Chapter 14 Chapter 9 A Cup of Tea

After returning to her dressing room, Elan hastily changed into her riding outfit with the help of Essender.She chose this white-haired maid as her maid. This slender, dignified woman was a little slow in her movements, but she knew exactly what she had to do and never wasted time in small talk.In fact, she rarely uttered a word beyond making suggestions about Elayne's clothes and saying, day in and day out, that Elayne was like her mother, Morgase.In a wide marble fireplace at the far end of the room, flames danced over thick logs, but the fire did little to keep the chill away.Elayne quickly put on a gown of fine blue wool, studded with tiny pearls on the high collar and sleeves.She wears a small dagger in a silver sheath on the carved silver belt around her waist, and a pair of blue velvet soft shoes embroidered with silver on her feet.She probably doesn't have time to change clothes before meeting the businessmen, and she has to make a memorable impression on those businessmen.She had to have Birgitte around her, and Birgitte in uniform would always impress people and give Birgitte a chance to take a break from meetings with businessmen.Elayne judged from the troubled and angry emotions in the back of her mind that the general of the Queen's Guard must have been stumped by the reports.She quickly put on the pearl earrings, and then told Essende that it was time to go back to her lodgings and warm herself by the fire.Yilan always felt that she had joint pain, but when she wanted to treat Ascend, he was rejected by Ascend.Anyway, Elayne was ready, and this time she wasn't going to wear the dauphine's tiara, which she kept on a small ivory jewel case on her dressing table.She doesn't have many jewels, and most of them have been mortgaged. When the armor she ordered is completed, the remaining jewels will probably be lost.She didn't need to worry about that right now, she needed a little alone time before she had to get on with her duties.

Elayne's living room, with its dark paneling and wide friezes carved with birds, had a tall fireplace with elaborate mantelpieces at each end.Both of these fireplaces radiated more heat than the one in the dressing room, but Elayne still felt that the carpet on the white tiles was necessary.To her surprise, Haven Norrie was already waiting for her here. It seemed that Duty had come to her on his own initiative. The head clerk stood up from a low-backed chair when Elayne entered the room.He hugged a leather binder to his chest, leaned slightly, and with two long legs, walked to the table with a spiral pattern in the center of the room.Norrie was tall and thin, with a long nose, and his thin white hair stuck out behind his ears in tufts of white feathers that always reminded Elayne of a heron.No matter how many copywriting clerks he had under his command, there was still a small ink stain on the lapel of his red uniform, but it was very old.Elayne had some suspicions that there was another ink stain on the back of the binder.This pose in formal uniform, with the binder cradled to her chest, was first made by Mama Haver, and it took Nori two days later to adopt it.Elayne didn't know if she did this to show her loyalty, or just because the chief maid did the same?

"Please forgive my rashness, Your Highness, but I do have important matters." Regardless of whether the matter was important or not, his voice was still as calm as ever. "It's okay, Manager Nori, but you don't have to worry." Nori winked at her, and Elan could only try not to let herself sigh.She thought Norrie might be a little deaf, and when they were talking, he would often tilt his head, as if to hear better, and maybe that was why his voice never changed in any way.Elayne raised her voice a little, but Nori would be offended if it was too loud. "Please sit down and tell me something important."

Elayne settled into an armchair away from the table and pointed to another chair, but Norey remained standing, as he always did.Elayne had to cross one leg over the other, straighten her skirt, and get ready for the report. Norey didn't pull out his binder, he had every word of the document in his head, and this document was just for Elayne to see with her own eyes. "Your Highness, the most urgent and possibly the most important thing is that a large number of alums, and the most elite alums, have been found in your estate in Danaba. I believe that if those bankers know about this, they...for me An investigation in your name would be less hesitant." He smiled, just a slight curl of his lips, but to Norrie it was almost the equivalent of a cheer.

Elayne sat up straight when Norey mentioned alum, a big smile on her face.She also wanted to jump for joy a little bit.If it had been someone other than Norrie standing across from her, perhaps she would have actually jumped up for joy.She was so happy that even Birgitte's irritation in her head seemed to subside for a moment.Dyeing workshops and weaving workshops all need a large amount of alum, and glass workshops and papermaking workshops cannot do without alum. Haidan was the only source of high-quality alum in the past. With the support of the trade tax on alum alone, the royal family of Haidan has been passed down safely for many generations.But while the olive oil of Tyre and the gemstones of Elafe also provided great wealth to both nations, the politics of these two nations have always been rather chaotic.

"This is really important news, Norrie. It's the best news I've heard today." This is probably the happiest thing she has ever heard since she returned to Caemlyn. At least, it must be the best news of the day. news. "So, how much time do you need to get rid of the banker's 'hesitation'?" This so-called "hesitation" is more like the banker closing the door in front of Elan: they know how many people with swords are behind Elan; How many people with swords are behind the enemy.But Elayne believed that the alum treasure could bring the bankers over, and Norrie believed in that too.

"It shouldn't take much time, Your Highness. I believe I can tell them with the right words. If they can't provide us with enough assistance, I can only send a request to Tyre or Cairhien. They should not be willing to lose this A lot of money, Your Highness." It was still such a bland voice, completely unlike other men who might reveal a little bit of complacent emotion in their voice. "Of course, we need a lot of loans to mine the deposits and transport the ore. Dhanaba is in the mountains, and it's a long way from Lugard Avenue, but we should still be able to raise enough funds to satisfy you. The needs of the guards, and your determination to support your establishment of the school, Your Highness."

"If you don't try to dissuade me from building a school, I'll probably need more funds than you can imagine, Nori." Elayne almost laughed.Nori guards Andor's treasury like a hen guarding a hen's coop. He once resolutely opposed Elayne's establishment of a school in Caemlyn according to Rand's order. He kept arguing with Elayne about this matter until Elayne felt His voice was like a drill that went right into her head.So far, there are only a dozen scholars in Caemlyn's school, and they are scattered among several inns in the new city with their students.But even in this harsh winter, scholars kept coming to Caemlyn, and now they were already asking for more space to move around.Elayne wasn't going to give them a palace, but she still wanted to give them an explanation.Nori is trying to plan for Andor's gold; but she wants to plan for Andor's future.The doomsday war is coming, but she must believe that Andor still has a future, no matter whether Rand will smash the world into pieces again.She can't just sit and wait, she has no other choice but to move forward, even if the final battle is about to end everything, she doesn't believe that she is helpless.Rand established the school, perhaps to preserve as much as possible when the world ends.But Andor's school would be Andor's, not Rand Arthur's, and its name would be The Rose School, in honor of Morgase Trancan.There must be a future in which the mother's name will not be forgotten. "Or do you think Cairhien's gold will flow to Andor because of the Dragon Reborn?"

"I still believe that our risk is not too great, Your Highness. But we should pay attention to Tar Valon's movements." His voice did not change, but he was clearly disturbed, and his fingers tapped the chest on his chest a few times. binder. "...the White Tower issued a statement acknowledging...Lord Rand is the Dragon Reborn and offering him...protection and guidance. That statement also announced a curse on all who approached the Dragon Reborn outside the White Tower Your Highness, it is wise to pay attention to Tar Valon's anger, and you know this." He looked meaningfully at the giant snake ring on Elayne's hand.Of course Nori knew about the split of the White Tower, and probably only the sharecroppers in Seresin didn't know about it now.Norrie has not asked Elayne which side he supports, but he has said the "White Tower" instead of the "Jade Throne", which has already shown his consideration.Only the light can know what kind of character "Lord Rand" is in his heart.Elayne didn't blame him for that, he was a cautious man, which was what the position required.

But Elayne was still shocked by Elaida's announcement. She frowned and fingered the ring on her finger thoughtfully.Elaida had worn the ring longer than she had lived, an arrogant, obsessive woman who couldn't see anything but herself, but was definitely not stupid. "Did she really think he would accept the announcement?" she said, half-mumbling, "Protection and guidance? Can't imagine any better support!" Guidance?No one can guide Rand, not even with a whip! "According to the letter sent by my friend in Cairhien, he may have accepted it, Your Highness." Norrie will never admit that he is in charge of any spy organization. scoffed.The duties of the steward were to manage the wealth of the state, supervise the administrative staff of the capital, and make various policy recommendations to the king.He certainly doesn't have the kind of eye-liner network that the Aes Sedai and some Aes Sedai have, but he does have correspondence with some knowledgeable and well-informed people in other capitals, so he's always aware of the situation. can accurately grasp. "My friend sends a pigeon a week, and just before she sent a pigeon last time, it seems someone attacked the Sun Palace with the Power."

"The Supreme Power?" Elayne exclaimed, shivering. Nori nodded, still looking as if he was reporting the progress of the street repairs: "My friend said that the attack could be an Aes Sedai, a Martyr, or even a Forsaken. I'm afraid she is in this case." There were only rumors relayed. The Dragon Reborn wing of the Sun Palace was badly damaged and the Dragon Reborn himself disappeared. Many believed that he had gone to Tar Valon and was about to kneel on the Emerald Throne Some people believe he died in that attack, but not many people think so. I advise you not to take any action until you have a clear understanding of the situation.” He paused, turning his head in thought , and then said slowly: "Your Highness, according to my observation of him, I don't believe that he will die unless I sit in front of his corpse for three days." Elayne was almost petrified, it was very much like a joke, a wisecrack, but Haven Norrie never told a joke!Nor did she believe that Rand would die, not at all.As for kneeling in front of Elaida, it was absolutely impossible for that stubborn guy to do so.As long as he can bow his head to Egwene, many difficult things can be overcome, but he can never do this, Egwene is still his childhood friend.Elaida wanted him to kneel rather than teach a goat how to dance.But who the hell attacked him?Certainly the Seanchan's power could not reach Cairhien.If the Forsaken had decided to act openly, the damage to the world would have been far more horrific.The worst possible is the Martyr.If Rand's own warriors turned against him... no!She couldn't protect him, no matter how much he needed her protection.He can only protect himself. Stupid man!Yilan said bitterly in her heart.Rand was always waving his flag around, as if he was afraid no one would kill him!You'd better protect yourself, Rand Arthur, or I'll slap you, stupid bastard, when you fall into my hands! "What else did your friends say, Steward Norrie?" she asked aloud, pushing Rand aside.She still has no way to meet Rand, and now she can only devote all her energy to Andor's affairs. Norrie's friends had said a lot more, though some of the information was quite old.Not everyone knows how to use carrier pigeons. Some letters delivered by reliable merchants often take several months to reach the recipients; some unscrupulous merchants often charge the postage, but throw the letters aside.Very few people have enough money to hire a postman.Elayne had thought about setting up a royal postal network when the situation allowed.Norrie told her regretfully that when he received letters from Abedar and Amador, the messages recorded in the letters had often been circulating in the streets of Caemlyn for weeks. Not all messages are important.Norrie's friends are indeed not real eyeliners and spies, they just record some city news and court gossip.Messages from Tire say that more and more Sea Folk ships are sailing around the Finger Bay without a pilot to guide them, and are mooring in the waterways next to the city.There are rumors of seafolk ships fighting Seanchan ships at sea, but these are pure rumors.Illian was quite calm, and there were many Rand soldiers stationed there, they had just retreated from the battle with the Seanchan.Besides, the friends there didn't even know if Rand was in that city.Queen Saldaea was still on her long retreat in the country, and Elayne knew that.But it looked like Queen Kandor hadn't seen Chasin for months.King Shana still seems to be on the way to investigate the Fairyland, but the Fairyland seems more peaceful now than at any time in history.In Lugard, King Lordland is gathering every nobleman with an armed retinue, and the city is worried about two large armies stationed on the borders of Andor: one with many Aes Sedai, the other with many Aes Sedai The army is full of Andors.Now, the city has to worry about a libertine like Rhodes Lan. When Nori's report was over, Elan asked, "What advice do you have?" Usually, Elan doesn't need to deal with things that happen far away, are not important, and have no impact on Andor. Norrie's suggestion.Norrie's reporting of these events was just to give Elayne a general idea of ​​what was going on in the rest of the world, and Elayne knew what his advice would be—no action needed.But Morandi is close to Andor, and what's happening in its capital Cando is not unimportant.This time, Manager Nori pursed his lips and hesitated for a moment. Nori's every move was always slow and methodical, but he seldom hesitated. "On this matter, I have no suggestion, Your Highness." He finally said, "Generally, I would suggest sending an envoy to see Rhodes Lan to find out the purpose and reason of his actions. He may be worried about the changes in the north. , or to guard against the invasion of the Aiel. But although he does not have much ambition, he may still have an attempt on the northern part of Atla. The current situation, it is not surprising that he even invaded Andor. But unfortunately . . . " He still pressed the binder to his chest.Then he spread his hands a little and sighed, perhaps in apology, perhaps in sorrow. Unfortunately, she's not yet queen, so she can't send envoys to Lordland.If she fails to become the queen, and Rhodes Lan receives her envoy, then the real ruler of Andor may launch a war against Morandi because of this, and now Lord Luan and other great nobles have already designated a territory for autonomy.Through Egwene, Elayne had better access to information than the Chief of Staff.She wasn't about to disclose her resources to Norrie, but she was about to assuage some of the concerns in the Chief of Staff's mind.That must be the reason for the wrinkle on the brow of the Chief of Staff: knowing what to do, but not how to do it. "I know Lord Lan's army, Chief Nori, his target is Morandi. The Andoros in Morandi have accepted the oath of Morandi's northern nobles, which makes others very nervous, and there are still There is a huge army of mercenaries. They are actually true dragon believers, but Lord Lan thought they were mercenaries, and he hired them secretly in order to make them a threat in Morandi territory. Now , when there are foreign troops in Morandi, the nobles of Morandi will naturally feel the danger and gather around Rhodes. When these foreign troops leave Morandi, Rhodes's secret mercenaries can continue Threatening those nobles so that they don't dare to betray the King of Rhodes. If his plan is successful, he may become a threat in the future. At least he definitely wants to take back Morandi's northern territory, but he has no direct relationship with Andor right now. threaten." Norie opened his eyes wide and looked at Elayne with his head tilted to the sides.He licked his lips before he opened his mouth and said, "This will clarify a lot of questions, Your Highness. Yes, yes, I understand." He licked his lips again. "My friend in Cairhien mentioned another thing, I... forgot to mention it. You should already know that everyone in Cairhien knows that you are going to ascend the Sun Throne, and many people support you. Many people in Cairhien People are talking openly about coming to Andor and helping you get the Lion Throne so you can get the Sun Throne sooner. I thought, maybe you don't need my advice on something like this?" Elayne nodded, believing her reaction to the incident was quite calm.The support from the Cairhienians is much worse than those mercenaries.There had been too many wars between Andor and Cairhien, it was impossible for Haven Norey to forget that, he would never forget anything.So why did he bring this up, maybe just so Elayne wouldn't be caught off guard by the sudden arrival of Cairhien's supporters?Or was it because Elayne was surprised by the information he had?Make him dare not hide anything from Yilan?He was just waiting patiently for Elayne's reaction now, like a shriveled heron waiting for...a fish? "Get the letterhead ready, Ms. Norrie, I will sign and seal them, and they will be sent to the great houses of Cairhien. That letter should state that I am the daughter of Tarin Gail Daoutri, with I will take the throne of the Sun. I will go to Cairhien to claim my throne when the affairs of Andor are in order. Tell them that I will not take soldiers. Arouse the resistance of the Cairhien people. At the end of the letter, I should state that I am very grateful to the many Cairhien people for their support, and hope that all the rifts between Andor and Cairhien can be resolved in a peaceful atmosphere.” Smart One can of course see the meaning behind the letter, and with luck the wise men of Cairhien will explain it to those who are not wise enough. "It's an excellent countermeasure, Your Highness," Nori raised his shoulders, as if bowing, "I will finish writing the letter soon. Please allow me to ask, Your Highness, do you have time to sign it? The royal accounts? Ah, it's okay. I'll send someone to bring them over later." He bowed solemnly and stiffly, ready to leave.But he added: "Forgive my audacity, but you remind me of your mother." Watching the door close behind the head of staff, Elayne wondered if he could be considered one of her own.Without a large number of government employees, let alone Andor, even managing Caemlyn would be impossible, and the Chief of Staff could even make the Queen kneel before him.A compliment was not a pledge of loyalty, and Elayne didn't have much time to think about it.Not long after Norrie left, three maids in uniform came in and placed three trays with silver-covered bowls on a long table against the wall. A chubby gray-haired maid curtseyed, and then said: "The chief maid said that His Highness forgot lunch." She gestured, and the other two young maids lifted the large silver tureen. "She sent some meals to His Highness for His Highness to choose." pick.Elayne shook her head.But it was true that she hadn't eaten anything for a long time after breakfast at sunrise.The three plates contained lamb stew with mustard sauce, roast chicken with dried figs, sweetbread with pine nuts, creamy garlic and potato soup, kale wraps with raisins and peppers, a pumpkin pie, a small dish of apple tart, A piece of wine cake with custard.White water vapor is constantly coming out of the two silver wine jars, which contain two different flavored wines.The third jar contained hot tea.In one corner of a tray lay what Elayne would normally call lunch soup and bread.Lianne Haver didn't agree with Elayne eating such a small amount of food. She always said that Elayne was "as thin as a nail", and the whole palace knew the opinion of the chief maid.But upon hearing Elan's order, the gray-haired maid could only spread a clean white linen on the table in the center of the room, and sullenly put bread, consommé, tea pot, silver honey pot, a plate of dried figs and a Set of blue thin porcelain teacups and tea trays on top.Lini often said that if you have a full stomach at lunch, your mind will not be able to hold anything in the afternoon.However, not many people agree with Lini's point of view. The maids all believe that eating more is a good thing.Even the two young maids looked disappointed when they left with other food. The soup was hot and had a slight spice taste, which Elan found very tasty.The mint added to the strong tea was also pleasant, and Elayne even missed the wine cake that had been taken away, but she couldn't linger on the meal for long.Just after swallowing two mouthfuls of bread, Dai Ling rushed in like a whirlwind. She was wearing a green riding suit, panting heavily.Yilan put down the spoon and wanted Dai Ling to drink a cup of tea, only to find that there was only one teacup in her hand in the room.Dai Ling ignored her invitation, she frowned tightly, her expression was quite scary. "There has been an army in Bremwood," she cried, "something not seen since the Aiel War. A merchant from New Brem brought the message this morning, and it was a Reliable Illian trader named Thomn, he doesn't report any false news. He said he saw Elafites, Kandors and Shanars in various locations, and they numbered in the tens of thousands People." She sat down in a chair and kept fanning herself with the palm of her hand, her cheeks flushed slightly.It seemed that she rushed over after receiving the message. "By the light, why did the troops of the border country appear near Andor?" "I bet, Rand must have done this." Elayne said, suppressing a yawn with the palm of her hand, drank the remaining tea in the cup, and poured another cup.The whole morning's running has made her very tired, but enough strong tea can refresh her spirit. Dai Ling put down her fanning hand and sat up straight: "You don't think that he sent this army to...help you?" Yilan never thought about this possibility. Sometimes, she would regret letting this elder know how she felt about Rand. "I don't think he...I mean...he shouldn't be that stupid." Guangming, she is really exhausted!Sometimes, Rand acted as if he was the king of the world, but he certainly wouldn't... no... She couldn't think of anything he wouldn't do. She reached out to cover another yawn, and suddenly her eyes widened, staring intently at her teacup.A cool mint flavor.She put down the teacup carefully, but still couldn't put the cup into the tea tray.The teacup was overturned on the table, and the tea spread on the table.Knowing it was useless, she reached out to the Source, trying to fill her body with the life and joy of saidar, but it was as if she were catching the wind with a fishing net.Birgitte's anger was much weaker than before, but it still remained deep in her mind.Elayne was trying desperately to stir up feelings of fear or panic in her, but her mind seemed so stuffed with wool that everything was terribly dull.Help me, Birgitte!She thought hard, save me! "What happened?" Dai Ling jumped up from the chair, "What are you thinking? What terrible thing happened?" Yilan winked at Dai Ling.She forgot that Dai Ling was still here. "Let's go!" She mumbled a word, and then tried to clear her throat. Her tongue seemed to be twice as thick as usual, "Go find reinforcements! I... am imprisoned!" There is no time to explain now. "Run away!" Dai Ling took a sharp breath of cold air and froze in place, then she ran towards Yilan, one hand clenched the handle of the dagger at her waist. The door opened, and a servant poked his head in hesitantly.Yilan felt relieved that Dai Ling would not kill her without a third party.The servant licked his lips, and his eyes kept wandering between the two of them.Then he entered the room and drew a long dagger from his belt, and two more men in red and white uniforms entered, also holding long daggers in their hands. I can't be killed like a cat in a bag, Elayne thought bitterly.She tried to stand up, her knees were shaking, and she had to hold the table with her hands, but she drew the dagger with her other hand.The carved blade of the small dagger was at most as long as the palm of her hand, but that was enough.It's just that her fingers holding the handle of the dagger felt numb, even a child could snatch the dagger from her hand.But fight back, she thought.Her mind was swimming in molasses, but she had made up her mind.Be sure to fight back!Oddly, time seemed to pass only a little.Dai Ling has turned into her barrier, and the two people who just walked in the door are closing the door. "Assassin!" Dai Ling shouted loudly, she raised her chair and threw it towards those people. "Guards. There are assassins! Guards!" The three people dodged aside, and one of them moved a little slower and was hit by the chair on the leg.With a cry of surprise, he fell on top of his accomplice, and both of them fell to the ground.The third assassin, a lanky young man with fair hair and light blue eyes, was already charging forward with his dagger raised. Dai Ling blocked his attack and kept stabbing and slashing at him, but that man was like a dexterous weasel, easily dodging one by one.When he swung the long knife, Dai Ling screamed, staggered back a step, and pressed one hand tightly on her stomach.The assassin rushed over quickly and stabbed again, Dai Ling screamed and fell to the ground.He raised his leg and stepped past Dai Ling, walking towards Elan. Now there was nothing between Elayne and the assassin.The assassin walked steadily, not fast, and his big blue eyes carefully examined Elayne.Of course he knew that Elayne was an Aes Sedai, so he had to make sure that the potion Elayne had just taken was working.Elayne tried her best to stand up straight and stared at the assassin, trying to buy as much time as possible, but the assassin had already nodded and raised the dagger.Elayne couldn't do anything about it.There was no joy on the Assassin's face, he was just following orders. Suddenly, the assassin stopped, looking down at his own body with a puzzled face.Yilan was also taken aback.A foot-long steel blade protruded from his chest, and blood foam flowed from his mouth. He hit the table and fell down again. Yilan staggered and fell to her knees. She hurriedly supported the edge of the table so as not to fall to the ground.She looked at the bleeding assassin in bewilderment.A sword hilt was erected on the assassin's back.She thought drowsily that the rug was so stained with blood that it might never be cleaned again.She raised her eyes slowly and glanced at Dai Ling's stiff body, she seemed not to be breathing.She looked towards the door, which was open, and the other two assassins were lying in front of the door, their necks almost cut in half, hanging at a strange angle.Another assassin was fighting a man in a red tunic, and the two of them, panting, tumbled to the floor, fighting for a dagger.The assassin's throat was also pinched by the other party, and his other hand was trying to free the hand that pinched his throat.The man fighting the Assassins had a long face and wore the white-collared tunic of the Queen's Guard. Hurry up, Birgitte, Elayne could only think dully, please hurry up. Darkness swallowed her.