Free Web NovelChapter 72: Feeding Bread Crumbs
"Pass this information to the Chandlier family secretly. Remember, make sure they don’t suspect that someone deliberately leaked it." Simon said.
Richard remained calm as usual. "My Lord, when this incident happened, I was sent to Ashenford to collect debts. I attended Lewis’s banquet, where he got drunk and revealed the matter, including where the seventy-two bodies were buried. This time, I need to dig up the remains and stir up public opinion in Ashenford. The Chandlier family will naturally send someone to investigate, and I will quietly leave evidence behind."
Simon nodded. Richard was indeed diligent. Those who had endured hardship had a different kind of spirit.
"Very good. You’re most familiar with the Goldwynd family. I hope you can quickly arrange for spies to infiltrate them." Simon said, reminding Richard just as he had reminded Gius.
"My Lord, I have already planted a spy in the Goldwynd family," Richard replied, still calm.
Simon was surprised. "Impressive. It’s been less than a month, and you’ve already accomplished this. You’re much faster than Gius."
Richard explained. "My Lord, I merely took advantage of an opportunity. There’s a servant in the Goldwynd family named George. While I was in the Goldwynd family, I caught him having an affair with one of Cedric’s concubines. This time, I used that to my advantage."
"Oh..." Simon drew out the word. Cedric, that old man, had at least twenty or thirty concubines in his household. He couldn’t satisfy all of them, so it was normal for a few to seek pleasure elsewhere.
With a spy now in the Goldwynd family, Simon was overjoyed. His greatest concern at the moment was the local powerful families. If he couldn’t keep tabs on what they were doing or what they were thinking, it would be impossible for him to rest easy.
Although he had given these families considerable benefits, they were meant only to deceive them temporarily. He had to have a backup plan.
If they realised that this was merely a delaying tactic and that his true goal was to eliminate them, his domain would likely face a baptism of fire and blood.
However, Simon did not want such an outcome, as it would severely hinder the development of his domain. He only hoped to use a slow, gradual approach, allowing the local powerful families to quietly fade into history.
---
The Chandlier Family
At this moment, Lothair was furious. Luigi was the son-in-law of his second daughter, and Mario was the husband of his youngest daughter and the third son of Arnulf.
Overnight, Luigi and Mario had been killed, leaving his two daughters widowed. In a fit of rage, Arnulf had come to him, demanding that they gather their private armies to kill Lancelot and avenge his son.
But after calming down, Lothair realised that the real culprit behind this was not the prince.
"Lothair, why are you still hesitating? Lancelot has gone too far! Although the prince wanted to punish my son, he didn’t order his immediate execution. I’ve long been dissatisfied with Lancelot. All we need to do is go see His Highness and demand that Lancelot pay with his life!" Arnulf said, furious.
Lothair was equally gnashing his teeth in anger, but he said. "Lancelot is certainly at fault, but the Goldwynd family is the real instigator. They are the ones who caused the deaths of Luigi and Mario. Lancelot has always been reckless, and with the Chandlier family’s private army arriving at the time, it’s no surprise that he carried out His Highness’s order to execute them on the spot. Even if we go to His Highness, he will protect Lancelot. Moreover, if His Highness investigates the Chandlier family’s placement of private soldiers in the Dunmere garrison, both our families will suffer."
"Cedric, you’re too ruthless!" Arnulf slammed the table, spilling tea everywhere. "Are we just going to swallow this injustice?"
"Of course not. Lancelot may have done the killing, but the Goldwynd family is the root cause. They’ve caused us heavy losses, and we must repay them in kind." Lothair said.
Arnulf, in his impulsive anger, had directed his resentment toward Simon. But upon reflection, he began to understand. "Ah, Lothair, you’re right. What I fear most now is that the Goldwynd family will join forces with His Highness to attack us. If that happens, we’ll be doomed."
"You finally understand. Right now, His Highness has both silver and a new army, and he has regained the emperor’s trust. Prince Gerad in the south will have to show some respect to the emperor by looking after the prince. The Prince of Brambleford is no longer the same as before. This matter is ultimately a capital offence, and in His Highness’s eyes, it cannot be tolerated. If we go and make a scene now, how will His Highness view our families? As rebels?"
Hearing this, Arnulf broke out in a cold sweat, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. "I was too rash. But Mario was my son. I can’t just let this go."
"Revenge is a dish best served cold. The Goldwynd family is targeting us like this because they want to compete for profits in the merchant guild. Right now, the most important thing is silver. With silver, we can buy more land and strengthen our private armies. So, our target now is the Goldwynd family, not the prince." Lothair said. "Not only should we not pressure His Highness to kill Lancelot over this, but we should also go and apologize."
Arnulf nodded. "Fine, I’ll go with you to meet the prince."
With that, the two set off for the prince’s castle.
Meanwhile, Gius, who had been keeping an eye on the Chandlier family, quickly relayed this news to Simon.
Upon hearing this, Simon, who had been worried about a backlash from the Chandlier family, felt a weight lift off his chest. He wasn’t afraid of the scheming Lothair, but he was wary of the impulsive Arnulf. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Impulsive people only saw the surface and would inevitably cause a scene over this matter, while Lothair, being more calculating, could see the deeper implications.
This way, Simon could redirect the conflict toward the Goldwynd family, letting the two families tear each other apart instead of putting pressure on him.
Although he had recruited new soldiers, these soldiers were busy with both farming and training. The most critical issue was that they lacked weapons and equipment. If it came to a fight, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder. A direct confrontation would result in heavy losses on both sides.
However, once the plate armour and other equipment were ready and the soldiers had a few more months of training, he would no longer fear the private armies of the local powerful families.
Lothair and Arnulf soon arrived at the prince’s castle. Lothair naturally expressed remorse, condemning Luigi and Mario while distancing the Chandlier and Duskry families from their actions, claiming it was their own doing.
"Please rise. Since this matter has nothing to do with the Chandlier and Duskry families, let bygones be bygones. I will not pursue this further. I hope your families will remain law-abiding." Simon said, his final words carrying a warning.
Lothair and Arnulf replied in unison. "We will heed Your Highness’s teachings."
"You may leave." Simon said, relieved. The first step had been completed. Now, it was time for Richard to take action.
The two acknowledged his words and left the prince’s castle together.
Watching their retreating figures, Simon frowned. The Chandlier family’s placement of private soldiers in the Dunmere garrison made him uneasy. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this matter was far more complex than just the actions of Luigi and Mario.
Thinking this, he had Ysabeau prepare a horse. The hydraulic forging press had just been completed, and the craftsmen were still getting used to this new machinery. He needed to personally oversee the steel workshop to ensure that plate armour production could soon be streamlined.
Both commerce and military affairs needed to be handled with equal importance and strength.
