Lady of the Lord From the East

This was a pleasant surprise for Felix, although he had known the news and was planning to convince the king to make it easier for him.

It doesn't matter if they are foreigners, bought in as captives or slaves, it is another matter to accept a large number of immigrants, and these refugees are currently gathered on the western border, which is still the domain of other nobles, and he wants to accept people. , no matter what, you have to get the permission of the king before you can act.

Now that he didn't mention it, the king opened his mouth first, which would be better, and Felix naturally did not refuse.

After leaving the palace, Felix returned to his residence, and arranged for someone to take the king's hand letter to the border to recruit people. Because he had already planned to do so, he brought enough troops this time, and part of it was prepared for this, so he mobilized very convenient.

After dispatching the recruiting team, Felix found Kingsley.

Kingsley, who was sent to the capital some time ago, has been following up with the mercenaries who kidnapped Wei Wei. He led a team of men to steal three mercenaries from the remote monastery, including Bishop Umberto. The other people in the monastery didn't even notice their actions, and by the time they noticed it was too late.

Of course, arresting people and leaving is not the only action. Kingsley also left people to monitor the monastery to see if he could find out who was contacting them.

However, the three people in the monastery did not respond much to the sudden disappearance of the three people. Perhaps there was a commotion for a while at the beginning, but they soon recovered under the interference of the courtyard. This is not very surprising. At first, there was no him. Agreed, it is also impossible for the three mercenaries to hide in the monastery.

The soldiers who were monitoring later did not find that the abbot had sent letters or went out, but they still found some clues-although he did not go out, he had a brief contact with the woodcutter who came to deliver firewood. This pair was asked to Not to miss any possible watchers.

Unfortunately, they followed the woodcutter and even took him back for interrogation, but the results were not ideal. The woodcutter did not know anything about the inside story. He used to send firewood to the monastery on a regular basis. In recent months, some people have spent money Make him pay attention to the abbot when he goes to the monastery, if the abbot does everything as usual, or if he does not see him, he will put a few stones on his window, and if he suddenly says something to him, he will take the stone Go and change to a bunch of wildflowers.

And today, the yard told him that, he should go and replace the stone, and then this work can no longer be continued.

After the interrogation came out, and it was determined that the woodcutter really didn't know anything, they put the man back and asked him to cooperate and continue to put stones on the windowsill, and at the same time sent people to watch there, but maybe the woodcutter was afraid The appearance is too obvious. They squatted around the woodcutter's house for several days without finding any suspicious people. This clue is basically broken.

Felix asked Kingsley: "How about those guys?"

Kingsley looked at his master with admiration: "One is almost crazy, and the other two don't look very good, but they are all recruited. They did lie before."

The three mercenaries were not locked in the earl's house, but in the house belonging to Allen outside the city. On the first day Felix arrived in the capital, a small dark room was set up, and he asked They have to keep people inside for a day and a night, and they are not allowed to release them until the time is up, and no one is allowed to talk to them during this time.

Kingsley complied, and they got three half-madmen who weren't far from collapse.

The three mercenaries who didn't tell the truth under torture were released from the dark room and confessed immediately. They were so eager that they seemed to be locked up again later.

This effect is really good and scary. You must know that the three mercenaries were all stubborn. Even if they were tortured and forced to confess, they did not reveal their real employers. It's like going crazy all of a sudden.

Like other knights who were curious and killed themselves, Kingsley also sneaked in and tried it, and then he came out silently within half an hour.

The feeling of being surrounded by darkness and not being able to see anything but yourself as if the whole world is gone is really bad.

"The person they said this time was Baron Clift." Kingsley said, "All three said so."

Clift, Lord of the Seals of the King.

Felix tapped the table with a rhythmic clattering sound as he recalled the man's profile in his mind.

As the Lord of the Seals, Baron Clift's family is not very famous, but he himself is highly valued by the king, otherwise he would not be able to take this position, and the position of the Lord of the Seals is now responsible for keeping the national seal and helping the king draft , Issuing all kinds of documents, their own rights are not too big or too small, and if they are more courageous, they can even forge the king's orders, so the person who can sit in this position must be the king's confidant.

If it really is him, then things will be a bit troublesome. Felix is ​​not sure that the king will be on his side. After all, Wei Wei has not been hurt much. After the king knows who the initiator is, he will probably only ask K. Baron Lift apologized to them without any substantial punishment.

Especially since more than half a year has passed, the king will not remember that when the incident just happened, he worried about his own safety.

After a long time, Felix asked, "Do you think what they said this time is true?"

Kingsley nodded affirmatively: "I think yes, they provided some other evidence, and I have sent someone to get it."

The confessions this time are more real than before. The three mercenaries also confessed the process of connecting them with the butler of Baron Clift’s house, as well as some evidence of mastering each other’s information. After all, they are mercenaries. They are only commissioned. The reason for not confessing is because of the only professional ethics, and the evidence left is also worried that the employer will suddenly repent and push them out as scapegoats, just like the two "companions" they killed.

The evidence was quickly brought to Felix, a set of women's clothes and a half-burned letter.

There is the Clift family crest on the clothes, embroidered on the inside of the inconspicuous collar. This is the dress of the noble lady they used to disguise when they carried out the kidnapping. It should be an old lady of the Clift family. Clothes, I choose this set probably because if I buy new clothes, it is easy to be investigated, and old clothes do not have such concerns. They only need to be destroyed afterwards, but they do not want to be left as evidence by the mercenaries.

As for the letter, when the other party asked them to hide in the monastery, the baron wrote a letter from the abbot. Only his own letter could make the abbot agree to hide in the monastery. Originally, the letter agreed to be read by the abbot. What was destroyed later, only the three mercenaries attracted the attention of the dean during the burning process, and intercepted the remaining half of the unburned second half, which not only had the autograph of Baron Clift, but also Covered with a family crest, it can be vaguely seen that he asked the dean to help him hide people, which can be said to be the most direct evidence.

Felix gently raised the half-burned parchment, a little puzzled by the other party's actions: "Since two people have already been dealt with, why not deal with the remaining three? His tone took great pains to hide them. Get up, isn't it better to solve it directly?"

Kingsley: "Those three have answered that question before." He agreed and was curious about it at the time, so he asked.

"Baron Clift originally planned to deal with them, but it was discovered when the first two people were dealt with. They threatened Baron Clift with the fact that they had evidence in their hands and that a third party would help keep them, but the other party would not Dare to do it."

Mercenaries are not easy to mess with. They live a life of licking blood with a knife, and they use their lives to make money. If they are careless, they will lose themselves. These three mercenaries are also famous in the industry, and they know people It is not difficult to find someone to help preserve the evidence. Probably the other party was afraid that he would confront Felix directly after the incident was exposed, so he did not act rashly.

As a result, the mercenary did leave evidence, but not to others, but to find a safe and hidden place to hide, and now it has fallen into Felix's hands.

With these, plus the confessions provided by the three mercenaries, it can be determined that they have found the mastermind this time.

Knowing who the real culprit is, things will be great.

Felix didn't go to the king to judge, he knew it was useless, at most it was just a verbal apology and a compensation, but this was not the result Felix wanted.

He is not ready to kill Baron Clift for the time being, he just wants to knock down the family from its current position, and then slowly clean up.

The first thing to do is to get the king to lose faith in Baron Clift.

The position of the Lord of the Seals can be very delicate. If Baron Clift has ever cheated on the king for personal gain, even a trivial one is enough to shake the king's trust in him, because there is no easier way to fake the king than this position. ordered.

Felix had investigated three behind-the-scenes suspects. At that time, he knew that the baron was not honest. Otherwise, with him as a baron, their family's spice business would not be so big, accounting for almost half of the market in the capital. .

If he once forged the king's order, and the things related to the people of the church are exposed, with the king's disgust for the church, I am afraid that Clift's position will be lost.

Most importantly, when Felix was still a knight, he stumbled upon Baron Clift who was privately walking very close to a member of the royal family who was the third in line to the heir after the two princes. There was nothing in it, he didn't quite believe it.

I didn't know who kidnapped Wei Wei before. Felix wouldn't intervene in the royal family's affairs until he was sure about it. Now, he can reveal a little about it. Of course, it's not himself. to do it.

Although the position of the Minister of the Seal is still like the king's personal butler, it is still very attractive to many nobles with little power.

...

When Felix was busy in the capital causing trouble for the enemy who had already established his identity and pulling him off his horse, in the castle in Sardinson County, Wei Wei took her pulse again.

Her menstrual period this month has been delayed for half a month, but there is still no sign of her coming, and her pulse is gradually showing signs of slipping. There are no other symptoms, and her pregnancy is basically confirmed.

"Really?" Hearing Wei Wei's judgment, Penny, who was the only one present, wanted to cheer happily. She turned around and wanted to go out and announce the good news: "I'm going to inform others!"

"Come back." Wei Wei stopped her: "Don't talk about it for now."

In the latter's suspicious eyes, she touched her belly with a hint of joy and tenderness: "I'm going to surprise Felix."

Of course, this kind of good thing should be told to the person concerned first, but unfortunately Felix is ​​not here now. If he finds out later than the others when he comes back, he will probably be unhappy.

She can't write to him at this time to tell him the news. Who knows if the guy will be impulsive and run back without any concern. Based on what she knows about him, it's very possible.

So Wei Wei plans to continue to hide it for the time being, and the current month is too small, there is still a certain possibility of misdiagnosis, and when Felix comes back, the month is just right, don't worry about it.

Penny originally wanted to inform the others because of Wei Wei's words, but she thought about how happy the Count would be when she heard the news, and couldn't help but snicker.

"So do you want to tell Qin and the others?"

In the end, it is a maid, although it is still hidden, but I don't know when I will find out.

After all, they are also very concerned about Wei Wei's body.

Wei Wei thought for a while: "You can tell Qin, and the others don't talk about it."

Jean is very sensible and will listen to her without telling her. Karma is also a secret keeper, and the remaining three maids are more or less likely to reveal it to the housekeeper, and the housekeeper can't hide it from Felix. So I can't say that Karma's identity is a bit special. In order not to cause conflicts between the maids, let's not even talk about her. Only Qin and Penny are the people who followed her from the beginning. Their status is different, even if they know It won't be so.

As Wei Wei said, Penny went to Qin and secretly told her the good news. The latter was also happy for her mistress, and she happily helped to cover it up, just waiting for the earl to give it to him when he returned. a surprise.

But although he didn't say it, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Countess was in a very happy mood recently, but everyone thought it was because of this year's autumn harvest. But Butler Barton noticed something was wrong, but he was busy with this and that recently. In my spare time, I naturally don't have the heart to ponder the secrets, and I miss the opportunity to discover surprises in advance.

This year's autumn harvest is the richest harvest in Sardinson County's history. The harvest of various crops has almost doubled compared to the past, which makes people wonder if they are dreaming, and they are about to harvest an extra batch of oats. .

Because this batch of oats was planted after the wheat was harvested, it will grow later than other grain crops, but the estimated time of maturity will not affect the autumn sowing of wheat, and Wei Wei plans to start from here next year. A portion of the land for oat planting is planted with corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., so even if the harvest is slowed down, it will not affect anything.

Compared with the harvest of oats, barley and beans, Wei Wei is most concerned about rice.

When she came back from the capital this year, she transplanted all the plants that were not suitable for the climate of Sardinesburg to Melk, including rice.

Rice is not to say that it is completely unsuitable for the climate in the manor. On the contrary, the climate of Sardinson Castle is similar to that of northern China. It is still possible to plant it, but paddy fields are no better than dry land. This kind of project is carried out with great fanfare in Li, so the plant is dry land, and no paddy field is produced. Therefore, the yield of rice during the autumn harvest last year was very low.

Her rice is naturally not hybrid rice. Although it is a high-yielding variety, the yield per mu is only about 800 to 1,000 catties. The yield per mu is still much higher. One thousand rice plants only received 100 catties of paddy. Obviously, the yield is unqualified, but the rice variety is originally used as upland rice, so the reduction in yield is certain.

Among them, she also used part of the 100 catties of rice to make foundation, and this year, she has lost another part of the seeds.

This year, she asked people to build paddy fields in Melk, and transplanted the rest of the rice after raising seedlings. If hybrid rice is used for raising seedlings, an acre of paddy field needs only two or three catties of seeds, while conventional rice seeds need ten or ten pounds. She only planted about 8 mu of rice with less than 100 jin of rice in the end.

During the autumn harvest, these fields were the first to be harvested, and the serf brought back 6,000 catties of rice to Wei Wei, which was not considered a bumper harvest, but it did not reduce the yield too much.

The rice that was sent back was not hulled. Even so, Wei Wei couldn't help covering her face with a fan when she saw them, and secretly swallowed. She hadn't eaten rice for a long time.

There is so much rice that will be enough for next year, and because the cost of rice cultivation in Europe is high, and the climate is not suitable, it is easy to reduce production. Wei Wei does not plan to plant it on a large scale, and only grows a little to maintain her own living. It is almost necessary.

So Wei Wei simply asked someone to take the rice and husked 300 catties of rice, then cooked a pot of white rice for herself, and fried a few side dishes to accompany the rice.

This time, she did not invite the whole castle to eat, but chose to open a small stove by herself.

Although rice is not common in Europe, it still exists. However, the dietary structure of Europeans makes it difficult for them to accept rice, which is tasteless and more expensive than wheat. Only the nobles will buy some early adopters and show off their wealth. Therefore, Wei Wei's behavior of eating alone did not attract any criticism, and everyone even wondered how their hostess would like to eat this kind of tasteless food.

But seeing Wei Wei eating alone at the table—Father Matthew has been eating alone recently in order to avoid suspicion—Steward Barton decided to take the time to go to Dingle to find out if there were any foreign merchants selling it. If you don't have rice, you can find a businessman who has a way to make an order, and let your wife eat as much as you like in the future.

Wei Wei, who hasn't tasted rice for a whole year, misses it. Although the pounded rice was broken due to technical problems, it didn't affect the taste at all. She could not wait to eat rice for three meals in the future. She is from the South People, I used to eat rice without food, and I ate bread and western food for a year. Now that I eat rice again, I am moved to tears.

After eating several meals of rice, Wei Wei finally got rid of her cravings and began to save a little bit. She hopes that the remaining rice can be eaten by the rice harvest next year. Although she does not plan to plant it on a large scale, it is good to have a little variety. of.

Wei Wei, who had satisfied her appetite, finally had time to see Raymond.

Raymond lay in the guest room for a month, and his bones were about to fall apart. Every time he saw Wei Wei, he asked him when he could get off the ground. Wei Wei was very annoying, and her workload increased when Felix left. After that, I simply left the job of changing Raymond's dressings to Karma and his servants. Anyway, the two of them had been helping each other when she changed dressings. Wei Wei trained a little bit, and Karma also mastered it. The technique of applying plaster bandages, with the help of servants, can still be done by changing the medicine for Raymond.

She went there this time mainly to see if Raymond could remove the cast, and bring him a present by the way.

"I had someone do this for you."

Wei Wei clapped her hands, and the servant pushed a wheelchair into the room.

The all-wooden wheelchair is very heavy, but with this Raymond, he doesn't have to be stuck in the room all day - although he can get out of bed even after removing the plaster cast, he can move freely with a cane, but having a wheelchair is a must. Take it easy.

Of course, because Raymond's current guest room is on the third floor of the castle, and it is not easy to get in and out of a wheelchair, Wei Wei has already asked the servant to clean up a suitable room on the first floor and intends to transfer Raymond there.

Knowing that he could get out of bed, Raymond readily agreed, and after seeing the wheelchair, he didn't worry about whether he would be able to walk normally in the future. Even if he couldn't, sitting in the wheelchair would not prevent him from doing experiments.

Nothing is more important than this.

"Even if you can go to the ground, it doesn't mean you can go back to the laboratory." Wei Wei saw through his thoughts at a glance: "Don't forget, your laboratory has been bombed, and the new one has not yet been built."

In fact, it has been built almost. Now the construction team can build the house efficiently. The large-scale experimental building named the research institute is only one storey high, and it does not need any decoration inside and outside. It won't take long, it can be done in a month, and the interior decoration is already underway, and it is not far from the alchemists moving in, but Wei Wei is not going to tell Raymond for the time being.

She took off the plaster of Raymond's leg injury and checked the degree of healing of the wound. It took a month for the wound to grow almost long, and the stitches had been removed before. Now the wound looks slightly smaller than the skin in other places except for the scar. It protrudes a little, but there are no other problems, it is obviously grown.

As for the bones inside, she couldn't take a film and could only check it by herself. After some careful groping, she said that she could stop wearing plaster bandages in the future.

"Does that mean I can go down?"

Wei Wei nodded: "It's okay to go down to the ground, but this leg can't bear weight and can't walk for a long time, and then we can almost start to resume training."