It seems that the villain is targeting me.

They had already announced the emperor's sudden death from an acute illness, and the attacks on the imperial city and the Duke's residence that night were all attributed to the spies and remnants sent by the Jialan Kingdom.

Noble: In short, what happened two days ago was all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear anything.

After the herald in a white official robe finished reading the words on the parchment, before the crowd could react, he broke out in a cold sweat.

Can you noble lords please stop thinking about things one by one?

He would make us run around like crazy with just a snap of the fingers and a word of advice - and every time I was assigned to be the unlucky guy who issued the notice.

First, they labeled the beloved Prime Minister Butcher as an enemy of the state, and then two days later they sent someone out to bow and apologize: Private Marseille, my friends, just treat what I said before as bullshit.

How can you eat back what you said?

Are you too shameless!

It is hard to imagine that such a shameless government actually exists in reality. It is even more fantastical than online novels.

There is no doubt that the nobles are undermining the credibility of the royal family by doing this, but they really don't think there is anything wrong with what they are doing.

Because they have always done this, and even many politicians from ancient times to the present have done this:

Just give a similar explanation. After all, ordinary people are always forgetful and easily fooled. As long as the interests are negotiated among the key players, even if there is a lot of public opinion, it will die down sooner or later.

But no matter what the statement is, the people will not like a leader who goes back on his word and repeatedly changes his policies.

A mood of suspicion and distrust is spreading in the city.

The agreed time soon arrived, and Charles prepared the funeral arrangements for Duke of Banuel Tudor according to the negotiated terms.

Charles didn't play too many tricks on this point. It was indeed a state funeral and attracted almost the attention of the entire nation.

This was a condition proposed by the Prime Minister himself, so the nobles were very sure that Xiao Niao would attend the funeral.

They smiled knowingly, thinking that Levi Butcher was a fool who had walked into a trap.

------

-

The sky outside was still dim, as if a thick black curtain was covering the buildings. The fog among the grass and trees was very heavy. It seemed that today would be a sunny day.

Xiao Niao stood in front of the window, silently flapping his left wing.

By now her condition has stabilized and she has no signs of fever or infection.

The emergency treatment previously performed was quite rough, but at least the bones were reconnected. Although there will inevitably be sequelae, it will not cause wing deformities.

It is already a blessing among misfortunes.

Xiaoniao clumsily touched the injured area, which had been tingling and hot recently, making her want to touch it.

Today will be the day that determines the fate of all the people in the capital: the funeral will be held today, and whether all of Xiaoniao's arrangements will be effective will ultimately depend on this funeral.

When she was in a critical situation, she was very likely to fall into an extremely dangerous situation, and Xiao Niao was not sure that she could escape unscathed.

But there is nothing in this world that can be prepared without fail, and often you have to do it when you are almost prepared.

At the last moment, Xiao Niao was inevitably nervous. She unconsciously tightened her wings, and when she let go, a few feathers fell through her fingers.

“…Boss.”

The child's timid voice sounded behind her.

The bird turned around reflexively.

Qiya stood by the door, looking at her silently, her eyes filled with the purity unique to young children.

That look made Xiao Niao involuntarily look away.

She felt a strong sense of guilt - this guilt had been surging in Xiaoniao's heart since the moment she learned that Wumuda was still alive, and then burst out when Qiya looked at her silently.

Xiao Niao was almost overwhelmed by the guilt.

"Qiya," she forced a smile, "Didn't I tell you to stay with the adults? Why did you sneak out again?"

Children are the most sensitive to emotions. Qiya pouted, then suddenly rushed over without saying a word and hugged Xiaoniao's waist, like a frightened child seeking shelter from an adult.

Xiao Niao was almost killed by her.

This half-human kitten really has no idea how strong he is!

Not only did he almost kill the bird, he also looked up at her with an innocent look on his face - at such a young age, he already had the initial charm of the Red Moon Knight!

To be honest, Xiao Niao felt that it was not easy for him to live to this day.

"...What's wrong?" She forced herself to swallow the sweet taste in her throat and asked gently.

Qiya pursed her lips, buried her face in Xiaoniao's arms and muttered, "I'm scared."

"It's normal to be afraid, Qiya. I'm actually scared too," Xiaoniao comforted her. "It's no big deal. Not everyone who isn't afraid of anything is brave."

Qiya was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "So, is my father also a brave man?"

Xiao Niao's heart sank.

She squatted down and looked at Qiya seriously.

"Your father is the bravest man I have ever met," Xiao Niao said. "He protected many people, including you."

Back then, Umuda promoted the idea that 'half-humans are inferior creatures' in the capital - this idea suited the tastes of the elite class and thus gained the support of many young nobles.

At that time, Xiao Niao had not yet been appointed as the Prime Minister, and the power in his hands was extremely limited. It could even be said that this sudden rise of opinion itself had the intention of suppressing and intimidating her.

These aristocratic youths, who considered themselves to be of pure blood and superior class, madly persecuted the half-humans of the time and lynched them in secret.

When they were at their most rampant, they would even arrest people on the streets or beat them to death over a minor argument.

At that time, there were no laws to protect the rights of half-humans.

In the eyes of the nobles, the lower-class commoners are no longer considered human beings, and the half-humans who are born at the bottom of society are even worse than animals.

"Your father died protecting his innocent half-human compatriots," Xiao Niao stroked the kitten's broken ear. "They later wanted to avenge him, so they targeted you and your mother. This wound was left at that time."

Qiya's body trembled, and both cat ears folded back, with her broken left ear twitching nervously.

Qiya clutched Xiaoniao's clothes and murmured to herself, "But Mom never tells me about him... She gets so upset when I mention Dad... Mom's health is so poor, I don't dare to ask."

Qiya was silent for a while, her voice a little dry.

"Is he a hero?"

"He is a hero to all half-humans," Xiao Niao said softly, "The evidence your father collected later became the most crucial evidence for hanging those people."

"It was precisely those bloody and irrefutable evidences that caused public opinion to begin to lean towards us."

Only one man escaped the gallows in the end.

Xiao Niao once sent people to monitor Wumu Da, but a few years later he received news that the other party had died in a mine accident.

She originally thought that this person was dead.

Because of her carelessness and her immature means, one person eventually escaped the judgment of death.

"It's my fault." Xiao Niao patted the kitten's back unconsciously.

"I will definitely make up for this mistake."

The sky gradually brightened, the sun rose from the horizon, and I could faintly hear the sound of birds singing.

It's time, let's go, it's time to set off.

Chapter 89: A good orator can manipulate people's hearts with words

There is a large public square in the center of the capital, where any citizen can enter and exit freely. On weekdays, new decrees and announcements will be read out here first.

There is a stone platform in the square, where the state funeral was held, and the coffins of the Duke of Tudor and his eldest son were placed on it.

On this day, almost everyone in the capital came to the central square.

Not only ordinary citizens, but also soldiers who had fought under the Duke of Tudor, came to the square spontaneously to bid farewell to this general with great military achievements.

The soldiers did not come in a group, and a quick glance showed that they were not carrying any weapons, but their arrival still made the nobles feel highly nervous.

To be on the safe side, they even ignored the requirements of funeral etiquette and directly gathered all the knights under their command to surround them for protection.

Citizens all know that the Imperial Chancellor will attend today's funeral.

In the past few days, the situation in the capital has become so tense that everyone knows it. Even the old nanny who is almost eighty years old knows that something big is about to happen.

ladder

The crowd below was already feeling anxious, and someone was shouting towards the stands: Why hasn't Levi Butcher shown up yet?

"Could it be that Butcher Bird's previous conditions were just a pretext to fool us?" one noble couldn't help but wonder, "Is Butcher not planning to show up at all?"

Umuda glanced at the noble who spoke.

He was now standing among the armed knights, away from the mourners and the Duke of Tudor's coffin.

Umuda didn't say anything. In the past few days, he had vaguely sensed the exclusion of the entire aristocratic group towards him.

Not only did Charles ignore his suggestions, but the nobles associated with Queen Catherine also frequently attacked him.

So at this time, he didn't speak up to avoid being bored.

Xiao Niao's request to hold a funeral for the Duke of Tudor was actually beyond Wumuda's expectations.

He couldn't understand why the other party would make such a request at this time.

Originally, Umuda thought that Butcher would ask them to hand over the hostages, or demand that Gwyneth be released from the city.

However, the nobles would never agree to the above two conditions. Even if they agreed, it would be an absolute lie and would never be fulfilled.

But no one expected Xiao Niao to make such a bizarre request, which was just enough for the nobles to accept.

For a moment, he was not sure what Xiao Niao was going to do, but he instinctively felt alert.

Umudah was very cautious and stayed away from the crowd and the platform, placing himself under the protection of many knights.

Umuda was afraid of the god-like knight standing beside the Prime Minister of the Empire - he knew very well how terrifying the Red Moon was.

He would not make the mistake of underestimating the enemy, but would always be on guard against the Red Moon Knight.

The commotion in the crowd gradually spread, and at this moment, a group of half-people suddenly appeared at the edge of the square.

These half-men were dressed in solemn and dignified attire, each holding a white flower in their hands. They surrounded the young Imperial Prime Minister and walked step by step towards the center of the square.

Everyone in the capital knew Butcher, and the people who crowded the square made way for them.

Xiao Niao came to the stairs of the booth under the protection of her half-human compatriots. She was surrounded by teams of nobles on both sides. Wumuda looked at her over the shoulders of the knights.

He discovered that the Red Moon Knight was not with Xiao Niao.

Wumuda's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Xiao Niao looked at the nobles around him calmly, as if those fully armed knights did not exist at all.

She stood at the end of the mourning procession very naturally, as if she was just attending the Duke's funeral.

Too many eyes were staring at this place. The nobles did not dare to arrest the Prime Minister of the Empire in front of so many people. They could only wait patiently.

The noble gentlemen muttered in their hearts: Wow, I didn’t expect this shrike to be so loyal and righteous, and actually came over to pay tribute.

However, after the funeral, they will forcibly capture Butcher. The number of people brought by the other party seems to be large, but compared with the noble knights, they pose no threat at all.

And I don’t know if Shrike was confused, but he didn’t bring the knight with terrifying fighting power with him - it’s really God’s blessing.

The noble gentlemen are full of confidence: In this round, the advantage is definitely in my hands!

The mourning line moved slowly, and soon it was Xiao Niao's turn.

She walked up the stairs and stood beside the Duke of Tudor's coffin, facing the crowd.

Xiao Niao stood there quietly, at the very front of the booth, making sure everyone could see him.

She looked straight ahead, not even glancing at the knights who had gathered under the booth with ill intentions. There was an intriguing silence. The nobles had stopped their whispered discussions, and the crowd at the bottom of the stairs was waiting for Prime Minister Butcher to speak.

Nearly ten seconds had passed, and the noisy sounds in the square gradually died down. Only the sound of clothes rubbing against each other remained. The huge square fell into silence.

She was taking advantage of the silence.

The ability to use silence skillfully is the most formidable quality of a speaker. Of all speaking skills, silence is the most powerful and the most contagious.

During the silent period, the audience's mentality is like butter melting in a cast iron pan, changing dramatically every second.

When everyone was quiet, Xiao Niao took out a roll of parchment sealed with wax from his pocket.

"It is with reverence and sorrow that I come to deliver a eulogy for the venerable Duke Banuel Tudor," Xiao Niao said loudly to the crowd below, "I have been entrusted by his children to publicly announce the Duke's will."