Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Assassination

Chade Autumnstar, King Shrewd's personal advisor, had done extensive research on the smelting incident in the period leading up to the Red Ship War.In his wooden tablet, we see the following content. "Nita is the daughter of Jill, a fisherman, and Laida, a farmer. She lives in Haoshui Village. The village was robbed on the 17th day after the Spring Festival. She was taken away. The Red Boat robbers smelted her and released her back to the village three days later. Her father was killed when the village was robbed, and her mother had five younger children to take care of. Naita was 14 when she was forged; she was handed over to me six months later. She had just Arrived dirty and tattered, very weak from starvation and cold. I had her washed and changed and placed in a visiting room close to where I lived. I treated her like a wild animal. Every day I brought her the food myself, and stayed with her while she ate. I kept her room warm, her mattress clean, and provided her with every kind of thing a woman might want: water for washing, a comb, And all the things women need. In addition, there are all kinds of needlework items in her room, because I know that before she was forged, she was very fond of female reds, and she also sewed several beautiful things. I hope to observe, if the forged person is placed in a comfortable environment, whether she will gradually return to a little bit of the past.

"In such an environment, even wild animals might become a little tame, but Naita didn't respond to any of this. Not only did she lose her woman's habits, but she didn't even have an animal's mind. She grabbed her with both hands. She eats and when she's full she lets go of the excess food on the floor and under her feet. She doesn't groom and doesn't take care of herself in any way. Even the animals, mostly just in a corner of the nest Peeing and pooing, but Naita was like a mouse pulling shit all over the place, even the mattress. "If she wants to talk or wants something badly, she can say something that makes sense. If she chooses to talk, it's usually accusing me of stealing from her, or threatening me to give her something she wants right away. Asking for something. Her attitude towards me is usually full of suspicion and hatred. I try to have a normal conversation with her, she ignores it, but if I hold the food in my hand and don't give it to her, I can use the food as a In exchange for her answer. She remembers her family clearly, but she has no interest in their current situation. Answering questions about her family is like talking about yesterday’s weather. Regarding the time when she was smelted, she only said that they were Shut up in the belly of the boat with little to eat and only enough water to share. As far as she can remember, she wasn't fed anything unusual or touched in any way, so she couldn't offer me anything. A clue about the smelting itself. This was very disappointing to me, as I had hoped that if I knew how the state was caused, I might be able to discover how to undo it.

"I tried in vain to reason with her, to restore her to human behavior. She seemed to understand me, but refused to act, even offering her two loaves and warning her to keep one for tomorrow. eat, or starve; she would still let the second loaf be trampled on the floor, and then pick it up the next day and eat it no matter what dirt was on it. She has no interest in living or any other pastimes, not even very brightly colored children's toys. When not eating or sleeping, she sits or lies, and her mind is as idle as her body. If you give her sweets and cakes, she'll eat them until she throws up and keep eating.

"I treated her with various potions and herbal teas, fasted her, gave her steam baths, and cleansed her body. Hot and cold douches did nothing for her, only made her angry. I drugged her to sleep for a whole day and night, but there was no change, so I used fairy bark to keep her awake for two nights, but it only made her irritable. I pampered her with the utmost love for a while, Then I treated her with the strictest restrictions, but it made no difference to her, and she didn't change her attitude towards me. If she was hungry, she would bow and smile as instructed, but once she got food, she would go back Disregard any orders or requests from others.

"She was very territorial and possessive of things. She tried to attack me more than once because I was too close to the food she was eating, and once because she decided to want the ring I was wearing on my finger. She used to kill mice attracted to her messy room by snatching them up with amazing agility and throwing them against the wall. Once a cat ran into her room, and it did the same. "She doesn't seem to have a concept of the time since she was tempered. If she was ordered to tell of her previous life when she was hungry, she could describe it clearly, but the days after being tempered felt all the same to her. A long 'yesterday'.

"I can't tell from Naita whether smelting takes something from her or adds something to her. I don't know whether smelting is done by eating, smelling, hearing, or seeing. I don't even know Whether the smelting was the work of man, or the work of some kraken—some Far Islanders claim they can control—I have no way of knowing from this long and tedious experiment. "One night, I added three times the sleeping potion to Naita's drinking water. I sent someone to wash her body, comb her hair, and send her back to her home village for burial. At least the family's smelting story can end Yes. Most other families have spent years and months asking themselves what happened to the person they once loved. Most of them are better off not knowing.

"At that time, it was known that there were more than 1,000 people who had been smelted. Burrich kept his word, and he disowned me from then on, and I was no longer welcome in the stables and kennels. This especially made Cobb feel like Viciously pleased. Though he was often out with Regal, when he was in the stable he would often block the door from me." Let me lead your horse out, my lord. "He'll say it flatteringly." The steward wanted the animals in the stables to be taken care of by the groom. "So I'd have to stand there like a good-for-nothing dude until Soot was saddled and brought to me. Cobb cleaned up the shit in his stall, fed him, brushed him, Seeing him reaccept him so quickly was like an acid in my heart. I told myself it was just a horse and I couldn't blame him. But I was abandoned again.

Suddenly, I have more time than I can use up.I used to go to work under Burrich in the mornings, but now the mornings are all my own.Hao De is busy training unfamiliar recruits. Although I can still practice with them, I have already learned those courses.Federon is absent every summer, and this summer was no exception.I couldn't think of a way to apologize to Patience, and I didn't even think about Molly.Even I was alone when I drank and drank around the tavern at Buckkeep, for Kerry was apprenticed to a puppet troupe and Dirk went to sea as a sailor.I am idle and alone. It was a miserable summer, and it wasn't just me.Filled with loneliness and bitterness, I grew up making all my clothes too small, snapping back harsh words at anyone stupid enough to talk to me, and getting drunk several days a week, but I Still know that the six principalities are being ravaged and looted.The Red Boat Raiders grew bolder and harassed our coasts, and by the summer of this year they were finally making not only threats but demands.They demand grain, livestock, and demand that we give them the right to take what they please in our harbors, to keep their ships anchored on our shores, to feed on our lands and people all summer, and to set them free To choose our people as slaves...every demand is more intolerable, and the only thing more intolerable than theirs is the smelting they smelt for every demand the king refuses them.

The civilian population fled the harbor and the towns along the coast, and it was justifiable to do so, but it left our coastal defenses even more open.As the army recruited more and more soldiers, taxes were increased to pay for them, and the burden of taxes and the fear of the Red Boat robbers made the people complain.What's even more strange is that some people from the Outer Islands abandoned their plundering ships and drove their family's ships to our coast to beg us to take them in, telling about all the chaos and tyranny that happened on the Outer Islands that are now completely ruled by the Red Ships The bizarre stories of their arrival may be good or bad.They could be recruited by the army for cheap salaries, though few actually trusted them; but at least their accounts of the Outer Islands under the Red Ships were dire enough to dissuade anyone from giving in to the demands of the Red Ship raiders. .

About a month after my return, Chade opened his door to me.I was sullen at his neglect of me, and my ascent was slower than ever.When I walked into his room, he looked up tiredly from pounding the seeds with a pestle. "I'm glad to see you," he said, without any pleasure in his voice. "That's why you welcomed me back so soon," I pointed out tartly. His grinding motion stopped. "I'm sorry. I thought you might need some alone time to recover." He continued to look down at the seeds. "I'm having a hard time this winter and spring, too. Let's just let the past go and try to move on?" That was gentle, sound advice, and I knew it was wise to do so. "Do I have a choice?" I asked sarcastically.

Chade poked the ground seeds into a tightly woven strainer and set the strainer over a cup to let the juice drip. "No," he said at last, as if it had come to the conclusion of his deliberation. "No, you don't have a choice, and neither do I. We don't have a choice in a lot of things." He looked at me, looked me over, and poked at the seeds again. "You," he said, "are not allowed to drink anything but water and tea for the rest of the summer. Your sweat reeks of wine. And, for a boy so young, your muscles are too Soft. Meditating with Galen for a whole winter is not good for your body at all. You need to start exercising. Starting today, you will climb to the top of the tower where Verity lives 4 times a day, responsible for bringing food and tea Serve it to him and I'll show you how to make that tea later. You mustn't put on a bad face at him, always be pleasant and friendly. Maybe after you've served Verity a while, you'll believe my reason There's a reason why all the attention isn't on you. It's what you do every day while you're at Buckkeep. Sometimes I'll send you out on other missions. Chade didn't have to say much to awaken my shame.In a split second, my perspective on my own life plummeted, from heroic tragedy to teenage self-pity. "I've been too slack during this time," I admit. "You've been acting stupid all this time," Chade agreed. "You had your life in your hands for a month, but you acted like a...spoiled brat. No wonder Burrich resented you." I'd stopped being surprised a long time ago how Chade knew so much, but this time I was sure he didn't know the real reason and didn't want to tell him. "Who is trying to kill him, have you found out?" "I didn't...really investigate." Now Chade looked disgusted, then confused. "Boy, you are not who you used to be at all. Six months ago, you would want to know this secret even if you took down the entire stable; things to do. What are you worrying about?" I looked down and felt that he was telling the truth.I wanted to tell him everything that happened to me, but I didn't want to say a word about it to anyone. "I'll tell you everything I know about Burrich's surprise attack," so I said. "The man who saw it," he asked when I was finished, "did he know the man who attacked Burrich?" "He didn't see the man very well," I replied evasively.There's no need to tell Chade that I know what he smells like, but I just see a blur. Chade was silent for a moment. "Well, try to stretch your ears out as far as you can, I'd like to know who had the audacity to assassinate the stable master in the king's stable." "So you don't think it's Burrich's personal grudge." ?” I asked cautiously. "Maybe! But let's not jump to conclusions. It feels like some kind of initial move to me. Someone is building something, but this first brick is not as good as a dog. I hope this is in our favor. ’ ‘Can you tell me why you think so? "It's possible, but I'm not going to tell you. I want to let your mind be free to find out your own ideas without my interference."bring it on!I will teach you how to make that tea now. " He didn't ask me anything about my lessons and tests with Galen, much to my dismay, and he seemed to take my failures for granted.But when he showed me what was in the tea he had mixed for Verity, I was horrified at the magnitude of the stimulant potions. I saw very little of Verity during this time, but Regal was haunted all day.This month he has come and gone, either he has just come back or is about to go out, and the outings are more luxurious and richer each time.It seemed to me that he was using the business of finding a bride for his brother as an excuse to make himself more beautiful than any peacock. "The general consensus is that he needs to do this to impress whomever he's dealing with, but I think it's a waste of money that could be spent on defence. I feel relieved when Regal is away because he's treated me well. His hostility has recently grown by leaps and bounds, and has been shown in all sorts of tricks. The few, short times I saw Verity or the King, they both looked troubled and tired, but Verity, especially, looked almost dazed.He was expressionless and absent-minded, noticing me just once, before smiling wearily and saying I had grown taller.That's about all our conversation.But I noticed that he ate like a sick man, with a poor appetite, avoiding meat and bread, as if chewing and swallowing such food took too much effort, and therefore subsisted on porridge and soup. "He's using the Skill too much now. Shrewdly told me so much. But why the Skill drained him, burned his bones to the brim, he couldn't explain to me. So I Give him tonics and medicines, try to make him rest, but he can't rest. He says he dares not rest, says he'll have to go to great lengths to trick the pilots of the Red Ship into crashing their ship against the rocks and making them The captain was discouraged. So he got out of bed, and sat in a chair by the window, and sat there all day. "What about Galen's group? Are they of no use to him?" I asked almost enviously, almost wishing to hear that they weren't of much use. Chade sighed. "I think Chi used them as I use carrier pigeons. He sent them to the various lookouts, used them to give warnings to soldiers, and received from them news of sightings of enemy ships. But he didn't have the task of defending the coast. Delivered to anyone. He told me that other people are too inexperienced and may give themselves away while using the Skill. I don't understand this, but I know he can't last long. I pray that the summer is over , praying that the winter storm will blow the red boat back home, I really hope someone can take a shift with him to take over this job. I'm afraid he will be exhausted. I took the remark as a rebuke of my failure and fell into a haughty silence.I walked around aimlessly in his room, and felt that this room, which I hadn't been in for several months, was both familiar and strange.The tools he used to prepare medicinal herbs were piled up everywhere as usual, and the traces of sneaking were clearly visible, and there were stinky bones it gnawed in the corners.As usual, various wooden tablets and scrolls lay beside several chairs.This pile of stories seemed to be all about ancient spirits, and the colorful illustrations caught my attention. One of the oldest and most detailed wooden tablets showed an ancient spirit, which looked like a golden bird with a head full of gold. Like a human, the hair resembles feathers.I tried to piece together the meaning of the words on the wooden tablet, which was Pixuwen, an ancient language spoken in the southernmost Grand Duchy of Chas.Many of the symbols painted on ancient wooden tablets have faded or peeled off, and my Pi Xu script is not fluent.Chade came and stood beside me. "You know," he said softly, "it wasn't easy for me to do that, but I kept my word. Galen demanded complete control over the students, and stated that no one should have any contact with you, or interfere with him in any way." The way you discipline and teach. And I told you, I'm blind in Queen's Garden and have no influence at all." "I know," I muttered. "However, I have no objection to Burrich's actions. The reason why I haven't contacted you all this time is entirely because I made a promise to the king." He paused cautiously. "I know you've had a hard time, and I wish I could have helped. Don't feel too bad about it, though you..." "Failed." I Make up the word.I sighed, acknowledging my pain suddenly. "That's it, come on, Chade. I can't change that." "I know." Then the tone became more cautious: "But maybe we can use the Skill you have learned. If you can help me understand It, and perhaps I can conceive of a better way to keep Verity from getting overwhelmed. For many years, the knowledge of the Skill was kept too secret... The ancient scrolls barely mention it, except that some A battle in which the king turned the tide by using the Skill on his soldiers, or enemy so-and-so was bewildered by the king's Skill, but never exactly how it was done, nor—" Despair clenched again. I. "Forget it! It's not something bastards should know, and I think I've proved it." Silence fell between us, and finally Chade sighed heavily. "Hmm. Maybe! I've been researching smelting for the past few months, but I've only found out what it's not, and what fractions I use to change it. It doesn't work. The only cure I've found is that it works for everything. One of the oldest ways." I rolled up and tied the scroll I was looking at earlier, feeling like I knew what was going to happen next.I guessed right. "The king ordered me to assign you a mission." That summer, in three months, I killed 17 people for the king.It might have been more difficult if I hadn't already killed people in voluntary and self-defense before. The task may seem simple on the surface, requiring only me, a horse, and several baskets of poisoned bread.I rode down the road where travelers had been attacked, and when the Forged came to attack me, I fled, dropping bread along the way.If I were an ordinary soldier, maybe I wouldn't be so scared, but I've been used to relying on my Wit all my life to let me know that other people are around me, so it seems to me that this work is almost blindfolded.And I soon discovered that the people who were smelted were not just ordinary artisans and civilians. Several of the first people I poisoned to death were soldiers.Luckily for me, most of the others were busy fighting for bread when they dragged me off the horse.I got a deep cut on my left shoulder, and the scar is still there.They were strong and good at fighting, and when they fought they seemed to form a group, perhaps because they had been trained to do so when they were whole people.I was almost killed, and in the midst of it I yelled at them that they were foolish to let the bread be eaten while all they were doing was fighting me, and they left me, and I managed to get back on my horse and get away. The poisons used for this task are not unnecessarily cruel, but in order for even small doses to be effective, we must use potent ones.There was no good death for the Forged, but it was the quickest death Chade could concoct.They eagerly snatched death from me, and I didn't need to see them foaming at the mouth and convulsing, or even seeing their bodies strewn across the road.By the time word reached Buckkeep that several of the Forged had died, rumors had been circulating that Chade had let him out, that they had eaten dead and rotting fish that had swum into the streams to spawn.The bodies were taken back for burial by relatives, and I told myself that they were probably relieved, that those who were smelted just died a little faster, so as not to starve to death in winter.So I got used to killing people, and after about 20 people died because of me, I didn't come across a person who needed to face-to-face and kill. And killing that person was not as difficult as originally imagined.He is a minor nobleman who owns land outside Tuhu.Word came to Buckkeep that he had beaten the servant's daughter in a fit of temper, and made a fool of her.That was enough to make King Shrewd unhappy.The little nobleman paid the blood debt in full, and the servant accepted it, which meant that he gave up the right to demand justice from the king.But a few months later, the girl's cousin came to the palace and begged King Shrewd to see him alone. I was sent to verify the cousin's statement, and I saw the girl tied up like a dog next to the chair of the little nobleman, and her belly was growing and she was pregnant.So, when he toasted me out of his fine crystal goblet, and asked me to tell him something new from the court of the King at Buckkeep, it was not hard for me to find an opportunity to hold his goblet up to the light, Compliment the quality of both the glass and the wine.I left a few days later, finished my mission, and set off home with the paper samples I had promised to find for Federen, and the little noble wished me good luck.The little nobleman began to feel unwell that day, and it was almost a month later when he died of madness, bleeding and foaming at the mouth.The cousin took in the girl and the baby born to the girl.To this day, I have no regrets, whether it's about killing him or about the painful and slow death I chose for him. Apart from spreading death for the Forged, I serve my master, Prince Verity, the rest of the time.I still remember the first time I went up his tower with a pallet.I thought there would be guards or sentries at the top of the tower, but there were none.I knocked on the door, but there was no answer, so I quietly entered the room.Verity sat in a chair by the window, the summer wind blowing into the room from the sea.On a sweltering summer day, it was a pleasant room, bright and airy, but it felt like a prison cell to me.There was the chair he was sitting on by the window, and a small table was placed beside it. Dust and sporadic, withered flooring reeds were piled up in the corners and walls of the room.Verity sat there with his chin dropped on his chest as if dozing, but my senses felt the whole room vibrate with his effort.His hair was disheveled, his chin had a day-old beard, and his clothes stuck to him. I closed the door with my foot, put the tray on the small table and put it down, and stood by and waited quietly.A few minutes later, he came back from where he had been before.He looked up at me with a ghost of his old smile on his face, then down at the tray. "What's this?" "It's breakfast, my lord. Everyone had it hours ago, except you." "I did, boy. It was early in the morning. The fish soup was terrible, The cook should be hanged. No one should wake up early in the morning to eat fish." He looked uncertain, like some old country man with a mental decline reminiscing about his youth. "That was yesterday, my lord." I lifted the lid of the tray.Warm bread with honey and raisins, cold meat, a plate of strawberries, and a small bowl of whipped cream for dipping them in, each in such small portions that it was almost for a child.I poured steaming tea into a nearby teacup, heavily spiced with ginger and mint to overpower the astringency of the ground pixie bark. Verity glanced at Cha, then looked up at me. "Chade never gives up, does he?" said it so casually, as if Chade's name was mentioned every day in the castle. "You need to eat if you're going to go on," I said noncommittally. "I suppose so!" he said wearily, turning to face the tray, as if the carefully arranged food on it was just another duty that required him to perform.He ate the food insipidly, then drank the tea manly in one gulp, enough to drink it as medicine, without being fooled by the taste of ginger or mint.Halfway through his meal, he paused and sighed, looking out the window for a moment, then he seemed to be back again, forcing himself to eat everything.He pushed the tray away and leaned back in the chair, seemingly exhausted.I stared at him dumbfounded.I made the tea myself, and there was enough elf bark for Sooty to slam his head through the stable wall. "His Royal Highness?" I said, but he didn't move, and I lightly touched his shoulder. "Verity? Are you all right?" "Verity," he repeated, as if in a trance. "Yes, I prefer you to call me Verity, rather than my lord or prince or master. It was my father's first move to send you. Well, I may surprise him. But yes , you call me Verity! Tell them I ate it, that I ate it all, as good as ever. You go, boy, I have work to do." He seemed to be trying to pull himself together. His eyes became distant again.As quietly as I could, I stacked the dishes on the tray and headed for the door, but when I pulled the latch, he spoke again. "Boy?" "My lord?" "Mmm, yes!" He waved his hand to warn me. "Verity?" "Lion's in my room, boy, can you take him out for me? He's eager to get out and run. There's no need for us both to be dry and skinny like this." "Okay , my lord, Verity." And the old hound, now well past the prime of his life, was placed in my care.I took it out of Verity's room every day, and went hunting together on the back mountains, cliffs, and beaches, hunting down wolves that hadn't appeared here for many years.As Chade had expected, I was in such poor shape that I had a hard time keeping up with the old hound at first.But as time went by, we got back to normal, and Leon even caught me a rabbit or two.Now that I've been banished from Burrich's realm, I feel free to use my Wit whenever I want.But I discovered a long time ago that although I can communicate with Leon, there is no deep connection between us. He doesn't always listen to me, and he doesn't always believe me.If he had been a puppy, I am sure there would have been a deep bond between us; but he is old, and his heart has been given to Verity forever.The Wit is not meant to rule animals, but to give a glimpse into their lives. Three times a day I'd climb the steep, winding staircase to coax Verity into a meal and a few words.Sometimes I seem to be talking to a child or an old man with a mental decline, and other times he will ask Leon how he is, and ask me about the things in Buckkeep.Sometimes I'll be out on other missions and not be in the keep for days at a time.Usually he didn't seem to notice my absence, but once, after the action in which I had been stabbed in the shoulder, he watched me stack his empty plates on the tray with clumsy movements. "They'd be laughing with their bearded mouths open! If they knew we'd set out to kill our own people." The only ones left were Shrewd and Chade.Yi Weizhen's eyes drifted away again, and I left silently. I started to make some changes in his surroundings, though not on purpose.I swept the house one day while he was eating, and carried up that evening a bag of reeds and aromatic herbs for the floor.I was worried that I would disturb him, but Chade had taught me how to move quietly.I worked without talking to him, and Verity didn't seem to notice my comings and goings, but the room was refreshing, the scent of Vivilia flowers and flooring herbs mingling invigorating. .Once I came in and found him dozing off in that hard-backed chair, so I brought some cushions, which he ignored for days, and then one day he finally did. One's preference arranges the mat.The room is still empty. Annotation: Chade asked Fitz to serve Verity 4 times a day in the previous article, and said 3 times here, which is suspected to be an omission of the author, not a mistake of the hand people.Hole, but I sensed that he needed it to keep his focus, so I brought him only the most basic and simple comforts, no tapestries or draperies, no flowers in vases or jingles. A jingling, ticking clock, only pots of blooming thyme to soothe his haunting headaches, and then, on a stormy day, a blanket was brought to shelter him from the rain and cold as he sat in front of the open window. That day I found him asleep in a chair, limp as a lifeless thing.I tucked the blanket over him as if he were a debilitated patient, and placed the tray in front of him without opening the lid so the food wouldn't cool.I sat down on the floor next to his chair, leaning on a cushion he didn't use, and listened to the silence in the room.It feels almost peaceful today, despite the heavy summer rain pouring through the open windows and occasional bouts of strong wind.I must have dozed off because I woke up with his hands in my hair. "Did they tell you to watch me so closely, boy, that I can't relax even when I'm sleeping? So what are they afraid of?" "Not as far as I know, Verity. They just ask me to bring food Here, I try to find a way to make you eat more, and I have no other orders." "What about blankets, cushions, and pots of fragrant flowers?" "It's my own initiative, Your Highness. No one You should live in such a desolate room." At this moment, I suddenly realized that we hadn't spoken, and I sat up straight and looked at him. Verity also seemed to come to his senses, moving in the uncomfortable chair. "Thanks to the storm for giving me a break. I made their 3 boats blind to the approaching storm and convinced those looking up at the sky that it was just a summer breeze. Now they paddle hard , looking around in the heavy rain, trying to keep the course, I can really sleep a little bit." He paused. "I'm sorry, boy, sometimes it's more natural for me to use skills than to speak. I didn't mean to invade you." "It's okay, Your Royal Highness, I was just shocked. I can't do it myself Skill transmission, only occasionally can be used weakly, I don't know how I turned it on to you." "Call me Verity, boy, don't call me Your Highness. No Prince will sit in a sweaty shirt No motion, no beard shaved for two days. But what are you talking about? Didn't they put you in the Skill? I remember well, Patience went on and on, until finally my father relented. ’ He gave a weary smile. "Galen tried to teach me, but I don't have the skills. I'm told bastards usually—" "Wait a minute." He interrupted me with a frown, flashing into my head. "It's quicker this way," he apologized, and then muttered to himself, "What was it that blinded you so much? Oh!" Then he left my mind in an instant as easily as Burrich out of a hound's ear. Like a tick.He sat there silent for a long time, and so did I, Na "Your Skill is strong, just like your father. Garen is not strong." "Then how did he become a Skill Master?" I asked quietly : I wonder if Verity is just saying this to make me feel less bad about my failure. Verity paused, as if avoiding a sensitive topic. "Galen is Queen Desire's...favorite, and she loves her very much. It was the queen who recommended Galen as a sincere apprentice. Now I often think that our old craftsman must have been ill when he took him as an apprentice. Going to the doctor indiscriminately, because Yin Ken also knew that she was dying. I think she made a hasty decision at that time, and later regretted it, and I think he became a "master" with less than half of the training he should have received. But我们也只剩下他，所以就是他了。”惟真清清喉咙，看起来有点局促不安。 “我现在尽我可能对你坦白说，小子，因为我看得出你知道什么时候该守口如瓶。盖伦得到这个职位是天上掉下来的好运，不是因为他有这个实力。我认为他从来就不曾真正了解当精技师傅的意义何在。他当然知道这个职位很有权力，而且他滥用起权力来也毫不顾忌，但殷恳在世的时候并不只是个位高权重、趾高气昂的人而已，她是慷慨国王的顾问，也连结着国王和在国王手下施展精技的所有人。她认真地发掘并教导每一个真正有精技天分、也懂得如何善用精技的人。现在这个小组，是自骏骑和我长大以来盖伦训练的第一批人，而且我认为他们没有被教好。不，他们是被训练，就象猴子和鹦鹉被训练模仿人类一样，一点也不了解自己所做的事。但我现在手上也只有他们可用。”惟真看向窗外，轻声说，“盖伦丝毫不懂得巧妙，他就跟他母亲一样粗俗，而且也跟她一样放肆专横。”惟真突然顿了顿，脸颊泛红，彷佛他说了什么有欠考虑的话。他静静地重新开门。 “精技就像是一种语言，小子，我不需要对你大吼大叫，也能让你知道我要的是什么。我可以很有礼貌地要求，或者暗示，或者点个头笑一笑让你知道我想要什么。我可以用精技影响一个人，让他以为他取悦我完全是出于自愿。但这一切盖伦都不懂，他既不懂得善用精技，也不懂得怎么教人，他只会用蛮力。要降低别人的防御能力，困乏和痛苦只是其中一种方式，可是盖伦只相信这种方式。但殷恳运用的是狡黠。她会叫我看着一个风筝，或者看着飘浮在一道阳光中的尘埃，然后，突然间她就进入了我的脑海，微笑着称赞我。而且进入别人的脑海，主要是你自己要愿意离开自己的脑海，你懂吗，小子？”“多少有点懂吧！”我避重就轻地回答。 “多少有点懂。”他叹了口气。 “我可以教你精技，只要我有时间。但我没有。不过，告诉我一件事——在他测试你之前，你上课的情况好吗？”N_g“不好。我完全没有任何才能……等一下！不是这样的！我在说什么啊，我这段时间都在想什么啊？”我虽然坐着，但突然摇晃起来，头撞到了惟真椅子的扶手。他伸出手稳住我。 “我想是我太快了。稳住，小子。有人用迷雾蒙蔽了你，让你迷惑，就像我让红船上领航和掌舵的人迷惑一样。他们以为他们已经看到了陆地，航向正确，但事实上却往横流驶去；他们以为他们己经经过了某个地方，事实上他们还没看到那里。有人让你以为你学不会精技。”“盖伦。”我很确定地说。我几乎知道他是在哪一刻对我动了手脚。那天下午他朝我撞进来，之后一切就完全改观了，这几个月来，我竟然都活在迷雾里……。 “大概是。不过既然你曾经技传进入他脑海，虽然时间很短暂，但我想你一定有看到骏骑对他做了什么。他原先非常痛恨你父亲，直到阿骏把他变成一只言听计从的哈巴狗。我们两个对这点都很过意不去，要是我们能想出解除的办法，而又能不被殷恳察觉的话，我们一定会解除那状态。但阿骏的精技很强'而且他是在气头上那么做的，当时我们又都只孩子。反讽的是'他之所以生气是因为盖伦对我做的某件事。就算在骏骑没有生气时'被他技传都像是有匹马从你身上踩过去，或者该说，比较像是一头跳进湍急的河流里。他会很快闯进你脑海，留下他要传达的信息'然后立刻消失。”他又顿了顿，揭开一盘汤的盖子。 “我想我是一直认定这些事你都知道'但是你要能知道才有鬼了，谁会告诉你？”我紧抓住一项信息。 “你可以教我精技？”“如果我有时间的话。有很多时间的话。你跟阿骏和我都很像'像我们在学精技那时的样子'不稳定'很强'但不知道要怎么运用那种力量。而且盖伦已经……呃'我想是给你留下了疤痕。我的精技很强，但你有些墙是我连穿都穿不透的。你必须学会放倒那些围墙，这很困难。不过我是可以教你没错'如果你和我有一年时间'没有别的事情需要做的话。”他把汤推到一旁。 “但我们没时间。”我的希望再度破灭。这第二波失望的浪潮将我整个淹没'挫败的石块刮磨着我。我的记忆全部重新排列清楚'在翻涌而起的愤怒中我一下子明白了发生在我身上的一切。要不是铁匠，那天晚上我早就从塔顶跳下来摔死了。盖伦企图杀死我，跟手上拿刀捅我没两样；如此一来没有人会知道他是如何毒打我'除了他忠心的小组之外。结果他失败了，没有害死我，于是他夺走了我学习精技的机会，让我变得残废，我一定要……我勃然大怒跳了起来。 “哇。慢着，谨慎点。你受了冤枉，但我们现在不能在堡里起内讧。为了国王，你要先忍住，直到能够静静把事情解决。”我俯首接受他明智的忠告。他打开一盘菜的盖子，是一只烤熟的小禽鸟，又把盖子盖回去。 “总之，你干嘛想学精技？这是个悲惨的东西，不适合人做。”“为了帮你。”我不假思索地说，然后发现自己说的是真心话。换成以前，学精技可能是为了证明自己是个不辱骏骑的好儿子，为了让博瑞屈或切德对我刮目相看，为了提高我在堡内的地位。但现在，我看到了惟真的所作所为，看到他日复一日如此辛苦，臣民却既不称赞也不知道他做了什么，我发现我一心只想要帮助他。 “为了帮我。”他覆述道。风势逐渐喊弱了，筋疲力尽的他带着认命的眼神望向窗外。 “把食物拿走吧，小子，我现在没时间吃了。”“但你需要体力啊！”我抗议，心里觉得愧疚，因为我知道他刚才明明应该吃饭睡觉的，却把时间浪费在我身上。 “我知道，但我没有时间了。吃东西是会耗费能量的，这一点还真怪。我现在没有半点多余的能量可以浪费。”他的眼睛开始探寻远方，直直瞪着，穿过此刻刚开始变小的暴雨。 “我愿意把我的力量给你，惟真，要是我能的话。”他用奇怪的眼神看我。 “你确定吗？非常确定？”我不了解他这个问题意义有多重大，但我知道答案。 “我当然愿意。”然后我静静地说：“我是吾王子民啊！”“而且跟我流着同样的血。”他确认。他叹了口气，一时间看来满心厌恨。他低头又看看食物，然后再看向窗外。 “还剩一点点时间，”他小声说。 “或许还来得及。父亲，你真该死，为什么总是你赢？过来吧，小子。”他的语句有种令我害怕的强度，但我照做。我站在他椅子旁，他伸出一只手放在我肩上，仿佛需要我支撑他站起来。 我从地板上抬眼看他，我头底下垫着一个枕头，身上盖着我先前拿来的那条毛毯。惟真站在那里，探出窗外；他所做的努力让他全身颤抖着，他发挥的精技力量强大得像一波波怒涛，我几乎能触摸得到。“去撞岩石吧！”他深感满意地说'陡然转身离开窗边。他对我咧嘴而笑，是那种熟悉凶蛮的笑，但当他低头看着我时，那笑容逐渐消失。“就像一头乖乖被牵去宰的小牛。”他悔恨地说。“我早该知道你不晓得自己在说什么的。”“我怎么了？”我好不容易问出口。我牙齿打颤，整个身体像被冻得发抖，我觉得我抖得骨头都快散了。“你说要给我你的力量，然后我就拿了。”他倒了杯茶，跪下来把杯子送到我嘴边。“慢慢喝。我刚才太匆忙了。先前我是不是说骏骑用起精技来就像头公牛？那我又该怎么说我自己呢？”他又恢复了原有的率直、坦白和好脾气'我己经好几个月没看到这样的惟真了。我好不容易喝下一口茶，感觉到精灵树皮剌激着我的嘴巴和喉咙。我发抖得没那么厉害了。惟真自己也拿起那杯子随口喝了一口。“以前，”他闲聊般说，“国王会取用小组成员的力量。小组差不多有6个人或更多人，全都彼此相通相应，可以把力量聚在一起供给国王的需要。这才是小组的真正功用，提供力量给他们的国王或者给他们的头头。我想盖伦并不太了解这一点。他的小组是他自己弄出来的东西，就像马、牛、驴子一样，全都用挽具套在一起，根本不是真正的小组，缺乏协同一致的心智。”“你从我身上取用了力量？”“是的。相信我，小子，我真的不愿意这么做，但我刚，才突然有这股需要，而且我以为你知道你在讲什么。你自己说你是”吾王子民“，那是以前用来形容这种人的词。而且，因为我们两个血缘相近，我知道我可以从你身上汲取力量。”他咚一声把杯子放在托盘上，声调里充满了憎恶。“是黠谋。是他设计了一切，让轮子转动，摆锤摆动。小子，只有你一个人负责端食物来给我，这安排并不是偶然，他是故意让我有取用你的机会。”他在房里快步踱了一圈，然后停下来俯视着我。“这事再也不会发生了。”“没有那么糟啦！”我虚弱地说。“不糟吗？那你怎么不站起来看看？或者坐起来就好？你只是个小男孩，只有一个人，不是一个小组。要不是我领悟到你一无所知、然后及时收手，你可能就被我杀死了，你的心脏和呼吸会突然停止。不管是为了谁，我都不要这样把你吸干。来。”他弯身轻易地把我抱了起来，放在他那张椅子上。“你在这里坐一下，吃东西。我不需要这些食物了。等你好一点之后，就替我去找黠谋，告诉他说我说你让我分心。从现在开始我要他派个厨房小厮来送东西给我吃。”“惟真。”我开口说。“不对，”他纠正我。“要说'王子殿下'，因为在这件事情上我是你的王子殿下，不接受任何反驳。现在你乖乖吃东西吧！”我沮丧地低下头去，但我确实吃了东西，茶里的精灵树皮让我恢复的速度超过我的预期。不久我就能站起来，把盘子堆放在托盘上，端着托盘走向门口。我满心挫败失望，伸手拨开门栓。“斐兹骏骑？瞻远。”我停下动作，被这句话冻结。我慢慢转过身去。“这是你的名字，小子，是我亲自写在军营纪录上的，在你被送来的那一天。这又是一件我老以为你已经知道的事。别再只把你自己视为'那个私生子'了，斐兹骏骑？瞻远。还有，别忘了你今天就要去找黠谋。”“再见。”我静静地说，但他己经再度望向窗外。这就是盛夏时节的我们。切德研究一叠叠木牍，惟真坐在窗边，帝尊去替哥哥找个公主当新娘，我则静悄悄替国王陛下杀人。内陆大公国和沿海大公国在会议桌上对峙，又吵又骂，像争夺鱼肉的猫。黠谋则高踞在这一切之上，像只蜘蛛把网的每一角都绷得紧紧的，密切注意每一根线的轻微震动。红船劫匪攻击我们，像鲛鱼一块块撕咬牛肉做的鱼饵，把我们的人民夺去加以冶炼，而被冶炼的人则成为我们国家的祸害，变成乞丐或盗匪或他们家人的负担。人民不敢打鱼、不敢交易、不敢耕作海岸边的河口平原，然而税赋必须增加，才能喂饱那些士兵和驻守了望台的人，他们人数愈来愈多，却似乎无法保卫国土。黠谋不甘不愿地解除了我服侍惟真的职务，有一个多月都没再传唤我，直到一天早上我突然被找去共进早餐。“现在根本不是结婚的时候。”惟真反对。我看着跟国王一同坐在早餐桌上的这个憔悴消瘦的男人，很难相信他跟我小时候那个粗率坦诚的王子是同一个人。短短一个月内，他恶化了好多。一块面包在他手里翻来覆去拿了半天，没胃口吃，又放了下来。他的脸色和眼神己经失去了户外生活的痕迹，发色枯暗，肌肉松弛，而且眼白部分发黄。要是他是只猎犬，博瑞屈一定会给他吃打虫药。我自动插口说，“我前天带力昂去打猎，它逮了只兔子给我。”惟真转向我，脸上有他旧日微笑的幽魂。“你带我的猎狼犬去猎兔子？”“那天它玩得满高兴的。不过它很想你。它把兔子叼来给我，我称赞它，但它看起来还是一副若有所失的样子。”我不能告诉他说那只猎犬看着我，眼神和举止全部清楚表示出又不是猎给你的。 惟真拿起杯子，手微微发颤。“我很高兴它能跟你到外面去跑跑，这样总比——”“你的婚礼，”黠谋打断他的话，“能鼓舞民心士气。我老了，惟真，而且现在时局动荡，人民放眼望去全是苦恼，我也不敢承诺给他们我们所没有的解决之道。外岛人说得没错，惟真，我们已经不是原先在这里定居的那些战士了，我们变成了安土重迁的民族。安土重迁的民族在很多事情上都会受到威协，那些军情是四处漫游的游牧民族完全不在乎的，而那些威胁可以毁灭我们。当安土重迁的人寻求安全的时候，他们寻求的是延续。”听到这里，我猛然抬起头来。这句绝对是切德讲过的话。这是否意味切德也有帮忙安排这场婚礼？我变得比较感兴趣了，也再度纳闷起他为什么把我找来参加这顿早餐。“这是为了让我们的人民安心，惟真。你不像帝尊那样有魅力，也没有骏骑那种举止神态，让人相信他可以处理任何事情。我这么说不是怠慢你，你的精技天分是我们家族历来数一数二的，而且换到很多其他时期，你的战技和战术会比骏骑的外交手腕更重要。”这番话在我听来可疑，像是经过排练的演讲。我看着黠谋顿了顿，往一块面包上涂了乳酪和果酱，若有所思地咬下去。惟真沉默地坐着，看着他父亲。他的神色像是既专注又呆滞，彷佛拼命努力保持清醒，但一心却只想趴下来闭上眼睛。唔，至少惟真看起来就有累到那种程度。我对精技虽然只有短暂的体验，但也知道你同时既要抗拒它的诱惑、又要用你自己的意志驱策它是非常困难的，这让我对惟真竟能每天使用精技更感惊异。 黠谋的视线从惟真瞥向我，再回到他儿子脸上。 “简单的说，你需要结婚。更重要的是，你需要生个孩子。这会鼓舞我们的人民，他们会说，'哪，既然我们的王子不怕结婚生子，情况显然没有那么糟糕。要是整个王国都快垮了，他一定不会还有闲情逸致结婚生小孩。'”“但你和我还是知道情况确实很糟糕，不是吗，父亲？”惟真的声音有点哑，带着我从没在他口中听过的苦涩。 “惟真——”黠谋开口，但被儿子打断。 “国王陛下，”他用词正式地说。 “你我确实知道我们已经身处灾难边缘。现在，此时此刻，我们一刻都不能放松戒备。我没有时间去谈恋爱求亲，更没有时间处理王室娶妻这件事的种种微妙商议细节。现在天气很好，红船会来打劫。等到天气变差，风暴把他们吹回他们自己的港口去之后，我们就必须全心全力加强沿岸地区的防卫，并且训练人员组成我们自己的打劫船队。这才是我要跟你讨论的。我们需要建立自己的船队，不是那种在海里摇来摇去吸引劫匪的胖胖的商船，而是细细长长的战船，那种我们以前曾经拥有、老一辈造船工人也还知道怎么建造的船。然后，我们前去攻打外岛人——是的，就算在冬季的风暴之中也照打不误。我们以前曾经拥有那么优秀的水手和战士。如果我们现在就开始造船、训练人员，到明年春天我们应该至少可以抵挡住他们，让他们进犯下了我们的沿岸，然后到明年冬天或许我们就能——”“这些都要钱。吓得要命的人是不太愿意交出钱来的。为了募得我们需要的款项，我们需要让商人有信心继续做生意，让农民不害怕在沿岸的草地和山丘上放牧牛羊。这一切，惟真，都跟你娶妻有关系。”惟真讲到战船时活了起来，此刻又靠回椅子上。他似乎塌了下去，彷佛内在某个结构敞开了，我几乎预期看到他垮倒下来。 “就依你的旨意吧，国王陛下。”他说，但他边说边摇头，否定了自己说出的肯定句。 “我会照你认为明智的做法去做，这是一个王子对国王和国家必须尽的职责。但是，父亲，以一个男人的身分来说，让我弟弟去替我挑一个妻子这件事既苦涩又空洞。既然她先看过了帝尊，我敢打睹，等她站在我身边的时候，一定会觉得我很不怎么样。”惟真低头看看双手，那些战争和工作留下的疤痕在如今变得苍白的肌肤上显得很清楚。在他接下来轻声说出的话中，我听见了名如其人的真实。 “我一直都是你的第2个儿子，排在俊美、强壮、又有智慧的骏骑后面，现在我又排在帝尊后面，因为他聪明、有魅力、会摆样子。我知道你认为让他继承你的王位比让我继承好。我不见得总是不同意你。我生出来就是老二，也被当成老二来养育，我向来都相信我的位置是站在王位后面，而不是坐在王位上。以前我知道继承你王位的是骏骑，所以我不在乎当老二。他是我哥哥，很器重我，他对我的信心就像是一项荣耀，让我也变成了他所有成就的一部分。当这么一位国王的副手，强过当许多小国的国王。我非常信任他，他也非常信任我。但他已经不在了，而帝尊跟我之间没有这种深厚的感情牵系也不是新鲜事，你也早就知道这一点。也许是我们疏远了太久，也许是骏骑和我太亲近了，没有空间容纳第三个人。但我不认为他会找一个能够爱我的女人，或者一个一一”“他是替你选择了一个王后！”黠谋严厉地打断他的话，于是我知道这不是他们第一次争论这一点，也感觉到黠谋对于我听见这些话感到非常不快。 “帝尊选择那个女人不是为了你、为了他自己，或者为了那一类的蠢事，他是为这个国家和整个六大公国选择了一个要担任王后的女人，这个女人可以带来我们现在所需要的财富、人力，和通商协定，让我们熬得过红船的劫掠。柔软的小手和芬芳的香水没办法替你建造战船，惟真。你必须抛开对你弟弟的嫉妒心，如果你对站在你背后的人没有信心，是没办法抵抗敌人的。”“一点也没错。”惟真静静地说，把椅子往后一推。 “你要去哪里？”黠谋烦躁地质问。 “去尽我的职责。”惟真简短地说。 “我还有哪里可以去？”一时间，连黠谋似乎都吃了一惊。 “但你几乎没吃什么……”他话说到一半就讲不下去了。 “精技会杀死其他所有的胃口，这点你也知道。”“是的。”黠谋顿了顿。 “此外我还知道，当这种情况发生的时候，人就已经逼近毁灭边缘了，这点你也知道。对精技的胃口是会吞噬一个人的，而不会滋养他。”他们两人似乎都完全忘记了我的存在。我让自己缩得小小的不惹眼，小口小口啃着我手上的面包，像只躲在墙角的老鼠。 “但是只要能拯救一整个王国，区区一个人被吞噬又有什么关系。”惟真毫不掩饰声调中的苦涩，在我听来，他所指的很明显不只是精技而已。他把盘子推开。 “反正，”他带着沉重的讽刺口吻说，“你还有另一个儿子可以接替我，戴上你的王冠。他身上没有精技留下的疤痕，而且他可以自由选择结婚或不结婚。”“帝尊没有学习精技并不是他的错，他小时候体弱多病，盖伦没办法训练他。而且谁会料想得到，有两个娴熟精技的王子居然还是不够。”黠谋抗议道。他突然起身走到房间那一头，站在那里，靠着窗台俯望海面。 “我尽我所能，儿子。”他压低声音说。 “你以为我不关心，你以为我看不出你被耗损成什么样吗？”惟真沉重地叹了口气。 “不，我知道。是精技造成的疲倦让我讲出这种话，不是我真心想讲。我们两个至少要有一个人保持头脑清醒，试着搞清楚这一切到底是怎么回事。就我而言，我能做的只有把感官伸展出去，然后加以分辨，试着在划桨手当中锁定领航员，试着找出可以被精技放大的秘密恐惧，找出心念最不坚定的人首先加以击破。我睡觉的时候会梦见他们，我吃东西的时候他们卡在我喉咙里。你知道我向来讨厌这么做，父亲，我向来都认为战士不该这么做，不该偷偷摸摸在别人脑海里窥探。给我一把剑，我会很乐意把他们开膛破肚。我宁愿拿刀砍死一个人，也不愿让他自己的头脑像只造反的猎犬反咬他一口。”“我知道，我知道。”黠谋温和地说，但我不认为他真的知道。我至少能了解惟真对他这项任务的厌恶。我得承认我也有同感，觉得这项工作多少让他变得有点肮脏，但当他瞥向我时，我保持表情和眼神都不带批判意味。我内心深处潜藏着罪恶感，愧疚自己没有学会精技，现在帮不上我叔叔的忙。我在想，他看着我的时候不知是否想到要再次取用我的力量。这念头令人害怕，但我逼自己挺身面对这项要求。但他只对我心不在焉地和蔼一笑，仿佛他从来下曾想过这一点，然后他起身走过我的座椅，揉揉我的头发，仿佛我是力昂。 “替我带我的狗出去跑跑，就算只猎兔子也好。我很不想把它每天独自留在我房间里，但它可怜兮兮、傻兮兮地哀求让我分心，无法专心做我该做的事。”我点头，感觉他散发出一种令我惊讶的情绪，有些类似我与我的狗儿们分开时的那种痛苦。 “惟真。”黠谋唤他，他回过头来。 “我几乎忘记告诉你我为什么找你来了。当然，是山区的那个公主，我想她是叫做珂特根……”“珂翠肯。我至少还记得她的名字。我最后一次见到她的时候，她还是个瘦巴巴的小女孩。所以，你决定的人选就是她？”“对。根据我们已经讨论过的那些理由。日子也已经挑好了，在我们秋收宴之前10天。你得在收割期刚开始的时候离开这里，才能及时赶到山区。他们会在那里举行仪式，在他们的人民面前给你们两人完婚并签署所有的协定，之后等你跟她一起回到这里，再举办正式的婚礼。帝尊传话来说，你必须一一”惟真停在那里，挫败感令他神色黯然。 “我没办法去。你知道我没办法去。如果我在收割期离开我这里的职责，等我带新娘回来的时候就什么也不剩了。外岛人向来都是在最后一个月最贪婪、最鲁莽，因为接下来冬季风暴就会把他们赶回他们自己该死的海岸。你以为今年会有什么不同吗？说不定等我把珂翠肯带回来的时候，会发现他们在我们的公鹿堡里大肆庆祝，你的头插在矛尖上迎接我！”黠谋国王看来很生气，但他控制住脾气问道，“你真的认为，如果你松懈个20天左右，他们就能把我们压迫得那么厉害吗？”“我不是认为，我是知道，”惟真疲惫地说。 “是非常确定，就像我确定我现在应该待在我的岗位上，而不是在这里跟你争论。父亲，告诉他们说这事必须延期。等到我们地上有了好一层积雪，等海上起大风把船全都吹回港里，我就马上去迎娶她。”“没办法这样做。”黠谋遗憾地说。 “山区的人有自己的信仰，他们认为冬天举行的婚礼会造成子女歉收。你娶她的时间必须是在大地万物结果收成的秋天，或是在山区小田地开始耕种的春天。”“我没办法。等他们山区那里到了春天，我们这里的天气已经很好了，红船劫匪都来到了我们家门口。他们总不会不了解这一点吧！”惟真的头左右摆动，像一匹系着过短缰绳的马扰动不安。He doesn't want to be here.虽然他讨厌这项精技工作，但它仍然召唤着他，他想要去做它，那种欲望跟保护国上没有任何关系。我心想，不知黠谋知不知道这一点，还有惟真自己知不知道这一点。 “了解是一回事，”国王解释道，“但坚持要他们不顾传统又是另一回事。惟真，事情必须这样办，现在就办。”黠谋揉着头，仿佛头在痛。 “我们需要这桩婚事。我们需要她的军队、她的嫁妆，更需要她父亲在后方支持我们。这事不能等。你难道不能，比方说，坐着封闭式的轿子去，用不着骑马分心，在旅途上继续用精技做你的工作吗？这样说不定对你也好啊！不时还可以下轿子走动走动，呼吸点新鲜空气——”“不！”惟真咆哮道，站在窗边的黠谋转过身来，看来几乎像是被窗沿困住。惟真走到桌边握拳重槌桌面，我从来不知道他能发这么大的脾气。 “我说不行就是不行！我不能一边坐在马扛的轿子里又颠又晃，一边继续努力阻挡红船劫匪登上我们的海岸。而且，我绝对不要像病人或者软脚蟹一样，坐轿子去迎娶这个你替我选择的女人，这个我几乎己经完全没印象的女人。我绝对不会让她看到我那个样子，也绝对不会让我自己手下的人在我背后偷笑，说，'哦，勇敢的惟真原来已经变成这个样了，像个颤危危的老头被人用轿子抬着，去找别人替他拉皮条撮合的对象，彷佛他是个外岛妓女一样。'你的头脑到哪里去了，怎么会想得出这么愚蠢的计划？你跟山区的人相处过，你知道他们的性格和习俗，你认为他们的女人会接受一个这么病恹恹去娶她的男人吗？连他们的王室都会把发育不全的婴孩给遗弃。要是我那样去到那里，你会毁了你自己的计划，同时还让六大公国任凭红船劫匪宰割。”“那么也许——”“那么也许现在就有一艘红船离我们的海岸不远，已经看得到蛋岛了，而且那艘船的船长已经不再在意他昨晚不祥的梦境，领航员也在修正航线，心想他先前怎么会把地标搞错得那么严重。昨天晚上你在睡觉、帝尊在跟他那些朝臣跳舞喝酒的时候我所做的工作现在已经快白费了，而我们还站在这里唠叨。父亲，就由你安排吧！你爱怎么安排就怎么安排，只要我不必做任何事，能专心在好天气危害我们的这段期间用精技保卫沿岸地区就行了。”惟真边说边走，最后把国王起居室的门重重一摔，最后几个字几乎郁听不见了。 黠谋站在那里，瞪着门看了一会儿，然后一手揉揉眼睛，但我分辨不出那是因为疲惫还是流泪，或者只是眼睛进了沙子。他环顾房内，看到我时皱起眉头，彷佛迷惑不解这个东西怎么会在这里。然后他似乎想起来我为什么在这里了，冷淡地说道，”唔“，刚才进行得还真顺利啊，不是吗？但无论如何，一定得想出办法来。等惟真骑马前去迎娶他的新娘时，你跟他一起去。”“都依您的吩咐，国王陛下。”我静静地说。 “我就这么吩咐。”他清清喉咙，然后转身再度看向窗外。“那位公主没有别的兄弟姊妹，只有一个身体不太好的哥哥。哦，他以前曾经很健康强壮，但他在冰之原野上胸口中了箭。根据帝尊听到的消息，那枝箭整个射穿了他，他胸前和背后的伤口都痊愈了，但他冬天会咳血，夏天骑马或操练他的士兵也只能撑半个早上。就我们对山区民族的了解，他居然还是他们的王储，这一点实在令人非常惊讶。” 我静静想了一会儿。“山区的习俗跟我们一样，王位继承是按照出生顺序，不分男女。”“是的，就是这样。”黠谋静静地说，我知道他已经在想七大公国可能会比六大公国更强壮。 “那么珂翠肯公主的父亲，”我问，“他的健康状况如何？”“就他的年纪来说，是非常矍铄健壮的。我确信他能在位很久、治理得当，让他的继承人继承一个完整又安全的王国。”“到那个时候，我们的红船问题很可能早就结束了，惟真也就能自由考虑其他的事情。”“很可能。”黠谋国王静静地表示同意，终于迎视我的眼神。“惟真前去迎娶他的新娘时，你跟他一起去。”他又说一次。“你了解你的职责所在了吧？我信任你会谨慎从事。” 我朝他俯首。“照您的吩咐，国王陛下。”