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Just as he had planned, he slept until ten in the morning, when he was gently awakened by Palina.
"Lord City Lord, guards have come to the hotel for inspection."
"Ok?"
His sleepy eyes suddenly cleared up, he got up, opened the door and stuck his head out.
The corridor has been taken over by guards, with guards standing on both sides of each door.
Palina said she was here to investigate, but the atmosphere was different.
The staff member in charge of the inquiry was very gentle and had a respectful smile on his face.
After all, those who live in the hotel are all city lords from all over the place, and at the very least they are wizards, who can build a strong family on their own if they are left outside.
Even the royal family would not interrogate the city lords like criminals.
The city lord, who didn't know what was going on, went out of the house to check what the noise was causing and cooperated very well with the staff who were questioning him.
Because the first thing they said was - We are sorry to bother you, a deputy bishop of the church disappeared last night, and we hope to clear the city lords of suspicion.
If it was the royal family, they might dare to complain, but if it was the church...
The city lords answered the staff's questions one by one obediently.
The process is short.
Most people stayed in the hotel yesterday, and those who went out were easily found as witnesses - the guards patrolling the streets saw them.
Among them was Zhang Mu.
"I went out and went to church first, then stayed at the Second Prince's residence until around nine o'clock before returning to the hotel."
As he said this, all the city lords around him stared at him.
There was clear astonishment in his eyes - what an idiot, supporting the second prince? A prince who doesn't even have his own palace?
Zhang Mu didn't care.
After the guards left, he took Soran to Andre's palace.
His palace was inside the royal palace, and the entry and exit procedures were rather complicated.
After a series of inspections by the two professionals, they followed Butler Andre into a palace with a simple exterior and interior.
Walking along the corridor to the end, pushing open a wooden door, Andre sat at the head of the dining table and turned his head to look: "How do you feel after two days in the capital?"
"Very prosperous, Your Highness."
The butler guided Zhang Mu to sit in the first wooden chair on Andre's right, with Soren standing behind him.
"Prosperity is only one side of the capital. There are many more interesting things."
"Oh?"
"On the way back, City Lord Aiji can go to Data Street for fun." Andre raised his glass and gestured to Zhang Mu.
He raised the wine glass in front of him to return the gift and asked, "Data Street? What's its main business? Or what are its specialties?"
"The entire street is paved with crystal flooring."
Taking a sip of the bright red wine, Zhang Mu chuckled: "Really..."
"Ok?"
“It really makes the blood boil.”
"Hahaha... City Lord Edge also knows what it means to enjoy life."
"Of course, who doesn't like to enjoy themselves..." Looking up at him, Zhang Mu asked, "How can you design such an innovative street...
Your Highness, do I have the honor of meeting him?"
"There." Andre pointed to the door, where the butler stood expressionlessly.
"It's you, sir." Zhang Mu turned around, "I really admire your mind."
"You are too kind, Mr. City Lord."
"No, no, no, I never praise others against my will. I hope to have a long chat with Mr. Butler when I have time."
"As long as your highness allows."
“Hahaha…” Andre laughed heroically, “After the debriefing ceremony is over, City Lord Aggie can come to my palace as a guest for a while.”
"Will do."
The two continued to eat.
Andre strangely did not show any intention of winning over the enemy. He simply chatted about the capital, and the topic covered every corner.
After lunch, Zhang Mu stood up to say goodbye, and strode away with Soran, with the butler seeing them off.
The temporary palace was only a twenty-minute walk from the main gate of the palace, but the butler did not return until two hours later.
"Your Highness, they went to the Second Prince's residence."
Tasting the sweet wine, Andre opened his eyes: "What a disappointing choice."
"He should be comparing the prices offered by you and the Second Prince."
"I do not like."
"As ordered, Your Highness."
Chapter 261: Job Review Meeting, the Key Point in the Battle for the Throne
When Zhang Mu and Sauron appeared at the door of the Second Prince's house, he was very surprised.
The kitchen quickly prepared a table of delicious food, and the three of them sat down at the same table as they had last time.
As soon as he sat down, the second prince asked in confusion why they came to his house.
Looking at his surprised expression, Zhang Mu grasped two important pieces of information.
First, although the second prince is not well-known in the capital or even the entire kingdom, as they privately speculated, he is a prince who survived a cruel environment after all, and he has some confidants and means of his own.
Besides, the senior and he did join forces.
Zhang Mu had a rough idea of this since he saw his senior sister in the courtyard the night before.
It's a bit unexpected, but it makes sense.
Zhang Mu asked Domit to wander around the royal capital yesterday. His intention was not only to create an alibi, but also to find out the prestige of the three heirs among the people.
Unsurprisingly.
Andre is the most praised person among both the people of the royal capital and the nobles.
Avril rarely appeared in public in the past, and now she simply stays indoors. People have a lot of opinions about her, both good and bad, and most of them are confused.
Her Highness Avril? Oh, His Majesty's daughter?
She does have some fame in the aristocratic circle, and many young nobles are fascinated by her beauty.
But Avril herself did not like to socialize with the nobles, and most of the nobles' understanding of her was limited to "coldness".
Therefore, when it comes to major decisions concerning the future of the family, the heads of the family are more inclined to Andre, who promises huge profits.
As for the second prince, he seems a little weird compared with the first two, one is active and the other is quiet.
In order to win the favor of his people, he raised funds from his own pocket and from donations from supporters to start the massive project of building a moat for the royal capital.
After Zhang Mu finished his meal, driven by his strong curiosity, he asked the second prince why he wanted to dig a moat.
Does he really think it will work?
The second prince smiled bitterly and told the whole story - the king had told him a long time ago that if he felt he was about to lose, he should dig a moat around the capital.
Well, another riddle man.
After listening, Zhang Mu sighed helplessly, and then planned to talk about tomorrow's performance review ceremony.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the second prince started to ask the question that Zhang Mu did not answer when dinner started - why did you come to his house?
Taken literally, this is a really confusing question.
After all, he said as soon as he got to the door, "I'm here for dinner tonight. It's a bit sudden, and I didn't tell you in advance. Isn't that too abrupt?"
However, Zhang Mu knew why he asked this question, and asked back happily.
"Your Highness, are you surprised that I came to your house right after coming out of Andre's Palace?"
He didn't hesitate or deny it hypocritically, but nodded frankly.
"I don't like him, simple as that."
The expected answer was too straightforward, so the second prince was stunned for a long time before showing a surprised expression: "You are willing to..."
"Don't get me wrong, I plan to join your camp for the time being."
"That……"
“Is there a rule that requires you to choose a side to support?”
"Uh..." The second prince frowned and thought for a while, "No."
"Haha, that's it."
"It's just... Lord Aigi, first of all, I want to make it clear that I have no intention of provoking or slandering anyone."
Zhang Mu looked at him and signaled him to speak frankly.
Understanding his look, the second prince said, "My brother's character is a bit... harsh."
"so?"
"He would have considered it a provocation and an insult if you came to me immediately after leaving his palace."
"Well, that's it."
"You can go and talk to him in person...ah?"
The second prince reacted halfway through his words and said anxiously, "Lord Aiji, you don't know my brother. Once he wants to make things difficult for someone, he will do something very extreme!"
"Why, Andre can still attack me in the city?"