Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 724 Manipulation (Part 1)

In the Empty Palace, in Jann's room, Thales sat silently in the main hall.

"Doyle's family, have you checked the meals?"

Jenn's voice rang out coldly, making no attempt to hide his disgust and impatience:
"I wonder if there's been any poison inside? Or any notes slipped in to pass messages?"

Behind Jenn, DD in the opposite side room, holding cutlery, pulled his face up from the table full of plates.

"Ah? Oh—almost there, almost done."

Doyle, his mouth greasy, glared at Jenn fiercely at the words, then scooped a large spoonful of mashed potatoes from the messy plate, biting into it as if he wanted to crush the spoon in two.
"Please wait a little longer. After all, you are a Grand Duke, a very important person! Your status is noble and important. If something happens to you, well, I, a poor family from a small family in Mirror River, cannot bear the responsibility. Why don't you play with my little teddy bear first, so you won't be bored?"

Jan turned to look at the teddy bear on the table and pursed his lips in disgust.

He suppressed the burning sensation in his stomach and glanced at the clock again:
It's been an hour since lunchtime.

Meanwhile, DD took another bite of roast pork, making a tsk-tsk sound of praise.

The Duke of the South Bank finally reached his breaking point:

"Is this how you inspect the food for your prince?"

"Hey, you're right!"

DD took a bite from the left and a bite from the right, not forgetting to pretend to feed the little bear on the table ("Why are you so picky about food? No wonder you're not growing up! Tsk tsk, if you won't try it first, how will His Majesty the Duke eat? Be good, open your mouth, ah ah ah..."):

"I was like that too—cough cough, sorry, I'm almost better."

Under Thales's sudden, unexpected glare, DD collapsed halfway through his sentence.

Doyle obediently lowered his head, put down his—or rather, Jann's—meal, and hid in the distance.

Jann and Thales exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere in the room instantly changed, falling into a suffocating silence.

"that's too regretful."

Jann sighed softly.

“You should know that my father and I both relied on him very much—the passing of Lord Brennan is a loss to the Emerald City that can never be filled.”

Thales remained seated, offering no reply, the wine glass beside him untouched.

"Promise me you will catch the murderer and bring justice to the people."

“Of course,” Thales said softly, “if I can still live to see that day.”

Jenn nodded.

"How is Emerald City?"

"It's even worse."

Thales raised his head, his eyes cold:
"More than a dozen large merchant groups joined together to meet with me, requesting that I take measures—market disorder and unstable prices have begun to affect their income and future plans."

"The Jade Legion was paid on time, which at least stabilized the situation. However, another group of Construction and Planning Department officials who had heard the news and knew they might be owed wages were very dissatisfied. Some of them planned to make a big splash during the celebrations—but they were caught in time, and negotiations are still ongoing."

"Oh?" Jann gracefully picked up a glass of wine to satisfy his hunger.

"Trouble has broken out again in the Blood Bottle Gang's territory. Gang fighting has caused chaos on the streets, and it is gradually affecting ordinary citizens. The legend of the water zombie is spreading again..."

"In addition, the morale in the courtroom is low, there is a backlog of security cases recently, and the prison is almost full, with only a dozen or so prisoners in one room. The guard room complains every hour that it is turning into a gang branch, and their control is not very effective."

"The head of the Construction and Planning Agency happened to fall ill, and his deputy couldn't make decisions, so the order to cut spending and reduce government spending was delayed. And if I got angry and wanted to replace him..."

Thales snorted coldly:
"As for the Finance Secretary and the City Hall, they are still passing the buck, as if as long as they shrink back, pass the ball to others, and shift the responsibility to other departments, the matter will be over and the problem will be solved by itself."

No matter how great the floods are outside, they will eventually engulf us.

Thales thought to himself, feeling down.

After hearing this long string of words, Jenn nodded slightly, then burst into laughter.

"They're a bunch of jerks, aren't they?"

Thales looked at him.

Jenn swirled his wine glass, deep in thought:
"At first, they obeyed orders and seemed loyal, which pleased you as their master, making you think that they could each perform their duties and help you rule smoothly."

"But soon you will find that they will cause problems in almost every possible link—the smallest detail—whether intentionally or unintentionally, for their own benefit or to take advantage of the situation, just as termites can always find cracks and hollows in a building to build their nests and settle down."

Jenn's eyes narrowed:
"As time went on, the whole thing became mottled, riddled with problems and loopholes, and no matter how hard you tried, you could only patch it up and fix it up piecemeal."

"In fact, many times, you can only be led by the nose by their feigned madness and cunning, and even if you know it, you can't do anything about it."

"Ultimately, you realize that even sitting at the highest point, you can only follow the operating principles and general direction of this system and machine, try to extract benefits from it, make the most of what is still usable, go with the flow, but you are powerless to change the situation."

After saying this, Jenn remained silent for a long time before looking at Thales.

But the prince just stared at him silently, without replying.

Jan lowered his head, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly sighed, as if he had made a decision.

“Alright, I’ll write a letter now,” the Duke put down his wine glass, walked to his desk, sat down, and picked up a pen. “Take this to the Popon family, who are in the funeral business. They owe Kevin Deer a debt. Once they see the letter, they will give you ten thousand gold coins. Of course, if you have enough personal charm, you might get more.”

Thales' eyes flickered.

"why."

“Please use this money to give Lord Brennan a proper burial, so that he may rest in peace after his death and the hearts of the people of Emerald City may be appeased,” Jann said without looking up, as he continued writing furiously. “As for the rest, you may use it to fill the financial deficit and get through this difficult time.”

At this point, Jenn's eyes flickered:
"Also, get rid of that Losang II. I don't want to see him killing and causing death on my territory again, acting lawlessly."

Thales picked up an untouched glass of wine, gently stroking it, but his gaze remained fixed on the other person.

“But if I don’t carry your letter and go to them myself to ask for money, or even borrow money,” he said sarcastically, “I suppose I wouldn’t be able to beg for a single penny, would I?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Jann said without looking up, neither in a hurry nor annoyed. “Perhaps if you show them the ancient imperial sword that the old bones of the Western Wilderness gave you, they will agree?”

Thales scoffed and laughed.

“Huge debt, a declining market, disorderly prices, terrible public security, insincere bureaucrats, and a chaotic Emerald City,” Thales listed off one thing after another, his tone sharp and sarcastic. “What can ten thousand gold coins buy?”

“That’s your problem,” Jann said, his pen still moving, but his gaze fell on the guest. “Regent Thales?”

Thales simply toyed with his wine glass, remaining quietly silent.

"As the city lord, do you really understand Brennan?"

Jann frowned slightly.

Thales recalled the suicide note with a touch of melancholy:

"His last wish was to be buried simply, without a tombstone or any written record, the simpler the better, and even to have his ashes scattered into the sea."

Jann paused his writing.

"I see, simple burial, frugality."

He put down his pen, frowned at the letter he had only written halfway, and his gaze froze on the phrase 'honorable burial'.

A few seconds later, Jenn sighed softly, picked up his pen again, and continued writing.

“It’s alright, I will still write this letter, and you can still use it to get the money. Even if we don’t hold a funeral, Brennan’s untimely death has caused widespread panic. You need to appease everyone, whether it’s the courtroom or the entire Emerald City bureaucracy.”

Thales's forced smile:

"So, if a few more people die, Emerald City's debts can be settled?"

Jann hummed softly and shook his head.

“I believe you know who killed Brennan, and who was eager to fan the flames and manipulate you as a puppet.”

"Brennan committed suicide."

Thales' words made Jann's pen tremble.

"He drank poison in his study."

"Was he not murdered? Or forced to commit suicide?" The Duke of South Bank frowned in suspicion.

“He also left a suicide note,” Thales said, ignoring the other’s questions. “A note full of regret and pain, filled with the torment of his conscience, admitting that he had made a mistake in the case back then.”

The prince raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed on the duke:
"Including the case files and evidence of the Duke's assassination."

Jann remained calm, picked up his pen again, and wrote his signature.

But Thales kept staring at him intently.

“Jane, tell me now what exactly happened back then,” he said softly, yet with immense force, “before I have no choice but to investigate further and uncover the truth.”

Jenn remained silent for a moment.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

His attitude turned cold and uncompromising:
"Get to the bottom of this, complete the arbitration, and imprison me—a real prison, I've heard the Crypt of Bones is quite magnificent inside..."

Thales smiled.

"Even now, you're still stubbornly refusing to budge. It seems that's the crux of the problem."

"And you've stuck to this one question, until you tear it apart, until you dig out the so-called truth you want, and then what?" Jann, sitting at his desk, suddenly looked up. "Let me and Emerald City perish together? So that you can start over from the ruins and achieve imperial glory?"

After saying that, the two of them remained silent for a while.

Thales stared at his wine glass, lost in thought.

Jann stared at the tip of the pen, his gaze fixed.

"You can keep the Emerald Legion."

Jenn snapped out of his daze and couldn't help but wonder:
"what?"

Thales took a deep breath and slammed his glass down.

“I said, you don’t have to hand over military power to the royal family—of course, you still have to give up the right to conscript soldiers on the surface, but since the conscription system on the south bank is practically defunct anyway, you won’t lose much.”

Jenn frowned and tentatively said:
"uh-huh?"

“Yongxing City will not interfere with the appointment and removal of officials and personnel, or at least not too much. Of course, given the current situation, their interference would only cause more trouble.”

"that's it?"

“The other conditions remain the same—I can keep Federico away from you and stop him from causing you trouble in the South Bank.”

After calmly stating his terms, Thales looked at Jan.

The Duke remained silent for a long time, his brow trembling slightly.

Finally, he exhaled and said seriously:

“Fed, he won’t give up easily.”

Thales raised an eyebrow.

"Then he'll have to get past me first."

Jenn gave a soft hum and pondered for a moment:

"What about taxes?"

Thales sighed inwardly.

Damn.

Can't he be less sensitive to numbers and accounts?

“Lord Joker Mann’s officials are very professional,” Thales said, forcing a smile. “I believe they will work with your people to devise a system that balances fairness and efficiency, and serves the interests of all parties…”

Sure enough, before he could finish speaking, Jenn let out a cold laugh.

“You know this isn’t what I want.”

“But you know this is what he wants,” Thales emphasized, “Deal?”

Janne stared intently at him.

“Come back in a few more days,” he said, which greatly disappointed Thales. “Perhaps by then, with the changes in Emerald City, you will have a better offer?”

Thales' expression turned cold.

“Jane,” the prince leaned back, “my patience has its limits.”

"Coincidentally, Emerald City is the same." Negotiations broke down.

Thales looked at Janne's determined gaze and sighed inwardly.

The room fell silent again, with only the rustling sound of Jen writing a letter.

“Brennan shouldn’t have died like this.” After a long silence, Thales suddenly spoke.

Jenn said:
"It really shouldn't have been done."

“He was a good man, a good husband, a good father.” Thales thought of the man’s suicide note and was slightly lost in thought.

“He’s also a good judge,” Jenn added.

“He shouldn’t have died from a pointless political upheaval and bureaucratic infighting,” Thales said, shaking his head with a sigh.

“Otherwise, politics itself is the meaning,” Jenn said without looking up. “Whether it’s infighting or unity, it’s all just a process.”

Thales shook his head, unconvinced.

“This is the price you have to pay to bring together a bunch of people with their own agendas and who are incompatible with each other, all heading toward the same destination,” Jenn continued. “Helpless, ruthless, powerless, pointless.”

Jann picked up the molten sealing wax and looked at the prince:

"But it is necessary and realistic."

After speaking, the Duke lowered his head and put the letter into an envelope.

Thales frowned deeply.

Necessary, and realistic?

Unbeknownst to him, the oppressive and urgency he felt, which he could only experience in the Fuxing Palace, returned to him.

"I want to step down to Hilly."

"Then even more—what are you thinking?"

Jann was sorting through the envelopes when he heard this, his expression changed, and he suddenly looked up!

Thales took a deep breath, feeling as if he had just broken something in the room.

“I said, I am really overwhelmed with managing the city and investigating and arbitrating cases,” the prince said solemnly, like a diplomat. “Therefore, I have decided to let Miss Cecilia participate in political affairs, and perhaps even go further and take over as the city lord—after all, the Emerald City has been named after Kevin Deer for generations, and I should not overstep my bounds for both personal and professional reasons.”

The more Jenn listened, the worse his expression became.

"And then, on the condition that my safety is guaranteed," he said coldly, "you dump the unsustainable problems of Emerald City on her?"

Thales shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

“Then she’ll come to me and force me to give in,” Jann continued with a sneer. “Even worse, she’ll grit her teeth and go for it, risking everything, even if it means performing a striptease.”

"Perhaps." Thales thought of Hilly's appearance, and his heart sank.

The two remained silent for a long time.

"This must have been his idea, right?"

Jann spoke coldly and did not say a name, but both of them knew perfectly well who "he" referred to.

“This is just a proposal, I’m still considering it,” Thales said, looking at the other person and emphasizing the latter part of the sentence, “You know, weighing the pros and cons.”

Jann raised his eyes, his breathing quickening.

"I want to see Hillary, now."

The other party's performance gave Thales a thought.

“Your Grace, as far as I know, you are under arbitration investigation,” he said in a businesslike tone, “and to avoid suspicion, you are not receiving any outsiders.”

Jenn frowned.

"Really?"

His words were half rhetorical and half threat.

“Yes. And Emerald City is busy saving itself and stabilizing order,” Thales raised an eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

A glint of light flashed in Jan's eyes.

He sneered.

“I thought you were a smart man, Thales.”

"Oh, what do you say?"

Jan picked up his pen again, remained silent for a moment, and continued writing.

“When I was a child, Fede broke a precious prophetic artifact and framed young Hilla for it. Then he just stood by and watched, wondering if I would step forward and take responsibility for her…”

Thales' expression changed slightly.

“If I admit my fault, it means I have acted frivolously and damaged the family property; if I let Hilay be punished, it means I have failed as the eldest brother in my duty of guardianship; if I defend myself and say that Federico did it, it means I have been weak as the eldest brother and have shifted the blame to my younger brother…”

Jenn's eyes sharpened:
"And no matter which step I take, the entire family will be disappointed in their eldest son heir."

After hearing this version of the story, Thales pondered for a long time.

“You’re like a chess piece now, Thales. You do whatever he tells you to do.”

“But you don’t realize,” Jenn said sarcastically, “that no matter how you play Federico’s style of chess, you’re bound to lose.”

Thales listened and nodded silently.

“You and Federico, and perhaps even Hilla, probably don’t have ‘backing down’ or ‘conceding’ in your Kevin Deer dictionary,” he sighed. “Or rather, you think these words can only exist in other people’s dictionaries, right?”

Jann snorted coldly.

“You promised me, Thales,” the Duke stared intently at Thales, “that no matter how ugly things turn out, you would never involve Hilly.”

Thales' eyes dimmed.

“Then let’s reconsider my proposal,” the prince said softly, “just as I’m considering his.”

Jenn remained silent for a long time.

“I used to think you were a good person,” Jann said expressionlessly. “Looks like I was wrong about that.”

Thales shrugged.

“If I want to bring together a large group—or just two incompatible people with their own agendas—to achieve the same goal,” Thales retorted, “then perhaps I have to pay a price?”

“Reality,” the prince stood up, preparing to leave, “is also necessary.”

Jann didn't say anything, but simply picked up the sealing wax, poured it onto the envelope, and began to stamp it.

Thales didn't delay any longer and turned to walk away.

You won't gain much here.

Or perhaps, the harvest is already sufficient?

"I want him dead."

Thales paused in his steps.

He turned around:

"what?"

Jann put down the sealing wax, his eyes were icy cold, and his whole body exuded a fierce aura.

"All of the above conditions are included, the Emerald Legion, personnel appointments and dismissals, taxes..." He practically gritted his teeth as he spoke, "but I want to add one thing."

Jenn suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp as knives:
"Federico must die."

Thales was taken aback at first, then frowned deeply.

Perhaps he was wrong.

He looked at Jenn:
The results may exceed expectations.

The prince took a deep breath and tried to bargain:
"Exiled abroad?"

Jann did not answer.

"The Prison of Bones?"

Jann remained expressionless, staring intently at him with an unsettling gaze.

"It really doesn't work..."

“It’s alright, you can take your time to consider it,” Jan interrupted him, leaving no room for argument. “If all else fails, you can write to the Palace of Restoration and ask His Majesty what he has to say.”

Thales frowned.

"But Emerald City can't wait..."

“This is the letter we just agreed on, to the Popon family, to be delivered directly to Madam Toriel,” Jan interrupted him with a cold snort. “They don’t have much cash, thirty thousand is the limit. Of course, if they dare to have less than thirty thousand, you can just take your troops and confiscate it. I will not only have no objection, but I will even help you find a reason afterward.”

The Duke of South Bank stood up and picked up two envelopes from the desk, the iris prints on them very conspicuous.

"But this second letter, show it to the three major guilds and several business groups in the textile, wine and building materials industries, and see if you can raise 100,000, or make a promise to make them cut their losses to stabilize the market and prices—that will solve your immediate problem."

Thales' eyelids twitched.

"only these?"

Although he said that, Thales looked at Jenn with some surprise.

that's it?
Two letters, 130,000...

One-tenth of the debt...

It's that simple?
"This is my sincerity, and perhaps it can help you figure out what to do next."

Jan walked up to him, handed him the envelope, his eyes sharp.

"What if it's less than 100,000?"

“Then you might as well bring your troops back and wipe me out.” Jann said without changing his expression.

Thales hesitated for a moment.

A few seconds later, he finished thinking and made up his mind to reach for the letter, but Jann suddenly pulled his hand away and took back the envelope!
“And I hope that when you come back next time, you will be sincere.” He stared intently at Thales.

Thales swallowed hard.

Okay, it's a tough choice.

But it wasn't a complete loss.

Thales exchanged a glance with the other person, and the next second, the prince snatched the two letters away.

“Should I say you love your sister too much?” Thales stuffed the letter into his pocket, his eyes darting around, “or do you hate your brother too much?”

Jann gave a fake smile.

“In any case,” he turned and walked to the windowsill, “don’t let Fede kill anyone more in my city, Thales.”

His gaze sharpened:
"Don't let him control you anymore, and don't give him any more leverage."

Thales walked thoughtfully toward the door.

“But if he dies, the arbitration and all that will be forgotten, and the old case will be impossible to overturn,” Thales said slowly. “Then I will lose the means to control you, right?”

Jann raised his gaze and looked out the window at Emerald City.

"Perhaps when the time comes, with the leverage in hand, you will be the one to control me?" the prince said softly. "By the way—you may have your meal now."

The room fell silent for a while, and Jenn did not go to eat.

“You should think about it from a different perspective, Thales.”

Jann's expression was peculiar.

"If you insist on a lose-lose situation, then wait until you return to the capital..."

The Duke of the South Bank turned around, his gaze intriguing:

"And who will be the one to manipulate you next?"