Chapter 737 Overestimated

   The effect of meeting the two Kevin Dills was immediate.

  During the day, Thales continued to issue 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 of the Front, the famous captain of the Emerald City is wearing a simple and somewhat old nautical coat today, thick captain's gloves instead of jewel rings, and a yellowish yellow necklace around his neck. The sweat towel, with a ferocious appearance and rough speech, reveals an innate pirate spirit from inside to outside.

And as soon as he entered the prince's (to be exact, Duke Jane's) luxurious study, he began to marvel at the furnishings inside, and exchanged warm greetings overly enthusiastically. He frequently looked at Thales' face on the way—the bruises on it were so obvious that it made him feel One cannot ignore it.

   "Slapped 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 shivered 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 liked luxury by nature and was greedy for enjoyment, but he heard the news from nowhere that the prince was in a difficult situation and even had a small pocket. Deliberately behaved carelessly or even rudely and stupidly, in order to avoid the prince's anger and sharpness.

Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help squinting his eyes. He asked Wyatt for the report just now, crossed out "no money" and wrote "Please pass on to the Financial Secretary for a collegial discussion", and motioned Wyatt to explain something to the guests. .

  The sea wolf was not invited here for no reason:

Recently, His Royal Highness received a tip from the people of Kongming Palace, and learned that a small group of armed merchant ships appeared on the route around Nan'an Ling. The ship "inspected" and imposed tolls and protection fees on the grounds that "the Duke is down, and the permit he issued is no longer valid."

And this has triggered a series of changes, from rising shipping costs, delays in the arrival of ships, to the suffocation of the lifeline of freight transportation, and a slump in confidence in maritime trade. Even small and medium-sized handicraft workers complained endlessly, citizens and business travelers in the city panicked, and sinister rumors such as "The Emerald City is really going to end" were once again rampant...

"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 such a thing happened in the kingdom's sea and border", and then "Your Highness knows that our Sea Wolf Fleet is also a victim." There are "the general environment is like this, there is no way for us to raise the price", and even a bit rascal "Oh, this is the world today, this can teach us how to be good"...

   "I don't want to hear these reasons," Thales replied to the official document expressionlessly, "and I don't want to know what you are involved in, 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 prince lowered his head, and asked the Disciplinary Office to erect twenty monuments at the gate of the city. A big dog's head was drawn on the official document of the famous sentence of Prince Si's political training "to educate the people, "Then I have no choice but to deal with you."

  Tanganga's expression froze.

  The former pirate's expression changed many times in that second, from dissatisfaction to fierceness, and then from anger to grievance, but they were all well covered up.

Finally, he glanced at the bruise on the prince's face, at the attendants guarding the prince, then at Morgan and Custa standing at the door, and at the corner, Batista and Nexi, her expression returned to calm.

He switched tactics, first he was filled with righteous indignation, "The evil Zhan En forced us to do this", then he complained with grievances, "We don't want to be involved in the war between the prince and the duke", and finally wept again and again, "We are helpless. The lonely man speaks lightly and is 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 with great mercy. He has a place, but he never wanted to be manipulated by others, and he couldn't resist easily. He also said that Zhan En's money and power go hand in hand, threats and temptations are pervasive, and he has fully controlled their fleet and bossed them around. Low and small, struggling to support for decades, weeping when he talked about emotion, 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 Banquet before, Jen said that anyone could betray him, but only Tanganga couldn't— Presumably it is because he grasps your weak spot, and can destroy your fleet with a single palm."

  Under the strange 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 all the guards present 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 butler, and delivered it to the emerald city The tycoon of the funeral industry, Mrs. Tuolier of the Popon family, repaid a loan from the Kongming Palace in the amount of 35,118 gold coins, 9 silver coins, and 4 copper coins in advance, and the check was delivered directly to the prince. His Majesty's desk.

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 with a series of services from coffin making to stele digging, from grave digging to funeral ceremonies. Distinguished service.

   (“Of course, His Royal Highness is in good health and lives a long life, so I think he 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. In the face of such enthusiasm, Thales can only thank him no matter how greedy he is.

("What is greed for money, Thor, don't you say it so harshly? It's called the cycle of life..."——His Royal Highness held a 35,000 gold coin exchange note, desperately smelling the scent of ink on it, and the smell that came out complain)

  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 Seawolf captain who reacted tried his best to call for grievances, refused to admit it, and asked to refute the rumors, but faced with the undeniable truth of "reporting clues from the masses of the Kongming Palace", the source is reliable and the evidence is solid. , he was eventually defeated.

  The famous sea wolf woke up 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 have no idea what kind of entourage the vampires brought in the cabin...Of course, even though I didn't know about it and I didn't participate in it, I was inexplicably murdered by innocent people. implicated, but I am their ship owner after all, and it is my fault for lax supervision and ineffective supervision.

"oh?"

"I swear, I really didn't know when they came! Your Highness, as you know, vampires are secretive and never allow people to ask too many questions... I, I really never participated in their plot to kill the Duke, if I knew in advance , Then I... Then they won't pay no matter how much money they give... After the incident, I immediately realized my mistake and took immediate measures. I have already fired those short-term sailors at sea... Alas, I have overlooked this point, and I really regret it. And... 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 Enxiang 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 Night Banquet Tours.

He then wrote another letter of apology that came with the official document, which was called Reflection and Pleading Guilty, but it was actually yin and yang. Twice as in the past, generous service night clothes and food, day and night shift rotation, no distinction between you and me, giving up life and death. Fuyu has traversed emerald for 30 years, and has never been as hardworking as His Royal Highness. , Encouraging people to make progress, Wei Jia inside and outside, benefiting the whole city, this 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.") He wrote "Today's salary, make up for the arrears."

   "Juguan, you hammer—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! Of course I know it's not You guys... It's just a coincidence that 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 are willing to testify for you, proving that you are Innocent being implicated... Hey, it doesn't matter if no one testifies... With Zhan En's character of knowing every detail, being as careful as a hair, not rubbing sand in his eyes, and not allowing unjust cases in his hands, well, I don't think you will doubt your loyalty..."

  Under Tanganga's ever-changing expressions and eyes, Thales calmly folded the letter to Mrs. Tuolier, and handed it to Wyatt to put in the crow's foot.

   "... at most doubt your ability."

  Tanganga wiped away his tears, his 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 by smuggling on my boat..."

  Because one of your passengers is not strict.

   "Crowd leads 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 intimidated by the second prince..."

  The prince paused for a second.

   "I would rather teach him to doubt: You are too courageous, and you have been deliberately planning to overthrow the Kongming Palace from the very beginning?"

  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 confidence in firmly supporting the enlightened rule of Prince Thales, his determination to maintain the order and stability of 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 with me, and take the lead in carrying out self-examination, self-correction, self-examination and self-policing among the employees of the whole group, and vigorously rectify the widespread problems in the flotilla, temporary employees who are not self-disciplined, public and private Regardless of the shortcomings and faults of thinking, thinking, and behavior, do deep reflection, draw inferences from one instance, check for omissions and fill in gaps, correct mistakes, and never repeat them, and simultaneously urge peers in the same industry to follow up vigorously, go hand in hand, and make leaps and bounds together. Forge ahead.

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. The South Coast waters have always been peaceful. Safe, stable, and orderly, the circulation of goods and goods is smooth, and the shipping is orderly.

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 promising development in the world. economic and trade cooperation market.

  In addition, the Tanganga ship owner also vigorously criticized a small group of selfish businessmen and handicraftsmen for their short-sighted behavior of ignorant 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 Royal Highness Thales, personal envoy of His Majesty Kessel, Duke of Star Lake Castle, second prince, first heir to the royal family, and acting lord of the Emerald City, 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.

  The two parties 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 the other party away, "If you don't want to leak information, then choose your clients carefully."

  Tanganga's eyes trembled, thoughtful.

   Sending off Tanganga, who was full of thoughts, Thales sat behind the desk, looking at the slowly closing door, lost in thought.

  Do 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, duty, interests, and rationality.

  Thinking of this, Thales sighed helplessly: Yes.

  Tanganga is terrified at the slightest word from me.

   No, Thales, don't be stupid.

  The voice in the bottom of my heart faintly refuted him:

  What he was afraid of was never a certain sentence from you.

  Thales' smile disappeared.

   "Wai Ya, do you believe our Tanganga captain, do you believe that he has not actually betrayed 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, with careful words, "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 possesses something much more complicated than fear, courage, loyalty, and even interests."

   Huai Ya 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 it, but kept silent and stood by."

  Envy, injustice, indignation, fluke, laziness, greed, prudence, philistine, cruelty, impulsiveness...

  Thales counted the things he just read from Tanganga's eyes:

  All of these combined, and constantly changing back and forth from moment to moment, make Tanganga a complex and varied person:

Sometimes he is jealous of Zhan En, sometimes he is jealous of him; sometimes he is gnashing his teeth and full of resentment, sometimes he is satisfied and even grateful; 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;

  But all the complicated possibilities, whether pushed or pulled, ended at the moment when the group of vampire guests set foot on his ship.

Tanganga fell into hesitation, while affirming that this was 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 lessons and sufferings that they deserved. ;He tossed and turned anxiously after the incident, tried his best to separate the relationship, but couldn't help but take advantage of the catastrophe to make a fortune by taking advantage of the general situation...

   "Jane is right. He has grasped the most fundamental chain of interests, so he is sure that Tanganga will not dare, let alone 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 Territory:

   "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, quicker 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, the development of the situation, the situation we faced 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."

   "Therefore, there is still a difference between Tanganga's behavior and real betrayal," Wyatt 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, and with hindsight. , You may be firm at the moment, but you may regret it later, making a choice with an ambiguous orientation.”

   "It's like Tanganga," Huai Ya nodded, "and in this storm, there are countless officials, businessmen, farmers, 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 firm, great, courageous, and clear in our impression, but by countless spectators like Tanganga, who are numb, lazy, and ready to move. The torrent flowed out by their unconscious concerted efforts is jointly lifted up."

  Thales sighed in ecstasy:

  "So in the "Sunset Teaching Sutra", the Prophet Muhasa would say: 'That is not just history, but also destiny.'"

  Everyone is struggling, but few people realize that, from beginning to end, it's just them in their own cocoon.

  Waya looked at the prince worriedly:

   "Your Highness, are you okay?"

   "What? Oh, of course," Thales came back to his senses, "Okay, let's invite the next guest..."

  Wyah nodded suspiciously, his eyes flicked over the bruises on the prince's face.

  The door was opened again.

   "Hasha! Dear Harsha! My dearest Ambassador Hasshat!"

   "Your Highness! Your Highness! My most respected Prince Thales!"

The special envoy from the head of the Tyrannian trade state across the sea, Master Harsha laughed and opened his hands full of gemstone rings, and Thales, who also laughed so hard that his face was deformed, embraced and kissed each other warmly, as if from the first day Brothers from day one - even though it was the first time they'd met alone.

"His Majesty, Your Highness has never been so warm to me since he came to the Emerald City." Harsha's lingua franca has a characteristic accent of barren mountains and other places, but it is not strong. Turning a blind eye to the wound on Thales' face, while skillfully avoiding the wound in the face-to-face ceremony, "It really makes me panic!"

"Witness the setting sun, the fear is due to 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 predict things like a god, why not?" Maybe panic?"

   "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 are huge in size and have a branch in Emerald City—and formed a temporary business alliance. ?”

  Hasha's artificial eyebrows painted in four colors of white, yellow, red and black—to show his respect and admiration for 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 that you can get together from time to time... At most, it's used to bargain with Duke Zhann and negotiate import tariffs." Hasha laughed loudly. He waved his hands in a natural posture.

  Thales narrowed his eyes:

   "Isn't it because you are so good at predicting things that 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," Tellspi said with a half-smile, "For example, when the Kongming Palace changed hands and people's hearts were unstable and the market was depressed, your alliance joined hands to hoard and drive up prices. , Breaking industry rules, creating shortage panic, crowding out local players, scaring off new and old customers upstream and downstream, grabbing bottoms when the market is in chaos, and pushing the already declining Emerald City into the abyss? "

  The smile in Hasha's eyes disappeared.

   "Ah, I now 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, didn't come to the 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 Jen's request?"

   "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?"

   "Markets don't die," Harsha shook his head, "they just decline."

  And people with smart enough minds, rich enough capital, and strong enough relationships can also profit in a declining market.

   Even a huge profit is better than a good year.

  Thales was silent for a while.

   "Now that I have made it clear, can I ask you all to stop standing for Zhan En?"

"sorry?"

"I said, Your Excellency, Special Envoy, please mobilize the contacts in that small foreign business alliance. I don't ask them to operate at a loss or even benefit the people. I just ask them to behave normally and do business well. Don't follow the panic propaganda and bad-mouth the environment. Don't control the transaction and manipulate the market, let 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.

   "That 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 profit, 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?"

"benefit?"

  Thales snorted strangely, showing the bruises on his side face:

   "Did you see it? Jen En beat him 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 a product of impulse," Harsha muttered, "Based on my understanding of my old friend Zhan En, he is very well-mannered, and he has never lost his composure like this, let alone do it directly. "

  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 there be?"

  Looking at the Duke of Xinghu like this, Harsha frowned slightly.

"All right."

  He thought for a while, then sighed:

   "Your Majesty, Your Majesty 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 it's not convenient for us to be on your side."

   "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 Master Zhan En or Master Federico, or even your own control of Kongming Palace - by the way, no matter which one will not affect your heir to the kingdom status, and our respect for you—I assure you that everything will return to normal, and we are happy to continue our sincere cooperation with the 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.

   Thales turned his head back, with a cold tone:

  “In a war where the strong and the weak are clearly distinguished, if you remain neutral, it is tantamount to leaning on the strong.”

"What's the meaning?"

   "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 resolved with real money."

  He still wants benefits?

  Thales felt unhappy.

   "You are the trade envoy of the head of state, Your Excellency Hasa," 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 a prince, 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, "If you think too much about these things, don't worry about it yourself." What happens 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.”

   "Your Highness, you might as well look to the north—up to 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 right away, 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, coldly He said, "Fame? Word of mouth? What do you think I can lose in Emerald City?"

  Looking at Thales' face, Hasat tried not to smile.

  He didn't speak, just pursed his lips.

  The two faced each other quietly in the study, both expressionless.

  But at the moment when the atmosphere became more and more unbearable, Thales turned his head and sighed.

   "Okay, I don't want to be too aggressive, how about this, did you see the Tanganga captain who just went out?"

  Hasha was taken aback for a moment, and couldn't help but look at the door.

   "Yeah, well, doesn't he look...happy?"

"Not only that," Thales sneered and leaned back in the chair, "it should be said that he is very tough, unyielding and unyielding, threatening that he would rather live and die with Zhan En than compromise with me, even in the open sea secretly Supporting pirate activities, constantly harassing shipping routes, deterring passing ships, and causing trouble for the order of the 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 cooperating in hoarding goods and raising prices, resume normal operations, and even shed some blood when necessary to help order the market recovery of..."

   Hasat made a move in his eyes:

   "And what if Captain Tanganga is too thick-necked and too stiff-kneeded to give in?"

  Thales' eyes turned cold:

   "Then there will be no more of him in this world."

  Hashaat made a slight change in color. He ignored the 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."

  Hasha frowned at her hand-drawn eyebrows.

   “That would not be a good role model.”

"How to say?"

  The special envoy pondered for a while, then left the back of the chair worriedly, and raised his body.

   "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."

   "... I have been operating the sea for generations, I have rich experience, and I know many famous captains..."

   "Yes, he has relied on Zhan En for more than ten years to live," Thales said absently, "he has long since become the watchdog of Kongming Palace."

   "The current owner of Ke Kongming Palace is you."

"It won't be soon," Thales sneered, "Thanks to him, you, and many forces in this city, including a certain young lady who likes to pretend to be a ghost, let me be in this seat Days feel 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, 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 accept your rule, but will die with grief and righteous indignation , the consequences are unpredictable."

  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, swiped his sleeves, and swept a few picture frames on the table 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 **** it was dressed in bright and noble clothes, "You know him, right?"

"certainly."

  Hasha has a solemn expression.

"Bob Cullen, Lord of Huigang City, the current Guardian Duke of the East China Sea of ​​your country, Sword of the Gulf," the special envoy of the head of state looked at the family crest on the painting with a numb expression, "When he was young, he set sail with blood to suppress the Kasai pirates ..."

  Who doesn’t know who often travels across oceans and travels to and from both 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, the Canxing royal family and the Cullen family are married, it's very good, very good," Harsha hesitated, "but these candidates are all grandchildren of the Duke of Cullen, and they don't seem to be more important than Miss Hilley..."

"Their dowry is not as good as Kevin Dildo's, but the variety 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 good son-in-law of the family , to 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 it," 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 Cassai Islands, and finally led to the signing of an alliance between the East and West, the six navies, and the eight fleets, and all over the seven seas, Countless pirates who were rampant for a while started a full-scale war.

  They fought blood-stained sea water on every inch of sea surface that could be navigated, every port where they could anchor, and every mast that they could land on.

  Through decades of going back and forth like this, countless ships sank forever, and countless sailors died in the belly 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 in desperation made a desperate attack on Huigang, and was finally defeated and captured on the Glorious Bay. .

   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 "skeleton flag".

  Since then, girls have lost their children and pirates have lost their fathers.

  The wolves of the seven seas have no master and no king.

  The bone flag is no longer, and the sun shines on the sea.

  Of course, at the same time, the countless clans on the Kasai Islands who lived by plundering for generations also suffered, and the surviving clansmen—such as Tanganga’s mother—had to find another way out.

"My Majesty Xiri, no matter how fierce the disturbance here is, and no matter how difficult the people are, it is only a turmoil in a corner of the Emerald City, but if the blood feud between the Culun family, the Kasai people and even the pirates of the Seven Seas is involved, then the matter will be complicated. And it's not just a family matter, maybe the surrounding area of ​​Ending Sea will be..."

  Hasha said, sighed:

   "Peace is precious..."

  Thales frowned slightly, but in the end he snorted coldly, not paying attention:

   "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 Tanganga bowing his head? 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 happy 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 the Envoy."

  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 caused 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 changed:

"What?"

  Emissary Hasat shook his head:

"Terran 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 pirate raids and stop the non-commercial activities of the major fleets. "

   "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 business, and tolerance is valued for officials. Even if it is for you to finally control the Emerald City, you should stay at Tanganga, including other opponents, at this time. our lives."

   "Oh? I thought you had been protesting the tariffs with Jann 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:

"Your Majesty will tell the owner of Tanganga: Tyrone 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 market order, and devote ourselves to stopping chaos and restoring Emerald City. —I think he'll understand the situation."

  Thales was stunned for a while before he realized:

   "Are you going to... I thought you just said you wanted to stay neutral?"

  Hasha showed an ugly smile:

   "I just figured it out: In a war where the strong and the weak are distinct, standing by and remaining neutral is tantamount to leaning on 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."

"However, I am humble and light-hearted. It is not easy to persuade so many big merchants to cooperate." Harsha rubbed his four-colored eyebrows, "If you can promise that after things are done, the Emerald City will be in the market of several major categories of goods. China's tariff policy is slightly loosened by one or two..."

"talk later."

  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." Harsha couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

   "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?"

   "Thanks 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.

  The prince used his superficial skills to round up the words calmly:

   "Oh, ha, I would like to, but it's a pity that this stinky pirate doesn't know how to flatter..."

"And you, from just now until now, you have been just trying to deceive me: use the matter of Tanganga and the Cullen family as an excuse, deliberately create a situation where you will die if you don't want it, and kill Tanganga to attract people. The way to end the chaos in the sea is to force me to submit and compromise with you, right?"

  Hasha spoke eloquently, tsk tsk.

   Disassemble Thales's little abacus.

  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 in 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—the three leaders of the Tyrann State who control the fleet and city defense." My lord, two are your political enemies, and chaos will only benefit them."

   Hasat moved his eyes slightly.

"After all, the current leader of Supanath, with the support of the Temple of the Sun, persuaded the major families to take advantage of the end of the successive years of the Kulun family and allies' attacks against the pirates of the Seven Seas, and the volume of sea trade returned to normal. , canvassing for the top position."

   Harsha 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 Kongminggong’s mass clues are very complete.

but…

  Thales sighed helplessly:

   "Since you have seen through it, Mr. Special Envoy, are you still cooperating with me in acting along the way?"

  Hasha laughed.

  He did not rush, first waved his hand:

   "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 Sea of ​​Ending?"

  Thales stared at him for a while, sighed:

"Won't."

"oh?"

  Hasha shrugged:

   "Even if Master Zhan En beat you to shame, and his sister humiliated you severely in front of the whole city, making you lose face and rage, are you going to lose 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 so easily..."

  But Thales looked at Hasha's expression of getting more and more happy, and finally he was discouraged and gave up his defense:

"All right.

  “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 emblem of Sun Sword and Shield was painted in a rush..."

  Thales shook a portrait of a lady casually.

   "It can be seen 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 address him as "I".

His Excellency the special envoy of Tai Lunbang sighed, 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 decorative ring connecting two meaning fingers. finger cots.

  Hasha's right hand, where the thumb and index finger belong, has only a small half fingertip left.

   Almost empty.

  Thales was stunned. He thought of the extravagant scene where Hasha stretched out his coat, opened his mouth when he had a meal, and even let the servants serve food and drink 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.

etc.

  Thales suddenly realized something was wrong.

what did he say?

  Hasha used to copy illustrations...he knows this...

That means…

  Thales reacted, he looked at the other party in disbelief:

   "It's you, you cheated me just now?"

  Hasha slowly put back his ring finger, 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 so fierce and ruthless that they won't let me get close to him at all—sorry, I 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 chuckled 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 changed:

   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, it is 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 and stood up.

   "In this case, I will go back first, good luck to you, Your Highness."

  Thales sighed.

   Seeing Hasa walking farther and farther, 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 the Special Envoy, 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?"

   Harsha 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.

   Hateful.

  He could have gotten the other side hooked.

   Question, why did it happen on a cheap illustration?

   Stupider than Meteorite finding that invitation.

"therefore!"

  The next second, Ambassador Hasat suddenly put on a serious face!

  I saw him staring at Thales:

   "Tyranbang and our allies, we have decided to give up speculative drilling 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 considerable amount of debt to help Emerald City return to normal. "

ah?

  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 - in the face of those short-sighted villains, I can still decide on 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.

   Walk steadily.

  The sleeves are windy.

   Huge size.

   But not sloppy at all.

   Thales was left alone, sitting behind the desk, surprised.

   "Your Excellency, wait!"

  Thales didn’t think about 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 thought 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 command, 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, so as to force it to leave. Its new owner."

   His eyes changed, and he looked straight 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.

   But a general who commanded 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 said just now, "Fame and word of mouth are the foundation of your future rule and your real interests. where."

  Thales' breath stagnated.

   "However, Zhan En's reputation and reputation 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:

   "Now, I have to rush to call a 'little party', please forgive me..."

   "His Excellency Harsha."

  Thales spoke instinctively.

  He wanted to say thank you, but he felt it was wrong, 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 and fell into 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, I overestimated him too."

  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)