Chapter 015: Not a Single Detail Missed

Upon seeing this decree, even Du Fan, with his usual composure, couldn’t help but feel stunned. He had originally intended to use this opportunity to probe Prince Fischer’s intentions, but he never expected the prince to be so shrewd—returning the ball he had kicked his way so effortlessly. Du Fan felt utterly perplexed. Acting rashly? What could possibly go wrong? Suppressing the urge to tear it up, he simply smiled and invited Count Christopher into the large tent he had set up at the front line.

Once inside the tent and seated across from each other, Du Fan waved his hand to signal everyone to leave. Then, with a slight smile, he said to Count Christopher, “My lord, why have you come personally to deliver this decree? If I’m not mistaken, you should now be the Finance Minister—why do you still need to deal with such trivial matters?”

“Ah…” Count Christopher sighed slightly. “Your Highness means that since we were in charge of the last peace talks, it’s only fair that we handle this one as well. After all, with our experience, we won’t let the Laney Empire take advantage of us.”

Du Fan shook his head slightly and sneered, “That’s hard to say… My lord, does that mean we’re equal in leading these talks this time?”

“No…” Count Christopher shook his head. “Lord Du Fan, Your Highness’s decree makes it clear that you are in charge, with me as your assistant. So, how these talks proceed ultimately depends on you.”

Watching Count Christopher’s half-smiling expression, Du Fan wondered inwardly. From every perspective, these talks were a good thing, not a bad one… How could this count not see that? His behavior was simply an attempt to avoid competing with him for credit…

These old foxes in the imperial capital were indeed a few steps more cunning than even ghosts!

“Haha…” Du Fan laughed a few times. “My lord, you’re joking. Your experience far exceeds mine—no matter how you look at it, you’re the ideal person for these talks. So, even though Your Highness ordered otherwise, I’m prepared to follow your lead this time…”

At this point, Du Fan didn’t give Count Christopher a chance to respond and quickly changed the subject: “By the way, besides this decree, does His Highness have any other messages?”
Count Christopher’s expression suddenly turned serious as he said, “The Duke is truly wise. His Highness indeed sent me with a message!”
“Oh? What did His Highness say?”
Count Christopher’s face took on a strange look. After hesitating for a moment, he softly said, “His Highness said, ‘Handle this matter as you see fit!’”
Handle it as I see fit?
Damn, isn’t that the same as doing nothing at all?
Du Fan cursed inwardly a few times. Seeing the strange expression on Count Christopher’s face, he knew it was likely true…
But still holding onto a glimmer of hope, he couldn’t help asking, “Is that all? Nothing else?”
“Nothing else!”
“Didn’t His Highness give even the slightest hint—whether he wants war or peace?” Du Fan wasn’t giving up.
“Really nothing!” Count Christopher sighed bitterly. His expression was even uglier than that of a bitter gourd. “Lord Du Fan, see, I’m also involved in these peace talks. If His Highness had given any hints, how could I hide it from you? Don’t forget, we’re on the same side… This time, you and I are like grasshoppers on the same line. If these talks succeed, there will be many benefits. If they fail, we’ll both be in big trouble… Not to mention, right now, many people are watching over your position, and my position isn’t left unmonitored either.”
With such words, Count Christopher had shown great honesty. Du Fan believed that in matters related to his power, even as cunning as Count Christopher would dare not deceive him. After all, both of them stood to lose or gain together.
However, if Prince Fischer didn’t reveal any intentions, things would become much harder.
Thinking this, Du Fan suddenly wore a faint smile and said, “Count…”
At Du Fan’s smile, Count Christopher trembled slightly and quickly bowed, saying, “My Lord Duke, there’s no need to be so polite. Your serious expression puts me under great pressure…”

Du Fan shook his head and smiled, saying, “My Lord Count, such formalities must be observed. But then again, we are old acquaintances. I still remember very well everything you said during the peace talks in the imperial capital! How about this… Although my father hasn’t given any reply yet, our relationship in the future will surely go beyond this. Why not drop the titles of ‘Duke’ and ‘Count’ when we’re alone? You belong to my father’s generation, so if you don’t mind, I’ll call you ‘uncle’ from now on. And if you don’t object, just call me Du Fan.”

Count Christopher laughed heartily and said, “Since you’ve put it that way, it would be pretentious of me to be more polite. Then I’ll call you Du Fan from now on.”

Du Fan nodded, and the two exchanged more pleasantries. This time, their relationship became even closer than during their last encounter in the imperial capital. Though it was unknown what was going on inland, their behavior clearly showed great familiarity between them.

After these formalities, Du Fan felt the time was right and couldn’t help but take a breath before whispering, “Uncle Christopher, you’re an experienced politician and know much more about these matters than I do. Although His Highness Fischer has tasked me with leading these peace talks, I’m afraid I might not handle it well, which wouldn’t be good… You, on the other hand, having spent so much time by His Highness’s side, must understand his thoughts quite well… How about this? Let you take full responsibility for these peace talks?”

Christopher immediately shook his head and said, “Du Fan, you’re joking. Everyone in the empire knows you’re a highly influential figure. Without going too far back, just look at how you’ve managed the once chaotic Siluo Province so effectively—this alone proves your skill. Over the years, the empire has lost every war, but with your intervention, you’ve even captured several cities, achieving a great military feat not seen in decades. Even during the coup, you shone brightly, even defeating that so-called greatest swordmaster on the continent. With someone like you around, how could a mere count like me dare to claim credit for the peace talks?”

Du Fan was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this. He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now Count Christopher kept flattery after flattery, each one more exaggerated than the last, leaving him unsure whether to cry or laugh. All he could do was shake his head and say, “Uncle Christopher, your praise is truly embarrassing. But even so, these political matters still…”
Count Christopher quickly shook his head and said, “No, no… In political matters, it’s not about who is older being more capable. For example, in the last peace talks, wasn’t it because of you, Du Fan, that we reaped so many benefits? So this time too, you must take the lead… Additionally, there’s one more crucial point: Since His Highness Fisher has asked me to assist you in these talks, if there’s anything you don’t understand about the key aspects, you can ask me. I’ll tell you everything I know!”
The two talked endlessly. In the end, Count Christopher simply refused to take on the responsibility of leading the talks. Normally, such a great opportunity would make anyone eager to claim credit, but Count Christopher’s attitude only deepened Du Fan’s doubts…
Did he really not want to compete with him for credit, or did he know he couldn’t get involved in this matter?
Du Fan pondered for a while but couldn’t figure out the key to it. After all, on the surface, these talks—whether war or peace—would only benefit the Gavin Empire. So why did Count Christopher have such an attitude…
Unable to solve this question right away, Du Fan stopped thinking about it. After a moment, he stared at Count Christopher and said solemnly, “If that’s the case… Uncle Christopher… since you’ve come from the capital this time and haven’t figured out His Highness’s stance, what about the others’ attitudes? The military… and those major noble families, what are their positions?”
A cold smirk flashed in Count Christopher’s eyes. “As for His Highness, there’s no need to talk about it. If we could guess his intentions, we wouldn’t be struggling here now… The key is the military side—those military elders seem to have gone mad; they all oppose continuing the war, saying the empire’s troops can’t bear further losses. As for those major noble families, their attitudes are all ambiguous… It’s unclear what they’re planning. Most strangely, the Lionheart Family hasn’t revealed any stance at all in this matter, which is extremely puzzling…”

At this point, Count Christopher let out a soft sigh. Du Fan, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger. He had asked him seriously, yet Count Christopher used such gossip to dodge his questions. With his current status and resources, how could he not know such things? In fact, he must know them a hundred times better than Du Fan! That old fox must be aware of something, which is why he refuses to reveal anything! Damn it!