Chapter 003: First in the Lower Left

Austin III snorted and said, “Those old guys are all very shrewd. By now, they’re probably already trying to gather information from each other, trying to figure out what’s gotten into me to summon them in the middle of the night… Hmph, ignore them. Let them wait outside the hall. It’s not too late to let them in once everyone is here… After all, even if I don’t have much time left, there’s still some left.”

The old man sighed slightly and said, “Your Majesty is wise… Then let’s have them wait.”

Austin III nodded and said, “Alright… Kimberly, you too, sit down and rest.”

The old man nodded, walked over to sit opposite Duke Green, and then, as if noticing Duke Green for the first time, bowed slightly and said with a smile, “My lord Duke, it’s been a long time since we last met!”

Duke Green smiled faintly and said, “You’re too kind, Your Excellency the Prime Minister…”

After saying that, Duke Green glanced at Du Fan intentionally or not, then quickly averted his gaze.

Du Fan was also slightly stunned… He never expected that this seemingly energetic old man was actually Kimberly, the prime minister of the Gavin Empire! In other words… he was the grandfather of Miss Mia back then…

Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but take another look at Prime Minister Kimberly. But it seemed the latter had noticed his gaze as well. He smiled at him, nodded slightly, and said, “My lord Duke… this must be Young Master Du Fan?”

Duke Green replied calmly, “I’m afraid so. This is my son… Du Fan. I haven’t had the honor of meeting Your Excellency the Prime Minister yet!”

Hearing this, Du Fan quickly bowed slightly and said, “Your Excellency the Prime Minister, Du Fan greets you…”

Kimberly waved his hand and said, “As expected, great heroes emerge from youth! Young Master Du Fan is talented and humble, truly a rare person… I’ve often heard of Young Master Du Fan lately. Seeing him in person proves that reputation precedes reality!”

Du Fan’s heart was pounding, but he politely replied a few words before quietly staying silent.

The rest of the time was spent with only Prime Minister Kimberly and Duke Green discussing the empire’s current affairs. Du Fan listened for a while but found it to be all trivial matters. He began to feel drowsy. It seemed the old emperor was lost in his own thoughts and didn’t join in the discussion between his two subjects.

Time passed in this manner, and before long, Du Fan heard faint footsteps. Then he saw a guard dressed in plain clothes enter quietly, bend down beside Kimberly, say a few words, and quickly leave again. After hearing these words, Chancellor Kimberly raised his eyebrows slightly, then bowed slightly in the direction of Austin III and said, “Your Majesty, there was news just now… The nobles and officials have mostly arrived. Should we begin now?” Austin III nodded, rubbed his brows, stood up, and clapped his hands. Soon, two maids came out from a corner in the side hall and gently placed the crown on Austin III’s head. After all this, the old emperor sneered and said, “Since everyone is here… let’s begin then… Kimberly… Old Green, you two come with me… As for you…” Saying this, Austin III glanced at Du Fan and suddenly smiled lightly, saying, “Given your title, you probably don’t qualify to stand in the main hall… But Du Fan… would you like to come and see it?” Du Fan was slightly stunned. He glanced at Duke Green and saw him nod slightly, so he quickly bowed and said, “If Your Majesty permits, I would be grateful for your permission…” Austin III nodded and said, “Since you want to come, then follow me… How about this? I’ll grant you the title of court guard now, and you’ll be qualified to enter the main hall… Well then… let’s go together!” With that, Austin III waved his hand slightly and stepped out first. Chancellor Kimberly slowly stood up, bowed to Duke Green with a smile, and said, “Congratulations, Duke… Not everyone can be a court guard!” Duke Green snorted and said, “Thank you, Chancellor… Please go ahead…” “Please go ahead!” With that, the two important figures exchanged a glance and quickly left. Du Fan frowned slightly. Although he didn’t know what was so special about being a court guard, he still quickly followed Chancellor Kimberly and Duke Green toward the main hall.

At this moment, on the square of the grand hall’s training ground, the resin on the massive stone pillars continued to burn. As if responding to some command, at the edge of the training ground, a huge bell emitted a thunderous roar. Twelve bare-chested imperial guards, carrying enormous hammers several times larger than themselves, struck the bell repeatedly. The intense noise, like an invisible and colorless pressure, made the nobles and officials at the entrance of the grand hall tremble with fear.

Outside the grand hall, a bustling crowd had gathered on the training ground. Everyone was dressed in splendid formal wear or simple court robes… These nobles and officials mostly exuded elegance and nobility, yet their expressions carried an underlying tension.

Around the training ground, several groups of imperial guards emerged from the darkness and formed a fan-shaped formation, stretching from the entrance of the grand hall all the way to the training ground, subtly encircling the nobles and ministers…

Then, twenty warriors wielding golden battle axes came out from deep within the grand hall, pushing open the heavy palace doors, before standing on both sides of the passage.

Suddenly, all twenty warriors raised their battle axes at the same time, producing a series of clanging sounds—“clack, clack, clack…”

Hearing this sound, the nobles and officials quickly fell silent. The chaotic crowd quickly divided into two rows, lining up according to their status and rank, then slowly marched toward the grand hall…

In such places, those at the front were figures with significant influence over the empire’s politics, economy, and military—people who represented the upper echelons of the empire. As for those behind them, though they might seem somewhat redundant, such redundancy was essential for an empire!

In their ordered ranks, the nobles and officials passed through the grand hall’s doors and behind the curtains, finally arriving before the throne, which resembled a divine seat. They stood there slowly, waiting…

According to tradition, this waiting would last for a long time, and during that time, they were not allowed to make any sound. Only after the supreme ruler who had the right to sit on the throne appeared and allowed them to speak could they utter a word…

It was just as usual after all, but today, it was His Majesty the Emperor who summoned them urgently in the dead of night… Such a thing had never happened before—what could it possibly mean? Everyone was filled with doubt. Fortunately, their confusion didn’t last long. Amidst a series of authoritative calls, they saw a group of people emerging from one side of the grand hall, with His Majesty Austin III at the forefront. Austin III still wore a cold expression. His gaze swept over the ministers and nobles coldly, and regardless of their rank, they all felt a chill and quickly lowered their heads. Austin III seemed quite satisfied with this scene. He coughed once, then, with the assistance of two maids, slowly walked to the throne and sat down before nodding and saying indifferently, “You may stand up.” The nobles and officials hurriedly stood up, but suddenly, they noticed that the Emperor’s Prime Minister, Kimberly, and Duke Green were already at the head of the two rows. Both of them had indifferent expressions and were not as puzzled as the others—probably because they had already discussed things with the Emperor earlier… Everyone knew well the relationship between Prime Minister Kimberly and the Emperor, so it was quite normal for him to be there… As for the Green family… it was said that the Emperor was quite wary of them… So why now…? Everyone’s mind was filled with questions, but given Austin III’s authority, no one dared to speak first. After a long while, Austin III coughed again and pointed to a spot below and to the left of the throne, saying indifferently, “Du Fan, stand there.” Immediately, everyone saw Du Fan, dressed in combat gear, slowly emerging from the darkness. His expression was serious, and he held a long sword in his hand. After reaching the spot below and to the left of the throne, he stood motionless, almost completely ignoring the gazes of the nobles! Good heavens! That was—first in the lower left?