"I really dislike the way they look at me..." The first to speak, Anzhi, pointed his whip at an old man in a coarse robe on the right side of the street, and said sullenly, "Like this old fellow... What are you looking at, old man? Believe me or not, I'll whip you to death!"
"Pah!" The Old Man was just a fruit vendor, but he spat out a curse without any fear when he heard the Anzhi's rebuke.
"You damned old bastard!" Anzhi roared in fury.
His status was so noble, how could he have ever been looked down upon by such a commoner? He immediately raised his hand and lashed out with his whip. The whip was incredibly powerful, leaving trails of whip shadows and whistling winds in the air. It would probably have shattered even a stone into pieces.
The surrounding crowd gasped in shock, realizing a tragedy was about to unfold...
Snap!
A soft sound was heard, but no blood splattered. A figure as black as a tower appeared beside them, raised his hand and grabbed the wrist of the Anzhi Knight. It was the same knight who had led the way earlier from the First Prince Arshavin's personal guard [ Iron-Blooded Camp ].
"You... how dare you stop me?" Anzhi roared in fury.
"Envoy, please have some self-respect. This is the capital of Zenit, not within the territory of your Anzhi Empire." The Iron-Blooded Camp Knight was burly, clad in black armor and riding a black horse. His voice was deep and resonant, but his strength was considerable. His eyes, sharp as daggers, stared at the Anzhi Knight for a moment, then released his grip and said coldly.
"Good! This is the kind of soldier the Zenit Empire should have!" The civilians on both sides of the street couldn't help but applaud and cheer loudly when they saw this scene. Some of them also shouted curses at the Anzhi knight. For a moment, the crowd was in a frenzy.
Under such imposing manner, even the Knight Anzhi changed color slightly, reluctantly withdrew his hand, pointed his whip at the old man and said, "Old man, I'll remember you, hehe, you better watch out, or you'll break your leg in the middle of the night!"
"The knights of the Zenit Empire, they certainly have backbone." A boy who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old suddenly poked his head out from the luxurious carriage, a strange smile on his face. He looked the Black Tower Iron-Blooded Camp knight up and down, a deeply hidden ferocity flashing in his seemingly clear eyes. He smiled and asked, "I am Moro, the Anzhi. Knight, state your name so I can remember you clearly."
"Hmph, trying to cause me trouble? At such a young age, why pretend to be so magnanimous? Utterly hypocritical. I am Andrew Johnson, a centurion in His Highness Arshavin's [ Iron-Blooded Camp ]. If you're not satisfied, feel free to come find me."
Black Tower, though seemingly rough and rugged, saw through the young Anzhi's hidden vengeful intent at a glance and replied disdainfully.
"You... good, very good. I'll remember you, soldier. I hope you'll still be this tough next time we meet."
The Anzhi Moro, gave a sinister smile, sat back in the carriage, and slammed the door shut.
Having finished his threat, Anzhi said nothing more. The knight glared at the old man and the people around him again, snorted coldly, spurred his horse, and the caravan continued forward.
"Pah! You dog-like creature, trying to scare me? My son was a warrior who followed the Martial Saint to defend the capital... Heh heh, these bastards only know how to bully the weak, coming all the way to Zenit to plot against Martial Saint Alexander's family and friends. If the Martial Saint were in the capital right now, would these bastards dare to be so arrogant? They would have already run away and disappeared!"
The old fruit vendor, with his missing teeth, spat at the delegation, utterly disdainful.
The people around him cheered loudly.
Regardless of what the nobles say, in the recent Battle of Saint Petersburg, both civilians and soldiers were direct beneficiaries of Sun Fei's heroic efforts. If Sun Fei hadn't repelled the top experts of the Ten Allied Forces in time, once Saint Petersburg fell, soldiers and civilians would undoubtedly have been the biggest casualties. Therefore, Sun Fei's prestige among these two social classes is extremely high.
The envoys from the Bada Empire did not visit the post station area, but went directly to the imperial palace.
At this time, envoys from the other fourteen empires had been invited to a side hall of the palace to await the convening of the empire's bi- Half Moon Council of Elders. During this period when Emperor Yassin was seriously ill and unable to manage state affairs, and the heir apparent was still not clearly determined, the Council of Elders, composed of the remnants of the imperial nobility, was gaining increasing influence in the empire's military and political affairs.
The Council of Elders meets every two weeks. Although it cannot supersede the royal family, it can still influence the opinions of most officials in the empire and even some Military Department, making it the second power core of the empire.
Today is the official day of the Imperial Council of Elders. The envoys from various empires, who have been unable to be received by the Zenit Imperial Family, have clearly been instructed by some people within Zenit to take advantage of today's Council of Elders to achieve their goals. Early in the morning, they arrived at the side hall of the palace to await the start of the meeting.
After the envoys from the Anzhi Empire and the other eight empires met, they greeted each other warmly, with both sides tacitly understanding each other's intentions.
The Iron-Blooded Camp Knights who had led them here were all furious when they saw this scene. They snorted and turned to leave.
This is the Council of Elders of the Zenit Empire, and foreign envoys are not qualified to attend. However, these guests have appeared in the imperial palace. What does this mean? It means that at least some nobles within the empire, for some ulterior motive, are happy to have these outsiders here and have provided them with convenience.
For the soldiers of the empire, such behavior was an absolutely unacceptable act of treason, a disgrace.
In the eyes of the soldiers, these nobles, who were only thinking about their own interests, were a disgrace to the empire. Despite their high positions, they were as stupid as pigs. If it weren't for the hereditary system, how could they have achieved their current status? Compared to newly rich nobles like King of Chambord who rose to power through their own strength, these people were the true traitors to the empire!
After the Iron-Blooded Camp Knights left with disdain, a large number of nobles dressed in fine clothes and adorned with gold and jade arrived at the side hall. The envoys from the twenty-two kingdoms were invited into the side hall. After some introductions, everyone went to an open area next to the side hall that resembled a gladiatorial arena. As two Moon Class Senate Guardians escorted four extremely old and noble nobles with white hair into the meeting place, the Council of Elders officially began.
A burst of extremely noisy and chaotic sounds came from inside the venue.
This noise continued for the entire morning.
During this time, one after another, nobles, pale-faced, were carried out. They were all losers in the political struggles and rivalries among the nobles. At least among the nobles in the capital, they had lost their own Glory and were no longer recognized by the entire circle.
However, those foreign envoys who shouldn't have been present at the meeting venue remained silent.
The meeting didn't end until the afternoon.
Afterwards, news spread that the Imperial Senate had decided to remove the position of Protector of the Kingdom of Chambord from the position of Martial Saint. It was said that after bargaining with the foreign envoys, the nobles present reached some extremely dishonorable agreements. Influenced by these rumors, some bigwigs in the Imperial Military also took some actions against the Chambord military detachments in the Southern Frontier War Zone.
A conspiracy against the people of Chambord is slowly taking shape.
The silence of the Emperor and the Royal Family during this period has led many nobles to believe that the Royal Family had long intended to abandon the King of Chambord, but had to remain silent temporarily to avoid losing public support. They believe that as long as the Senate can step in to resolve everything, the Royal Family will definitely not object.
In fact, on the evening that some of the results of the meeting of the Senate were broadcast, the Imperial Household did not express any opinion or refute them.
This further solidified the beliefs of some people.
That night, the sounds of revelry and music filled the inn district of the Twenty-Two Kingdoms. After nightfall, several warriors dressed in civilian clothes walked out of the Anzhi Empire's inn, cursing and swearing, and disappeared into the dimly lit streets with a murderous aura.
Second update.
My wife will be hospitalized tomorrow for various pre-operative physical and blood tests. I might be running around all day, so updates will be a little late. Please bear with me.