Chapter 004: Choice
It should be noted that the nobility of the Gavin Empire has a strict hierarchy, especially in the heart of the empire’s power structure, where this hierarchy is even more absolute!
Here, not even the most arrogant and domineering ministers dare to overstep their bounds… Even someone in the exalted position of Prime Minister Kimberly, who is second only to the emperor, does not qualify to stand in the first spot in the lower left corner…
According to the rules, aside from the current prince, only one other person is allowed to stand there—that is, a court guard!
A court guard is not a formal position but rather a title that signifies the emperor’s absolute trust in that person… Thus, although there is no specific rank associated with being a court guard, they are practically one rank above all other officials!
In the Gavin Empire, there hasn’t been a court guard in a long time. The reason is simple: given Emperor Austin III’s suspicious nature, he wouldn’t trust anyone completely…
Therefore, the status of a court guard is absolutely noble… Only someone like Du Fan, who doesn’t appreciate such things, would appear indifferent…
But now, as Du Fan stood there…
Even though these nobles and officials in the capital had never met Du Fan in person, they had seen his portraits, so they recognized him at first glance. They clearly understood that this young man, Du Fan, was by no means a prince!
But if he wasn’t a prince… could it be that this young man, Du Fan, had actually become a court guard!?
How is that possible?
Could it be that this young man, Du Fan… is the emperor’s illegitimate son?
Was Emperor Austin III summoning all the nobles in such haste for this reason?
Some imaginative nobles already had various scenarios in mind, and their gazes toward Duke Green carried a strange tone. The hat on Duke Green’s head even seemed to take on a faint green hue in their eyes!
Unfortunately, before these guesses could fully form, Emperor Austin III snorted, scanned the crowd with a sharp glance, pointed at Du Fan, and smiled faintly, saying, “There’s no need to guess… Starting today, Young Master Du Fan is our Gavin Empire’s court guard. Moreover, I’m giving him my youngest daughter in marriage… What do you all think? Isn’t this a great celebration?”
A sound of sighing arose. Those nobles were no ordinary people, yet so much could be inferred from just these two sentences… First, this Du Fan had earned the absolute trust of Austin III? Coupled with the Duke of Green’s attitude earlier, could it be that the Green family had once again gained the royal family’s absolute trust? The implications here were serious… As for the second point… Austin III’s favorite youngest daughter was actually going to be married to this young Master Du Fan… It seemed this young Master Du Fan had quite the luck in love!
While these noble officials were pondering, Du Fan inwardly smiled bitterly: With this marriage announcement made in front of so many people, it seemed his arranged marriage was a certainty. The old emperor was so eager to arrange his daughter’s marriage—was it because she was too ugly and he feared she wouldn’t get married, so he was trying to frame him? It seemed he would have to think of a way once he returned…
In the blink of an eye, those nobles bowed and said in unison, “Congratulations to Your Majesty!”
Austin III waved his hand and said coldly in a dry voice, “Enough… This is just the first thing to be discussed tonight… Let’s move on to the second one… I’m sure everyone has many guesses about why I summoned you all tonight. But it doesn’t matter. Whatever your guesses may be, I’ve called you here simply to have an open discussion… What do you think? If I were to abdicate now, who would be a better candidate to take my place?!”
Abdicate??!
The nobles were stunned. Even Du Fan was taken aback. Although he had guessed somewhat before, he never expected the old emperor to say such things so soon.
After all, Du Fan had already suffered greatly for that position. Hearing the old emperor say this now was truly shocking!
Regardless of which faction they originally belonged to, these nobles immediately began discussing among themselves upon hearing the old emperor’s words. Only Prime Minister Kimberly and the Duke of Green showed no extra expressions, as if none of this had anything to do with them!
Austin III coughed again before saying indifferently, “Alright, enough nonsense… You might as well come up one by one and tell me who would be a better fit for my position!”
At these words, the nobles exchanged glances and quickly fell silent. Everyone looked around, but they were soon surprised to find that, given such a major event…
Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Fisher, the two princes, were there!
The situation became even more bizarre. The Emperor wished to abdicate, yet both princes were absent. If they accidentally sided with the wrong party… trouble would surely arise…
Under the Emperor’s piercing gaze, no one dared speak a word for a moment. Silence reigned everywhere, with only the sound of breathing audible.
After a while, Austin III suddenly slapped his deputy hard, the muffled sound echoing like thunder throughout the hall. Then he sneered and said, “What, have you all turned into dumbards? Can’t even say a word in such a situation? This choice affects the fate of the empire for a hundred years—can’t you even say a word? You’re all useless! Then why did I raise you bunch of good-for-nothings? You… Duke Belinger, tell me… who do you think should inherit the throne?”
With that, Austin III pointed at someone at the front of the group.
That person slowly stepped forward, bowed to Austin III, and said, “Your Majesty… I truly don’t know how to choose…”
Yet he still didn’t stand up straight.
Du Fan, standing at the lower left of the throne, watched Duke Belinger, his heart pounding… This old man was Aldas and Emily’s father! He was also Du Fan’s destined enemy… He never expected him to be just an ordinary old man!
But this Duke Belinger, facing his enemy who had killed his son, remained calm and hadn’t done anything noticeable earlier—surely he was a cunning old fox too!
Recalling that his new carriage was given by this old fox, Du Fan couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Hearing Duke Belinger’s reply, Austin III snorted and said, “I knew you’d say that… You’re all useless! Still can’t say a word in such a situation! Truly worthless!”
As soon as the old emperor finished speaking, laughter came from outside the hall: “My respected father! Judging your own subjects like this seems a bit biased, doesn’t it? But rest assured, these guys aren’t useless… It’s just that without me here, they dare not make a decision! But now that I’m here… hahaha…”
Then, the sound of armor hitting the ground was heard, and soon, the eldest prince appeared, dressed in military attire, striding forward. Behind him were the commander of the imperial guards, Doks, along with several high-ranking military officials and over a dozen officers of various ranks.
None of these people were clad in military uniforms, nor did they carry long swords at their waists—after all, even princes were not allowed to carry swords inside the palace. Among those in the hall at this moment, only the palace guards were qualified to carry swords! In other words, only Du Fan was qualified to carry a sword! Yet now, both the crown prince and these officers were armed, which, to some extent, could already be considered rebellion. It would not be an overstatement to say that the crown prince was plotting to seize the throne. The nobles and officials standing on both sides grew somewhat uneasy; things had already been strange that night, but now it seemed the crown prince had been preparing for this all along! And Prince Fischer was not there… Could it be that this struggle for power would not only start earlier but also end with the crown prince ascending to the throne? At these thoughts, the supporters of the crown prince showed joy on their faces, while those of Prince Fischer turned ashen. Some cautious ones began to consider the possibility of surrendering to the crown prince! However, although most of the nobles present looked uneasy, Austin III seemed to have anticipated all this. From his throne, he made a gesture, looked down at the crown prince, and suddenly smiled faintly, saying, “My dear son… You’ve only arrived now. Did you have everything prepared all along? Are you ready to kick me out of this place and take my seat? My son…”