Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Loyalty

In some kingdoms, in certain regions, boys have traditionally had priority over girls in succession, but this has never been the case in the Six Duchies, and the succession of titles is determined entirely according to the order of birth. The person who inherits the title should consider himself the steward of the estate.If a lord or duchess of a certain grand duchy does something stupid, such as cutting down too many forest trees at once, or failing to take good care of the vineyards, or letting the livestock become so inbred that the quality of the breed is affected, the people can rise up and ask the king to pay them back. justice.It had happened before, and every nobleman knew full well that it could happen again.The well-being of the people belonged to the people, and they had the right to object if their duke mismanaged them.

The holder of the title should also bear this in mind when he marries, the partner he chooses must be equally willing to act as administrator, so the lesser of the two must pass the title to the next younger brother or sister, because One person can only really manage one industry well.Sometimes this leads to divisiveness.King Shrewd married Lady Lust, who would have been Duchess of Farrow if she hadn't chosen to accept his proposal to become queen.She is said to have later regretted her decision, convinced she would have had far more power had she stayed on as duchess.When she married Shrewd, she knew she was his second queen, and knew that the previous queen had bore him two heirs to the throne.She never concealed her disdain for the older princes, often pointing out that she was of far more noble birth than King Shrewd's first queen, and that she considered her son Regal to be a better man than his two half-brothers. More royal blood.She named her son Emperor Zun because she wanted to instill this concept in other people's heads.Unfortunately for her plan, most people found this approach tasteless.

Some have even derisively dubbed her the "Queen of the Outback" because of her ruthless claims when drunk or drugged that she has enough political clout to merge Farrow and Tirs into a new kingdom if only she At one command, the kingdom will be freed from Shrewdland's rule.But most took those words to be her gibberish under the influence of a narcotic, be it alcohol or herbs.She did, however, cause a rift between the Inland Duchy and the Coastal Duchy before she finally got overwhelmed by her addiction. By the end of autumn and the approach of winter that year, I was assigned the most difficult task.Chade found me almost as soon as I blew out the bedside candle that night.We sat before the fire in Chade's room, eating preserves and drinking a little spiced wine.He raved about my previous trick of turning inside out every shirt hanging on the clothesline in the laundry yard so no one could get caught.The task was difficult, and the hardest part was hearing that two of the younger laundresses thought my prank was the work of a water goblin, and therefore refused to continue doing the laundry that day, hiding in a large dye vat. laugh out loud.As always, Chade knew the whole story before I reported it to him.What made me even more amusing was that he told me that the master in charge of the laundry ordered that every corner of the yard and every well should be hung and surrounded with hypericum to prevent water goblins from disturbing tomorrow. work.

"You've got a lot of talent for that, kid." Chade chuckled and ruffled my hair. "I almost think you can do whatever task I give you." He sat in his straight-backed chair in front of the fire, and I sat on the ground beside him, with my back against his leg.He patted me the way Burrich would pat a well-behaved young fowler, and leaned forward and said softly, "But I have a challenge for you." "What challenge?" I asked eagerly. "It's not easy, even for someone as nimble as you," he warned me. "Try it and you will know!" I also challenged him.

"Oh, maybe in a month or two! After you've learned more. I have a game for you tonight that will train your eyes and memory to be sharper." He reached out from a bag Pulled out a handful of something, briefly opened my palm in front of me: colored stones, and then closed. "Are there any yellow ones here?" "Yes, Chade, what challenge are you talking about?" "How many?" "I see two, Chade, I bet I can do it right now." Is it possible to have more than two?" "Possibly, if one of the stones is completely buried under the upper layer, but I don't think it's likely. Chade, what's the challenge?"

He opened his bony old hand and turned the stone with his slender forefinger. "You're right, there are only two yellow ones. Shall we do it again?" "Chade, I can do it." "You think you can do it, don't you? Look at the rocks again. One, two, three, Gone again. Any red ones?" "Yes, Chade, what's the mission?" "Are there more red ones than blue ones? Bring me a personal item from the king's bedside table." "What?" "Are there more red stones than blue ones?" "No, I mean, what's your mission?" "Wrong, boy!" Chade announced cheerfully, spreading his palms. "Look, there are three red ones, three blue ones, the same number. If you want to complete my challenge, you have to look more carefully." "There are seven green ones, I already know, cut De. But...you want me to steal from the king?" I still couldn't believe my ears.

"It's not stealing, it's just borrowing, just like the last time you borrowed Master Ji Jingfeng's scissors. This kind of prank doesn't do any harm, does it?" "No, but if I get caught, I will Whipped, or worse." "And you're afraid of getting caught. You see, I told you just now, it's better to wait a month or two until your skills are better." "I'm not afraid of being caught. Punishment, only if I get caught...the King and I...we have a pact..." My voice trailed off and I looked at him in bewilderment.Chade gave me lessons as part of the pact Shrewd made with me.Every time we meet, he formally reminds me of that commitment before he starts giving me lessons.I have promised the king and Chade that I will serve the king loyally. If I take actions against the king, I will break our agreement. Chade must be able to see this!

"It's just a game, boy," said Chade patiently. "Nothing else, just a little mischief, not as serious as you think. I chose this task only because the king's bedroom and things are the most closely guarded. Anyone can take the tailor's scissors. Go, but to get into where the king himself lives and take something that belongs to him, it really takes a bit of stealth. If you can do that, I can trust me to teach you My time was not wasted, and I feel like you appreciate what I've taught you." "You know I appreciate what you've taught me," I responded quickly.That's not the problem at all, Chade seems to miss my point completely. "If I did that, I'd feel... disloyal, as if I were deceiving the king with what you taught me, almost as if I were laughing at him." "Ah!" Chade leaned back in his chair, A smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry about that, boy, King Shrewd can take a joke. Whatever you bring, I'll give it back myself, so he can see how well I've taught you and how much you've learned. Well, if you're so worried, take something simple, it doesn't have to be a crown on his head or a ring on his finger! Like his comb, or any piece of paper in the room—even his Gloves or leather belts are also fine. You don’t need to carry anything expensive, just show yourself.”

I think I should stop and think about it, but I know I don't need to. "I can't do it. I mean, I won't do it. I won't steal the king's things. You can pick the other people's room, if you tell me, I will do it. You remember I put That time with Regal's scroll? You wait and see, I can slip anywhere and—" "Boy?" Chade began slowly, in a puzzled tone. "Don't you trust me? I told you it's okay, we're just up for a challenge, it's not treason. And if you get caught this time, I promise I'll come out and explain everything right away, you won't He was punished." "That's not the problem." I said in a panic.I could feel Chade's growing bewilderment at my refusal, and I was racking my brains desperately to find a way to explain it to him. "I promised to be loyal to Shrewd, this matter—" "This matter has nothing to do with loyalty!" Chade snapped at me.I looked up and saw anger flashing in his eyes, I was startled and backed away from him.I've never seen him glaring at me like this. "What do you mean, boy? Are you saying I want you to betray the king? Don't be such an idiot. It's just a simple quiz so I can measure your level and let Shrewd see for himself how well you've learned." So much, but you hesitated to do it. You said you were loyal or not, you just wanted to cover up that you are a coward. Boy, you really embarrass me. I thought you would not be so spineless, otherwise at the beginning I'm not going to promise to teach you at all." "Chade!" I begged him, terrified.His words sent me spinning for a while.He pulled away and continued to speak in a cold voice. I only felt that my small world was crumbling around me.

"You'd better go back to your bed, brat. Think about how you insulted me tonight by suggesting that I would be unfaithful to our king. Go away! Go downstairs, you gutless fellow .When I call you next time... Ha, if I really want to call you again, either you will be obediently prepared to obey my orders, or you don't have to come at all. Now you go!" Chade had never spoken to me like that, and as far as I can remember, he had never spoken to me aloud at all.I stared, almost in bewilderment, at the thin, pock-scarred arm protruding from the sleeve of his robe, at the finger pointing to the door and the stairs with the utmost contempt.I stood up feeling very uncomfortable.There was a whirlwind, and I had to hold on to a chair to keep going, but I went anyway, obeying his orders, because I couldn't think of what else to do.Chade had become the pillar of my world, the belief that I was worth something, and now he was trying to undo it all.Not just his approval, but the time we spent together, the feeling that I thought I could achieve something in my life.

I staggered down the stairs, which had never been so long and so cold.The bottom door creaked shut behind me, leaving me in total darkness.I groped my way to the bed, but the blanket on my body couldn't warm me. I couldn't sleep at all that night, I could only toss and turn in pain.The worst part is that there is no hesitation in my heart at all.There was no way I could do what Chade asked me to do.So, I will lose him.Without his teaching, I am of no value to the king.But that wasn't the pain, it was the loss of Chade from my life.I can't remember how I got through being so alone and lonely, and now it feels like an impossible thing to go back to living a monotonous, empty life where every day counts and one thing counts . I'm desperately trying to figure out what I can do, but there don't seem to be any answers.I could go straight to Shrewd, pull out my pin to gain access to his room, and tell him about my dilemma.But what would he say?Will he take me for a stupid little boy?Will he say I should obey Chade's orders?Worse, would he say I was right to disobey Chade, and would he be angry with Chade for it?These questions are so difficult for a young boy that I can't find any answers that help me. When morning finally came, I dragged myself out of bed and reported to Burrich as usual.Burrich scolded me first as I worked in the listless grayness, then started asking me if I had a stomach upset.I just told him that I didn't sleep well, and he let me go instead of force-feeding me the potion he said he wanted me to drink earlier.Things weren't much better in weapons class, I was completely absent-minded and let a boy much younger than me get a solid club over the head.Howard scolded us both for being too careless and told me to sit down and rest. I returned to the castle with a splitting headache and shaking legs.I went back to my room because I had neither the appetite for lunch nor the energy to bear the noisy conversation at lunchtime.I lay on the bed, intending to close my eyes a little, but fell into a deep sleep.I woke up in the middle of the afternoon, thinking that I would be scolded for not going to the afternoon class, but this was not enough to cheer me up, so I fell asleep again, and was not called by a maid until dinner time Wake up, it was Burrich who asked her to come and see what was wrong with me.I told her I had pantothenic acid in my stomach and I had to fast for a while until it got better.After she left, I dozed off, but didn't really fall asleep.I can not sleep.As the night deepened in my unlit room, I heard the rest of the castle going to bed.In the silent darkness I wait for a call I dare not answer.What if that door opens?I can't see Chade because I can't obey his orders.Which was worse: did he not call me, or did he open the door for me and I dared not go?I kept torturing myself, and when the gray morning light gradually crept into the house, I got the answer.He didn't even bother to call me. To this day, I still don't like to think about the next few days.I shrunk my body and went through every day. I was so distressed that I couldn't eat a meal, sleep well, and concentrate on doing anything. I also sadly accepted every teacher's reproach to me.My headaches are endless, my stomach is always in a mess, it makes me lose interest in food, and I feel tired just thinking about eating.Burrich put up with me for two days, then forced me to drink the vermifuge and blood tonic, the combination of which made me spit out what little I had eaten that day.After vomiting, he asked me to rinse my mouth with plum wine, but to this day, I still retch after drinking plum wine.Then, to the amazement of my weary self, he took me upstairs to his room, where he asked me to rest all day.In the evening, he drove me to the castle, and watched me drink a bowl of thin soup and eat a large loaf of bread.He was going to take me back to his room for the night, but I insisted on going to my room.In fact, I had to stay in my room, because I had to know if Chade was at least trying to find me, whether I could or not.Another sleepless night, I stared in the dark at a darker corner of the room. But he didn't call me. The gray morning light filtered through the windows of the room, and I turned over to stay on the bed, feeling a desolate sense of hopelessness weighing down on me, and I was powerless to resist.All my choices lead to bleak results, and I can't get up to face another day of futility.I fell into a dull-headed, sleep-like state where everything sounded too loud and too loud, and I was always too hot or too cold, no matter how much I adjusted the sheets.I close my eyes, but even my dreams are bright and disturbing.There were arguing noises, loud as if the person arguing was right on my bed, and it was very frustrating because it sounded like the same person was arguing with themselves, taking one side and another side. "Let him break down, just like you used to break the other one!" he muttered angrily, "Your stupid tests!" And then: "You can't be too careful, you can't trust people casually. Flow What kind of blood will he become. This is just a test—whether he is tough enough." "Toughness? If all you want is a knife without a brain, then go for it yourself , beat flat." Then the voice became quieter: "I can't bear to do this. I will not be used again. If you want to test my temper, then you have already pissed me off." Then: "Don't tell me about blood relatives or family, you have to remember who I am to you! What she worries about is not his loyalty, nor my loyalty." The angry voices split and merged into another argument, this time with sharper voices.I opened my eyes, and my room temporarily became a battlefield.I awoke to hear Burrich and Master Frightwind arguing excitedly about who should take care of me.She held a rattan basket in her hand, and a few bottles protruded from the basket. The smell of mustard, poultice and chamomile tea wafted over, so strong that it made me want to vomit.Burrich stood firmly in front of my bed blocking her, arms folded across his chest, the tigress sat at his feet.Master Ji Jingfeng's words rattled like pebbles in my head, "in the castle", "these clean sheets", "know how to take care of the boy", "that smelly dog".I don't recall Burrich saying anything.He just stood there, so solid I could feel him even with my eyes closed. Then he left, but the tigress was on the bed, not at my feet, but leaning against me, and although she was panting, she would not leave me to get out of bed to the cooler floor.It was dusk when I opened my eyes again, and Burrich had just removed my pillow, slapped it, and was fumbling to tuck the cooler side back under my head.Then he sat down heavily on the bed. He cleared his throat. "Fitz, I've never seen you like this. At least your problem isn't your stomach or your blood. If you were older, I'd suspect you had a woman problem. You look like a drunk three days in a row." soldier, but you didn't drink. Boy, what's the matter with you?" He looked down at me with genuine concern.It was the same expression he had when he worried that a mare might be miscarried, or when a hunter brought back a hound that had been wounded by a wild boar.This expression touched me, and I couldn't help but search his mind.As usual, I bumped into a wall, but the tigress gave a soft whine and brought its nose up to my face.I tried to express my inner feelings without revealing about Chade. "It's just that I'm alone now, so lonely," I heard myself say, and it sounded like a weak complaint even to me. "Alone?" Burrich frowned. "Fitz, I'm here! How can you say that you are alone?" The conversation ended there, and we looked at each other, neither able to understand the other.Then he brought me food, but didn't insist that I eat it, and he left the tigress with me for the night.A part of me wondered how it would react if that door opened, but a bigger part of me knew that there was no need to worry about it, that door would never open again. It's morning again.The tigress arched her nose and croaked to get out.I was too upset and sad to care if Burrich caught me, so I searched its mind.It's hungry and thirsty, and it's holding back its urine until its bladder is about to burst.Its discomfort suddenly became mine too.I put on my clothes, took him downstairs to go outside, and then went back to the kitchen to eat.The cook was overjoyed to see me, as I never imagined anyone could be.She gave the tigress a big bowl of last night's leftover stew, then insisted on frying me six thick slices of bacon on top of the warming crust from the first batch of the day.The tigress' sensitive nose and strong appetite stimulated my own senses, and I found myself eating, not with my usual appetite, but with the sensory enjoyment of a small animal's food. Then he took me from the kitchen to the stables, and though I wrenched my mind out of him before we went in, I was somewhat refreshed by this contact with him.Burrich was doing something when I came in. He straightened up, looked me over, glanced at the tigress, grumbled something to himself, and handed me a bottle and wick. "Whatever is on one's mind," he told me, "mostly can be healed by work and other things. The mouse dog was born a few days ago, and one of the puppies was too weak to Compete with other puppies. Go and see if you can make it through today." It was an ugly little puppy with pink skin peeking out from under a brindle coat.Its eyes are still closed, and the extra skin it will use as it grows is piled up on its nose.Its thin little tail looked exactly like a mouse's tail, and I thought, wouldn't the bitch kill her puppies because they looked like mice?It was weak and passive, but I kept teasing it with warm milk and wick until it sucked a little, and then got enough milk all over it that its mother would want to lick it and nuzzle it it.I grabbed the stronger sister it was sucking and shoved it next to the teat.Anyway, the little bitch's belly is already swollen, and she continues to suck because she is stubborn.It grows to be white with a dark spot covering one eye.It grabs my little finger and sucks, and I can already feel the power it will have in its jaws.Burrich once told me that a rat-dog can jump on a bull's nose and hold it tight no matter how the bull shakes or moves him.He hated a man who would teach a dog to do such a thing, but clearly respected a dog who singled out a bull.In our area, the rat dogs were just there to catch mice, and they were regularly taken out to patrol the barns where the corn and other grains were kept. I stayed there all morning, and left at noon very satisfied, because I saw that the puppy's belly was full from drinking milk.In the afternoon we rake and dig the manure from the stables.Burrich kept me busy, and as soon as I finished one job he was on to another, and I didn't have time for anything but work.He didn't talk to me or ask questions, but always seemed to be working within a dozen paces of me, as if he took my remark that I was lonely by myself and was determined to stay where I could see him The place.At the end of the day, I go back to see the puppy, much more energetic than in the morning.I held it in my arms, and it crawled up to the bottom of my neck, and its blunt little nose arched back and forth for milk, which made me itchy.I pulled it down and looked at it. When it grows up, its nose will be pink. It is said that a mousetrap with a pink nose is the most vicious when fighting, but now there is only a vague sense of warmth and security in its little head. , plus want to suck, plus like my smell.I surround it with my protection, complimenting how strong it is now.It writhed in my hand when Burrich poked his head over the stall partition and smacked my head with his knuckles, and the dog and I squawked at the same time. "Enough!" he warned me firmly. "It's not human, and it's not going to fix whatever is making you miserable. Now give the puppy back to its mother." I paid it back, but was hesitant, and not at all sure that Burrich was right, could a deep bond with a puppy really not solve the problem?I yearn for its warm little world, where there are only straw, siblings, milk and mother.At that moment, I couldn't imagine a better world. Then Burrich and I went to dinner.He took me to the soldiers' mess, where no one cares if you eat well, and no one makes you have to talk.It was comforting to be ignored, the food being passed around above my head, no one being solicitous to persuade me to eat more, but Burrich looked at me to make sure I had eaten, and we sat by the back door in the kitchen drinking.I've had ale, beer, and wine before, but never with the concentration that Burrich is now demonstrating.The cook boldly came out and scolded him for giving the little boy spirits. He gave her a quiet look, which reminded me of the night when I first met him. The soldiers in the room kept their mouths shut.So the cook went away. He sent me back to the room himself, pulled my clothes off my head, and I stood staggeringly by the bed, and he laid me down on the bed casually, and covered me with a blanket. "Now you sleep." He said to me in a thick voice. "Tomorrow we keep doing the same thing. Then the day after tomorrow... until one day you wake up and realize that whatever it is that's bothering you isn't killing you." He blew out the candles in my room and left.I'm dizzy and achy from work all day, but I still can't sleep.I found myself crying.Drinking seemed to untie a certain knot in me that held me in check, and I began to cry, and not quietly.I sobbed, then hiccupped, then howled loudly with my jaw shaking.My throat was tight, my nose was running, and I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe.I think that night I cried all the tears I hadn't shed since the day my grandfather forced my mother to abandon me. "Mom!" I heard myself yelling, and suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly. Chade hugged me and rocked like I was a little child.Even in the dark I could recognize his thin arms, and his smell of herbs and dust, and I held onto him in disbelief, crying until my voice was hoarse and my mouth was wet. Dry, unable to cry anymore. "You're right," he said quietly, his mouth against my hair, in a soothing tone. "You're right. I asked you to do a wrong thing, and you were right to say no. No one will test you like this again, at least not me." When I finally calmed down, he moved away, Then came back with a drink, which was lukewarm and almost tasteless, but not water.He brought the glass to my mouth and I drank it without asking.Then I lay back in bed, suddenly very sleepy, and fell asleep right away, not remembering when Chade left my room. I awoke toward dawn, ate a hearty breakfast, and reported to Burrich.I was quick and focused on what I was doing, and I couldn't understand why he had a headache and a bad temper today.At one point he muttered "drinking like his father" and told me to leave early, telling me to whistle and go somewhere else. At dawn three days later, King Shrewd summoned me.He was dressed, and there was a tray in the room with food for more than one person.As soon as I arrived, he called the valet to stand down, and told me to sit down.I pulled up a chair by the small table in his room and sat down. He didn't ask me if I was hungry, but he brought me the food himself, and then sat opposite me and started eating.I understand the special significance of his expression, but I still can't eat too much.All he talked about was food and nothing about promises or loyalty or keeping promises.Seeing that I had finished eating, he pushed his own plate away and moved uncomfortably. "It was my idea," he said suddenly, almost sternly. "Not him. He disapproved of it all the way, and I insisted on it. You'll understand when you grow up. I can't take a chance, not on anyone. But I promise he'll tell you this himself: it's It was entirely my idea, not his. I will never ask him to test your tenacity like this again, this is the King's promise to you." He gestured that I could go.I stood up, but at the same time took from his tray a small carved silver knife with which he had previously used to cut fruit.I looked him in the eyes as I took the knife, and tucked it back into my sleeve openly. King Shrewd's eyes widened, but he didn't say a word. Two nights later Chade called me in, and we continued the lesson as if there had never been a break.He talked, I listened, I played the game of colored stones with him without missing a single time.He gave me a job to do, and we talked and laughed, and he showed me how all you had to do was get a sausage to make a weasel dance.We got on really well again.But, on leaving his room that night, I went up to his fireplace, and without a word put the knife in the center of his mantelpiece; Wooden mantel.Then I left without mentioning it or meeting his eyes.In fact, we never mentioned it. I believe that knife is still there.