Darkstone Code

Chapter 1276: Chapter 1275: Chaos

"Your Grace, discussing this now is clearly meaningless. What we should be doing is finding out if those arrested nobles are possibly being treated unfairly..."

No one likes the secret police, but the only thing that can provide some comfort is that the Prime Minister has considerable influence now, and he can largely intervene in the actions of the secret police.

However, what was unexpected for the speaking noble was the attitude of the Phoenix Duke.

"Before this, I have warned you more than once not to let hatred blind us and not let impulsiveness destroy our future."

"You are always so arrogant, not even paying attention to my words. Now it is time for you to pay the price," the Phoenix Duke looked at these people as he had at any time before, with not a trace of expression on his face.

He watched them with cold indifference.

A noble brought up a new issue, "Your Grace, Phoenix Duke, you don’t seem to intend to intervene in this matter?"

The Phoenix Duke nodded, "Yes, this is your matter. I made it very clear before that I won’t intervene in this..."

The nobles began to discuss among themselves; some were terrified, some uneasy, while others thought that now was the crucial moment when the nobles should reunite.

Some redirected the topic towards Lynch’s faction, believing it was they who had influenced the unity of the nobility...

The Secretariat is not a good place for scheming; everyone has their thoughts and interests.

People are easily influenced by others, no matter how firm their stance; it can change under constant influence from others.

The entire morning passed without any progress, and Lynch noticed that the great nobles seemed to maintain a hands-off approach.

They didn’t care at all about what the nobles should do next or what actions they should take, allowing the situation to unfold.

This is not a good sign, but in a way, it is a good sign.

As mentioned above, the Secretariat, busy and noisy with many voices, is not a suitable place for small groups to discuss matters. After returning from the Secretariat, everyone didn’t disperse but gathered in Lynch’s manor.

They were also discussing the events of yesterday and today.

These nobles lack depth; they can only see the surface of many things and cannot perceive the hidden truth within.

Previously, no one would tell them the essence of an issue, but now there is someone who does.

"Mr. Lynch, I am somewhat confused about the current situation. The nobles are fighting among themselves and with the Imperial Family. Today, the Phoenix Duke’s attitude was very ambiguous, and I have a bad premonition."

"What exactly are they trying to do?"

Lynch was savoring some small pastries; afternoon tea is very important, even more so than breakfast or lunch. The chefs might not put much effort into making breakfast and lunch, but they thoroughly prepare the pastries for afternoon tea.

The tiny pastry, the size of a button, looked very delicate. It wasn’t flashy, a coffee color, but unexpectedly delicious once in the mouth.

It was sweet, but there were other flavors, a hint of coffee, and some bitterness.

It’s paradoxical because bitter and sweet shouldn’t mix, but here, they merged into one.

Upon entry, there was an intense sweetness, soon followed by bitterness spreading through, ending with a resurgence of sweetness.

At this point, a sip of tea or coffee, a slightly bitter beverage, would again neutralize this sweetness. The repeated shifts in taste were near perfect!

He sipped coffee and patted his hands, taking a towel from the young Count to wipe his hands, "This is forcing the nobles into a direct confrontation with the Imperial Family."

As Lynch spoke, not a sound could be heard in the room.

A noble standing by the door closed it and moved to the edge of the group.

This group had expanded a bit, and Lynch didn’t reject the nobles eager to join, as long as they weren’t established aristocrats with long histories.

Those old aristocrats have stands that are hard to sway; their joining this newly formed group certainly comes with self-serving motives.

Conversely, those similar to the new generation nobles, who rely on grace-to-extend their ’subscription,’ don’t particularly hold any firm stand.

Whoever benefits them, or allows them to successfully maintain their ’subscription,’ they will side with that party.

Everyone’s eyes were on Lynch, who wasn’t even the oldest in the room; quite the opposite, he was quite young.

Among them were nobles in their thirties, forties, and even a few in their fifties. Lynch wasn’t the oldest but indeed was the most authoritative.

"Recently, the noble court has been trying the Eldest Prince. Maybe you think this is a war between the Noble Group and the Imperial Family. In fact, it’s not."

"The Prime Minister just wants to strip the sacred veil from the Imperial Family through the trial of the Eldest Prince, only then comes the real battle, the face-to-face war!"

"At that time, we, or rather the nobles, will face Emperor himself, a group of nobles who have little power facing an Emperor who retains many privileges despite the Prime Minister’s usurpation."

Lynch chuckled softly, "This war will be fierce, the nobles will win, and that’s inevitable, but the victory will be very brutal."

"Originally, these things were supposed to happen later, by then the Eldest Prince would be deemed guilty, the sacred facade of the Imperial Family would be torn, and the nobles would be able to wage war."

"But this will happen earlier, and the Imperial Family’s authority hasn’t completely vanished yet. This is not good for the Noble Group, the nobles will crash against the Imperial Family’s iron wall, suffering heavy casualties."

Nothing is forever unchanging, and the Prime Minister’s strategies are no exception.

If anything is fixed from the start, then it’s definitely false.

Every minute, every second, every matter undergoes different choices repeatedly, generating new changes through these choices.

Rather than let the Noble Group strike the unprotected Imperial Family, it’s better for the increasingly harmful nobles to crash directly against the Imperial Family’s bronze wall.

Both sides will fight fiercely as a result, which is precisely what the Prime Minister desires; he wants both the Imperial Family and the Noble Group to suffer unbearable damage.

Only this way can the abolition of imperial power proceed smoothly.

And only this way can the deprivation of noble privileges continue successfully.

A noble expressed his differing opinion, "Mr. Lynch, my next question is presumptuous, so I apologize beforehand."

Lynch gestured for him to continue.

"How do you determine that the Noble Group will engage in more direct warfare with the Imperial Family? Perhaps we can seek coexistence to some extent."

"Especially now, the great nobles are ignoring the lower-ranking nobles, and the Prime Minister hasn’t come to the Secretariat recently, which suffices to reveal some things."

"I believe there are smart people besides you who will see this. As long as we can reach an agreement with the Imperial Family, the real loss will be suffered by the Prime Minister and the great nobles."

This noble was newly joined, and it’s not surprising he wasn’t so blindly loyal to Lynch without experiencing the countless impacts of the ’Lynch miracles.’ Not everyone believes all of Lynch’s judgments so quickly.

Lynch highly acknowledged his question, "Your question is insightful, but you’ve overlooked one issue: what caused the great nobles and the Prime Minister to change their minds?"

"Furthermore, the actions the Imperial Family will take might directly destroy the foundation for compromise between the nobles and the Imperial Family."

"So how could both sides coexist?"

The noble who raised the question furrowed his brow, "I don’t quite understand, Mr. Lynch."

Others also seemed puzzled, which at least proved that here, the truly smart one might be Lynch alone.

Of course, this doesn’t mean others aren’t smart, just that they lack a bit of Lynch’s wisdom. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Lynch leaned back on the sofa, leisurely watching these people, "If I were the Emperor, with the Noble Group continuously pressing me, and suddenly they offered me a leverage, what do you think I should do?"

Someone immediately gave their answer, "Draw them in?"

"Yes, drawing them in seems very appropriate at this time..."

Even the small Count nodded, he too believed it’s a perfect time for the Emperor to draw and divide the nobles, especially holding some leverage which forces the nobles to bow.

But Lynch shook his head, "If I were the Emperor, I would immediately strip the titles of those nobles with confirmed criminal evidence..."

This statement caused an uproar in the room!

Stripping titles is the most terrifying outcome for nobles, yet the Emperor indeed has such power.

The Emperor can ennoble nobles, and naturally, he can strip them of their titles. However, at the very beginning, Gafura I had an agreement with the nobles at the United Parliament.

He would not strip a noble’s title without cause, only if a noble violated laws and some agreed-upon rules.

Simultaneously, the Secretariat can resist this command, but there’s a premise, that the reason for stripping titles is irrational.

For instance, if the Emperor were a tyrant, a Dictator, and took harsh measures against the nobles for a non-reason, the Secretariat could resist the Emperor’s irrational decree.

The current issue is that this time the Emperor’s command is not irrational, these nobles indeed caused some trouble.

More importantly, most nobles’ conduct is not clean.

They will find every way to extract benefits from this country, their means despicable and cruel, resulting in numerous bankruptcies and ruined families resisting noble plunder.

Gathering incriminating evidence against the nobles isn’t too difficult!