Throne Steps

Chapter 170 Sword Power Can Cut Horses

"You mentioned something to me. In exchange, it's time for me to ask you a question."

Saenz's indifferent words made Li Chen's heart tremble, and his eyes could not help falling on the teapot beside the table.

Sure enough, Saenz asked: "About the 'Song of the Siren' project, what exactly do you want to do?"

Li Chen can hide the project and the base, but he can't hide the recruitment from the black swan.Black Swan has captured quite a few alchemists whose main characteristic is that they don't like to follow the rules. It didn't take long to hide most of them, and they still don't know what they are doing.The eyeliner that Saenz clearly planted in the black swan passed some news, speculating that these alchemists may have hidden in the Samuel forest.The most valuable research in Samir, Saenz speculates, one is the magic crystal mine, and the other is the "Song of the Siren".Four years ago, Saenz tentatively asked Li Chen about his research on "Song of the Siren", but he did not expect Li Chen to answer the question.

I'm afraid Li Chen still doesn't know, and never will know, that Saenz at that time was just defrauding him.

Now, Li Chen only thought that Saenz was dissatisfied with the "Song of the Siren" again on the black swan, and said cautiously: "I just want to thoroughly study its effectiveness, and why its growth range suddenly spread back then. Uh... This is actually a project left over from the history of 'Lone Wolf', and the black swan came to the end to prevent the remnants of slipping through the net to take advantage of the loopholes."

Saenz stared at him: "You should know the seriousness of this thing."

"I know, I understand very well." Li Chen sat upright, "Because of this, I don't think we can easily destroy the information about it in the original Lone Wolf. If you are not at ease, I promise that after the completion of the periodic report, The black swan will sort it out and deliver it to you."

But if the report is not complete, it is a matter of opinion.

Saenz obviously thought of this, and said with a half-smile: "'Song of the Siren' is not just taking advantage of the loopholes and making reasonable use of the rules, so be careful of risking yourself. Take good care of your feathers, my swan."

Li Chen was so excited by his tone that his hair stood on end, and he responded obediently: "I understand, Your Highness."

In fact, when Sarn mentioned this point, he didn't really want an answer, but to sound the alarm for Li Chen again, telling him not to play off.The two of them had a tacit understanding, and the topic was lightly covered.

Saenz said again: "You drink calming tea, it can't be..."

"No, absolutely not!" Li Chen said clearly, "I originally planned to use it as a throat moistener during conversations, just in case."

Seeing that he didn't look like he was being recruited, Saenz squinted his eyes, but didn't reply, so he was let off.

Li Chen hurriedly said, "It's my turn to ask questions?"

Saenz glanced at him, and said in a somewhat disgusted tone, "Go wash up first."

Based on the inexplicable "one question for one question" rule, as soon as Li Chen packed himself up and came out, he hurriedly asked what he wanted to know.

Oh well, it's gossip that wants to know.

"I heard...the Second Highness has good news?"

Saenz had a stack of documents spread out in his hand, without raising his head: "What good news?"

"Cough..." Li Chen replied, "Marriage, uh... is it a scandal?"

Saenz patted the side of the bed casually, and turned another page: "Specifically."

Li Chen sat down honestly: "The person in the rumors is from a small lord's house? Of course I know this is unlikely, but there is no such thing as a storm, so is it..."

Saenz suddenly gave him a meaningful look.

Li Chen paused: "...Wait, is this true?"

"The intelligence team of Black Swan should do something serious, instead of indulging in such gossip and rumors all day long." Saenz pulled out a piece of information from his hand and handed it to Li Chen, "The newly appointed courtier of the royal family, you Do you all know?"

"I've read the list and I have background information..."

"Oh, it must not be detailed, that's why you asked this kind of question." Saenz said this, but Li Chen didn't answer anymore, he had already focused on the two pieces of paper in Li's hand.

Li Chen's reading speed is not slow, and soon he put down the materials.

"It's really rare." His first sentence seemed to be completely different from the original content of the gossip, "The new minister of finance appointed by the royal family is actually a pure minister."

The royal family has declined, and many regulations that are beneficial to the royal family and consolidate imperial power have survived in name only.On the surface, the nobles are very respectful to the royal family, but they secretly form cliques and make frequent moves, and gradually over the years, they have gradually emptied the royal family.Today's royal family, which seems to have infinite glory, has actually become a fragile point of check and balance, and the imperial power is crumbling.Under such a situation, the courtiers were naturally divided up by various forces.Sometimes, the disputes among the officials at the court meeting are actually a battle for the division of interests among various forces.

For example, in the previous battle of Suoyang, it seemed that the Southwest Army was waiting for the imperial military order, but in fact it was a game between the color of navy blue and the color of rose, and other families were watching the fun.

At this time, it is a bit strange that someone is willing to be a pure minister, and the royal family really promoted him.

However, the Chancellor of the Exchequer sounds very important, but in fact it is just a pewter.The royal family was originally supported by taxation from all over the country. With the major forces secretly doing their own thing, the tax revenue collected by the royal family every year can only maintain the superficial scenery.No matter how powerful the Chancellor of the Exchequer is, it is difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice.

"It's rare. But he just stood in line like this, and the royal family promoted him so suddenly." Saenz took back the two pieces of paper, "What do you think?"

"Two possibilities: one is that the new aristocrat has just been promoted from the commoner class and has not had time to decide on his own faction; the other is... the royal family has the heart to revive." Li Chen rubbed his chin, "but , the royal family doesn't have much money, how much can he manage?"

It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter whether you stand or not.In the same way, even if the royal family wants to revive and fight for power, he will have no effect.

"What kind of nobleman is he?" Saenz sneered, "It is precisely because he looks useless that he was successfully promoted as a pure minister."

"But this is a paradox." Li Chen wondered, "He was useless, so he came out; but even if he was killed, it was useless; then, what did he do?"

Saenz pointed out: "Did you forget what you asked me at first?"

Li Chen was not ambiguous: "It's the scandal of your Pearl."

"Did your people tell you how the news came?"

"I asked, it is said that Mingzhu had a very happy conversation with a young man at her tea party." Li Chen shrugged, "But it seems that it came from the secret conversations of the ladies who have not left the cabinet. Everyone has never seen it with their own eyes, so we are not sure who the young man is, we can only speculate based on the embellished descriptions given by the ladies."

And the words of the ladies can easily contain personal emotions and imagination.

"You know, my sister actually has a lot of tea parties, and there are even more people coming and going at the tea parties. It's really normal for her to talk to young men and women." Saenz said persuasively, "Even so, this way The rumors of the rumors are still coming out, why?"

——There is a pusher!Li Chen looked at Saenz almost without thinking: "...you?"

"It's not me, I just confirmed who the rumored 'little lord's son' is." Saenz shrugged, "Then I found out that the little lord's wife and that rare, newly appointed pure minister ...'s wife is of the same race."

"Hey, so the lord and the freshly-baked chancellor are still brothers-in-law?" Li Chen raised his eyebrows, "But, so what? This relationship doesn't sound like it's worth giving away a pure white pearl."

After all, Lariel is Saenz's biological sister. Li Chen was slapped by his own leader with a file because of his yin and yang weirdness: "Speak well."

Li Chen looked at him innocently.

"It's actually the young man's younger sister who is really in touch with Lairier. As for her brother... well, the little girls occasionally bring a group of brothers to serve the ladies when they are chatting at parties. By the way, you understand." Sa Ensi said, "Although Fujalal and the others may really want to contact that pure minister, they will never marry Lellier into... such a family."

Li Chen's focus is no longer on Lailier's scandal: "...Faujalal wins over the pretentious chancellor of the exchequer? Why?"

Saenz looked at him: "Then why do you help an insignificant dandy deal with a little sheriff?"

They just looked at each other like this, but Li Chen forgot to dodge.

"...You mean!" Li Chen blinked in surprise, "Oh my god, I was just playing the side drums, but they are going to rush to the center of power in one fell swoop. This is a rebellion!"

The lord of the small coastal town has no real power, but the black swan wants to help, why?Because he can open the port; in the same way, the newly appointed chancellor of the exchequer has no money to manage, but Fujalal wants to win him over. Why?He can control the legal regulations related to finances!

Fjalal and Black Swan have the same thinking, but his power structure is bigger after all, and the target of his actions is more terrifying.

No matter whether he wants to use the existing rules or push for rule changes, it is very likely to hurt the interests of other forces.However, Fjalal, who is protected by rules, is like the Southwest Army who got the military order at the beginning. He has both strength and swords. Facing a group of people who must have actually broken the law, why not just hate whoever he wants?

Using imperial power as a cover to attack people is a typical example of "holding the emperor to order the princes". Anyone who looks at it will think it is a rebellion.

"...Then who spread the scandal news?" There are too many interested parties involved in this matter, and Li Chen feels foggy for a moment.To be honest, he and Saenz are having a turbulent conversation now, but in fact, this matter has not yet been written, and it will take a lot of time to get to the point where they said it.

And just like Saenz said, the young men and women that Laryl, a social weapon, has met are not ordinary. It is nothing to hang out with a little girl or talk to a young man.The so-called "son of the little lord's family", even Saenz went to investigate after hearing the rumors.This shows that before the vast majority of people—including the top nobles who are always watching the movement of all parties—haven't realized it, someone has already noticed the clues of Fujalal's lineage and decided to take action to make a fuss about it. Make it bigger so that all parties take note of it.

To put it simply, I want to "borrow a knife to kill".

Saenz didn't answer Li Chen's question for a while, he observed the young man's gradually clear expression, and once again sighed in his heart for this man's intelligence.

He smiled: "Don't you know?"

Li Chen came back to his senses and laughed too.

"It's the royal family."