It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Most of these people were important officials in charge of state affairs, as well as some clergymen and university scholars - without exception, all were invited by the knights.

The main quarrels and debates took place among the nobles.

"Who was actually in charge of the banquet hall that day?" a marquis glanced around angrily. "They asked for so many people to set it up, but in the end, they let someone escape."

"If that guy wasn't so incompetent, how could we have ended up in such an embarrassing situation!"

Now the nobles are indeed in a difficult situation. They control the imperial city and the court, but cannot get the support of the capital's army and cannot completely control the capital.

What's worse is that they accidentally omitted the Imperial Chancellor when they launched the coup, allowing him to escape - and this guy is really popular among the people.

Not to mention the almost unconditional trust that the Lower City had in her, what was even worse was that the army in the capital simply did not accept the claim that Xiao Niao was an enemy of the state.

Xiao Niao did not have the command authority over a professional legion, nor could he directly order the mobilization of troops, but all the soldiers who participated in the campaign against King Jialan knew the Prime Minister of the Empire, and most of them maintained a friendly attitude towards him.

Moreover, if she is judged as a public enemy of the state, all the policies she has previously proposed will be invalidated, and countless soldiers will lose their jobs.

Unless the nobles produced sufficient evidence, or Lawrence personally declared Xiao Niao's treason in front of the army, there was no way to convince these soldiers - they refused to carry out the orders given by the commander on this basis.

The nobles could not gain their full support from either the people or the army, which gave Xiao Niao the opportunity to mediate.

Earlier, she had sent messengers to communicate with this group of nobles several times.

Xiao Niao clearly stated her conditions: she demanded the restoration of the Duke of Tudor and her

In order to protect his reputation, he blamed the Duke's death on foreign forces and held a state funeral in the capital.

Otherwise, she would use all the power in her hands to expose the fact that Charles had launched an illegal coup to the other dukes, and let everyone rush to the capital to fight.

Xiao Niao: You won't let me live, right? Then no one will live.

That day, the nobles recalled the horror of being dominated by the Butcher Bird.

This was a very direct threat, but none of them had the courage to directly reject Xiaoniao's conditions.

After all, no one knows whether Xiao Niao has any backup plan that can send the message outside without anyone noticing.

The situation in the capital is already troublesome enough. If a few more righteous armies come in the name of purging the corrupt officials, they will be really finished.

"I told you so long ago! We should have rushed into the lower city to arrest people and executed a group of untouchables as a warning to others. Then the other party would naturally hand over Butcher!" A marquis shouted directly.

Another person sneered at him, "That was when the relationship between the people of the capital and us was at its most tense. If you really did that, you would be pushing the people's hearts directly to the side of the butcher bird!"

The Marquis retorted loudly: "The untouchables are inexhaustible. If they resist, they can be suppressed. Why should we be so cautious?"

Prince Charles stood aside and listened to these people arguing for a long time. Finally, he could no longer bear it and roared loudly:

"Enough!" Charles shouted angrily. "Is there any point in saying this now? I don't want to hear any more of this blame-shifting nonsense. Is there anyone who can offer a useful solution?"

The adults were stuck for a few seconds; they hadn't thought about this problem in detail.

"Um," someone said tentatively, "...pretend to agree to these conditions first, and then take the person down when the Shrike shows up?"

Charles subconsciously glanced at Umuda not far away.

"It's not enough to just capture him," Umuda said, "We should kill Butcher directly."

Charles hesitated.

"...No," Prince Charles said hesitantly, "Killing Butcher will completely make me lose the support of the people in the capital. It will be enough to just control him."

"Oh, right," a certain earl slapped his thigh, "we can also make corresponding demands and ask Butcher to endorse us and win the support of the people. Since Shrike wants fame, let's give it to him."

Umuda retorted without hesitation: "No, Your Highness, Butcher is an extremely cunning opponent. We should not agree to any conditions."

"So what are you going to do?" Charles asked unhappily.

"Try to lure Butcher out of the way," Umuda said, "and then kill him the moment he shows up."

Before Charles could say anything, Prince Wilson, who had been watching quietly, suddenly stood up, pointed at Umuda and said loudly: "Charlie! You can't believe this man's slander!"

Umuda looked at Prince Wilson in slight surprise.

The prince is the eldest prince's uncle and Queen Catherine's brother.

Prince Wilson said loudly, "You don't know what happened back then, but I know very well—this man has a deep personal grudge against the Shrike. That's why he tried so hard to kill him. He had nothing to do with Charles."

"Don't listen to what this man says, he just wants to kill people!"

Prince Wilson looked at Umudah with disgust: "Look how many people this madman has killed!"

Umuda felt the scrutiny and vigilance of the people around him, and he silently closed his mouth.

What happened? Wu Muda thought to himself, Wilson had been playing dumb before, why did he suddenly attack me?

Is it because he's unhappy with my influence on Charles? Or is there some other reason...

Wumuda had a vague intuition that he seemed to have provoked a mad lioness.

He didn't know the specific situation, so he cautiously stopped talking and put the issue aside for the time being.

Umuda said slickly, "Well, my lord, you are right, but I think we should make some preparations to avoid the Shrike's tricks."

"What preparations?" Prince Wilson frowned.

"It's time for His Highness to ascend the throne," Umuda said. "We should have him ascend the throne as soon as possible to avoid any further complications."

This can alleviate their disadvantage at this time to a certain extent.

As long as the news of the emperor's death from an acute illness is released first and Charles is allowed to ascend the throne as soon as possible, he can occupy the position of righteousness - although this may cause turmoil, it is impossible to avoid taking any risks now.

Wumuda guessed that Xiaoniao would definitely use justice and public opinion to attack the eldest prince.

Then he just needs to not give the other party this opportunity.

"what?!"

Charles looked at Umudah in surprise and doubt.

If we were to ask who was the most confused person when the eldest prince ascended the throne, it would definitely be him.

In his heart, his father was like a mountain that he could never cross, and Charles' entire life was shrouded in the shadow cast by the mountain.

He was afraid and jealous, and wished that the mountain would disappear immediately.

But when Lawrence really died, Charles became panic-stricken again.

He found that the severe storms that had been blocked by the mountains in the past

It came straight towards him.

Charles did not notice that his indecision had been seen by the nobles, making him look very cowardly and vulnerable.

He has not yet realized that a monarch should not show his emotions on his face.

Outsiders had no way of knowing what Wumuda was thinking, but at least on the surface, he did not show any abnormality. Instead, he pretended to be worried and tried to persuade him in a high-sounding manner:

"Your Highness, Charles, we are deeply saddened by His Majesty's unexpected death," Umuda knelt on one knee in tribute, "but the country cannot be without a ruler for a day. Please ascend the throne as soon as possible!"

Charles looked at Umuda in disbelief, his face pale and he took two steps back.

"No, this won't do. This is too hasty," Charles muttered to himself. "My father just died, and the funeral hasn't even taken place yet. I can't..."

Wumuda maintained his bowed head and continued to persuade: "You ascended the throne to reassure the people, to let the army and generals know who they are loyal to. Your Highness must put state affairs first!"

The nobles behind him looked at each other in confusion.

Some of them understood Umudah's intention, but some of them were confused as to why they suddenly talked about ascending the throne.

But the money has been spent and the troops have been deployed. If in the end the future emperor is unhappy, then it would be a waste of time.

So they all followed Umuda in saluting and shouting in unison: "Your Highness, please put state affairs first!"

Charles had never received such a grand audience before, and he felt a little dizzy for a moment. He kept taking deep breaths and trying to calm down, and his neck turned red.

Umuda stood up and supported him, and with a few people, he walked Charles towards the position representing the supreme imperial power.

The closer he got to the throne, the more rapid Charles' breathing became. Since he was a child, he had dreamed of sitting in that position and once thought it was within his grasp.

But now that the seat that symbolizes power is so close to him, Charles feels dizzy and about to fall down.

If Umuda hadn't been holding him tightly, Charles would probably have fallen to the ground.

His trembling hand touched the golden griffin statue on the armrest of the throne, and a cold and hard touch like steel passed through his palm.

Charles shrank subconsciously, retracted his fingers, and with the support of Umuda, sat down like a sleepwalker.

This was not a formal coronation ceremony, there were no complicated etiquette procedures, and there were even fewer than fifty spectators - some of whom were even forced to come.

The inner court minister hurriedly brought the crown, held it on a silk cushion, and presented it carefully.

An old and highly respected priest was pushed out and tremblingly put the crown symbolizing royal power on Charles who was sitting on the throne.

Umuda took a step back, half-knelt on the ground, and shouted loudly: "The son of Lawrence I, Charles of the Hamilton family, the great Charles I, is proclaimed emperor today."

"May his reign be long!"

The rest of the room, either voluntarily or under duress, followed suit and shouted, "Long may he reign!"

Prince Charles looked down at the small group of nobles at the foot of the throne steps, without any joy in his heart at becoming emperor.

There were so few people that the hall couldn't even be filled. It was completely different from the coronation ceremony he had imagined.

He looked up at the elegantly carved ceiling in a daze. The gods were looking at Charles through the portraits, as if trying to see through the sins in his heart.

Did he really possess all of this? Did the vast territory and supreme power really belong to him?

Why was he filled with a strong sense of unreality at this moment?

Umuda had stood up again. He seemed a little anxious. He leaned close to the ear of the eldest prince Charles and spoke directly: "Your Highness Charles, please be sure to listen to my advice. We must get rid of Butcher as soon as possible. This man cannot be left alive..."

Charles suddenly found the man's voice extremely annoying.

He glared at Wumuda fiercely, not listening to the suggestions at all, and said rudely with a warning: "This is not the place for you to stand!"

Wumuda was stunned for a moment. He noticed the fierce light in Charles' eyes and his face darkened a little.

But he still took a few steps back, retreated to the bottom of the stairs, and bowed deeply again to show his respect.

This time, Umudah corrected a mistake in his words.

"Please forgive my imprudence," Umudah said, "Your Majesty."

------

-

The Hamilton dynasty holds a very special place in history.

We cannot deny that its founding emperor, Lawrence I, ended the situation of the seven kingdoms divided by each other, achieved the great cause of unification with an iron fist, and established a vast empire.

Lawrence I's historical evaluations are mostly positive. He influenced later military and culture for a long time. His move to send troops to conquer King Galan during his reign also laid the foundation for nearly two hundred years of peace in later generations.

Objectively speaking, Lawrence I's performance in civil administration was not outstanding, but he knew how to use people well. He promoted Levi Butcher, who was still in a weak position at the time, in an unconventional way, which led to the abolition of slavery and the emergence of the common people onto the stage of history.

Later researchers believed that the relationship between capitalism and humanistic thought

The seeds of development appeared during this period.

There are many controversies about the cause of Lawrence I's death, and there are all kinds of strange and bizarre statements in unofficial history, which can no longer be verified today.

From various manifestations, Lawrence was a king who prioritized the interests of the common people. Many of the measures he supported and forcefully promoted seriously damaged the interests of slave owners and nobles.

The radical reforms eventually led to a frenzied counterattack by the nobles and brought about the death of Lawrence I.

After Lawrence's death, his eldest son Charles Hamilton took over the throne from him.

Charles failed to inherit his father's ability to suppress his ministers, and the few records of him in history books are often related to the horrific palace coup.

A view generally accepted by the academic community is that the eldest prince hastily succeeded to the throne the day after the palace coup, surrounded by his supporters, and was called Charles I.

Charles I's reign was extremely short. He did not achieve any achievements and did not have time to show his incompetence.

He was the initiator of the internal division within the Hamilton family and the struggle for the throne. When the struggle for the throne was at its most intense, there was even an unusual incident of the monarch being changed three times within a month.

People later called him the "Seven-Day Emperor".

—Excerpt from "Griffin Dynasty: A Short-lived Empire"

Chapter 88: The Nameless Heroes

After many arguments and debates, the nobles finally decided to accept Xiao Niao's conditions, but at the same time they also asked her to endorse the new emperor and let the people recognize the legitimacy of Charles' succession.

But if Xiao Niao really stood up for them, she would most likely be abandoned by the nobles after these people completely took control of the capital.

Even a child can see this.

Many nobles felt that Butcher was at his wit's end, which was why he came up with such a stupid move.