Imperial Crown

Additional chapter for the 588 Qidian coins rewarded by the QQ reading boss [Yangyangdeyi @]!

…

Weddings are never just for newlyweds.

Although there is no saying of getting up early to greet in this world, the guests are still there, so the newlyweds Raven and Nancy have to get up early, dispel their tiredness and sleepiness, come to the hall, and face the guests in the best appearance.

Walking all the way inside, no matter how impatient they are, they have to greet the nobles they meet with a smile until they reach the innermost table.

Marquis Anthony, Earl Tyrone, Archbishop Thomas and Earl Montreal, the most important guests of this wedding are here, chatting and laughing.

The atmosphere seems harmonious, but the positions are clearly divided.

Anthony and Thomas sat in the middle, one on the left and one on the right, while Tyrone and Montreal sat next to them respectively.

Raven brought Nancy over, bowed first, and then sat down together.

"You're just in time. We were just talking about you." Thomas said.

"The Count of Montreal has found real gold." Marquis Anthony said, "It's really enviable to marry his daughter to an outstanding noble like Baron Raven."

Tyrone was not stingy with his praise: "Yes, if my daughter hadn't married yet, I would definitely compete with Montreal."

Nancy likes to be in the limelight and be the focus of everyone's eyes.

In the past, she would definitely be angry because they didn't value her, but now that she has become Raven's wife, she is also proud of others praising Raven, and there is also a sense of pride in having a treasure all to herself.

Montreal was the most proud, of course: "I know that Raven is excellent, but my Fox family is an earl family, while the Griffith family is only a baron, which is somewhat inappropriate."

"So as early as after the engagement, I recommended Raven to His Majesty the King, hoping to promote his title to Viscount."

"I think His Majesty the King will not reject my small proposal, right?"

Montreal did not raise his voice deliberately, but it was enough for people to hear it clearly, and it was passed on, so that other guests who were already paying attention here caught this sentence.

Among them was Viscount John, the original owner of Xuefeng Territory.

He had a good relationship with the Griffith family, and he had fought side by side with Raven. He knew Raven's abilities best, but he did not expect that Raven would be recommended by the Fox family!

Although Raven's territory was no less than any viscount, and his wealth and strength were not bad, he was only a baron after all.

The gap between titles was like a natural moat, and the probability of a family being extinct was much higher than being promoted to a title!

From Viscount John's perspective, Montreal has lost its title of governor, and the Fox family has been bled, which should be enough to appease the anger of His Majesty the King.

Taking the initiative to apply for the title of nobility for Raven is the first step to ease the relationship between the monarch and the ministers, and His Majesty the King has no reason not to agree.

Baron Raven has really found a good marriage partner.

Viscount John is envious, and besides him, there are people who are really happy for Raven, such as Denise, but Nancy feels the most deeply.

She sat next to Raven with a smile from the heart on her face.

Because she had contact with Raven earlier, she always knew Raven's ambition and appreciated it.

In fact, if it weren't for Raven's desperate and crazy enterprising spirit, his magic talent and handsome appearance alone would not have won Nancy's heart.

Now his efforts have paid off.

My father has always been very cautious. Since he has told this news, he must be fully confident that Raven is likely to be promoted to Viscount and he can also become Viscountess.

The most important thing is that with this opportunity, the two families can become closer, and Nancy doesn't have to be caught in the middle.

It was this point that made Marquis Anthony lower his eyelids.

He cursed Montreal for being shameless in his heart.

According to the plan, he will officially take office as the governor of Nord Province in 2-3 months. At that time, he will take this opportunity to return to the capital and present Raven's gift.

Originally, Raven was not in line with the rules for serving as the county governor with the title of baron. As long as His Majesty the King remembered Raven's existence, his promotion to Viscount was a foregone conclusion.

If Anthony's plan was followed, he would not only be able to please His Majesty the King, but also take the credit of "lobbying the King" without any obstacles, show favor to Raven, pull Raven to his side, and facilitate the work in Nord Province.

But now, Montreal has taken the lead!

Based on Anthony's understanding of His Majesty the King, Montreal's application is likely to be approved.

The key is that Anthony cannot interfere.

Indeed, it is very simple to block it. Just take away Raven's gift and say something bad, and it is very likely to destroy Raven's promotion.

But Raven is not only a border baron now, he also has the Fox family as a marriage partner, and he is qualified to contact His Majesty the King.

If Raven exposes the fact that he took away the gift through Montreal, the problem will be too big!

And if the gift is returned, it will not only completely tear Raven apart, but also push Raven to the Fox family.

At that time, Montreal will pay tribute to the precious Angel's Glory to Keynes XVI, and the moody King may restore Montreal's title of Governor General when he is happy!

Raven, the key point is still Raven.

Raven and the Fox family are getting closer and closer, which is a big trouble for him. He must find a way to break the situation!

In contrast, Earl Tyrone was much calmer and just raised his eyelids slightly.

In fact, Tyrone had long guessed that since Montreal had taken a fancy to Raven, he would definitely do his best to tie Raven to their chariot, and it was only natural to recommend him to become a viscount.

But Tyrone did not tell Marquis Anthony about this guess.

Because it would not be good for Tyrone.

Admittedly, he and Anthony have the same goal in destroying the Fox family, but the fundamental interests of the two families are not the same.

He only wants to make the Fox family decline, not to kill the Fox family.

If the Fox family is really gone, there will definitely be someone else to replace this ecological niche, and the most likely one is Marquis Anthony.

He is much more difficult to deal with than Montreal.

According to Earl Tyrone's idea, Anthony and Montreal have been fighting each other, and as a smart monkey, watching the two tigers fight on the mountain is the best choice.

As for Archbishop Thomas, he knew about Montreal's move, but he didn't care about it, and even supported it.

Raven is very important.

If you want to make a difference in the Nord Province, you can't avoid this rising star.

The deeper he is tied to the Fox family, the better it is for the Church of Light.

The people present are all veterans in politics and experts in acting. Even if there are waves in their hearts, they will not easily show their emotions, so there is not even a pause, and the conversation continues.

Everyone tacitly did not mention Raven's promotion to Viscount, but was really chatting.

It was noon, and Marquis Anthony rubbed his stomach: "I'm a little hungry after talking for so long."

"I've heard that the Wallace Hotel is not only unique and exquisite in appearance, but also delicious and novel in dishes, and the view is also quite good. Why don't we arrange lunch there?"

For such a small issue, of course, others would not argue with Anthony, and they all agreed.

Raven first sent someone to make arrangements. About half an hour later, he set off with several people and came to the Wallace Hotel.

After being able to produce glass on its own, the exterior walls of the Wallace Hotel were renovated and all self-produced glass was used. Not only is it smoother and more transparent, but the bubbles have basically disappeared, which surprised several bigwigs and praised Raven's creativity.

When you come to the Wallace Hotel, you can't miss the hot pot.

In the aristocratic circle, "free and easy" seems to be a trend unique to high-ranking nobles. The higher the status, the less they care about etiquette.

The hot pot was eaten lively. Marquis Anthony unbuttoned his collar, Earl Tyrone took off his coat, and Montreal sat sideways, looking like three unkempt old men.

At the end of the meal, the hot pot was removed and replaced with desserts and fine wine.

Marquis Anthony put a spoonful of iced cheese into his mouth, his eyes drifted out the window, and he asked casually, "Baron Raven, the building next to it is the famous Colosseum, right?"

"It's not famous." Raven said modestly, "But it is indeed a place for people to duel and have fun."

"Such a grand scale is not shabby in the imperial capital." Marquis Anthony suddenly sighed, "Alas, no matter how long our nobles have been passed down, they all started with military merits, but now that peace has lasted too long, many people have neglected the cultivation of military power and the training of strength."

"If it weren't for this, the chaos of the Hand of Death Cult two years ago would not have caused such a big loss!"

Montreal looked a little unhappy, but he immediately covered it up.

"So, I have a suggestion." Marquis Anthony looked at Raven with a smile on his face: "You and Miss Nancy are newly married, so there should be an event to celebrate, and there happens to be such a grand arena."

"Why not hold a competition? First, it can make your wedding more lively; second, it can also show the martial style of our Nord Province nobles. What do you think?"

Raven did not answer immediately.

Competitions were once very popular in the Middles Continent. From one-on-one battles, to one-on-many challenges, to each person leading a team to fight, there are all kinds of tricks.

Originally, this was held by lords from all over the country to train soldiers and recruit talents, but as time went by, the continent became more stable, and the five major human forces took shape, and this activity gradually disappeared.

Nowadays, when the mainland mentions "competitions", it simply refers to the knights sent by each family to perform one-on-one battles, which is a common entertainment activity when nobles get together.

This itself is nothing, but the timing of Anthony's proposal is quite interesting.

He first mentioned the rebellion of the Death Hand Cult, and the retrial of military merits had just been completed. It was hard not to think that this was aimed at the Fox family.

Did he want to take this opportunity to show his military power and use it to hit the Fox family?

Raven's guess was not completely accurate.

Because Marquis Anthony was not really targeting Fox, but Raven.

This was a plan that Marquis Anthony had conceived since the morning. The means was competitive fighting, and the purpose was to make Raven recognize the situation.

The Fox family could not be relied on, and Anthony and the royal power he represented were reliable enough.

Montreal also noticed the deep meaning of Anthony's words, but he could not jump out to refute it directly.

This was an invisible knife, secretly cutting the relationship between the Fox family and Raven.

A trace of anger rose from Montreal's heart.

From the review of military merits to now, Marquis Anthony has been pressing forward step by step, and Montreal has retreated again and again. Now there is no place to retreat, but Anthony is still not satisfied.

Competition? Okay, let's compete to see who is stronger.

Thinking of this, before Raven spoke, Montreal said:

"Marquis Anthony has been in the capital for a long time, and he really doesn't know enough about the Nord Province."

"The war two years ago did destroy half of the Nord Province, and even Earl Tyrone's Snake Castle was breached."

"But it is also true that the nobles of this province fought bravely and fought for the first place!"

"Since Marquis Anthony has doubts, let's do as you say and have a competition to show you the backbone of our Nord people!"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Marquis Anthony knew that he had said the wrong thing, and Montreal caught him and set him against the nobles of the entire Nord Province.

But the words had already been said, and no matter what he said at this time, it would only aggravate the misunderstanding.

At this time, Earl Tyrone said in an admiring tone: "Marquis Anthony really understands human nature and knows how to inspire the courage of warriors with anger."

"The reason you made this proposal is to take this opportunity to select qualified warriors and enrich your team."

"You won't blame me for revealing your good intentions in advance, right?"

Montreal snorted in his heart. Tyrone's words resolved the offensive in his words, just like his military management, without any leaks.

Marquis Anthony was also relieved: "Haha, of course not, Earl Tyrone, you are really wise."

"Otherwise, we would not have risked the castle being breached, and we would have concentrated the main force of the Death Hand Cult around the city of Monn to prepare for the subsequent annihilation war!"

Archbishop Thomas laughed and said, "Speaking of this, someone in the Nord Province has used the same tactics, Baron Raven, don't you think so?"

Nancy became interested: "There is such a thing? Raven, tell me quickly!"

Raven knew that Thomas was referring to the matter of luring the horse thieves to attack the Eagle Castle and then encircling and annihilating it.

The tactics that time were not actually appropriate, and Raven did not intend to brag about it: "How can my little cleverness compare with Baron Tyrone? You really think too highly of me."

"But speaking of it, since you all agree to hold the competition, I will send someone to arrange it now?"

As the initiator, Marquis Anthony would not refute; Tyrone stood on Anthony's side, and there was no reason to refuse.

Montreal hopes to take this opportunity to show off the Fox family's muscles and let the outside world know that the Fox family has lost only its reputation, not its strength!

Seeing that everyone has reached a consensus, Archbishop Thomas spoke at the right time: "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, I will also join in the fun."

"And, since it has been decided to hold the competition, there is one thing that everyone has forgotten?"

Raven thought for a while:

"You mean, the prize of this conference?"

...