Same light

The detectors deployed far away abroad sent back news that a small fleet had already entered the detection range.

In such a tense situation, the empire held a coronation ceremony.

This is destined to be an important stroke in the history of the empire, because this is the first emperor to announce the change of era after the founding emperor.

In the vast space, human beings have found another civilization of the same origin, and entered a new era.

As for whether people will mention this era in the future, whether the background will be clear or gloomy depends entirely on the emperor who personally announced the opening of the new era. The emperor who just ascended the throne announced in his enthronement speech that he would personally conquer the battle. defeat.

"This is against the rules!"

At the dinner, Duke McCann held a glass of red wine and complained dissatisfactorily to another Duke.

"Your Majesty is too arbitrary. The cabinet hasn't made a final decision on the royal conquest, has it? He actually announced it directly on such an occasion—that's fine. Anyway, we knew in advance, so we weren't caught off guard. But the matter of conferring a prince with a different surname , too suddenly!"

Alfred conferred several princes during the coronation ceremony, among them was the new high priest, who was also the only prince with a different surname in this conferment.

Princes with different surnames are extremely rare in the entire history of the empire, so it surprised many people.

The Duke who was talking to Duke McCann was a distant uncle of Alfred. He did not respond to the complaint. Instead, a cold voice sounded behind the two of them.

"When does His Majesty need your consent to make a decision?"

The two turned around and saw one of the protagonists they were talking about, the high priest, walking towards them.

He was still wearing the snow-white and luxurious large priest robes at the ceremony. In order to reflect the prince's dignity, dazzling gold was added to the neckline, cuffs and hem of the priest robes—the gold representing the royal family.

This pattern pattern is a bit similar to the crown prince's dress, even somewhat like the emperor's dress.

In fact, it was only today that Xiu found out that the ceremonial robe had been changed into this.

The matter of becoming a prince was also very sudden to Xiu. If he knew in advance, he would definitely prevent Alfred from announcing such an unruly thing at the ceremony—but he is him, and others are others, so others cannot criticize Alfred was unruly.

Both dukes bowed to the high priest—now that the high priest is a prince, they need to bow and bow.

"You humiliate the young emperor, is this how you are loyal to the royal family?!" Xiu sternly taught.

Can an emperor who has grown up for two years be considered a young emperor?Who insulted him!

Duke McCann dared not speak out. Being reprimanded in public like this was a very serious matter. He never thought that the High Priest would deal with him so harshly just by complaining about the emperor behind his back.

But now, he can only bow down and admit his mistake.

"What's going on here?"

The crowd parted to two sides, Alfred walked in from the door, and people on both sides bowed to him.

He stopped beside Xiu and said, "Who upset the high priest?"

"It's already been dealt with, Your Majesty." Xiu said, "You don't have to worry about it."

Alfred said: "The high priest is unwilling to say, and I can guess."

He paced to the front of the banquet hall with a smile on his lips, but his pale yellow-brown eyes were cold.

"We gathered here to congratulate me and the new princes... However, it seems that not everyone is sincerely congratulating." He slowly looked around, "I always like to be direct and not to be devious. It’s a rare occasion for such a feast, so let’s take this opportunity to speak straight. Does anyone have any problems with the decisions I announced at the enthronement ceremony?”

Ever since the old emperor left the main planet, his confidant, the Duke of McCann, has been marginalized. Seeing that the new emperor can no longer reuse him, his political career is over, so he simply went all out to add some obstacles to the new little emperor.

"I have." He stood up and said.

Alfred didn't ask him what he thought, but asked: "I'm curious, if my father is here, would you dare to stand up and question his decision?"

Duke McCann froze for a moment.

Alfred asked again: "Is it because I am too young that you have the illusion that you can question it at will? You are all members of the royal family, or famous families, or important ministers of the empire. Don't you know that you are against the emperor in What does the decision announced at the enthronement ceremony mean?"

The orders issued by the emperor when he ascended the throne will definitely be carried out. If the decision made on the first day is opposed, it will be a blatant slap in the face of the new emperor.

Duke McCann suddenly realized that the hat was buttoned even bigger than the one the high priest gave him, and he hurriedly argued, "I'm not—"

But it was too late, or in other words, Alfred had already decided to take him to the fore, so it was impossible for him to defend himself.

His words had just begun, but suddenly stopped.

Halfway across the banquet hall, Alfred stretched out his hand and made a clamping motion, his eyes burned at the same time.

Duke McCann seemed to be choked by someone—no, he was really choked by something, and his neck was obviously sunken, as if he was pinched by an invisible palm. Scratching with both hands at the neck was of no avail.

There was silence in the hall, and the crowd watched the mime in fear. Many people probably thought that the emperor was going to kill this person in public.

Alfred's face was as calm as water, his eyes were burning and dancing, but his eyes were extremely cold.

He raised his hand that seemed to be pinching something, and then pushed it hard, only to see that Duke McCann seemed to be lifted into the air by someone pinching his neck, and then flew outwards, directly above the heads of the crowd. It flew over, shattered the gate and landed outside the banquet hall.

He fell to the ground moaning and coughing, and soon the guards came and dragged him away, and even that sound could not be heard.

"Anyone else have an opinion?" Alfred asked.

Those golden pupils were sweeping across everyone's faces one by one. No one dared to look at him. Everyone lowered their eyes to express their submission, except the high priest who was wearing a snow-white robe with gold patterns.

"Then we can continue the banquet." Alfred said calmly, as if he had just done a trivial thing, not throwing out a duke in public, but driving away a small bug, "Yes, There is one more thing, I announced it together while everyone was there. During my royal conquest, the High Priest and the Grand Marshal will jointly assist the government, and the Holy White Pagoda will temporarily take over the duties of the Holy Golden Palace. Does anyone have any opinions?"

A silence.

"Very well," said Alfred, "I hope you will keep in mind—"

He stood on the high platform, his burning golden pupils looked down on all the nobles of the empire.

"I am the empire!"

The grand banquet dispersed in the middle of the night.

The main hall of the Holy Gold Palace, which has been vacant for many days, ushered in a new master today—more than one new master.

When Alfred brought him into the bedroom, Xiu refused for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, everyone has gone back, and I should go back to the Holy White Tower."

"I have already told your servants that the high priest will stay in the Holy Golden Palace to discuss state affairs with me."

"Arguing not to leave the palace all night?"

"So what?" Alfred said indifferently, "Does anyone dare to say anything?"

With the appearance at the banquet, the majesty of the new emperor has been established, and indeed no one dares to say anything.

Speaking of this, Xiu was still a little angry, he said: "During the reign of the late emperor, I have never seen anyone who dared to confront the late emperor in public like that."

In fact, there was, that person was Alfred, but Xiu selectively ignored this fact.

"You are young, so they dare to bully you like this. These days, your decision-making has not been smooth, is it because of the same situation in those meetings?"

"It was like this before today. After all, I didn't ascend the throne, so what can I say?" Alfred snorted, "It will be different after today. If they weren't blind tonight, they would obviously have seen the end."

"Why didn't you tell me all this time?!" Xiu Da was annoyed, "Who were the people who disrespected you before? Give me the list!"

Alfred sniffed, and said aggrievedly: "There are a lot of people. I was afraid that you would be worried, so I kept holding back."

On the night when the new emperor ascended the throne, when many people were trembling and unable to sleep because of the shock of the new emperor, the fearful and awe-inspiring new emperor was half lying on the bed, accepting the love and comfort of the high priest.

"It's okay, it won't happen in the future." Xiu touched his younger brother's blond hair distressedly, completely forgetting how he strangled someone's neck and threw him out, "After you set off to the front line, I will take care of him." Fix them."

Alfred was leaning in Xiu's arms, receiving comfort contentedly, when he heard this, his body stiffened a bit.

Under Xiu's puzzled eyes, Alfred got up from his arms and sat up straight.

"Before I leave, there is one more thing..." he said, "the operation."

Xiu didn't speak.

"The doctors have been making preparations." Alfred said, "They said that it can be done tomorrow. I think, if it is to be done...as soon as possible, I can take care of you for a few days before leaving."

"Then tomorrow..." As Xiu said, he suddenly remembered that he still had a document that he hadn't finished sorting out—although it was not in a hurry, why didn't he do it tomorrow?

"The day after tomorrow." He changed his words, "The day after tomorrow, I have something to do tomorrow."

"Okay." Alfred said calmly.

His gaze was focused on Xiu's face, and he didn't look at Xiu's abdomen at all, as if the operation they were discussing had nothing to do with it.

Under the coercion of the golden pupil, Xiu was the only one who dared to look at Alfred, but now, he looked away and said: "I've been tired all day, let's rest."

Alfred didn't say anything more, reached out to hold Xiu's hand, and fell asleep with him.

Xiu lay motionless, not knowing how much time had passed.After a whole day of ceremonies and banquets, he was indeed tired, but after a long, long time, he still hadn't fallen asleep.

At this moment, the hand that had been holding him tightly let go of him.Hugh was taken aback, thinking that Alfred had noticed that he was not asleep.

He was about to open his eyes when he suddenly realized that Alfred didn't want to talk to him, but left his side instead.

Alfred got off the bed lightly, if Xiu hadn't been awake in the first place, it would be impossible for him to notice the movement.He got off the ground, and the direction of walking was not the bathroom, but out of the bedroom.

In the early morning when he just became emperor, he thought that Xiu had fallen asleep, so he quietly left the bedroom... Xiu was a little confused, why?

He couldn't hold back, and after Alfred left for a while, he got up and went out.

Alfred was no longer in the corridor, and a servant on duty at night was around the corner. Xiu summoned him and asked him softly.

"Where did your majesty go?"

The servants of the Holy Golden Palace were all told by ear and face, and no one dared not answer the words of the high priest. He truthfully pointed out the direction to Xiu: "Your Majesty does not allow me to follow."

Xiu walked in that direction. He was not familiar with the interior of the main hall of the Holy Gold Palace, and he didn't know where this road led.

All the way forward, he didn't see Alfred's figure. Xiu was a little suspicious that he had taken the wrong fork in the road. Just when he was about to return to the bedroom, he suddenly found some light shining from a room in front of him.

Xiu Fang walked lightly, and slowly approached the room, the door was open, Xiu stopped not far away, and saw the layout inside——

Soft carpets, bright walls, all kinds of childlike yet luxurious furniture...

It turned out to be a baby room.

Xiu stopped there, and for a moment, he had already naturally started to imagine that if there was a blond baby sleeping in that small, fenced crib, just like Alfred was when he was a child...

The man sitting on the soft sofa next to the crib moved, which woke Xiu up from his fantasy.

Alfred stood up, stretched out his hand and gently pushed the small crib, and the crib rocked gently.Under the soft light of the nursery, something crystal slipped down his face.

The young emperor was weeping.

Standing outside the door, Xiu could see clearly, his eyes widened, and he felt pain even to breathe.

——Alfred, he obviously complained exaggeratedly and acted like a baby for every little thing, just to be appeased.

Regarding the child's fate, in front of Xiu, he had always been very calm and never showed any extreme emotions.

But at this early morning, he secretly mourned for his child who could not come to the world alone in this unknown room.

Is this the first time?Xiu suddenly thought.Or, he has been in such pain, but I don't feel it?

He took a step forward, stepped out of the shadows, and walked towards the room.

The author says:

Note: It is adapted from the famous saying "I am the country" (l'etat, c'estmoi) by King Louis XIV of France.