Chapter 66: Suggestions
"My Lord, the person I’ve found is on his way, but he’s actually a local. His name is Richard." Baldwin said.
"Richard? Why does that name sound familiar?" Simon asked, puzzled.
"My Lord, do you remember when Lothair accused Cedric? At that time, there was a scapegoat." Baldwin reminded him.
Simon recalled. Back then, Cedric had pinned all the blame on a man named Richard, clearly using him as a fall guy. Cedric had even said that the Goldwynd family would handle the matter themselves. "Ah, yes, I remember now."
"That’s the same Richard. After Cedric returned, he punished Richard under family law for the crime of hiding ploughing oxen. Richard was given a hundred heavy lashes until he passed out. Then, Cedric ordered his servants to tie stones to Richard’s hands and feet and throw him into the Dew River. However, Richard was lucky. The servants were lazy and didn’t tie the stones tightly. When he hit the water, he woke up, broke free from the stones, and floated downstream. I happened to be inspecting farming matters by the river that day and fished him out. At the time, he was barely alive."
Simon was sceptical. "Cedric is indeed ruthless, but what does Richard have to do with the secret guards?"
"My Lord, since ancient times, people who have been pushed to the brink are the best candidates for secret guards," Baldwin explained slowly.
Simon pondered this. Baldwin’s words made sense. Richard had already died once and must harbour deep hatred for the Goldwynd family. And since the Goldwynd family was a target Simon planned to dismantle eventually, this could work in his favour.
If he gave Richard a chance to live, he would surely be grateful and would likely go to great lengths to help Simon take down the Goldwynd family.
Simon smiled. "Baldwin, your foresight is truly impressive. I am humbled."
The two were used to exchanging compliments, and Baldwin simply chuckled. He spoke. "It seems Your Highness has figured it out. But how can Richard serve by Your Highness’s side without being recognised by the Goldwynd family?"
"That is indeed a problem, but it’s not insurmountable. I’ll have the Machinery Department craft a special mask for him. What do you think?" Simon suggested.
"Good idea. Richard, as a secret guard, should live behind a mask. I’ll speak with him again. If his resolve is firm, I’ll bring him to meet you tomorrow." Baldwin said.
Simon nodded. He had been so busy building the industrial foundation that he had neglected the essential matters of a feudal lord’s survival.
The military was one priority. He was about to equip his army with plate armour, but that would take time. The second priority was the secret guards, or the intelligence system.
In any era, being uninformed was extremely dangerous. For example, Simon had no idea what his neighbour, Prince Gerad, was up to, while Prince Gerad likely knew everything about Simon’s activities. This was a pitiful situation.
After finalising the plan to establish the secret guards, Baldwin returned to his residence.
His home was a traditional courtyard house just a street away from the prince’s castle. When he arrived, his wife, was playing with their five-year-old daughter.
Annabeth was an ordinary-looking woman. Seeing Baldwin return, she said. "Husband, dinner is ready. We can eat now."
Baldwin played with his daughter for a while and then said. "Call Richard over."
Annabeth nodded. Richard had been staying with them for over a month, and his health had mostly recovered. She went to the side room and called for him. A pale young man in scholar’s attire, with a black mole between his eyebrows, emerged.
"Cough, cough... Sir Baldwin." Richard said weakly, still recovering.
Baldwin helped him into the main hall, and the two sat down at the dining table. Annabeth took their daughter to play elsewhere. In the Eldorian Empire, men and women did not dine together, so Annabeth would eat after the men had finished.
"Richard, I’ve spoken to His Highness about your situation. If you want to live, your only path now is to serve His Highness. Cedric has eyes and ears everywhere in Brambleford. If you leave, you won’t make it out of the city alive." Baldwin said.
Cedric had two brothers, and Richard was the illegitimate third son of Dickson, Cedric’s second brother. Richard’s mother was a mere servant in the Goldwynd household, and Richard was the result of Dickson’s drunken indiscretion.
In the Eldorian Empire, from the royal family down to commoners, a child’s status depended on their mother’s standing. Since Richard’s mother was a lowly servant, he had never been treated well in the Goldwynd family. He had been bullied by the Goldwynd family’s legitimate children since childhood and had now become a scapegoat.
"Sir Baldwin, you saved my life. I’m nothing but a worthless wretch now, and I care about nothing except seeing Cedric brought to justice!" Richard said with hatred.
Baldwin nodded inwardly. "In that case, I will introduce you to His Highness tomorrow. From now on, Richard is dead. You will be His Highness’s shadow."
"I will follow your orders, Sir Baldwin," Richard said with determination.
He hated Cedric and the Goldwynd family. His mother had been driven out of the Goldwynd household the day after he was born, accused of seducing Dickson, and sold to slave traders. To this day, he didn’t even know what his mother looked like.
For nineteen years, he had lived in the Goldwynd household, treated worse than a servant.
"Good, that puts my mind at ease," Baldwin said with relief.
The horse smuggling case had revealed more than just Luigi’s corruption. Baldwin had uncovered something even more significant. Prince Gerad, known for his timidity, had smuggled three thousand high-quality warhorses from the grasslands over the past five years.
This could only mean one thing: the struggle for the throne in the Eldorian Empire was no longer just a conflict among the princes. It now involved the six non-royal princes.
When the six non-royal princes had helped Emperor Leopold establish the Eldorian Empire, they had been promised a share of the kingdom. Over the past century, their territories had become like independent states within the empire.
However, as the imperial family’s territories were increasingly encroached upon by northern reavers, the emperor’s authority had waned, and the six princes had grown increasingly disdainful of the royal family.
The deep camaraderie between Emperor Leopold and the six princes had faded with the passing of that generation. The current generation of princes had little affection for the royal family.
If the struggle for the throne went wrong, the consequences would be severe.
Prince Gerad, though timid, was highly intelligent. He was likely preparing for the worst, though it was unclear whether this was his own initiative or the result of someone else’s influence.
This was why Baldwin had urged Simon to establish a secret guard system and gather intelligence on the empire’s internal affairs. Otherwise, Simon might find himself caught off guard.
However, Baldwin believed that as long as Emperor Alaric remained alive, the princes wouldn’t dare act too recklessly. After all, Emperor Alaric was a ruler who had emerged from bloodshed and chaos, and the princes were still under his control.
