Chen Lun was in deep thought.
This sudden thought in his mind reminded him of what Arnold had said -
'Arnold calls Martin Gustavo, the former pope of the Church of the Sun, uncle. If she is really a prince, this makes sense, after all, the relationship between the Sun Royal Family and the Church of the Sun is close.'
But he soon began to have some doubts.
'But if that's the case, then why would Arnold, as a high-ranking person in the Sun, stay at the end of the darkness and not want to leave? She has even lost most of her memories... She seems to have not seen her sister Anna for a long time, and her impression of her is even stuck on her childhood. Moreover, the Sun Royal Family has almost never claimed to have two princes. What's going on? '
Chen Lun frowned, feeling that there was some secret hidden in this.
Perhaps this will be an unknown secret within the royal family.
Looking at the back of the Sun Princess, Chen Lun was thoughtful. Then, he put aside these mental activities and turned his attention back to the imperial celebration.
After the awarding ceremony, there was a song and dance performance arranged by the royal family. The event lasted until three o'clock in the afternoon. The residents of the royal city who came to participate in the celebration were still not satisfied and left one after another with smiles on their faces.
But for the bigwigs on the stage, the celebration has just begun.
Because Prince Dazlet hosted a royal dinner and invited all the bigwigs present. After all, the occasion was special, so Chen Lun asked his men to leave first, and only took Flo Yin with him, following the royal etiquette team to the Sun Palace.
The prince prepared a special carriage for the guests. Chen Lun held Fuluoyin's hand and got into their own carriage. There were only the two of them in the carriage.
"How is it, are you nervous? We are going to attend a royal dinner next, and there will be many big shots of the empire present."
Chen Lun opened the drinks cabinet in the carriage, took out a bottle of fruit juice and a bottle of milk, poured a glass of orange juice for Fuluoyin, and asked.
Flo Yin was wearing a purple evening gown today, with her long blond hair tied up, revealing a pair of sparkling purple gemstone earrings. With the crescent moon pendant on her chest, she looked incredibly beautiful.
She stretched out her white hand to take the juice, took a sip and smiled.
"I'm not nervous because you're by my side."
Fuluoyin stared at Chen Lun with her purple eyes full of smile.
Chen Lun poured himself a glass of milk and smiled at her.
Wheels, wheels...
The carriage moved due north along the main road of the central area and stopped when it approached the Sun Palace. The coachman told Chen Lun that he could only walk up, as this was a royal rule.
Chen Lun thanked them, then took Fuluoyin out of the carriage and climbed up the straight and spacious white marble steps.
There were many other invited dignitaries around, accompanied by various royal stewards, walking along the steps towards the huge golden palace at the end.
The stairs were very long, and it took Chen Lun and his companion almost ten minutes to reach their destination.
In front of the huge archway, there were already several teams of royal welcoming staff waiting. After seeing Chen Lun, one of the stewards strode forward and saluted him.
"Mr. Jackspeight and this beautiful lady, please come this way. The dinner will begin in two hours. Now you may walk around the banquet hall and enjoy the music and refreshments."
The steward moved gracefully, put one hand behind his back, bowed slightly, and raised his hand to lead the way in.
Chen Lun smiled politely, nodded and said thank you, then took Fuluoyin into the banquet hall on one side of the palace.
As soon as I entered, I heard the melodious violin and piano ensemble. Countless men and women in formal wear were walking around, stopping to talk or to look around.
It is quite spacious and bright here. The dome, which is dozens of meters high, is painted with exquisite murals. Nine giant chandeliers are distributed in the shape of petals. There are also large and small oil paintings hung on the smooth painted walls, all of which are from famous artists.
Here, Chen Lun even saw portraits of members of the Sun Royal Family.
"Is that the Sun King?"
Flo Yin's beautiful eyes reflected the light of the chandelier, and she turned her head to stare at a huge oil painting in the center of the banquet hall.
Chen Lun followed her gaze and saw that in the oil painting, which was more than ten meters high and four or five meters wide, there was a golden throne inlaid with various gemstones and crystals, with a blond man sitting on it.
She had deep facial features, a light beard, and a calm yet majestic expression. The golden armor on her body was engraved with countless patterns, and there were two lion heads on her shoulders. Her reddish-brown cape hung to the ground, making her look extraordinary and heroic.
"Yes, that is Emperor Trisul, Andre the Sun King."
Chen Lun looked at the oil painting and said softly.
Although he had only seen this imperial king from a distance once in the middle of version 2.0 of his previous life, he was deeply impressed by him. Because he was mobilizing on the front line of the war at that time, emitting golden light all over his body, like a god descending to the earth, making people feel awe.
"Let's go, let's go over there and take a look."
Chen Lun took Flo Yin's hand and walked to the east side of the banquet hall. The walls here were covered with portraits of members of the Sun Royal Family.
In addition to Prince Dazlet and Princess Anna, there were dozens of men, women, young and old. Chen Lun only recognized a few of them and had never seen the rest before.
Even though he was known as a "know-it-all" in his previous life, he was limited by his strength level at the time and had no chance to access such high-level information.
Among these portraits, one painting caught Chen Lun's attention.
It was an empty chair, standing in the darkness, with a sword placed on it.
"You are curious about why there is such a special painting among the portraits of the members of the Sun Royal Family, right?"
At this time, a magnetic male voice with a chuckle was heard.
Chen Lun and Fuluoyin turned around and saw Prince Dazlait walking slowly towards them, followed by the princess and several dignitaries.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
Chen Lun bowed to him.
Dazlet looked at him with a smile, as if waiting for his answer.
"Yes, I am curious."
Although Chen Lun had a vague guess about the answer, perhaps it was related to Arnold, he did not say it out loud, but pretended to be confused.
"Normally, even if a member of the royal family passes away, their portraits will not be removed. This is their innate honor... But this member is a little special. If Anna hadn't insisted on hanging this painting..."
As the prince was speaking, the princess beside him suddenly frowned and interrupted him coldly:
"Brother! Don't forget what father said!"
"Okay, okay, I get it, Anna..."
Dazlet shrugged and gave Chen Lun an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry, Jack, this matter involves some royal scandal, so I can't tell you the truth."
He ignored the princess's cold eyes and patted Chen Lun's shoulder affectionately.
"I have high hopes for you, Jack. The stability of the empire in the future will depend on your contribution. Don't let me down."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chen Lun touched his chest and bowed his head humbly.
Dazlet nodded slightly, said goodbye, and left the place with everyone behind him, walking towards other guests with a friendly smile.
When the other group was leaving, the princess turned around again and looked at Chen Lun with an indescribable calmness.
'What does this Princess Anna mean?'
Chen Lun was a little confused.
Immediately, a barely perceptible female voice came to his ears:
"Don't get too close to the prince."
Chen Lun was slightly stunned.
He recognized that the voice belonged to Princess Anna.
Looking up, the prince and his entourage had already walked far away, and the princess was following her brother as usual, as if the voice just now was just Chen Lun's hallucination.
'Why did she remind me...'
Chen Lun felt more and more confused.
After taking a deep breath, he put the matter in his heart and immediately asked Fuluo Yin:
"Are you hungry? Do you want to get some snacks?"
Flo Yin shook her head.
"Then let's find a place to sit for a while."
Chen Lun pointed to a sofa and said.
"Um."
Flo Yin agreed with a smile.
*
*
*
As time went on, more and more guests arrived.
Soon the dinner began with the prince's announcement.
On the stage at one side, court musicians played soft and comfortable melodies. Everyone sat down to eat. The dishes served at the banquet were all prepared by royal chefs, using the most top-quality and expensive ingredients. Even Fuluoyin whispered to Chen Lun that they were delicious after tasting two bites.
But at this moment, a sudden voice sounded:
"Everyone."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Duke Abiram slowly standing up from a seat at a round table, holding a wine glass in his hand and smiling.
"As we all know, the disaster in the empire this time originated from the turmoil caused by the Red Apple Church... Among the several forces that helped suppress the Red Disaster, the new Orthodox Church's 'Kangai Council' made great efforts. Here, I would like to raise a toast to Baron Jackspeight."
He raised his glass to Chen Lun.
Everyone watched this scene with smiles on their faces, and many dignitaries even applauded.
Chen Lun frowned secretly, not knowing what the Duke was up to, but he still had to put on a good show, so he responded with a faint smile and also raised his cup, but it was filled with only hot milk.
After Duke Abiram finished drinking, he did not sit down, but continued to speak:
"But I heard something strange recently... Many residents of the Royal City bought a gift from God called 'Sacred Water of Atonement' from the Kangkai Council. They said drinking this holy water could wash away past sins, but they ended up drinking it and ended up being hospitalized."
"So, there is something wrong with the so-called God-given things sold by the Kangkai Council?"
Another young noble sitting at the same table with the Duke said in surprise.
"I dare not talk about the things of the Orthodox Church, but my men have collected some 'holy water', and I brought it with me. I plan to take this opportunity to ask Baron Jackspeter what is going on."
Duke Abiram said as he took out a reagent from his bosom, which contained half a tube of transparent liquid.
Chen Lun looked at the thing in his hand and immediately understood what the other party meant.
"It seems that this duke has been trying to get information about the Kangkai Council. He is very smart. He caught that idiot Brendan doing something stupid before I came to the royal city... He wants to embarrass me and indirectly damage the reputation of the Kangkai Council?"
He couldn't help but shake his head secretly.
The guests present were all high-ranking and powerful people, and they soon understood the meaning of the Duke's words. They all turned their eyes to the young man in the black hat at the other table, and wanted to see with interest how this young high-ranking member of the Orthodox Church would respond.
"Uncle Abhirama, can you let me see the 'holy water' in your hand?"
At this time, the prince sitting in the main seat suddenly spoke.
"Of course, Prince Dazzlet."
Duke Abiram knew very well what was in his hand. When the prince asked for an examination, he was more than happy to do so. He readily gave the bottle of reagent to the royal attendant and asked him to deliver it to the prince.
Under the gaze of everyone, the prince uncorked the bottle, took a sniff, and then frowned slightly.
"This is the smell of tap water, with a faint scent of disinfectant."
After he made his comment, he was about to take a sip, but was stopped by the stewards behind him.
"Your Majesty, no!"
The chief steward, Babaye, walked straight up to the prince and humbly suggested that he try the drink.
"In that case, Babaye, come and see what this holy water is."
The prince smiled and handed the thing in his hand to the steward.
The latter didn't waste any words and just raised his head to drink a mouthful. After a moment of silence, he spoke:
“This is tap water.”
The crowd couldn't help but be shocked.
The Kangkai Council actually used tap water to defraud believers of their property
This is truly a horrible scandal!
If the news gets out, not only will the reputation of the Kangkai Parliament be ruined, but even the imperial officials and the Sun Royal Family will be affected. After all, the seven orthodox churches were appointed by the royal family.
"Jack, how do you explain this?"
The prince looked at Chen Lun seriously.
It seemed that if he could not give a reasonable explanation, the consequences would be extremely serious.
Chen Lun slowly stood up, bowed to Prince Dazlet, and then said calmly:
"This is just Duke Abirama's one-sided statement, and the 'holy water' in his hand did not come from the Kangkai Council. As for where it came from, I have no idea..."
“You mean, Uncle Abhirama is slandering you?”
The prince said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chen Lun said calmly.
“The Wangcheng Kangkai Church does provide a kind of ‘holy water’ to its believers, but it is not a scam made of ordinary tap water… but has real supernatural powers that can heal injuries and diseases and delay aging.”
He took out a golden cup containing the water of the fountain of youth.
"This is the real 'holy water'. Your Highness can check it."
Seeing this, the prince nodded, turned around and asked the chief steward Babaye to get the holy water from Chen Lun.
This time, after Babaye took a sip of the fountain of youth, he raised his eyebrows.
"It is indeed as Mr. Jack said. This is an extraordinary thing, containing a strong life force... It can not only heal injuries and diseases, but also prolong life."
The guests all showed surprised expressions. Extraordinary things were taken out and given to believers
The Kangkai Parliament is as its name suggests, it is Kangkai enough...
Chen Lun took this opportunity to add:
"As the new Orthodox Church, the Kangkai Council has done its best to protect believers. How could it cheat them of their money and trample on their bodies as Duke Abilama said..."
Duke Abiram's smile faded and he looked at him expressionlessly.
Chen Lun took out two bottles of "Pearl Girl Meimei" developed by Maggie and handed them to the chief steward Babaye. He bowed to the prince and princess and said:
"These are two potions made from holy water. They have stronger effects. After taking them, they can not only delay aging, but also improve one's charm and mental agility... Here, I present them to Your Majesty the Prince and Princess as a gift for the Empire's celebration."
The prince chuckled and nodded appreciatively.
But Duke Abiram suddenly interrupted:
"Baron Jackspeter, you said I slandered you, but the dozen believers who were sent to the hospital because of the 'holy water' are real witnesses! You..."
"Shut up."
Princess Anna suddenly said in a cold voice.
Everyone looked at her in surprise, even the prince was slightly startled.
Princess Anna turned to look at Duke Abirama, who looked confused, and said slowly:
"Duke, I know you have a good relationship with Archbishop Terrence, but that's no reason for you to deliberately make things difficult for Jack in a situation like this. Stop this boring trick. I don't want to hear you talk anymore."
Duke Abiram was stunned at first, then he took a deep breath and humbly bowed to the princess. He knew that the cards he had hidden were useless... Princess Anna's words meant that the plan had failed.
Chen Lun was a little surprised. He didn't know why Princess Anna would speak for him, but he also looked at the dining table of the Church of the Sun. Terence glanced at him expressionlessly.
"There were some misunderstandings between me and Her Majesty Terrence in the past. I apologize to her..."
Chen Lun smiled and bowed towards the Sun Church.
"However, I had a tacit cooperation with His Majesty Terrence when we suppressed the Rothfu family last time. I hope there will be such an opportunity again in the future."
Pope Diverni and other high-ranking officials of the Church of the Sun did not say anything, as if Chen Lun did not exist. However, Terrence, who was being watched by everyone, put down his knife and fork, wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin, and nodded to Chen Lun.
"There will be a chance, Jack."
Terrence said calmly.
Chen Lun seemed not to hear the indifference implied in his tone, and the smile on his face remained unchanged.
"In that case, please continue eating."
The prince raised his hand in a gesture.
The guests present felt sorry to see this good show end. They hoped that the conflict between the two sides would become more intense... that would be more interesting.
"pity… "
A secret passage between the top brass of the History and Ritual Association and the Hailing Group.
The top leaders of the Moon Sect, Star Sect and Madman School remained silent throughout the whole process and seemed indifferent to it.