It seems that the villain is targeting me.

The Red Moon Knight was puzzled for a moment, and then a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

The next second, the knight's armored hands reached under Xiao Niao's armpits, lifted her from the horse, and carefully placed her on the ground.

Xiao Niao: “…”

The Duke of Tudor, who was not far away, said: "..."

Gwyneth's face remained calm, not sure if it was because she had expected something like this to happen, or because she had suffered so many shocks today that her nerves had become numb.

The little bird's ears turned red with embarrassment. She coughed, tried to act calmly and walked towards the Duke.

It was dark, so the bird was well hidden - if she hadn't turned the wrong way.

The Red Moon Knight also dismounted and followed the bird obediently as usual, without realizing that he had done anything wrong.

Probably by tomorrow morning, the Red Moon Knight will have his entire month's allowance deducted by the bird because he stepped into the room with his left foot first.

It's really gratifying, gratifying and congratulatory.

Chapter 12: The Moment of Handshake

Although he had been severely humiliated, Xiao Niao still relied on his strong willpower to walk before the Duke of Tudor.

She raised her head and said dryly, "Ah, the Archduke Tudor is so brave and valiant. I have long admired him."

Duke Tudor was also a man who had seen a lot of things, and he replied in the same dry tone: "Well, the Prime Minister is a young and talented man. I admire him very much."

The two of them exchanged extremely formal pleasantries, which made the Tudor siblings who were accompanying them so embarrassed that they wanted to crawl into the ground.

Fortunately, after a while, the two men who had been in the training ground for a long time came to their senses and realized that there were still serious matters that needed to be discussed.

Duke Tudor glanced at his eldest son and said, "Eric, your sister is exhausted today. Take her home to rest."

"Okay, father." Eric Tudor nodded slightly, then turned and gestured to Xiao Niao, "Thank you for sending Gwen back, Prime Minister."

Gwyneth stood behind her father and brother, her face showing a relaxed expression like a tired bird returning to its nest. Her guard had almost disappeared, and she gave Xiao Niao a somewhat tired smile.

"Thank you," she said. "Goodbye."

The two then walked into the long corridor accompanied by the doorman. In front of the brother and sister was the brightly lit main house.

The Duke of Tudor watched his two children walk back home step by step. Only after they were back in the shelter of the lights and houses did the man slowly turn his gaze back.

Xiao Niao raised his head and looked at him.

The Duke of Tudor's voice had grown heavy, as cold and hard as cast iron. "Please tell me the whole story, Prime Minister."

The night wind was very cold. Xiao Niao shivered silently, feeling the chill seeping into his bones.

She thought it would be a very long speech.

------

Gwyneth lay lazily on her bed.

She was indeed exhausted. After returning home, her tense nerves finally relaxed completely, and a strong sense of sleepiness swept over her body almost instantly.

She was so sleepy that she was staggering all over. After reluctantly saying goodbye to her brother, she returned to her room with the help of her nanny. She kicked off her shoes, threw herself into the goose down quilt, and let out a soft whimper from her throat.

"Oh, Miss Gwen, what a mess you are in," the nagging voice of the nanny rang in her ears. "Get up quickly, at least change into your pajamas."

Gwyneth buried her face in the pillow and muttered muffledly, "No, I'm tired, Mammy."

The nanny said a few more words to her, but seeing that she still refused to get up, she had no choice but to take the pajamas and help Gwyneth, who was lying on the bed, change into them.

"That's because Madam is not here," the maid scolded her sternly, "otherwise I would have woken you up and given you a good lecture."

Gwyneth hummed with her eyes closed.

She changed her skirt in a daze, and put on her pajamas according to the nanny's actions. After a while, the nanny brought a basin of hot water, wiped Gwyneth's face and limbs, and then pulled the duvet to her chin.

"Go to sleep, Miss Gwen." Mammy's voice sounded hazy.

Gwyneth seemed to suddenly think of something. She forced herself to open her eyes and grabbed the nanny's hand.

"Mammy," she asked, even though she was sleepy and confused, "tell me how the scratches on your hands came about."

Mammy was a little surprised

Surprised: "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

She tucked Gwyneth's arm back into the quilt, patted it gently, and said casually: "That was the cut made by grass leaves when I was working in the fields when I was young. Miss, people who have done hard work have hands like this."

Gwyneth hummed softly.

She thought of the touch she felt on her palm when she held Xiao Niao's hand in the banquet hall.

Gwyneth thought vaguely: That man called Butcher had cuts all over his hands like that.

------

Xiao Niao put his hand on his brow and felt a strong sense of tiredness sweeping over his brain.

She had just been invited by the Duke of Tudor to the guest room. After some greetings, she began to briefly describe what had just happened at the banquet.

He also repeatedly comforted him on behalf of Lawrence, and discussed with the Duke on what to do next from the Prime Minister's perspective. The negotiations lasted almost an hour.

It was already late at night, and most people were sleeping soundly at this time, but Xiao Niao had just finished his conversation and walked out of the Duke's Mansion with fatigue all over his body.

She glanced back at the solemn and imposing Duke's Mansion and sighed inwardly, "...He's also a difficult person to get rid of."

Because of the farce caused by Charles, she didn't know how much trouble she would have to deal with later - and there were some things she had to investigate, so she would probably be busy tonight.

The sudden increase in workload made Xiaoniao feel depressed.

She was in a low mood, and when she saw the big, stupid knight standing beside her in a daze the whole time, she felt even more furious.

Whenever I think back to when I was taken off the horse just now, I want to destroy the world.

Furious and embarrassed, the bird angrily kicked the culprit's leg armor and began to vent his anger: "Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Let's go home and get some sleep!"

The Red Moon Knight cooperated perfectly and let her kick him without dodging or evading. His green eyes looked at her trustingly, like a loyal dog.

The little bird had no choice but to sulk alone, thinking: Why did I raise such a stupid thing?

The Red Moon Knight, who had been very quiet all this time, actually spoke slowly at this moment.

"Are you still riding a horse?"

The Red Moon Knight's voice is not deep. Unlike his tall and majestic appearance that looks as reliable as a double-door refrigerator, the Red Moon Knight's voice is a bit dull, giving people the impression that he is not very smart.

What’s even more surprising is that this voice doesn’t sound like a man’s at all, but rather... it sounds like a woman’s voice.

Yes, even though it sounded a bit muffled due to the layer of armor, it was undoubtedly a woman's voice!

Xiao Niao was obviously aware of this and was not surprised.

But she was still unhappy, whining like a feather-ruffled bird: "Ha, I thought you were mute, but now you can speak."

The Red Moon Knight felt aggrieved: "Didn't you tell me not to speak in formal situations before?"

Xiao Niao thought about it for a while and it seemed that this was the case.

Hongyue counted on her fingers: "Don't talk nonsense, just stand still, and don't act without orders - these are all your orders."

Xiao Niao remained silent, as he had indeed said this.

After all, as soon as Hongyue opens her mouth, her deterrent power will drop sharply like an avalanche, so Xiaoniao had no choice but to give her such instructions.

The obedient Red Moon Knight looked at the bird with a look of anticipation in his eyes. "...So, are you still riding a horse?"

Xiao Niao: "Ride, ride, ride, ride, shit!"

Xiao Niao stepped onto the wooden step in front of the carriage and turned back angrily: "Get in the carriage!"

The Red Moon Knight uttered a frustrated "oh" and went to get his horse.

But the little bird suddenly called out to her, "Wait a moment."

The Red Moon Knight stopped obediently, walked to the front of the carriage, and raised his head to wait for the bird's next order.

Xiao Niao frowned for a moment, as if he remembered something.

She looked at Hongyue: "Stretch out your hand."

"... and took off the gloves too."

The Red Moon Knight was completely confused and had no idea what the bird was going to do.

But she was already accustomed to obeying the other party's orders unconditionally, so she obediently took off the armor and gloves on her right hand and stretched her hand in front of the bird.

Xiaoniao pondered for a moment, then held the Red Moon Knight's hand, feeling the touch of his palm.

Soon, a hint of understanding flashed across the bird's eyes, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Gwyneth Tudor," Xiao Niao muttered to himself, "Those on her hands are indeed sword calluses... They feel just like those on knights like Hongyue who have practiced swordsmanship for years."

Thinking of this, Xiao Niao couldn't help but sneer: "Poor Charles, if I hadn't broken into the banquet hall at that time, I really don't know what would have happened."

Chapter 13: The SSR I drew myself!

His Majesty Lawrence I, the Emperor of the Empire, was nestling comfortably on his throne, drinking a glass of rich mead.

Drinking in broad daylight is not a good habit, but Lawrence is the emperor, and there are only a few people in this court who can discipline him.

So even though the doctor repeatedly warned the emperor and asked him to drink in moderation, he impatiently dismissed him.

Since the accidental fall from the horse,

After breaking his kneecap, His Majesty Lawrence I began to become increasingly depressed.

He conquered the world on horseback, and riding a horse and drinking strong liquor were part of Lawrence's life.

After becoming emperor, the daily workload had already made him very irritable. Now a part of his life had been taken away by God, and he could only relieve the depression by drinking.

Lawrence was impatient with dealing with tedious government affairs, and after falling off his horse and getting injured, he even avoided attending royal meetings.

Unless it was an absolutely necessary matter that required the emperor's approval, Lao Yezhu basically left everything to the prime minister and ministers to deal with.

In the past few years, Lao Yezhu even set a new record by attending three imperial meetings throughout the year.

Our poor little bird suffered from mania during about those two years - it cannot be said that the emperor was entirely responsible for this issue, but there is no doubt that he made a great contribution.

It was not until the nomadic peoples in the north began to make trouble on the border again that the long-depressed wild boar finally came to life.

Lao Yezhu: Yeah, let’s fight!

He immediately stopped drinking and listening to music, and got up with high morale, ready to persuade the ministers to send troops to teach those ignorant barbarians a lesson.

What made Lawrence almost flattered was that this time, except for a few opponents, all the ministers including Xiao Niao actually agreed with his proposal.

The situation at that time was like this. Xiao Niao, as the Prime Minister, sat at the first seat on the left side of the conference table and was the first to speak:

"War will break out sooner or later. The northern part of the empire is flat. Apart from the man-made cities, it's all wilderness. This is a natural temptation for King Jialan. Once the opportunity arises, they will attack with their cavalry."

The Jialan that Xiaoniao mentioned here refers to the northern nomadic people.

In recent years, the grassland peoples in the north have conquered other countries through wars, and the various small tribes have gradually merged into a unified kingdom. These people call themselves the Jialan people, and the leader they serve is King Jialan.

It was precisely because of unification that these nomadic peoples in the north had the courage to confront the empire.

Xiao Niao continued, "If the defensive city in the north falls, the capital will be directly threatened. Moreover, King Jialan has crossed the border several times to plunder, and then quickly retreated when the garrison arrived. This is clearly a provocation."

"If this continues, these people's appetites will only grow. We must annihilate them before their forces become too strong," Xiao Niao concluded. "This battle must be fought."

This is actually a very obvious truth, and more than one person saw the threat from the northern peoples.

Even the soldiers who were least familiar with politics could see that only by defeating and crushing these Northerners could they return home and farm their land in peace.

Otherwise, a bunch of shameless neighbors will come to rob money and food and set fires everywhere when you are not at home. Which farmer can stand it?

And His Majesty Lawrence himself was the happiest.

Before, he had suggested several times that he wanted to "build a palace", "take people out hunting", and "expand the wine cellar", but Xiaoniao rejected them all with extremely cold "no money." "No money." "No money!"

This time, he can finally spend the money in the national treasury with a legitimate reason.

Lawrence happily reviewed the political affairs of the past two years and carefully looked through the account books - damn, this bird is really awesome.

Why is there so much money in the treasury? I just said I wanted to take a nap, and you handed me a pillow!

Then he recalled: Fortunately, I am wise and brave, and did not build that damn palace, otherwise I would have no money to fight the war now.

Lao Yezhu thought happily: Fighting in a palace is not as fun as fighting a war.

Afterwards, he got inspired and had someone carry him to the legion headquarters. He ignored the obstruction of his personal guards and rode on horseback to review the army himself.

He saw hundreds of soldiers lined up in neat rows, marching in unison, moving in an orderly manner under the command of their generals.