no matter how thoughtful he is, there will inevitably be some oversights.
For example, cooks who cook for subordinates and servants, washerwomen, maids who clean guest rooms, wives of gardener's assistants, seamstresses who make clothes for servants...etc., these are older, inconspicuous ladies who only occupy ordinary positions. Because no one is paying attention to us, there are not so many taboos in chatting. However, they also came out of that noble palace, and they once had their young and glorious days, but now they have been buried in the dust of the years and ignored by the superiors.
Min Te pretended to be a good kid in front of them - he seemed to be quite talented at this - and worked hard to make them no longer guard against him. After a few days, he successfully obtained a lot of precious information.
He had had doubts before. As the grandson of the former King Murdoch I, Jada was obviously better than Lawler, but he failed to become the crown prince. Lawler had many shortcomings, including recklessness and low moral character. Why is the son of Prince Mario, who is eyeing the throne, still able to be named a prince
This was what he overheard in the conversation between Jada and the man named "Sargent".
Now from the mouths of these aunts, he knew the reason. It turns out that Jada's father was actually the eldest son of Murdoch I, and the other two princes, one killed and one injured in the coup that year, were born to Murdoch I's first queen, and Prince Mario and Gael The second generation is the son of the second queen, the current queen mother.
In that coup, the situation was finally stabilized. The Queen Mother played a big role, so her prestige was very high. In addition, Gael II was too sad because of the death of his wife and son, and had no intention of dealing with political affairs. There was chaos. , the Queen Mother chose her preferred grandson as the crown prince. As for Jada, who is not related to her by blood, no matter how good she is, it is impossible for her to meet her wishes.
However, from the memories of the maids and the one or two portraits he saw in the castle, Mint found that although Jada's father was not as outstanding as his son, he seemed to be a very calm man. It is said that it was because of the loss of his mother in his early years. , takes good care of his younger brothers and has a kinder personality. He is the eldest son, and he deserves the attention of his father. If there are no accidents, he is 80% likely to become the next king, and his son Jedda will naturally become the heir to the throne.
In this way, what Jada said before, "Even if he doesn't interfere, he is still a noble royal duke" is somewhat discounted. With his status, how could Prince Mario and his son let him go if they really came to power? Even if he doesn't want to fight, he still has to fight in order to survive.
Minte secretly thought that there were constant disputes within the Noga royal family. If it could be maintained, the war might not be fought. Now that Gael II is sick, Prince Mario has the upper hand, but what will happen if Gael II gets better
Various gossips continued to flow into his ears. He secretly wrote down the important information, and then hid in his room. In the name of preparing medicine, he wrote down the information, stuffed it into the storage ring, and waited for the opportunity to pass it on. .
On the ninth day after Jedda left, he learned from the milkmaid who had just returned from visiting relatives that the eldest son of a certain noble family had returned to Nomonka under the escort of an officer from a garrison in the south a few days ago, and had also brought him back. A beautiful and charming Wisha dancer was so angry that his father beat him up. The eldest young master and Prince Lawler are very close friends. After the prince came to visit him, he actually gave the prince his mistress. I heard that the prince was very happy and specially arranged a leisurely and decent errand for him. , and also blamed his father for beating his son. According to rumors, the aristocratic master had been so angry that he fainted several times.
Min Te heard the news and knew what was going on. It seems that Namu has reached the edge of Noga's power center, but he is still stuck outside Nomenka.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh. He had almost heard all the gossip. He also roughly knew about the famous royal family and nobles in Nomenka, but when could he see Gael II
The next day, the housekeeper brought good news. Jada sent someone back from the palace to summon Minte to see the king. Minte knew that the critical moment had come.
(It’s so hot...typhoon season is coming, I hope there will be less thunder...)