The Imperial Palace, outside the Emperor's Bedroom. An old man dressed in a graceful and elaborate costume slowly paced back and forth outside the door, silently bowing his head and thinking about something, waiting for the summons of Rey III.

Strange to say, the emperor's bedroom should be the most heavily guarded place, but at this time, except for the old man outside the gate, there was not even a single guard within a radius of 100 meters.

At this time, the palace door of the dormitory opened a crack in the door, and an equally old chamberlain flashed out of the door, and after respectfully saluting the old man, he said in a dumb voice: "Prime Minister, Your Majesty is invited." ”

"I'm tired. The old prime minister nodded at the waiter, and after a brief exchange of glances, he followed the waiter into the door.

The emperor's dormitory looks tall and majestic from the outside, fully reflecting the majesty of the royal family and the face of the emperor, but the interior is a little small due to the existence of a curtain.

After the old prime minister entered the palace, he was blocked by this curtain, and after the old chamber closed the palace door, he smiled apologetically at the old prime minister, and after flashing into the curtain, he reported something to the inside in a low voice.

The old prime minister didn't think it was angry at all, as if he had long been accustomed to the emperor's style, standing quietly at the door, waiting for the emperor's will.

"Cough~" Rey III inside the curtain coughed lightly and ordered: "Gazi, first show Lord Richelieu." ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" said the old prime minister, Richeliu, bowing down and thanking him. Nian was quite old, and he would give him a seat every time he met His Majesty the Emperor, but when Richelieu saw the seat that Gaz had moved, his eyes couldn't help but stare at him.

This time, instead of an ordinary chair, Gaisez had brought a high-backed armchair, which Richelieu even recognized as the one he sat on the throne during the deliberations of Parliament and other ministers.

I don't know what the emperor's purpose was in moving that chair here. The old prime minister did not sit down rashly, he knew the meaning of this chair, in the parliament, it was the supreme authority under one person and above ten thousand people, but when it appeared in the emperor's bedroom, the deep meaning behind it was thought-provoking.

"Lord Richelieu, please be seated. Gates gave the old prime minister a reassuring look and reminded him gently.

The old prime minister still did not sit down, but looked up suspiciously and glanced behind the curtain.

"Sit down. From behind the curtain came a faint, almost imperceptible sigh from Rey III. The old prime minister couldn't continue to excuse himself, and sat on the edge of the chair half-sitting and half-squatting.

"How's the celebration going?" asked Rey III after a moment of silence.

"Everything is in place, all kinds of work are already in place. "Richelieu has been here for this reason, and the New Year's celebration is not enough, once a year there is a rule, and it is enough to do things according to the rules, but the focus is on the celebration of the opening of the canal.

Named after Rey III, the Rey Canal was of great significance to the entire Empire, as it allowed powerful mechwarships to reach the Imperial Capital and greatly strengthened the Empire's control over the Sea of Mist. Rey III regarded it as the pride of his life, and even compared it to Fred the Great's exploits in defeating Wycoburg in parliament more than once.

Only Richelieu, the old prime minister who had done the work himself, knew in his heart what a heavy price the empire had paid for the canal and the construction of the port royal. That's the tax revenue of the empire for a whole twenty years. This astronomical figure even the old prime minister, Richelieu, who has always been known for his long sleeves and good at managing money, has exhausted almost all of his mental strength.

As for the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer, which was previously popular among countless people, it has become the hottest potato with the fastest change in the entire empire.

"Who is in charge of security?" Ray III's question interrupted the old chancellor's thoughts.

"It is still the responsibility of the Imperial Defense Forces. The old prime minister replied. Although the empire has four major legions, except for high-ranking officers, there is no emperor's will, and not a single soldier is allowed to step into the imperial capital for half a step. Therefore, all security work in the imperial capital was taken care of by the specially established Imperial Defense Force.

"Imperial Defense Forces?" After the curtain, there was a suppressed coughing sound, and the dissatisfied voice of Rey III came out, "Now the commander of the Imperial Defense Force is ......"

"Lord Bardo O'Brid, second son of Duke Brydon O'Brid. Gates' voice rang out from within the curtain. This matter concerns the imperial military, and although the old prime minister has great power, it is inconvenient to put his beak, so he chose to remain silent.

"Former Duke!" said Rey III angrily, "hasn't that old man already stripped me of his dukeship?"

"Yes, former duke. Gates cautiously agreed. In fact, when Rey III made the decree, remembering the exploits of the O'Bright family at the founding of the country and their loyalty for thousands of years, he only revoked the treatment of the duke, but still allowed him to retain the title of duke.

"I think Bardo seems to be useless, doesn't he?, why did such an important position of commander of the Imperial Defense Force fall to him?" wondered Rey III.

The old chamberlain Gates secretly held his forehead in frustration, since Rey III learned that Count Raphael was missing, he was sick in anger, and now he is a little confused. The reason why Bardo was able to become the commander of the Imperial Defense Force was the result of Count Raphael's strong recommendation when he left. After his disappearance, Rey III remembered the old relationship and did not order the replacement, and he could not imagine that he had forgotten it now.

Gates couldn't remind the emperor at this time, and the old prime minister would not forget his duty to touch this mold, so there was an awkward silence in the palace.

"Is there any news from Mr. Ophelas?" After a moment of silence, Rey III asked as if he had remembered the reason for this.

As the guardian sword master of the empire, almost every emperor will respect Ophelas as a teacher, but as he gets older, Ophelas has rarely appeared in front of the world, and even the emperor himself rarely has the opportunity to see him.

"The invitation to the celebration has been sent to the Sword Saint's Mansion, and Lord Ophiras is still in retreat, and has not yet made it clear whether he will participate or not. Richelieu replied.

"If the Lost Sword Master doesn't participate, it will make the celebration a lot more discolored. In any case, let the teacher show his side. Richelieu, I'll take care of this matter to you!" commanded Rey III in a tone of no doubt.

"Do your best!" Richelieu said reluctantly. Even Otto the Great could not be moved by Otto, and Rey III was simply embarrassed.

"Well, you can step down. After another awkward silence, Rey III motioned for the old prime minister to leave.

Richelieu stood up quietly, silently bowed to Rey III behind the veil, and then turned and slowly left. The old prime minister left very slowly, and he walked for three minutes in just a few steps, as if he wanted to wait for the emperor to stay, but until he stepped out of the palace gate, he never heard any sound from the emperor.

"Gates, let Sebastian come back. I don't feel at ease when he's not there. It was a long time after the old prime minister had left that Rey III let out a helpless sigh.