Chapter 496

And after hearing this, Gervas was naturally very pleased.

"Gentlemen, please thank Crown Prince for informing me!"

"Gervas! No need for formalities—the Crown Prince said he was pleased to see you fight bravely for the kingdom, which is why he sent us to notify you in advance!"

"Also, the Grand Commander heard that your deployment this time was entirely due to Weilade's scheming, correct?"

"Yes, Marshal Mi Xiusi!" Gervas nodded.

"Gervas, although Weilade is dead and can no longer be held directly accountable…"

"the Crown Prince said you must not suffer such injustice in vain; if any other officials from Eagle City were involved, they must be severely punished!"

"Additionally, all of Weilade's assets will be transferred to you as compensation. Of course, had this been before, the Crown Prince could have issued the order directly. But now, the King's health is gradually recovering."

"So now we must wait for the King's approval and the royal seal. But Gervas, rest assured—the Crown Prince has already taken note; the application has been submitted, and approval is merely a matter of time!"

"Is that so? Then thank you, Crown Prince!" Gervas was slightly surprised.

Previously, while the Northern Commander reported his achievements, he had mentioned that he had been framed and forced to join this campaign.

He had merely intended to report it and see if any other accomplices could also be punished.

But Gervas had not truly cared much.

After all, Weilade was dead—his vengeance had already been settled.

He had not expected the Crown Prince to personally handle this matter.

Not only did he vow to pursue other possible participants, but he also granted Weilade's assets as compensation.

Weilade's assets might not be vast, but several thousand gold coins were certainly there—this was no small sum.

So the Crown Prince was trying to win him over!

"Hah! Gervas, no need for formalities! Now that we've delivered the Crown Prince's message, we won't keep you any longer!"

"After all, you'll be the star of tomorrow night's victory banquet—we must give you plenty of time to prepare!"

Saying this, Hou Jue Mi Xiu and Commander Adli rose to their feet.

Gervas, upon hearing this, had intended to urge them to stay, but remembered he was indeed busy today.

The reason was simple: he and the minor nobles needed to undergo court etiquette training.

This was to avoid committing breaches of protocol when meeting the King at tomorrow's banquet.

"Hou Jue Mi Xiu, Adli! Then I won't detain you today!"

"After the banquet ends, I'll visit you both the day after tomorrow!"

"Hah! Good, Gervas!"

Thus, Mi Xiu and Adli departed directly.

After they left, Knight Mi Gen and the other knights immediately entered the parlor, "Congratulations, my lord! You're about to become a Count!"

"Yes! Hah, this is truly joyful—we'll now be knights of a Count's family! We'll have great prestige when we go out!"

Mi Gen and the others had clearly heard what Mi Xiu and the others had just said.

It wasn't eavesdropping—Gervas had not ordered them to close the door, so they had overheard.

"You lot, don't go blabbing outside. Until the King officially issues the decree, this isn't confirmed!"

"My lord, we understand!" Knight Mi Gen and the others nodded vigorously—they had enough sense for that.

Seeing this, Gervas smiled and dismissed them, then began to ponder alone.

The reason was simple: Gervas sensed something subtly off about the current capital.

That is, as the King recovered, the Crown Prince's authority seemed to have been significantly diminished.

For instance, as Mi Xiu said, the Crown Prince intended to transfer all of Weilade's assets to him as compensation.

Previously, the Crown Prince could have decided this himself and issued the order directly.

But now, he could only submit an application and wait for the King's approval.

This seemed normal on the surface, but the speaker meant nothing—the listener could keenly sense the difference.

Imagine: would the Crown Prince willingly surrender power he had held for so many years?

And would the King trust his eldest son, who had wielded such power for so long?

Overall, all of this could become a hidden threat to the kingdom's stability.

Don't think Gervas is overthinking.

Five thousand years of Chinese history have clearly shown that imperial families know no kinship.

Though Gervas's current status is too low to participate in such affairs…

He must still be cautious.

If there truly is tension between the King and the Crown Prince…

Then Gervas must carefully consider whether to draw close to the Crown Prince in the future.

Of course, after a moment's thought, Gervas decided he didn't need to strain his mind so much.

Once he received his Count title, he would leave the capital as quickly as possible, far from this potential storm.

"Lord Gervas, the royal court's etiquette officer has arrived—you may begin your court protocol training at any time…" At that moment, a servant's voice echoed from outside the parlor!

…

"Your Majesty!"

"Duke Lieshi, rise."

"Thank Your Majesty!" Duke Lieshi, who always wore an imposing air before other nobles, now fully contained his presence.

After all, the man before him was the true master of the Griffon Kingdom—Griffon VII.

Though he had withdrawn from the kingdom's public view for years due to illness…

Duke Lieshi dared not underestimate the King, whose health had now recovered.

After all, this King Griffin VII had seized the throne from his three elder brothers back in the day.

"Duke Lieshi, how long has it been since we last met?"

Duke Lieshi thought carefully for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, it's been almost a year!"

"Before this campaign, I had originally intended to come visit Your Majesty, but I heard Your Majesty was recuperating and did not wish to see guests, so I was unable to meet with you!"

King Griffin nodded, a faint smile appearing on his thin, deeply wrinkled face.

"Duke Lieshi, do you know what I called you here for this time?"

"Your Majesty! I do not know!"

"Take a look at these!" King Griffin had his attendant hand the two scrolls directly to Duke Lieshi.

Duke Lieshi picked up the two scrolls and examined them, then froze, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Of course, his expression did not change.

"Finished reading? Duke Lieshi, what are your thoughts?"

"Your Majesty, in this Northern Region campaign, Viscount Gervas did indeed render great service. Your Majesty rewarding him handsomely shows that you distinguish clearly between reward and punishment!"

It turned out the two scrolls the king had shown Duke Lieshi were precisely the rewards for Gervas.

One of them was the one Hou Jue Mi Xiu had mentioned earlier — the investiture of Gervas as an Earl.

The other concerned the transfer of Minister Weilade's assets to Gervas.

And Duke Lieshi was naturally a hundred times unwilling to see that boy gain any benefit.

But he did not understand the king's true intention, so he could only answer along the correct direction.