Editor: Tseirp

Ryo and Abel left the mansion.

Their goal was to gather information on the three Imperial Princes who were rivals to Prince Ryun.

“The classic method for information gathering is to ask around in taverns!”

“It’s still midday, you know…”

Indeed, it was exactly lunchtime.

Most taverns were not yet open, and even if they were, few people would be there.

While eateries would be crowded, it was difficult to gather information from people simply there to eat.

“Besides, information on Imperial Princes isn’t something the average person would know accurately.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Ryo nodded honestly at Abel’s reasonable point.

“In that case, we need to ask people who know the Princes directly. The Emperor would know all three, but…”

“He’s bound to be busy, and if we go asking him, it’ll look strange. Besides, the Princes would want to hide their worst sides from the Emperor the most…”

“That won’t work then.”

Ryo shook his head lightly.

Gathering accurate information was not easy.

“That means we need people who have worked with them or had some involvement.”

“And it has to be someone you know, Ryo.”

“Is there even such a person…?”

Ryo fell into thought.

But nothing came to mind easily.

“I don’t even know that many people in this Imperial Capital.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just list out the people you do know?”

Ryo sighed, and in response, Abel suggested a different approach.

“First would be Workshop Chief Ron.”

“We’ve been dealing with him the most recently. But he’s basically always in Chouonkaku inside the palace, right?”

“Yes, and while he would probably tell us what he knows, he likely doesn’t have much information on the Princes.”

First candidate eliminated.

“Next would be… Count Matan, Von Debout?”

“He’s part of the Shitaifu class. But like Count Bashu, Roche-Ten, he doesn’t belong to any faction, right? That means he probably doesn’t want to get involved in factional disputes.”

Count Von Debout was someone Ryo and Abel had once accepted a bodyguard request from.

They had gotten caught up in the troubles before Prince Ryun and Princess Shio Fen’s wedding, manipulated by bad actors, and ended up in a sword incident that led to an investigation.

No doubt, he would not want to get involved again.

Count Roche-Ten of Bashu had been attacked by the manipulated Von Debout…

He, too, was someone who had been hurt in the factional disputes surrounding Prince Ryun.

He would not want to get involved either.

Second and third candidates eliminated.

“Anyone else?”

“We still have someone, right? How about the captain of the White Flame Army?”

“Ah! Captain Li Chu! He’s under the direct command of the Emperor, but he also moves within the palace, so he might be available. Let’s try Captain Li Chu first. We should bring some sweets as a gift.”

“…You’re really diligent about these things, Ryo.”

“If we’re asking someone to take time to talk to us, the least we can do is bring sweets.”

Fourth candidate secured.

They stopped by a confectionery shop and bought 150 baked sweets before heading to the White Flame Army outpost in the Ministry of War.

They arrived without incident, but…

“Captain Li Chu isn’t here?”

“Yes, Lord Duke Rondo. The Captain is at the palace today.”

Fourth candidate eliminated.

“We’ve run out of options.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Leaving the 150 sweets with the outpost staff, Ryo and Abel sighed heavily as they exited the Ministry of War.

“But it hurts that we can’t catch Captain Li Chu, who seemed the most promising.”

“There’s still someone else.”

“Huh? Who?”

Ryo was surprised by Abel’s casual words.

“Someone who is close to Captain Li Chu and has a wealth of experience, an elder.”

“Hmm…”

Ryo tilted his head at Abel’s words.

But after a moment of thought, he brightened.

“Secretary Shau of the Imperial Censorate!”

“Correct.”

Indeed, Captain Li Chu was close to Secretary Shau.

That was why Abel had remembered Shau.

The Censorate was adjacent to the Imperial Palace.

But its entrance faced the main road, and its gates were always open.

No guards were standing by.

And a massive, imposing drum was positioned there.

“No matter how many times I see it, this entrance is intimidating.”

“It really is.”

Abel nodded in agreement with Ryo’s honest impression.

The drum was apparently for those with grievances to strike themselves to present their complaints.

Since Ryo and Abel were here to meet Secretary Shau, they should not strike it.

They had been told so on a previous visit.

“So if I ever want to sue you, Abel, I would strike this drum?”

“And I would strike it too, to countersue you.”

Ryo and Abel’s lawsuit battle…

However, the Imperial Censorate primarily handled criminal cases.

Not civil disputes like those they would have…

As usual, Ryo bought sake as a gift from a liquor store, entered without striking the drum, and called out:

“Excuse me~”

Two large men silently emerged from the back.

Looking intimidating.

But the moment they recognized who had called out, they visibly jumped.

“Duke Rondo!”

“Ah, sorry. We would like to see Secretary Shau, could you arrange that for us?”

“Y-Yes, please wait a moment!”

One of them practically ran back inside.

Leaving the other behind, whose face seemed to say, ‘Don’t leave me here alone’.

At least, that was how it looked to Abel.

After a while, they were shown into Secretary Shau’s presence.

“Duke Rondo, thank you for coming.”

“Sorry to trouble you while you’re busy, Shau-san.”

Secretary Shau greeted them with a smile, and Ryo and Abel bowed their heads.

After some small talk, Shau asked:

“So, what brings you here today?”

“Well… We would like to ask about the three Imperial Princes.”

“Oh…?”

Ryo asked straightforwardly, and Secretary Shau widened his eyes slightly in surprise.

Before taking a slow sip of tea,

which Ryo mirrored.

“Does this mean Duke Rondo intends to take Prince Ryun’s side?”

Without preamble, Secretary Shau cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Ignoring any mention of Prince Ryun’s elevation or Ryo’s relationship with him.

But Ryo was unfazed.

This question was within his expectations.

“I cannot move without knowing what kind of people the Princes are.”

Ryo took another sip of tea.

Cleverly hiding and omitting the facts.

Letting Shau imagine the rest.

And yet, he was not lying.

“Hehehe…”

Understanding everything, Secretary Shau laughed.

Ryo, too, sipped his tea with a faint smile, saying nothing.

Negotiations find their essence in silence.

In that silence, their minds raced.

Both Ryo and Secretary Shau understood this.

Of course, the two parties were thinking about various things during this time, so they were not affected by the atmosphere of the room.

It was the onlookers who suffered in such tense silence.

(This oppressive atmosphere is unbearable…)

Abel did not voice it or show it on his face, but he was wincing inwardly.

As a former Second Prince, adventurer, and now a King for three years, Abel had experienced many negotiations.

Some of those negotiations were troublesome, to say the least.

But this was different.

He was not a party to the negotiations.

Merely an observer this time, unable to participate.

And he knew from experience that being in the position of an observer in negotiations was mentally draining…

(Honestly, I’d rather not go through this again.)

He shook his head internally.

“Well, very well. I will tell you what I know.”

“Thank you, Shau-san.”

“Not at all. Duke Rondo’s influence is considerable. I, too, am interested in who you will support.”

Secretary Shau poured fresh tea,

and then began.

“First, regarding the Fourth Prince, Imperial Prince Bin…”

“Ah, we don’t need information on the Fourth Prince.”

“I thought so.”

Ryo said it with a pleasant smile, and Secretary Shau accepted it with a smile as well.

They both apparently recognized him as someone unworthy of attention…

Abel shook his head slightly.

“Aside from the Fourth Prince, the other two were already sealed as Imperial Princes five years ago when the Crown Prince passed away.”

“I see.”

Ryo had assumed they had been elevated after the Crown Prince’s death, but it turned out to be different.

“Prince Bin was elevated two years ago, which indeed put him behind the others. This may be part of why he is in such a rush.”

“I see.”

Ryo could see how that would be the case.

“Now, regarding the Third Prince, Imperial Prince Churei. He is 24 years old, straightforward in character, and unusually for the Imperial Palace, excels in swordsmanship—a martial-leaning individual.”

“Ohhh…”

Both Ryo and Abel were surprised by Shau’s explanation.

They had heard that in Darwei, the arts were valued over martial pursuits.

And that even the current Emperor leaned that way.

“Because of this, he does not have much support within the Imperial Palace.”

Because those involved in martial pursuits were not the mainstream there.

“He also has the typical rigidity of a martial artist… or rather, he is too straightforward…”

“Ah, I can imagine.”

Shau explained with a wry smile, and Ryo nodded, picturing it.

He likely was not a bad person.

The word ‘straightforward’, which came up twice, said it all.

He was probably a respectable person.

From an outsider’s perspective, he might even be considered an admirable individual.

But such a person, when in a leadership position… could create distortions throughout a large organization.

Leading to tension.

And exhaustion among those around and under them.

Human organizations were strange things.

As a person, he was not wrong.

It was the organization that was wrong.

However…

At that point, someone interjected.

“I have a question…”

It was Abel.

“I heard the previous Crown Prince, who passed away, was also a martial person… was he different from the current Third Prince?”

“Yes, he was.”

Shau nodded deeply at Abel’s question,

Before continuing.

“The late Crown Prince indeed had a martial spirit, valuing martial over the arts. But he was not overly rigid or difficult… Rather, he had a broad-minded personality.”

“Hoho…”

“He interacted frequently with the people and often walked the streets from a young age. There was even a time when he helped me apprehend a villain.”

Secretary Shau’s eyes took on a nostalgic look,

clearly remembering that scene.

“Prince Churei… I’m sorry to say, but he lacks the breadth of the late Crown Prince…”

Realizing he might have gone too far.

Shau’s words trailed off, and he took a sip of tea, wearing a wry smile.

“That leaves the Second Prince as the most interesting.”

Ryo nodded emphatically.

“Oh? Duke Rondo is interested in Imperial Prince Kouri, the Second Prince?”

“Yes. I haven’t even heard his voice yet, so I cannot judge.”

“His voice? You can judge from that?”

“By seeing a face, hearing a voice, and talking for about ten seconds, you can tell most things.”

Ryo smiled as he said it.

Of course, it did not mean he could know everything about a person.

But at least he could tell if someone was trustworthy, if they were someone to keep at a distance, and whether they were a good match for himself.

It was easy to tell if someone was wise just by looking at them, and that was enough information for Ryo.

Of course, he could not logically explain how he knew.

He just knew, somehow.

“As for his voice, I can’t say…but Prince Kouri, who is 29 years old this year, excels in both the literary and martial arts, has strong political capabilities, and is excellent at foresight.”

“Ohh, that’s impressive.”

Ryo was surprised at the stark difference from the assessment of the Third Prince.

This is…

“He’s practically perfect.”

“Indeed, you could say he is close to perfect.”

Shau answered with a wry smile at Ryo’s remark.

“But you don’t like the Second Prince, do you, Shau-san?”

“No, no, that’s not true.”

Shau laughed and denied it as Ryo laughed while confirming.

But both Ryo and Abel understood that it was merely a formal denial.

Shau did not like the Second Prince.

And it was clear he would not say why…

“What I said is true. However…or rather, it is precisely because of that. That even after five years, the Emperor has not made Prince Kouri the Crown Prince.”

“Now that you mention it…”

Ryo nodded at Shau’s explanation.

Even though he excelled in both literary and martial arts, he had strong political and foresight capabilities…

And he was 29 years old, which was not too young to be Crown Prince.

In fact, it might even be considered late.

“Duke Rondo, that is all I can share.”

With those words, Secretary Shau ended the conversation.

TLN: Please read my translations at tseirptranslations.com, I did not give permission to any site to host my translations. 

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