Chapter 196 The Undercurrent Under the Warmth
Hime [Dear Mr. Colin,
Hime Thank you for your thoughtfulness. The relics my father left for me have returned to me again. I slept extremely soundly last night, more peacefully than any other night since I came to Thunder City.
I promise you that I will never lose it again, no matter what the reason. After all, it is not only a gift from my father, but also a heartfelt gift from you. I will cherish it and keep it with me forever.
In addition, this morning, when I just opened my eyes from my dream, I happened to see a bird with purple feathers landing on the windowsill.
It reminds me of your eyes. I wonder if you sent them to say hello to me. If so, I would like to reply with a letter to send my greetings, I hope I don't presume to disturb you.
Have a nice day.
——Eileen Campbell
]
"Isn't it too strange to write like this? How can there be birds in winter...but I did see it, really."
In the study room of the manor, Erin, who wrote the entire letter by hand, held the letter in her hand and read it over and over, but the more she read, the more embarrassed she became.
This morning, a bird did land on the window sill of her bedroom, and she was surprised at that time.
However, she had just woken up at that time and her eyes had not been fully opened, so she did not see clearly what color the bird's feathers were.
Is this a lie?
It shouldn't be counted...
Looking at Irene who was struggling repeatedly, Teresa put on a helpless smile on her face and advised her gently.
"Why is it strange? Your Highness, sharing the details of life is love in itself...well, it is something that friends do. I think Mr. Colin must be able to sense your thoughts. If I were him, I would have fallen for you. "
"That's good...but I didn't think about letting him fall or anything. Just maintaining friendly communication is also beneficial to the Campbell family, isn't it? My brother also said, let me make more friends and don't always hold that sword."
“Yes.” Teresa lowered her head.
She was afraid that if she said one more word, Her Highness the Princess, who had finally convinced herself, would fall into the next cycle of self-persuasion.
In fact, there is no need to explain.
This is not something to be ashamed of.
On the contrary, the more she explained, the more...she didn't know how to describe it.
Irene breathed a sigh of relief, read the letter for the last time, handed it into Theresa's hands, straightened her face again, and said solemnly.
"Theresa, please be sure to hand it into Mr. Colin's hands."
Theresa received the letter respectfully.
"Do you need me to urge him to finish reading it in front of me?"
Irene coughed slightly.
Theresa handed the letter into Luo Yan's hand, nodded slightly, and left the hotel under Sarah's gaze.
After opening the letter in his hand and taking a look, Luo Yan had a strange expression on his face.
Why is the sense of déjà vu so strong?
Before he could complain, Youyou's voice had already drifted to his ears.
After reading the letter politely to the end, Luo Yan folded the letter in his hand and kept it, and replied casually.
"At least there are no specimens in the letter."
Maintaining correspondence with Princess Eileen may yield unexpected gains. After all, this person is not only a member of the Campbell family, but also a quasi-brave.
If nothing else, at least she would be able to receive the news in advance if she decided to take someone down the maze on a whim one day.
As for replying to the letter, it doesn’t take much time.
Besides, this is the letter he wants to reply to.
At the same time that Luo Yan finished speaking, a slender quill floated out of the desk drawer and gently placed a piece of letter paper on the table.
Under the pull of mental power, the pen moved as if it was held by an invisible hand, and a neatly written article was quickly completed.
After an hour, he will ask the hotel staff to deliver it to Her Royal Highness, which will surely put her in a good mood for the whole day.
At the same time that Luo Yan handed over the letter to the hotel staff, the refugees outside Thunder City finally waited for the warmth sent by Thunder City.
In one night last night, Irene raised a huge sum of nearly 650,000 gold coins.
This money is more than enough to not only relieve the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city, but also to train them into a fully armed army.
Under her personal supervision, the Governor of Thunder City quickly organized his manpower. On the one hand, he purchased the grain stored under the warehouse from the surrounding nobles, and on the other hand, he sent people to the valley plain in the east, the granary of the Principality of Campbell, to purchase more grain.
In order to ensure that the money was not misappropriated or corrupted, Irene even personally led the guards to the granary in Thunder City to check every grain purchased and put into the warehouse to ensure that the money and goods matched.
At first, there were indeed people who had ideas for the money, such as adding soil and sand to the sacks of wheat, or falsely reporting the quantity of grain delivered, or even selling the same batch of goods several times... After all, they had done this before.
However, when they saw the guards standing at the door of the granary personally inspecting each sack with a grain inspection fork, almost all the people with ulterior motives changed their faces and hurriedly replaced the shoddy goods with genuine ones.
Obviously, they still underestimated Irene Campbell's determination, thinking that it was just a little girl showing kindness to show off her influence at the banquet, but they did not expect that she was serious and really intended to save those poor people who also believed in Saint Sith.
As for those caravans that made a temporary U-turn at the entrance of the granary, Irene did not pursue their little actions to the end, as long as they ensured that the grain that was finally put into the warehouse was not adulterated.
It is unlikely that the nobles of the Principality of Campbell would offend the Campbell family for this little money from selling grain. It was probably their servants' own idea to be greedy for this small amount of money.
These nobles may not be unaware of the behavior of their servants, but they have formed a tacit understanding of turning a blind eye for a long time.
After all, they are willing to become servants of the nobles, obviously not for any glory, but because of the profits. The nobles who raised them also knew that if they wanted the dogs to wag their tails, they had to feed the dogs meat. If they did not give up some benefits to the servants, the servants would definitely use methods other than tacit understanding to take more from them, or wag their tails to outsiders.
Of course I can catch them on the spot when they deceive me, and even send them to the gallows without anyone speaking for them.
But if you go one step further and judge their morality before they deceive themselves, even the master of the principality will have to bear the price of breaking the existing order.
Although Irene didn’t say it with her mouth, she was as clear-headed as a mirror in her heart, including her right-hand man Teresa.
What they have to do is to save the poor people outside the city and make them become subjects of the Principality of Campbell, not to change Thunder City.
It has to be said that rescue at the official level is indeed different from spontaneous actions by the private sector.
Just relying on the little porridge donated by "Yan Wang's followers" is enough to warm people's hearts, but warming the belly is still a little less interesting.
But now all the problems have been solved satisfactorily, and in a way that makes everyone happy.
Faced with the officials of the Governor's Mansion, Father Matt and the good-doing brotherhood members happily gave up their porridge shop to the Governor's Mansion.
Their purpose has been achieved and excessive returns have been achieved with only a limited budget. At this time, it is best to let the officials of Thunder City take over.
When they leave at this time, the local refugees will not only not complain that they have not continued to do good deeds, but will also thank them for generously giving up this "honor".
And if the officials of Thunder City did not do better, the refugees would miss them in turn... Anyway, it would not be a loss to the Demon King.
With the takeover of the Governor's Mansion of Thunder City, the changes in the refugee camp outside Thunder City can be described as visible to the naked eye.
In the biting cold wind, a group of young and strong boys, led by employees of the Governor's Mansion, were repairing the crumbling camp that had been damaged by wind and snow.
In addition to taking care of the food, they also received an additional salary of 10 copper coins per day. Although the money was not much, not even enough for afternoon tea for the porters, it was enough to arouse their enthusiasm and at the same time attract small vendors from surrounding towns to their surroundings.
As time goes by, this place will develop into a new satellite city and completely become a part of Thunder City.
Only in this way can the plight faced by these refugees be truly solved.
Honest Princess Eileen Campbell, even the long-term future has been considered for them.
The busy construction site is in full swing, and people's renewed enthusiasm and hope for tomorrow keep the howling wind and snow at bay.
The frozen hearts began to beat again, as if the entire harsh winter had become less harsh...
In the evening, fires were set up in the center of the camp, and large iron pots were set up on the fires.
The warm orange light shines on the weather-beaten faces. Although the light is not as bright as the street lights in wealthy areas, it illuminates more people than the latter can imagine.
A young mother took a bowl of hot wheat porridge with trembling hands. She blew it carefully and fed it to the child in her arms. She coaxed the child who was too weak to cry to sleep. Then she took a sip, and tears rolled down her eyes.
Looking at the flag of the Campbell family not far away, she murmured to herself and gave out heartfelt thanks and praise.
"Praise to Your Highness the Princess, she is really a kind and kind lady. If it weren't for this bowl of hot porridge, I really don't know how I would survive this winter..."
There are many people like her.
Not far away from her, an old man was leaning on a cane, crossing himself on his chest, and his trembling voice was full of piety.
"Praise the great Saint Sith... Thank you for sending this kind messenger to our side to save your people from the cold wind and ice."
The identity of the Campbell family's chosen one is a well-known legend in the Kingdom of Lane. Although the Dusk Province is not Campbell's territory, it is not too far away from the Principality of Campbell.
At the same time, the city gate is not far away.
Looking at the people cheering the name of the Campbell family and thanking her from the bottom of their hearts, Erin felt as warm as spring in her heart.
Looking at Her Royal Highness the Princess standing in the wind and snow, an official wearing a fur coat stepped forward through the snow, bowed respectfully, and said in a loud and exaggerated voice.
"Your Highness, regarding the mission you gave me, I am glad that I have not disgraced my mission! Every refugee at the north gate, whether old or young, has received adequate nutrition under my careful care. I can guarantee you with my life that from today on, cold and hunger will become history, and no one will die from hunger or cold again."
This man is a servant of Governor Wilson and the steward of the Governor's Mansion.
Although he took all the credit on himself, Irene did not argue with him. She just nodded slightly and said in a gentle but measured voice.
"I see your efforts. It is indeed not easy to arrange the lives and production of tens of thousands of people in an orderly manner. I will mention your name to Governor Wilson, and he will be proud of you."
Looking at the official with a brighter smile on his face, she turned her attention to the surrounding servants who were also standing in the wind and snow, and continued in a clear and majestic voice.
"And you, too, those who stick to their posts in the cold wind, and those who grit their teeth and persevere in difficult situations... If this is the test given to us by Saint Sith, your noble souls must have left a deep impression on Him. Without your efforts, there would not be the miracle that all of us are witnessing today."
This honor should not be enjoyed exclusively by one person.
Whether it's her or a bureaucrat in the Governor's Office.
After looking around at the faces filled with emotion and pride, Irene walked to an iron pot not far away and looked at the cook in charge of serving porridge.
"Please give me a bowl."
I didn't expect that Her Highness the Princess would talk to a servant like myself. The cook was stunned and looked at the official next to him at a loss.
The affairs officer of the Governor's Mansion was also stunned and said hurriedly.
"Her Royal Highness, how can you eat such food..."
Not only did the clerk dissuade her, but Theresa, who was standing behind Irene, couldn't help but step forward and said.
"Your Highness, we can feel your thoughts, there is no need for you to go to this step."
Looking at the cooked wheat, Teresa couldn't help but swallowed, and couldn't imagine how bad it tasted.
One-stop version!
Her horses eat better than this thing!
However, in the face of the two people's dissuasion, Irene remained unmoved and looked at her calmly and said.
"Teresa, I once said that I hope to let them eat cake one day. Although I know that this is just an unrealistic wish or direction of efforts, but if we don't even know what they usually eat, how can we really make their lives better?"
Being stared at directly by the officials of the Governor's Mansion, the cook in charge of the ladle did not dare to move, and sweat broke out on his anxious forehead.
Seeing his embarrassment, Irene gave Teresa a look.
The latter understood the situation and stepped forward to take the wooden spoon from the cook's hand. After hesitating for a moment, he scooped out half a bowl from the few remaining pots.
Looking at the hot porridge she took from Teresa, Irene blew it gently, and then brought it to her mouth to take a taste while everyone watched nervously.
The taste is indescribable.
Although it is not hard to swallow, it is really not that good.
But what made her happy was that at least there was no sand in it, and there were no other things that would eat up people's stomachs.
This would not be in vain for her efforts.
Looking at the sweaty Governor's Mansion officials, Irene returned the bowl to Teresa with a smile, and then nodded to everyone.
……
The bowl of wheat porridge at the city gate was more filling than expected. When Irene returned to the manor, she didn't feel hungry at all.
However, in order not to waste food, she still ate a token amount, and gave the remaining untouched dinner to the servants in the manor.
At this time, she met the family of Winkton Dench, Earl of South Valley, who had stayed at the villa last night, and said hello to them.
The valley plain divided into north and south by Xixi Pass is the most fertile land on the northeastern coast of the Whirlpool Sea, and it is also the granary of the Campbell Principality.
And this Earl of Danch is the ruler of the southern part of this plain.
The reason why the grain merchants of the Lion Kingdom failed in the Thunder City this time and did not expect the expected famine was at least half of the credit of the Valley Plain.
The other half comes from the sea.
At the same time, the food used by the Governor's Palace of Thunder City to relieve the refugees was also purchased from the Earl of Nanxi Valley.
And what’s interesting is that the caravan transporting food almost arrived at Thunder City together with the carriage of Count Dench who came to attend the banquet.
He seemed to have calculated that he would definitely be able to raise the money, so he simply made this smooth favor.
Hynh To be honest, before the banquet started, Irene was very nervous until Mr. Colin paid 10,000 gold coins to take a picture of her pocket watch.
Count Dench nodded slightly and continued in a respectful yet humorous tone.
"It's my honor to serve you, not to mention this is a profitable business for us, isn't it?"
Irene smiled slightly and continued politely.
"But if there is a famine, wouldn't it be more profitable for the Earl of Nanxi Valley? So I am still very grateful for your timely help."
Danqi glanced at the Princess in surprise, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
The reason why he admired her was not because she saw the obvious thing, but because she frankly acknowledged her favor.
She is indeed the beloved daughter of the old Duke. He can see a little bit of the old Duke in her, even if it is still very abstract.
In fact, he does not dislike businessmen, nor does he object to cooperating with those guys. He has even raised a lot of them himself. What he really resents is that those who have neither glory nor country in their hearts are promoted to a position that does not belong to them.
At least he disdains using famine to make a fortune.
And those guys only worship gold coins. He has no doubt that they can sell their souls to the devil for gold coins without hesitation for a second.
At this point, Irene actually did a better job than Edward. At least she could take advantage of those merchants while taking into account the honor of the nobility, and she could feed the dog to maturity without letting the dog eat on the table.
As for her second brother, His Highness Jeroke, he attaches too much importance to the glory of the nobility and the tradition of martial arts, which is also not a good thing.
Perhaps it was because of this that the deceased old Duke put the "Light of Praise" into her hands.
It is a pity that people who have passed away cannot speak. No one knows what Archduke Aaron Campbell thought, and we can only leave it to the speculations of future generations.
After leaving his family, Count Dench took the princess aside and continued in a very soft voice.
"I have a presumptuous question, and I don't know if it is convenient for Her Royal Highness to answer it."
"Seeing as you have helped me so much, it's okay to ask." Irene smiled and nodded, and said calmly, "But I have to declare first, if it is about my two brothers, please let me refuse."
Count Dench said with a smile.
"Why would you ask such an unreasonable question? Please rest assured that our conversation today has nothing to do with your two brothers. It is mainly about Mr. Colin."
"Exactly," Earl Dench nodded slightly and continued, "Mr. Colin had a great chat with you last night, and I'm very curious about your evaluation of that gentleman."
Irene coughed lightly, quickly restored her usual appearance, and said elegantly.
"What do you want to know?"
Count Dench smiled and said.
"Any aspect is fine, such as what kind of person he is. After all, I am also curious about the mysterious and powerful Colin family."
Irene pondered for a moment and said truthfully.
"I don't know much about the Colin family. I only heard that they opened up a new colony in the west of the New World, and the Emperor granted them the authority to expand on that land. But to be honest, I don't have a good impression of him personally. Yes, his conversation and etiquette are indeed consistent with his status. In short... he is a gentle and polite gentleman. The time spent with him was short but very pleasant. "
After hearing these words, Danqi showed a pleased smile on his face and nodded slightly.
"It seems that you have a high opinion of him. At this precarious time, it is really an honor for our subjects to have such an ally."
This sentence sounds like a pun.
Irene said gently without changing the smile on her face.
"Precarious? May I ask what Mr. Dench is referring to?"
"Of course I am referring to the threat of chaos outside the Brass Pass. After all, our relationship with the Twilight Province is like lips and teeth. It is difficult for me to regard it as a distant threat."
Count Dench's smile did not change on his face, and he continued to test calmly.
"Please don't get me wrong, Your Highness, I have no other intention. It's just that my little daughter has just reached the age of marriage. Since Her Royal Highness the Princess recognizes Mr. Colin's character, he must be a good person. I wonder if Her Royal Highness the Princess can introduce it to her?"
The moment she heard these words, Irene's brows twitched slightly unconsciously, and the elegant smile on her face gradually stiffened.
"Mr. Dench, I think you should ask your daughter for her own opinion instead of making a decision for her without authorization. My evaluation cannot represent her evaluation."
Count Dench said with a smile.
"This is exactly her opinion. She fell in love with that gentleman at first sight at the banquet last night. As a father, I naturally have to consider her happiness."
"Mr. Winkelton Dench," Teresa, who had been silent, coughed slightly and interrupted him, "Her Royal Highness is very busy and has no time to worry about such things."
"I'm presumptuous, please pretend I didn't say it." Dench made a stunned expression, and then nodded slightly to apologize, "Magic-ripened wheat cannot produce ears. Since Mr. Colin already has a heart, I will advise my daughter to give up."
Princess Eileen did not speak.
I don’t know whether it was jealousy or acquiescence that her heart belonged to her, but her selfishness finally allowed her to take back her words of "making decisions for your daughter without authorization."
Presumably Mr. Colin does not want to be troubled for no reason. It is enough for him to be the only one who writes to him.
At this moment, Irene did not fully realize that those words were just Count Dench's test.
Her reaction also confirmed the other party's suspicion that something really happened between Her Royal Highness the Princess and Mr. Colin last night.
After all, the gentleman stayed in her room throughout the whole banquet, and even when he wanted to find a chance to chat with him, he had no chance.
In fact, he didn't bother to worry about his daughter's happiness. His real purpose was just to figure out this matter, and now his purpose has been achieved.
Hands the light of legend that symbolizes orthodoxy, and is backed by the mysterious family from the empire...
Hand in hand, whether Her Royal Highness has the intention to compete for the principality or not, she has in fact become a political force that cannot be ignored.
His family is not a follower like Theresa Pegg and her dad, they just need to know how to wag their tail and bite.
For the prosperity of the Earldom of Nanxi Valley and the Dench family, he needs to make careful bets.