According to the detailed information in the world introduction, the palace in this world is closer to a castle in structure. To be precise, it is a magnificent castle with a huge courtyard.
The palace mainly plays two major roles.
First, it serves as a residence for the king and many queens.
The king handles daily affairs here, while the queens live in the palace on this side.
Secondly, many important ministers also work in the palace, where the core of the kingdom's decision-making is gathered, which is related to the fate of the country.
Considering that this place involves too many secrets of the kingdom and is also the residence of the king, it is extremely tightly guarded.
Before arriving at the courtyard of the palace, you can see that the courtyard is not surrounded by a traditional wall, but is surrounded by a circle of exquisite iron bars.
The iron fence is decorated with a peculiar dog-body lion-headed creature. The dog body represents officials at all levels of the kingdom and symbolizes loyalty.
Officials are like loyal dogs, dedicated to the stability and prosperity of the kingdom.
The lion head represents the royal family, demonstrates their majesty, and implies their sacred duty to protect the territory.
Thousands of royal guards stood around the courtyard. They were wearing golden armor and holding neat long weapons. Their bodies were straight and their expressions were meticulous.
Lin Yi walked on a granite stone road full of exquisite carvings.
The time at this time was around 6 o'clock in the morning, the sky was slightly bright, and there was a hint of freshness in the air.
From time to time, officials wearing noble attire passed by. They were dressed in gorgeous costumes, showing the elegance and dignity of the nobles.
Some of these officials were in a hurry, while others were leisurely and contented. They were all important figures in the kingdom and shouldered the important responsibilities of the country.
In this kingdom, ministers in high positions can freely enter and leave the palace between 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock every day to handle state affairs.
And some people in special positions can enter and leave the palace 24 hours a day, serving the king and the country at any time.
It happened to be the time for the ministers to start working, so Lin Yi could also see many ministers yawning and slowly walking into the courtyard.
They may have woken up too early and were not yet fully awake from their sleep, but as soon as they entered the palace, they immediately adjusted themselves and prepared to get into busy work.
The identity replaced by Lin Yi is obviously very popular.
Along the way, almost all the officials, big and small, they met greeted Lin Yi warmly.
Some of them smiled and nodded, while others greeted them cordially.
Many officials even sneaked up to Lin Yi and quietly asked if the aphrodisiacs they had sold before were still available.
There is no way, each of these ministers is not too young. In this era, it is really difficult to support dozens of concubines at home without relying on alchemy secrets.
You know, this is not a modern society. In this world, it is very normal for rich people to marry more than a dozen wives.
Of course, the premise is that you must have enough wealth and status to enjoy such a life.
As soon as he entered the castle, Lin Yi smelled a faint fragrance. He looked for the source of the fragrance and saw several large pots of tulips placed at the entrance of the castle.
After entering the castle, Lin Yi didn't even have to worry about finding the way. The attendant in front of him had already respectfully motioned for Lin Yi to follow him.
Although Lin Yi's original owner can be said to be a frequent visitor in the castle, his identity is only the vice president of a college, so the attendants naturally do not dare to let Lin Yi run around.
This is a palace and castle, and there may be secrets hidden everywhere that cannot be seen by outsiders. If Lin Yi sees something that he shouldn't see, it will be troublesome.
The previous chamberlain was executed by the queen on the spot because he had the misfortune to stumble upon the queen's tryst.
The family behind the queen was extremely powerful, providing a quarter of the entire kingdom's military expenditure and playing a pivotal role in the kingdom's economy and military.
Even though the old king knew this in his heart later, he did not severely punish the queen, but just gave her a gentle admonishment.
After all, the power of the queen's family cannot be underestimated, and the old king has to be cautious.
Later, the old king also secretly dealt with the queen and announced to the public that she had fallen into the water while watching flowers.
This kind of rhetoric can be regarded as giving everyone a barely justified reason.
After all, the old king, as a generational hero, would naturally not allow a cuckold to appear on his head.
The queen's family also knew that they were in the wrong, so they quickly found a sixteen-year-old woman and sent it to the palace to continue the marriage, which was considered as a sign of submission to the old king.
They understand that in this game of power, appropriate compromises are necessary, and only in this way can they continue to maintain the family's glory and status.
Just when Lin Yi was about to arrive at the kingdom's meeting hall, an old man with a white beard slowly walked out of the door of the meeting hall and appeared in front of Lin Yi without warning.
The moment he saw this old man with a white beard, the power of the abyss in Lin Yi's body moved slightly.
This subtle movement caused Lin Yi's eyes to narrow instantly.
However, the power of the abyss only became active for a moment, and then returned to normal.
"Lord Rowan Harvey." After the attendant saw the old man, he respectfully gave the old man a signature courtesy.
When Lin Yi saw this, he also saluted in the same way.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry to trouble you, Dean Lin."
After Rowan Harvey saw Lin Yi, his face was filled with sadness.
Recently, all the crown princes in the kingdom have rushed to the royal capital one after another, and the entire royal capital can be described as an undercurrent.
As the treasurer of the kingdom, Rowan Harvey was in charge of the financial power and was one of the old king's confidants.
One might think that the old king's confidants would be united, but in fact this was not the case.
The old king's confidants must not be united. They must have some "small conflicts". Only in this way is a healthy power system.
There are four confidants of the old king, including the kingdom's treasurer Rowan Harvey, the hyena Huslett (the commander of the kingdom's army in charge of military power), the consul Joe Valentine (responsible for managing most of the officials), and finally the Iron Hand. .
Even so, Rowan Harvey had to feel anxious in his heart.
You know, the old king is not a simple character.
At that time, the old king could be said to have killed his father to win the throne.
Not to mention his subordinates, when he gets ruthless, his own son will also be killed.
Especially Rowan Harvey heard that the Iron Hand had begun to move recently, which was not good news for Rowan Harvey.
"It should."
Lin Yi raised his eyebrows. Unexpectedly, this old guy also knew the old king's physical condition.
Also, to be able to sit in the position of financial officer, Rowan Harvey must not be a stupid person.
Although the old king's recent physical condition was not unusual, he could keenly feel the old king's anxiety.
From the fact that the old king's methods have become more and more radical recently, it can be vaguely seen that the old king's time is probably running out.
After Rowan Harvey left, Lin Yi vaguely heard the guards outside the door slamming their weapons on the ground, making a sonorous sound.
Hearing this voice, the expression of the attendant who led Lin Yi immediately changed, and he quickly led Lin Yi into the Kingdom Council Hall.
The attendant slowly opened the door of the kingdom's meeting hall, and the meeting hall was quiet.
There is a circle of seats around it, with a tall metal throne at the top.
This throne was forged from a huge meteorite that fell from the sky, and was completely black.
A figure sat quietly on the throne. He was wearing loose gold and red clothes and an iron crown on his head.
This crown has been passed down for more than a thousand years and was passed down by the first king, Adelaide Herbert, the Iron Crown.
Sitting on the throne is the old king, Bayherbert.
Now 65 years old, his beard and hair are all white. Although nourished by various precious secret medicines, his skin has no wrinkles and his complexion is rosy, he gives people the impression of being old.
It is a kind of vicissitudes that comes from the bones, as if it has experienced countless winds and rains and years of tempering.
The old king waved his hand, and the attendant bowed quickly, and then respectfully withdrew.
In the meeting hall, only Lin Yi and the old king were left.
After the attendant gently closed the door, the atmosphere in the meeting hall became even more gloomy.
The old king suddenly coughed violently. He quickly took out a white handkerchief and put it near his mouth.
Lin Yi clearly saw a trace of blood dyeing the originally white handkerchief red.
"Where's today's medicine?" After the old king finished coughing, he wiped the blood on his mouth with a handkerchief, and then put the handkerchief into his pocket.
Now the old king cannot let others know the true condition of his body for the time being. He must handle this handkerchief carefully to prevent it from falling into the hands of people with ulterior motives.
There are curse spells in this world, so the old king cannot handle items with his own blood casually.
"Here, there are not many materials for medicine. To make this medicine, you must use the blood purified by the Necromancer. A Necromancer can only use the essence and blood from the heart. The one that was captured before has been used That's almost it." Lin Yi sighed, took out the powder from his pocket and handed it to the old king.
The old king took the powder and inhaled it directly into his nose. As the effect of the medicinal powder gradually took effect, the old king could feel that his originally weak body was filled with vitality again.
"If there is no Necromancer, let that old guy Heslett go and kill two people outside the Wall of God. Now that the Necromancers are becoming more and more unstable, we can just take this opportunity to let them understand who is the real person in this world." The ruler of the country." When the old king said these words, his body was full of murderous aura, like a sharp sword unsheathed, its edge clearly visible.
A surge of domineering power rushed towards him, and the powerful aura was suffocating.
If a contractor who had just been promoted to the second level stood in front of the old king, he would probably be frightened by the old king's aura and collapse to the ground.
"The antidote is here. Whether you need it or not, you still have to take it." Lin Yi put the bottle in his pocket on the table.
Looking at the medicine bottle filled with scarlet liquid, the old king closed his eyes, and the aura that had just emerged from his body was withdrawn again.
"How many years have you been in the Alchemy Academy?" The old king suddenly asked, ignoring the antidote on the table. His voice echoed in the silent meeting hall, carrying a hint of subtle vicissitudes.
"Count the time, in two days it will be almost 22 years." Lin Yi replied calmly.
"It's been 22 years, do you hate me?" The old king looked at Lin Yi, with a hint of complicated emotions in his eyes.
That emotion contained guilt, helplessness, and perhaps a hint of hope.
Lin Yi's identity in this world is that of the old king's eldest brother's son. Lin Yi is equivalent to the old king's nephew. This is why the old king treats Lin Yi so specially.
Originally, the old king was just planning to let Lin Yi spend his whole life in the Alchemy Academy. After all, the old king knew very well how chaotic the royal family was.
In this palace full of power struggles and intrigues, if you are not careful, you will fall into a desperate situation.
He didn't want Lin Yi to get involved, he just wanted to give him a relatively stable life.
But I didn't expect that Lin Yi was so talented in alchemy. In just twenty years, he used alchemy to successfully conquer the hard-headed group of Alchemy Academy and became one of the deputy deans of the Alchemy Academy.
"It's not bad. I was quite annoyed at first, but later I looked away. Alchemy is still very interesting." Lin Yi smiled and his tone was very casual.
As a human spirit, the old king could naturally tell whether Lin Yi was telling the truth or a lie.
His eyes were fixed on Lin Yi, trying to find any flaw in his expression and tone.
Originally, he asked Lin Yi to come over this time just to see what Lin Yi was thinking now.
If Lin Yi still can't turn his head around, the old king is ready to deal with Lin Yi in advance. After all, an alchemist master who has hatred for the royal family is too scary.
If Lin Yi really participated in this battle for the throne, at least two-thirds of the people would die silently based on Lin Yi's methods.
This is the horror of master alchemists. They can use various potions and magic items to take people's lives unknowingly.
The old king cannot allow such potential threats to exist. He must ensure the smooth succession of the throne and the stability and prosperity of the kingdom.
Seeing that Lin Yi had already shown his cards, the old king stopped pretending and leaned back on his chair lazily.
At this time, the old king was like a sleepy old lion, looking completely unthreatening.
If someone dares to tease the old king, a thunderous strike will be waiting for that person.
The Necromancer tribe has been deceived by the old king more than once, so this time even if the Necromancer tribe received the news that the old king was going to choose a crown prince, they did not dare to attack the Wall of God easily because they were afraid that it would happen again this time. It was the old king fishing.
"The thing I regret most is fighting for the rights of the king. When I was young, I always longed for rights, but at that time I had no idea what rights represented."
The old king seemed to be talking, with a hint of vicissitudes and helplessness in his voice.
In front of his ministers, he is a majestic and wise king who must always maintain the king's demeanor and decisiveness.
But Lin Yi is now neither his minister nor his junior, so the old king is also ready to tell Lin Yi something from his heart.
"Rights are just like chronic poison. You don't need them. You're afraid that others will harm you by taking them. Just take them. It's almost like chronic death. It's really nonsense." Hearing Lin Yi's description, the corner of the old king's mouth changed. A smile appeared.
There was a bit of emotion in that smile, and he seemed to agree with Lin Yi's statement.
It is also very good to have a junior with whom you can talk to before you die.
Although his eldest son, third son, fourth son and others are coming back soon, these sons are all coming back for the throne under his butt.
The old king has not spoken his true feelings to anyone for a long time.
In the eyes of these sons, he saw only the desire and struggle for power, without any warmth of family affection.
"Honestly, who over there has come to win over you?"
The old king looked at Lin Yi. Although he was old, he was not stupid.
Although Lin Yi does not have any rights, Lin Yi's position puts him in a very special position.
Once Lin Yi joins a prince's camp, other competitors will start to be careful about their food.
No one knows if someone has given some kind of alchemical poison to something they eat.
The old king had a total of 49 direct heirs, and as for illegitimate children, there were even more countless.
After all, the old king has many women. As long as his body can bear it, it is just a matter of chance to have children.
Illegitimate children are naturally not qualified to inherit the throne. Only the children born to the queens are the direct children of the old king.
Of course, there is more than one queen. These queens all have their own backgrounds. They are either the daughter of a powerful official or the daughter of some wealthy businessmen.
The total of 36 queens represents a huge network of power.
The center of the power network is the old king, surrounded by powerful ministers and wealthy businessmen, and it is these queens who connect the two.
They are an important part of power. Although they do not have real power in their hands, or they cannot have real power, they only need to be a link. Once they have power, things will not be good.
The queen, who has no real power, is basically in a state of soy sauce in the struggle for power.
The new king's coming to power actually has little impact on them. The new king also needs to use them to maintain the surrounding powerful officials and wealthy businessmen.
Royal power is like a spider web, the structure becomes more complex toward the outside.
The old king is the spider in the center of the web. It shakes the web frequently to check for damage and to know whether there is prey on the web.
Of course, not all of the old king's 49 descendants will participate in the struggle for power.
Among them, 18 people have given up the fight for rights. It is not that they lack ambition, but that they have been squeezed out early and lost the capital to compete.
But they will also rush to the royal capital. After all, at this critical moment, they don't want to be completely ignored.
Among the remaining 31 people, 16 people have an attitude, that is, don't mess with me casually.
They will not give up voluntarily, nor will they compete for rights.
If a prince or princess has an absolute advantage in seizing power, they will support that party and strive to obtain an idle position with a high official position but no real power after the other party succeeds to the throne, which is commonly known as a prince.
These 16 soybean princes or princesses are all relatively young. They know that they cannot compete with their elder brothers, so they choose to give up temporarily.
But don't think these people are completely harmless; they just are, for the most part.
If a God-given opportunity arises, they will become the next king. Of course, this possibility is very low.
After layers of elimination, there were only 15 competitors left before the struggle for rights began.
These people learn from their teenage years that all their older brothers, younger brothers, and younger sisters are enemies.
If these people are not killed or stripped of their rights, they themselves will be the last to die.
"Eldest brother, second sister, third brother, sixth sister and seventh brother have all contacted me privately."
Lin Yi only mentioned these five people. The reason is very simple. Among the remaining 15 competitors, these five people are the most promising. If nothing happens, the new king this time will emerge from these five people.
They have strong power and support and occupy an advantageous position in this fierce competition for power.
"Hmph, I knew it. I'm not dead yet, and everyone is already staring at the area below my butt."
There was a hint of anger on the old king's face, anger mixed with helplessness.
As the king of a country, he has struggled in the whirlpool of power all his life, and he is all too familiar with this kind of struggle for power.
When this happened to his children, he still felt deeply disappointed and sad.
But he also knew that royal feelings were the most ridiculous.
Family ties often become fragile in the face of the temptation of power.
Up to now, even though the old king has nearly 50 children, he can only express his innermost thoughts to his eldest nephew.
"Forget it, your boy is nothing like your father. Your father was bad back then, but your boy was good and didn't inherit any of it. Just stand behind me later."
"Ah? What are you doing? I'm going back to do experiments later. I'm busy." Lin Yi looked reluctant.
"Hey! You brat, if you don't obey me, believe it or not, I'll beat you up." Seeing Lin Yi's disappointed look, the old king suddenly felt that this guy was itchy.
He picked up the golden scepter next to him with his right hand, preparing to let Lin Yi understand what the care of the elders meant. (End of chapter)