Kingdom’s Bloodline Chapter 236: Overestimated
Chapter 737 Overestimation
The effect of meeting the two Kevin Dills was immediate.
During the day, Thales continuously issued warrants and letters, inviting guests from different industries, classes, and identities to come to Kongming Palace for a while.
The first person to arrive was "Sea Wolf" Tanganga.
Compared with the gorgeous costumes and accessories and perfumes on the day of the Battle for the Front, the famous shipowner of the Emerald City is wearing a simple to somewhat old nautical coat today, wearing thick captain gloves instead of jewel rings, and wearing a Wearing a yellow sweat towel, with a ferocious appearance and a rough conversation, he reveals an innate pirate spirit from inside to outside.
And as soon as he entered the luxurious study of the prince (to be exact, Duke Jann), he began to marvel at the furnishings inside, and exchanged warm greetings, frequently looking at Thales' face—the bruise on it It's too obvious to ignore.
"Beating by Zhan En."
Under the classic medium-sized portrait of the first Duke Kevin Deere, Thales replied without raising his head. By the way, he wrote and approved "no money" on the report of the Dianjin District Police Department's application for an increase in security costs.
Tanganga's smile disappeared.
He shrank and rubbed his hands, his eyes hesitated, and he looked embarrassed because he asked the wrong question and was at a loss.
No, he did it on purpose.
Thales looked up at the person in front of him, and the voice in his heart sounded again:
This ex-pirate was naturally fond of luxury and greedy for enjoyment, but he heard the news from somewhere that the prince was in a difficult situation and even had a small pocket at the moment, so he took off the jewelry and replaced the fine clothes before the audience, and dressed poorly Tasteful, and deliberately acting carefree or even rude and silly, in order to avoid the prince's anger and sharpness.
Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help squinting his eyes. He asked Huayah to return the report just now, crossed out "no money" and wrote "Please pass on to the Financial Secretary for a discussion", indicating that Huaiya is a guest Explain one or two.
The sea wolf was not invited here for no reason:
Recently, His Royal Highness received reports from the people of Kongming Palace, and learned that a small group of armed merchant ships appeared on the route around the Nan'an collar, and "organized criminals" patrolled back and forth, wantonly stopping Ships boarded the ship for "inspection" and imposed tolls and protection fees on the grounds that "the Duke has fallen, and the permit he issued is no longer valid."
And this has triggered a series of changes, from rising shipping costs, delaying ships entering the port, to blocking the lifeline of freight, to slumping confidence in maritime trade, and to businessmen worrying, or hoarding goods or discounting goods at low prices, which makes the market fluctuate endlessly. Deviation from common sense, even small and medium-sized handicraft workers complaining, city citizens, business travelers panic, and sinister rumors like "Emerald City is really coming to an end" are rampant again...
"What?"
Tanganga hurriedly called out to Qu before Huai Ya finished his statement. First, he had a look of disbelief, "It's really unreasonable that there is such a thing in the kingdom's sea and border", and then "Your Highness, we clearly learned that our Sea Wolf Fleet is also a victim. ", there is also "the general environment is like this, there is no way for us to raise the price", and even a little rogue "Oh, this is the world today, this can teach us how to do it"...
"I don't want to hear these reasons," Thales replied to the official document with a blank expression, "I don't want to know what kind of relationship you have in the middle, but you have one day—just one day."
Tanganga frowned.
"If you can't solve the problem within a day, you can't restore the shipping order in the Emerald City, Tanganga." "The famous sentence of Prince Thales' political training" draws a big dog's head on the official document to educate the people, "Then I have to deal with you."
Tanganga's expression froze.
The former pirate's expression changed many times in that second, from dissatisfaction to ferocity, and then from anger to grievance, but they were all well covered up.
Finally, he glanced at the bruises on the prince's face, at the attendants guarding the prince, then at Morgan and Custa standing at the door, and Batty standing in the corner, full of vigilance Sta and Nexi's expressions returned to calm.
He changed his strategy, first he was filled with righteous indignation, "That evil Zhan En forced us to do this", then he complained of grievances, "We don't want to be involved in the war between the prince and the duke", and finally wept again and again, "We have no choice but to Lonely and lonely, weak in words and powerless to resist"...
Tanganga has a lot of reasons, starting from the fact that their sea wolf tribe was defeated and exiled in a foreign land, and they were taken in by Zhan En. It is easy to have a place, but he never wants to be manipulated by others, and he can't resist easily. He also said that Zhan En's money and power go hand in hand, threats and temptations are pervasive. He could only stay low and be small, struggling to support for decades, and weeping when he was emotional, even Thales couldn't help being moved.
"So that's how it is," Thales mused, painting ferocious fangs on the dog's head on the official document, "At the Battle for the Front banquet before, Jen said that anyone could betray him, but only Tanganga Impossible—presumably because he can pinch your weakness and destroy your fleet with a single palm."
Under the weird eyes of the surrounding guards, Tanganga burst into tears and nodded bitterly:
"His Royal Highness, we are really..."
"No wonder."
Thales sighed and put down his pen:
"No wonder you have to travel thousands of miles to the Kingdom of the Night, stuff Federico and his killers into your bilge, and sneak back to murder Jann."
The voice fell, and Tanganga's sobbing stopped abruptly.
The entire study room fell silent, and the guards present all looked sideways.
"Dian, no, I..."
Taking advantage of Tanganga's terrified expression and being speechless, Thales picked up a pen, sincerely and conscientiously copied a thank you letter according to the draft provided by Ashford's housekeeper, and delivered it to The emerald city's funeral industry tycoon—the old lady Tuolier of the Popon family repaid a loan from Kongming Palace in the amount of 35,118 gold coins, nine silver coins, and four copper coins in advance. The ticket was delivered directly to the desk of His Highness the Prince.
In addition, the old lady also hinted warmly and coldly in the letter that if there is any shortage, the Popon family will be happy to provide equivalent services, such as providing the prince himself from making coffins to digging monuments, from digging graves to funerals A series of distinguished services.
("Of course, His Royal Highness is in good health and has a long life, so he probably won't be able to use it in the short term" - the old lady's personal letter)
It's a pity that starting from "Black Eyed" John I, the Canxing royal family has a tradition of cremation. Facing such enthusiasm, Thales can only thank him indifferently no matter how greedy he is.
("What is greed for money, Thor, don't you say it so harshly? This is called the cycle of life..."——His Royal Highness held a 35,000 gold coin redemption note, smelling the ink on it desperately scent, whining)
In the study, Tanganga finally calmed down from the initial tremor, but the next few minutes were slightly awkward.
To sum it up, it is probably that the captain of the sea wolf who reacted tried his best to call for grievances, refused to admit it, and asked to refute the rumors. In the end, he was defeated in the end.
The famous sea wolf came to his senses and sincerely repented in front of His Royal Highness, the prince representing justice and law:
"Oh, Your Highness... I have a few new sailors who have signed short-term contracts. They are not familiar with the business, and they accidentally accepted a business in a hurry to **** the big shots of the Kingdom of the Night to the Emerald City. ...That's right, it's that Earl Li! But I swear, the whole process was done by those temporary sailors, I don't even know what kind of entourage the vampires brought in the cabin...Of course, even though I don't know about it I didn’t participate, and I was innocently implicated for no reason, but I am their ship owner after all, and it’s my fault for lax supervision and ineffective inspection.
"Oh?"
"I swear, I really didn't know when they came! Your Highness, you know that vampires are secretive, and they never ask people to ask...I, I really never participated in their plot to kill the Duke, If I had known in advance, then I...they would not have given me any money...After the incident, I immediately realized my mistake and took immediate measures to dismiss those short-term sailors at sea...Alas, I have overlooked this point, and I really regret it... But God is sorry, I never thought of betraying, let alone murdering Duke Jann! Your Highness, you have to trust me!"
Thales scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh, that's it... Of course I believe you, after all, who has no faults?"
Tanganga was grateful until the next sentence of the prince:
"But does Zhan believe it?"
Tanganga's crying face froze.
Thales didn't even look at him. First, he drew an exaggerated two-color cow cat on the cover of the 170-page summary (boasting) report of the Urban Management Department on the Night Banquet Tour.
He then wrote another letter of apology that came with the official document, which was called Reflection and Pleading Guilt, but it was actually yin and yang. Case management is twice as good as in the past, and he is generous with his clothes and food. The day and night shifts are non-stop, and there is no distinction between you and me. He will not be lazy if he sacrifices life and death. Fuyu has traversed emeralds for 30 years, and he has never been like His Highness. It is the great regret of the south bank, the great fortune of the kingdom, the great sage of the world, and the grand view of the history books through the ages.") He wrote "Today Pay salaries and make up the arrears."
"Juguan, you hammer—I'm sorry, I didn't mean you... By the way, I heard from Zhan En that your sea wolf business is not only bodyguards and transportation, but also kidnapping and extortion occasionally?"
Thales said while writing, intentionally or unintentionally:
"Then, more than ten years ago, the ship that sent Federico to the high seas and finally let him go was not driven by your people-hahaha, just kidding, just kidding! I Of course I know it wasn't you... It's just a coincidence, it happened on the sea and on the boat... If I were Zhan En, tsk tsk... Oh, don't be nervous, even if Zhan En knows, as long as Kingdom of the Night and Federico agree To testify for you, to prove that you are innocent and implicated... Hey, it doesn't matter if no one testifies... With Zhan En's character of knowing everything, being as careful as a hair, not rubbing sand in his eyes, and not allowing unjust cases in his hands, well, probably not Will doubt your loyalty..."
Under Tanganga's ever-changing expressions and eyes, Thales calmly folded up the letter to Mrs. Tuolier, and handed it to Wyatt to put in the crow's foot.
"... At most, I doubt your ability."
Tanganga just wiped away her tears, her face pale.
He looked up at the wall behind Thales—the first Duke of South Bank in the picture frame, "Deadly Iris", was calmly playing with the dagger, with the corners of his mouth upturned, a half-smile.
"Your Highness, may I ask, how did you know that Master Federico came here on my boat..."
Because one of your passengers is not strict.
"Mass clues to report." Thales said softly.
Tanganga frowned.
After several seconds of painful hesitation, he gritted his teeth.
"But if I do you this 'little favor', and after Master Zhan En is released from prison, he finds that I have not carried out his orders effectively, and even suspects that you summoned me today..."
"Let's not talk about whether he can get out," Thales said softly, "but if there is a day, you would rather let Zhan En complain that you are too timid to be threatened by the second prince Intimidating..."
Prince paused for a second.
"I would rather teach him to doubt: You are too courageous, and you have planned from the beginning to overthrow the Kongming Palace?"
At that moment, Tanganga's eyes widened.
The closed-door meeting between Prince Thales and the owner of the Tanganga ship finally ended in a warm, harmonious and happy atmosphere.
At the meeting, the owner of the Tanganga ship expressed his determination to firmly support the enlightened rule of Prince Thales, his determination to maintain the order and stability of the Emerald City, and his determination to protect the personal and property safety of residents on the south bank.
He emphasized that the Seawolf fleet will lead by example, starting from me, and take the lead in carrying out self-examination, self-correction, self-examination and self-policing among the employees of the whole regiment, and vigorously rectify the widespread problems in the fleet. Strictly discriminate between public and private, slippery thinking, and bad manners, so as to reflect deeply, draw inferences from one example, check for omissions and fill in gaps, correct mistakes, and never repeat them, and simultaneously urge colleagues in the same industry to follow up vigorously, go hand in hand, Leap forward and forge ahead together.
At the same time, the owner of the ship refuted the absurd rumors in the Emerald City. He pointed out that there were no "organized opportunistic criminals at sea" in the waters around the South Coast Territory in the past, and there will be no "organized opportunistic criminals at sea" in the future. All are peaceful, safe, stable, and orderly, with smooth flow of goods and orderly shipping.
In view of this, it is superfluous and unnecessary for a small number of industrial and commercial people to worry about the local business environment, airline safety and market order. The Emerald City still has the healthiest, safest, most dynamic and most A promising market for economic and trade cooperation.
In addition, the owner of the Tanganga ship also strongly criticized a small group of selfish businessmen and handicraftsmen for their short-sighted behavior of not knowing self-love, blindly following the trend, spreading rumors, buying and selling from above, disrupting the market, and ultimately harming others and themselves . He believes that under the wise leadership of Prince Thales, the Emerald City will surely reproduce its glorious history as the City of Queens, City of Wealth, and City of Dreams.
His Majesty Kessel's personal envoy, Duke of Star Lake Castle, second prince, first heir to the royal family, and acting lord of the Emerald City His Highness Thales expressed high appreciation and support for the speech and position of the Tanganga ship owner. He emphasized to the participants: As the saying goes, there is no wave without wind, and no wind can come from a hole. Emerald City is a well-known city under the rule of law in the kingdom, and it will never allow hostile elements with ulterior motives to spread rumors and cause chaos in order to divide unity, endanger people's livelihood, undermine confidence, and serve their ulterior and despicable purposes.
Both sides of the meeting had a frank, constructive and fruitful communication. At the end of the meeting, His Highness personally walked the owner of Tanganga to the door of the study, waved his hand, and bid farewell.
Prince's attendant Wyatt Castle accompanied the meeting.
"Next time, Tanganga," Thales added nonchalantly before sending off the other party, "If you don't want to leak information, then choose your clients carefully."
Tanganga's eyes trembled, thoughtful.
Sending off the preoccupied Tanganga, Thales sat behind the desk, staring at the slowly closing door, lost in thought.
Did you feel it, Thales?
The voice in my heart said to him:
Have you seen the essence of this pirate?
He has no intention of serving you, but ultimately has to.
This is the power gap and what it can do.
Whether it is the gap between big and small, or the gap between existence and non-existence, or the gap between knowledge and ignorance.
It manipulates, forces, and motivates people to do things that are beyond common sense, duties, interests, and rationality.
Thinking of this, Thales sighed helplessly: Yes.
Tanganga is so frightened by the slightest word from me.
No, Thales, don't be stupid.
The voice in my heart faintly refuted him:
What he was afraid of was never a certain sentence from you.
Thales' smile disappeared.
"Waiya, do you believe our Tanganga captain, do you believe that he did not betray Zhan En?" the prince said quietly.
The attendant who was sorting out the official documents was startled when he heard this.
"I don't know, Your Highness," Wyatt spoke cautiously, and his words were careful, "but just now, I don't think he—at least he doesn't look like—has such guts."
"I think so too," Thales nodded, "There are hundreds of people in the entire ship group, and their livelihoods and lives are in the hands of the other party. He is afraid of Zhan En, afraid of Zhan En, let alone betray him."
"That means he was indeed deceived..."
"But he is a human being, and he has something more complicated than fear, courage, loyalty, and even interests."
Wyah looked puzzled.
Thales leaned back in his chair, staring at the portrait of "Deadly Iris" on the wall.
"Tanganga is a veteran at sea for many years. He definitely knew that there was a problem with that business, but he neither refused nor supported, but kept silent and stood by."
Envy, injustice, resentment, luck, laziness, greed, caution, philistine, cruelty, impulsiveness...
Thales counted the things he just read from Tanganga's eyes:
All of these together, and constantly changing back and forth every moment, make Tanganga a complex and changeable person:
Sometimes he is jealous of Zhan En, and sometimes he is jealous of him; To add insult to injury, sometimes he wants to pretend to be deaf and dumb to protect himself; sometimes he hopes that the Emerald City will prosper so that he can continue to make a fortune;
And all the complicated possibilities, whether pushed or pulled, ended the moment the group of vampire guests set foot on his ship.
Tanganga fell into hesitation, while affirming that this is definitely not a betrayal, while secretly gloating to add fuel to the flames; on the one hand, he felt that such a small matter should not threaten the Kongming Palace, and on the other hand, he secretly hoped that this would give the big shots some deserved Lessons and hardships; after the incident, he tossed and turned anxiously, trying to separate the relationship, but at the same time couldn't help but take advantage of the catastrophe to make a fortune...
"Zhan En is right. He has grasped the most fundamental chain of interests, so he is sure that Tanganga will not dare to betray him, let alone be able to betray him."
Thales was fascinated, as if he saw thin lines extending from the back of the portrait of the first Duke of Leinster, covering Kongming Palace, Emerald City and even the South Bank:
"But he is not all right: Tanganga falters between black and white loyalty and betrayal, and finally walks towards an uncontrollable third road."
In the field of vision, every thin line extending from the frame is trembling slightly with different postures, amplitudes and frequencies, either pushing or pulling, bigger or smaller, faster or slower.
Wyah thought for a while:
"However, by doing so, he still caused the Duke of South Bank to lose power, which is almost tantamount to betrayal."
"This is the interesting part," Thales raised the corners of his mouth, and looked at the first-generation Leinster Cavendir, who was also half-smiling in the frame, at a distance of seven hundred years. , "If Tanganga really made up his mind to betray Zhan En from the very beginning, then the development of the situation, the situation we are facing and even the final result must be completely different."
He shook his head and sighed softly:
"I'm afraid I won't have the chance to 'cooperate' with him like now."
"So, there is still a difference between Tanganga's behavior and real betrayal," Wyah reacted, "just as there is a big distance between this and pure loyalty."
Thales nodded, expressing emotion:
“People don’t always make choices soberly, clearly, rationally, actively, and consciously. More often, they often make choices compulsively, unintentionally, insensitively, with hindsight With hindsight, you may be firm at the moment, but you may regret it afterwards, making a choice with an ambiguous orientation.”
"It's like Tanganga," Huai Ya nodded, "and in this storm, there are countless officials, businessmen, workers, peasants, and citizens in Emerald City from top to bottom?"
Thales looked at Wyah, slightly surprised:
"Exactly."
He sat upright.
“History may not be made by heroes, especially those heroes who are determined, great, courageous, and clear in our impression, but by countless spectators like Tanganga, who are numb, lazy, and ready to move. They are lifted up together by the torrent that they unconsciously work together."
Thales sighed in ecstasy:
"So in the "Sunset Teaching Sutra", the Prophet Muhasa would say: 'It's not just history, it's destiny.'"
Everyone is struggling, but few people realize that from the beginning to the end, it is just them who are in the cocoon.
Waya worriedly looked at the prince like this:
"Your Highness, are you okay?"
"What? Oh, of course," Thales came back to his senses, "Okay, let's invite the next guest..."
Wyah nodded doubtfully, his eyes flicked over the bruises on the prince's face.
The door was opened again.
"Hasha! Dear Harsha! My dearest Ambassador Hasha!"
"Your Highness! Your Royal Highness! My most respected Prince Thales!"
From the special envoy of the head of the Tyrannian trade state on the other side of the sea, Mr. Harsha laughed and opened his hands full of gemstone rings, and Thales, who also laughed until his face deformed, embraced and kissed each other warmly. It's as if they've been brothers from day one - even though it's the first time they've met alone.
"The sun is here, Your Highness has never been so warm to me since you came to the Emerald City." Harsha's lingua franca has the characteristic accent of barren mountains and other places, but it is not strong. Enthusiastic, while turning a blind eye to the wound on Thales's face, while skillfully avoiding the wound during the face-to-face ceremony, "It really makes me panic!"
"Witness the setting sun, the fear comes from the unknown," Thales wiped off the powder on his face, put his arms together, and urged the huge Hasha to sit down first, "But you expect it to happen God, how can you be afraid?"
"Oh? How do you say it?"
Thales smiled mysteriously after taking his seat:
"I heard that after you came to Emerald City, you united more than a dozen representatives of business groups, noble relatives from various countries, and special envoys from friendly countries—the kind that is huge and has a branch in Emerald City—to do something. A temporary business alliance?"
Hasha's artificial eyebrows painted in four colors of white, yellow, red and black—to show the awe and worship of Maharaja Xiri's four holy states of solemnity, compassion, anger, and chaos—raised upwards.
"Who are you listening to? Oh, ha, ha, it's just a small gathering, and they are all friends you can get together for fun... At most, they are used to bargain with Duke Jann and negotiate on import tariffs." Harsha laughed and waved his hands in a natural gesture.
Thales narrowed his eyes:
"Isn't it because you predict things like a god, and you are sure that something big will happen to Emerald City?"
"Hey, that's right—what's more important than your visit to the Emerald City?"
Thales and Harsha looked at each other and laughed at the same time. One lamented that the opponent was difficult to deal with, and the other secretly wondered which brat leaked the news.
"There are really bigger ones than me," Terspi smiled, "For example, when the Kongming Palace changed hands, people's hearts were unstable, and the market was depressed, the alliance you formed joined hands Hoarding to drive up prices, breaking industry rules, creating panic of shortages, crowding out local players, scaring off new and old customers upstream and downstream, buying bottoms when the market is in a mess, and taking the already declining Emerald City into the abyss Push?"
The smile in Hasha's eyes disappeared.
"Ah, I know what you invited me to do."
Thales also restrained his smile:
"You, Ambassador Hasat, and your 'little party' involving all walks of life abroad, did not come to Emerald City to discuss tariffs."
"Actually, we came to Emerald City to discuss customs and trade policies," Harsha said calmly, "It's just that this time, the negotiation terms are a bit... well, special."
"Is this a request from Jann?"
"Why do you ask what you know."
Thales let out a long sigh:
"If the Emerald City is dead like this, what good is the tariff terms?"
"The market will not die," Harsha shook his head, "they will only decline."
And those with smart enough minds, rich enough capital, and strong enough relationships can profit in a declining market.
Even huge profits, even better than good years.
Thales was silent for a while.
"Now that I have made it clear, can I ask you all to stop standing for Zhan En?"
"Excuse me?"
"I said, please, Special Envoy, please mobilize the contacts in that small foreign business alliance. We don't ask them to operate at a loss or even benefit the people. We only ask them to behave normally and do business well, and stop following the panic propaganda to sing bad news. Environment, don’t control transactions and manipulate the market, so that the volume and prices of the major shops in Emerald City return to normal, and bring this declining city back to life?”
Emissary Hasat pondered for a while.
"The circle is full of smart people who are sure to make money without losing money, Your Highness," he said slowly, "They do this because it is profitable, and once it involves interests, if they are not happy, I will ..."
"Then let them be happy," Thales interrupted him decisively, "just like you, as the leader, incite them to be unhappy."
Under Thales' aggressive gaze, Harsha frowned slightly.
"The sun is shining, if my friends and I are willing to cooperate, what good will we have?"
"Benefits?"
Thales snorted strangely, showing the bruises on his side face:
"Did you see it? Zhan En beat him up this morning, and it's probably spread by now... Do you have any thoughts?"
Hasha narrowed his eyes, and looked at it seriously for a while.
"Very forceful, very sudden, but unprofessional, more like the product of impulse," Harsha muttered, "From what I know about my old friend Zhan En, he is well-mannered and has never been so gaffe, let alone directly Let's do it."
Hasha looked at him suspiciously, almost writing "what the **** did you do to him" on his face.
Thales had to cough, and put on a straight face to bring the topic back.
"Now that you have seen it, Your Excellency the Special Envoy, what you should ask is: If you continue to stand on Zhan En's side and disrupt 'my' Emerald City, what harm will it do?"
Looking at the Duke of Xinghu in this state, Harsha frowned slightly.
"Okay."
He thought for a while, then sighed:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness Thales, we will not push the flames and prevent you from taking control of the Emerald City as Duke Jann—no matter how favorable the tariff policy he promised—expected."
"Thank you very much."
“But we can’t be on your side either.”
"What do you mean?" Thales frowned this time around.
Hasha smiled and said:
"I mean, we will remain neutral for the time being until the winner is decided. Whether it is Mr. Zhan En or Master Federico coming to power, or even you personally leading Kongming Palace - by the way, no matter what Affecting your status as the heir to the kingdom and our respect for you—I assure you that everything will return to normal, and we are happy to continue our sincere cooperation with Emerald City..."
Thales was silent.
He looked up at the portrait of the deadly iris, and took a deep breath.
"Not enough."
Hasha raised his eyebrows.
I saw Thales turn around, with a cold tone:
"In a war where the strong and the weak are clearly defined, if you remain neutral, you will fall to the strong."
"What do you mean?"
"It means that you don't stand with me," Thales pressed forward with his elbows, his expression cold, "you just stand with them."
Hasha looked at the prince like this, and couldn't help frowning.
"Well, you are really different from Master Zhan En."
"Why is it different?"
"Business is about business," Harsha said very naturally, "Business matters, of course, have to be settled with real money."
He still wants benefits?
Thales felt unhappy.
"You are the trade envoy of the head of state, Your Excellency Harsha," the prince said with a sinking face, "You and your position exist because of some big business that cannot be settled with real money?"
"And you are the prince of a country, who will inherit the throne in the future, you should take a longer view."
"For example?"
"Money, wealth, merchant goods, even the position of the city lord, is nothing more than a low-level thing to you," Hasha smiled, as if someone who had been here to teach the prince, "It is too important to pay attention to these things." However, getting off in person is not conducive to your reputation and reputation in the eyes of people—whether at home or abroad—and that is the foundation of your future rule and where your real interests lie.”
"His Royal Highness, you might as well look to the north - until now, is there anyone willing to believe the words of the kinslayer king and make a deal with Black Sand City?"
Thales didn't answer immediately, he lowered his head and remained silent for a while.
"Then look at my face again, Ambassador Hasat. In addition to the time I was humiliated by his sister, as a prince, I have long since lost face and lost my reputation," Thales raised his head , said coldly, "Fame? Word of mouth? What do you think I can lose in Emerald City?"
Looking at Thales' face, Hasat tried not to smile.
He said nothing, just pursed his lips.
The two faced each other quietly in the study, both expressionless.
But at the moment when the atmosphere became more unbearable, Thales turned his head and sighed.
"Okay, I don't want to be too aggressive, how about this, have you seen the Tanganga captain who just went out?"
Hasha was taken aback, and couldn't help but look at the door.
"Yeah, well, he doesn't look...happy?"
"Not only that," Thales sneered and leaned back on the chair back, "It should be said that he is very tough, unrelenting, and threatening that he would rather live and die with Zhan En than compromise with me. Secretly supporting pirate activities in the open sea, constantly harassing shipping routes, deterring passing ships, and causing trouble for the order of Emerald City.”
Hasha heard the news, thoughtful.
"The captain of Tanganga is the son of a girl after all, a man at sea, a man who licks blood with a knife, it is inevitable that sometimes..."
"Your Excellency, let's make a bet."
Hasha's eyes moved.
I saw Thales raised a finger: "If within a day, Tanganga, the thorny head, succumbs to me, restrains his edge, and restores the sea trade in Emerald City to normal..."
He observed the other party's expression and paused.
"Then Special Envoy, you might as well do me this 'little favor' and urge your 'little' foreign business alliance to stop working together to stockpile goods and raise prices, resume normal operations, and even shed some blood if necessary, to help Take a look at the restoration of market order..."
Hashat made a move in his eyes:
"And what if Captain Tanganga's neck is too thick and his knees are too hard to give in?"
Thales' eyes turned cold:
"Then there will be no more of him in this world."
Hashat changed slightly, he didn't care about asking for conditions, and hurriedly asked:
"You want to kill him? Kill Tanganga?"
"Since the kingdom expressly prohibits piracy," Thales shook his head indifferently, "then we must set an example."
Harsha furrows her hand-painted eyebrows.
“That would not be a good example.”
"How to say?"
The special envoy pondered for a while, then left the back of the chair worriedly, and stood up.
"As a foreign minister, it is inconvenient for me to say more, but Your Highness Thales, Tanganga was born in a family of sea..."
"You mean pirates."
"...for generations operating the sea, with rich experience, and know many famous captains..."
"Yes, he has relied on Zhan En for more than ten years," Thales said absently, "he has long since become the watchdog of Kongming Palace."
"The current owner of Kekongming Palace is you."
"It won't be soon," Thales sneered, "Thanks to him, you, and many forces in this city, including a young lady who likes to play tricks and tricks, let me Living in this position feels like years, like sitting on pins and needles."
Hearing the tone of the other party, Harsha suddenly had a bad feeling.
"I understand that your Highness is not going well in power, but in a place like Emerald City, it is absolutely unwise to impose severe punishments."
His expression is solemn and earnest:
"If you are going to kill Tanganga, then the fleet and ship owners who have served Emerald City for many years—many of them are former Kasai pirates—not only will not obey your rule, but The death of the rabbit and the fox is sad, righteous indignation, unpredictable consequences."
Thales shrugged: "Really."
"Once Tanganga is forced to rebel angrily and return to the ranks of pirates with his loyal ships, then the sea will be restless, and all the countries along the way will be affected, and the Emerald City and even the Star Kingdom will not be worth the loss—"
"Only by him? Hmph."
Thales sneered, and with a wave of his cuff, several picture frames on the case table fell to the ground.
Hasha was taken aback for a moment. He picked up one of the palm-sized picture frames, took a closer look, and found that it was painted with various portraits of ladies.
This is nothing, but the key is that the family emblem on the painting is more conspicuous and special.
"The sun is omnipresent, this emblem is... the sun sword and shield?"
Hasha looked at the small portrait in his hand, his face was ashen, his smile cooled down, as if he saw some monster.
"Yes, there are more than a dozen granddaughters and granddaughters of Prime Minister Cullen." Thales lazily held up one of them. The girls on it were brightly dressed and decorated, "You know him, right?"
"Of course."
Hasha had a solemn expression.
"Bob Cullen, the lord of Huigang City, the current Guardian Duke of the East China Sea of your country, the Sword of the Gulf," the special envoy of the head of the state looked at the family emblem on the painting with a numb expression, "When he was young, he set sail with blood and fought against Kasai pirates..."
Often go out to sea and across oceans, who doesn’t know the people who come and go between the two sides of the sea?
"That's right, that's right," Thales scratched his ear, "Once I can't figure out Emerald City and marry the beautiful and noble Miss Hilley, well, I can only go to Huigang to pick a wife. "
Hasat slightly changed his expression.
"Oh? Oh, it's very good, very good that the royal family of Canxing and the Cullen family are married," Harsha hesitated. Come..."
"Their dowry is not as Kevin Deerdo, but the type is better, such as the Cullen family's Extreme Sun Fleet," Thales narrowed his eyes, "I will definitely not listen to everything, but help the family My good son-in-law, go and destroy an arrogant and lawless pirate ship group..."
Hasha frowned fiercely.
Thales raised his hands and leaned back:
"So, Tanganga better be sensible, don't forget what happened to his grandfather..."
"He won't forget," Harsha stared at the emblem of Sun Sword and Shield, his eyebrows furrowed more tightly, "and this is exactly the problem."
"Oh?"
Hasha put down the frame, his eyes serious.
What Bob Cullen did when he was young was not just as simple as attacking the Kasai pirates.
In the process of ending the complex political struggle between the two sides of the sea, more and more forces were involved in the interest disputes between the people of the East China Sea and the Kasai Islands, which eventually led to the signing of an alliance between the East and West, six navies, and eight fleets. Countless pirates who were rampant all over the seven seas started a full-scale war.
They fought blood-stained sea water on every inch of sea surface that can be navigated, every port where they can anchor, and every mast that they can stand on.
Through decades of going back and forth like this, countless ships sank forever, and countless sailors died in the stomachs of fishes. The five pirate kings on the seven seas were finally wiped out one by one. Three people died, one disappeared, and one was captured.
One of them is none other than "Sea Wolf" Tanganga's grandfather, the "King of the Skeleton Banner", who once shook the seven seas, raised his lone sail and made a desperate attack on Huigang in desperation, and finally landed on the shining bay Defeated and captured.
It is said that he and his last subordinates were not allowed to die quickly, but were tied to the ram of the flagship of the Cullen family "Errol Grace" and patrolled the shore to boast.
Subject to the sun and rain, wind and waves, gulls pecking at birds.
Until every corpse dries up and shrinks, turning into a veritable "Bone Flag".
Since then, the girl lost her son, and the pirate lost her father.
The wolves of the seven seas have no master and no king.
The bone flag is no longer, the sun shines on the sea.
Of course, at the same time, there are countless clans on the Kasai Islands who have been plundered for generations. The surviving clans—such as Tanganga's mother—have to find another way out.
"My Majesty Xiri, no matter how fierce the commotion here is, no matter how difficult the people are, it is only a turmoil in a corner of the Emerald City, but if the blood feuds of the Cullen family, the Kasai people and even the pirates of the Seven Seas are all involved, then the matter will be serious. It's complicated, and it's not just a matter of one family. Maybe it's going to be done around the end of the sea..."
Hasha said and sighed:
"Peace is precious..."
Thales frowned slightly, but in the end he snorted coldly and didn't care:
"So now, whether it's my marriage or ending the peace of the sea, oh, and of course the bet with you, it all depends on whether Tanganga bows his head or not? Ha, it's getting more and more interesting."
Hasha saw his indifferent attitude, and his expression became more and more ugly.
"Your Highness, please think twice. Relying on the Cullen family to persecute Tanganga... You are enjoying yourself for a while, but you may end up in endless disasters... Also, if there is chaos in the End Sea, what will happen to the Emerald City?"
Thales snorted coldly.
"Then look at my face again, Your Excellency."
He turned his head again, showing bruises, and his tone was resentful:
"Unfortunately, because the Kevin Dill brothers and sisters did something wrong, Emerald City has already suffered endless disasters."
Looking at the unprecedented cruelty on the prince's face, Harsha was at a loss for words.
This time, the silence in the study lasted especially long.
One side glared coldly, with a clear attitude.
One party is worried and preoccupied.
In the end, Harsha seemed to have made up his mind, and sighed helplessly: "Forget it, let me convince him."
Thales' expression moved:
"What?"
Emissary Hasat shook his head:
"Terrone is also a country of maritime trade, and it is also an important customer of the major fleets. I will try to persuade the owner of Tanganga to cooperate with you to stop the pirate raids and stop the non-traditional connections of the major fleets. business practices.”
"I don't understand." Thales narrowed his eyes.
"I know that your Highness has been blocked and humiliated one after another in power. At this moment, you are burning with anger, and you can't calm it down except by means of thunder."
Hasha looked tired:
"But there is a proverb in this country: benevolence is valued for the emperor, stability is valued for generals, stability is valued for businessmen, and tolerance is valued for officials. Even if it is for you to finally control the Emerald City, you should stay in Tanganga at this time, including Other opponents will die."
"Oh? I thought you had been protesting the tariffs with Zhan En before, so you shouldn't like the Emerald City?"
“One sea and two sides, cooperation is always better than confrontation.”
Thales stared at him suspiciously for a while before raising his head.
"Let's say it works, but how do you convince that bad-tempered pirate? Lick his balls?"
Hasha took a deep breath, ignoring the rude words of a prince:
"I will tell the owner of Tanganga: The Tyrann State and our allies have decided to put aside prejudices and cooperate with His Highness. We will open the cargo space and shipping at the risk of loss, help the market order, and work hard to stop the Emerald City. Chaos and recovery—I think he will understand the general trend."
Thales was stunned for a while before he realized:
"Are you trying to... I thought you just said you wanted to stay neutral?"
Hasha showed an ugly smile:
“I have just figured it out: in a war where the strong and the weak are distinct, standing by and remaining neutral is tantamount to favoring the strong.”
Thales raised his eyebrows.
Hasha is full of smiles, with a gentle and natural expression:
"Now, Your Highness, what do you say?"
Thales was stunned for a while, and finally came to his senses, also smiling all over his face:
"Oh, in fact, the words of the special envoy also enlightened me: You are right: I should not marry the granddaughter of the Cullen family unless it is a last resort-the prime minister has enough power."
"Your Highness is wise."
"Your Excellency is also wise."
"But I'm humble and light-hearted. It's really not easy to persuade so many big businessmen to cooperate." Harsha rubbed his four-colored eyebrows, "If you can promise that after the things are done, Emerald City will be in several major categories. The tariff policy on commodities is slightly loosened..."
"Let's talk about it."
Thales refused with a smile, bowed his head and pretended to start processing official documents.
"As tough as you are, you are worthy of being the future king." Hasha couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"It's overrated."
"I'm sure you will be able to succeed immediately and take down the Emerald City."
"Thank you very much."
"Maybe Tanganga surrendered before I came to persuade him?"
"Thank you for your good words."
"Because he gave in to you long ago, didn't he?"
"Is... what?"
Thales was startled, and couldn't help raising his head, just in time to see that Harsha's expression changed, and he was staring at him with confidence at the moment.
Not good.
Prince used his superficial skills to round up the words calmly:
"Oh, ha, I think so, but it's a pity that this stinky pirate doesn't know how to flatter..."
"And you, you have been cheating on me from just now until now: use the matter of Tanganga and the Cullen family as an excuse, and deliberately create a situation where you will die if you don't want it, and kill Tan Ganga." Ganga attracted the appearance of ending the chaos in the sea, so as to force me to submit and compromise with you, right?"
Hasha spoke eloquently, tsk tsk.
Tells's little abacus was completely dismantled.
Thales fully controlled his expression, trying to explain:
"What? No, actually..."
"I just talked to him outside," Harsha said softly, but with a fatal blow, "I have to say that Tanganga is not a person who is good at hiding."
Thales' smile disappeared.
What?
He...
Emissary Hasat calmly raised his teacup and drank the first sip of tea we met today:
"Tanganga's past is not difficult to find out, but how are you sure that this trick will work for me?"
Looking at the other person's eye movements, Thales finally confirmed something and had to heave a long sigh.
"Because you are the trade envoy of the head of the Tyrann State," he said helplessly, "Your status and the weight of your words depend on peace and stability, not chaos."
Thales said dejectedly:
"If I overturn the chessboard in a fit of anger and disrupt the situation of the coastal states, then you will no longer be able to speak in the Tyrann State, let alone run for the next head of the state - Tyrann State controls the fleet and Two of the three nobles in the city defense are your political enemies, and chaos will only benefit them."
Hasat moved his eyes slightly.
"After all, the current head of Supanath, taking advantage of the end of the years of attack by the Cullen family and allies against the pirates of the Seven Seas, the volume of sea trade returned to normal, with the support of the Temple of the Sun, persuaded The big families are canvassing for high positions."
Hasha gently put down the teacup.
"His Royal Highness is very familiar with the affairs of the country, and some even have secrets. Well, the information collection is very complete."
It should be said that the crowd clues of Kongming Palace are very complete.
But...
Thales sighed helplessly:
"Since you have already seen through, Mr. Special Envoy, are you still acting with me along the way?"
Hasha smiled.
He took his time and waved his hand first:
"If I didn't agree to help you just now, would you really attract the East China Sea Fleet and Seven Seas pirates in a fit of anger, and mess up the End Sea?"
Thales stared at him for a while, then sighed:
"No."
"Oh?"
Hasha shrugged:
"Even if Master Zhan En beat you to shame, and his sister humiliated you in front of the whole city, making you lose face and rage, are you going to lose the Emerald City?"
Thales got a headache when he heard this.
He took a deep breath.
"First of all, I am not disfigured, and secondly, my face is very big, so I don't lose it that easily..."
But Thales was finally discouraged and gave up his defense:
"Ok.
“For one thing, it’s not my style to move pieces at the cost of overturning the board.
“Secondly, it is the most stupid thing to do war without permission, especially when you don’t know what it will bring you.
"Three times, marrying Cullen or something, well, I made up nonsense, as for these, these are cheap illustrations on the second-hand market, even the family crest of Sun Sword and Shield was painted in a hurry..."
Thales shook a portrait of a lady casually.
"I can see that the flaw is not small."
Hasha also picked up a picture frame, with complicated eyes, full of nostalgia and hatred:
“A long time ago, my mother, and of course me, we made a living copying cheap illustrations for people in the old market.”
Thales looked at the special envoy's appearance, and suddenly realized that this time, the other party did not humbly call him "my humble servant".
The special envoy of Tai Lunbang sighed softly, he put down the illustration, and slowly took off the two gemstone rings on his right hand——Thales realized that it was not just a ring, but a connection between two meanings Decorative finger cots.
Hasha's right hand, where the thumb and index finger belonged, only a small half of the base of the finger remained.
Almost empty.
Thales was stunned. He thought of the extravagant scene where Harsha stretched out his coat, opened his mouth when he had a meal, and even let the servants serve food and drinks on various occasions these days, and he suddenly understood.
He turned his head, suppressing his curiosity to ask the other party "what happened", and also forced himself not to look at the other party's fingers.
Hasha looked at the place where he lost his finger, his face was calm, and the ancient well was calm.
As if they didn't bother him more than that cheap illustration.
and so on.
Thales suddenly realized something was wrong.
What did he say?
Hasha used to copy illustrations...he knows this...
That is to say...
Thales reacted, he looked at each other in disbelief:
"It's you, you cheated on me just now?"
Hasha slowly put his finger back on, returned to that luxurious and dignified appearance, and smiled slightly.
"Why, do you really think I got the words out of Tanganga's mouth? Please! Your guards are fierce and ruthless, and they won't let me get close to him at all—sorry, didn't mean to interrupt, Please continue."
What?
Thales stared at His Excellency the Special Envoy for a long time, until the other party humbly apologized, and then hummed angrily:
"I'm done."
I was **** off before I finished speaking.
Hasha smiled and confessed repeatedly.
"I see, Your Highness, you are indeed a different person from Jann Cavendir, at least not as shrewd, wise, clever, and admirable as him."
Thales' expression moved:
Are you scolding me?
Hasha shook his head regretfully, with a look of hating iron but not steel:
"It's no wonder that you are sitting on the throne, but you are still imprisoned by him, and you are in a mess, stretched, and sitting in a sad city."
Well, you are indeed scolding me.
Thales frowned, and wanted to defend himself by saying something like "Actually, I'm not bad", "I have the advantage in this battle", but in the end he was speechless and had nothing to refute.
The next second, after listening to enough jokes, Harsha rubbed his hands in satisfaction, stood up and stood up.
"In that case, I will go back first, good luck, Your Highness."
Thales sighed.
Seeing Harsha walking further and further away, he couldn't help but say:
"But at least—"
Hasha's footsteps stopped.
Thales took a deep breath and could only say helplessly:
"I know it's a bit late to say it now... But Your Excellency, can you please be at least impartial and neutral as you said before?"
Hasha frowned and turned around.
Thales gritted his teeth:
"Please, I only need a few weeks, no, a few days to restore the Emerald City, if it is not possible..."
"Neutral?"
Hasha interrupted him with a chuckle.
"Your Highness, I know Jann Cavendir, he will never be a loser."
He narrowed his eyes, raised his finger—the right finger—and shook it, as if he heard something funny:
"And you, Prince Thales, at least the current you, are bound to lose."
Thales sighed in disappointment.
Damn it.
He could have been hooked.
The problem, why did it happen on a cheap illustration?
It's more stupid than the meteorite to find that invitation.
"Therefore!"
The next second, the Hasat envoy suddenly turned serious!
I saw him staring at Thales:
"Tyranbang and our allies, we have decided to abandon speculation and take advantage of the fire."
Thales looked up and stared: Huh?
"In fact, we will do our best to calm the market for you, quell rumors, open up business, restore people's confidence in Queen's City, and even defer a large debt to help Emerald City Back to normal."
Huh?
Thales didn't react for a while, and was stunned.
Hasha bowed slightly and raised his head with a smile on his face:
"I hope I can regain some advantage for you in this unfair duel."
It was quiet in the study for a long time.
Until Thales came back to his senses:
"What, what?"
I saw Harsha shaking his head:
"There are no other strings attached, Your Highness, even the tariffs they are clamoring for - facing those short-sighted villains, I can still decide this matter."
Thales finally understood what the other party said word by word, and looked at him suspiciously.
Hasha didn't say much, just nodded slightly:
"As for the rest, it's up to you."
Your Excellency Special Envoy turned and left after speaking.
Straightforward.
The sleeves are windy.
Huge in size.
But not sloppy at all.
Thales was left alone, sitting behind the desk, surprised.
"Your Excellency, wait!"
Thales didn't understand it. The moment Harsha was about to walk out of the room, he couldn't help calling the other party:
"Would you mind telling me why?"
Hasha turned around, still smiling.
"Why?"
He pondered for a while before his eyes lit up:
"I said so."
Thales looked puzzled.
"Master Zhan En is a shrewd and capable leader."
Hasha slowly and gently rubbed his ring:
"The Emerald City is thriving under his hands, but the premise is that his position of authority is not threatened, otherwise he will sacrifice the Emerald City without hesitation—just like he prepared in advance, asking us to cause trouble for the Emerald City and cause trouble , to drive away its new owner."
He changed his gaze and looked directly at Thales.
At that moment, Thales suddenly had an illusion: the person in front of him was not an errand messenger from a neutral trading country.
is a general who commands troops and horses.
"But you are a prince, and you will inherit the throne in the future, so you should take a longer-term view," Harsha repeated what he just said, "Fame and reputation are the foundation of your future rule. where the real benefits lie."
Thales' breath stagnates.
"However, Zhan En's reputation and word of mouth are also very good." He subconsciously said.
"It's very good," Harsha nodded without hesitation, but his eyes were firm, "among those who don't know him."
Thales' eyes moved.
"There is a teaching in the sun: if there is no sacred heart, it is difficult to perform the holy deeds."
Hasha made an exaggerated prayer. After finishing, his expression instantly returned to the polite and hypocritical appearance of a diplomat before:
"Now, I have to rush to call a 'little party', please forgive me..."
"Your Excellency Harsha~IndoMTL.com~Thales spoke instinctively.
He wanted to say thank you, but he felt that it was inappropriate, and the words came to his lips, and finally turned into another sentence:
"The idea of creating a dangerous situation and forcing you to submit is based on the clues reported by the masses—I mean, from Zhan En."
Thales said quietly.
Hasha frowned upon hearing this.
Thales looked at each other with complicated emotions:
"But now it seems that Jen underestimated you."
Hasha hummed, lowered his head in thought, with an intriguing expression.
After a few seconds.
"No, in fact," Your Excellency the Special Envoy raised his head and smiled with relief, "He overestimated me."
“Like a long time ago, I also overestimated him.”
The envoy Hasat from Tailun State stroked his four-colored eyebrows, shook his huge body, smiled unabated, and stepped out of the study easily.
(end of this chapter)