"It seems you treated yourself well."

With complicated emotions, Thales came to the opposite side of Zhan and pulled out an expensive armchair.

"Both each other," the Duke of Nan'an didn't look at him, and opened the pot of Serra's wine on the coffee table. "Be careful, Your Highness, that chair is not easy to sit on."

Taylor made a move.

He patted the armchair, looked cold, and sat on it without hesitation.

"How can such an expensive chair be difficult to sit on?"

"Because of this," Zhan En poured two glasses of wine and watched him sit on the chair with an intriguing look, "precious things are often not comfortable to use."

"In that case," Thales rubbed the smooth and warm armrest, feeling the leather material, and said, "I didn't see you throwing it away?"

Zhan picked up a glass of wine and gestured to Telstow.

"As you said."

The Duke chuckled lightly, pushed another glass of wine to Thales, extended his hand to signal, and said in a profound tone:

"It's very valuable."

Thales didn't reply immediately. He stared at the other person for a long time.

"Then you have to be more careful," Thales leaned towards the coffee table and pushed the glass of wine back lightly but without doubt, "otherwise the chair will be damaged by me sitting on it and it will be difficult to repair."

Zhan's eyes froze slightly as he watched Thales rejecting the wine.

"It's not irreparable," he smiled slightly, retracted his palm, raised his wine glass nonchalantly, and took a deep breath, "All it takes is finding the right craftsman."

Thales leaned back and watched silently as Zhan enjoyed the aroma of the wine, then hummed softly:

"Since it is such an expensive chair, it will cost a lot of money to repair it, no matter which master is it, right?"

Zhan En swung the glass, took a sip of wine, and exclaimed:

"It's cheaper than the chair itself."

"Then would you rather spend money to repair it, or would you rather it remain intact?"

Zhan En's eyes narrowed.

"It depends on where the chair is placed," Duke Iris said quietly, "whether it is placed in the hall for others to see, or whether it is placed in the bedroom for oneself to sit on."

Thales was silent, and Zhan didn't speak either. The two of them just faced each other quietly in the bedroom.

After a while, Zhan put down his wine glass and spoke first.

"So, the current regent of Emerald City came to see me as a prisoner, but he refused to drink my wine." He stared at Thales' face, meaning something, "But there is something wrong with the rule?"

Thales snorted lightly.

"As a prisoner, staying at home, how do you know that my 'ruling is not going well'?"

Zhan smiled and turned towards the balcony.

"Please, there is such a huge plume of smoke and fire in the Glory Zone, even the most hidden rat in Kongming Palace can smell it."

Thales frowned.

Zhan closed his eyes with an expression of enjoyment, as if he was still savoring the aroma of the wine.

"You know, there was a rat infestation in Star Lake Castle for a while," Thales stared at the wine bottle on the table, "until I cleaned up all the rats, not a single one was left."

After saying this, he stared at Zhan En.

Zhan was silent for a while.

"Not a single one left?"

Duke Iris nodded:

"That's going to take a lot of mice and cats, a lot."

"There are indeed many," Thales said not to be outdone, "but I later discovered that there is only one truly useful cat."

Zhan En sneered:

"Oh, which one?"

Thales and Zhan looked at each other for a long time.

The next moment, Thales suddenly smiled:

"You just misunderstood, Your Majesty the Duke."

Thales leaned forward and picked up the glass of wine that originally belonged to him.

This time it was Zhan En who frowned slightly.

"The rule of the Emerald City is going smoothly and without any troubles. The citizens live and work in peace and contentment, and the officers and soldiers perform their duties faithfully." Thales swung his wine glass freely and greeted Zhan En. "Like the fire accident on Ruhsang Street, I was not needed at all.

Don’t worry, officials at all levels will take care of it themselves.”

Zhan En's eyes narrowed.

"I think so," he leaned back, instantly becoming indifferent and repulsive, "otherwise, you would have been so busy that you wouldn't have the time to come to me for a drink and talk about chairs and mice.

."

"Was your father in pain," Thales said with the same smile, but suddenly changed the subject, "When he died?"

Zhan's expression changed.

Thales continued calmly:

"Especially when you know that you have been betrayed by others, and know that your murderer is a blood relative who cannot be trusted?"

Zhan stared at Thales's wine glass expressionlessly, but just when Thales thought he was going to change his face after all, Zhan raised his head without changing his expression:

"please forgive?"

Thales looked at the other party and hummed:

"I said, the world is peaceful in the Emerald City, it should be said that it is too peaceful. Because of this, I have nothing to do all day long, so I have time to do this - arbitrate the dispute between you and Federico,

Find out the truth and bring justice to the late old Duke of Leinster and Viscount Sonar."

His Royal Highness emphasized the last few words and narrowed his eyes:

"What, is there something wrong?"

For several seconds, Zhan remained motionless, like a statue.

Until he took a breath and poured himself another drink.

"You just said that this is the only mousecatcher you need?"

Zhan En's action of pouring wine was calm and normal, nothing wrong at all:

“It’s a bit too monotonous and lacks novelty.”

"But when the mice were cornered and had no other choice," Thales shook his wine glass, his eyes never leaving Zhan's face, "they really fell for this."

Zhan put down the wine bottle heavily.

"But are you sure the only ones you have to clean up are rats?"

The Duke raised his glass and carefully observed the color of the wine under the light:

"If there is a more ferocious beast hidden in the castle, a mouse-catching cat alone will not be enough to see it."

On Zhan's wine glass, Thales's face was reflected through the refraction of the wine, appearing scarlet and distorted.

"Actually, my cat is ruthless and ferocious with its claws." Thales also raised his glass to him, "Enough."

Zhan En's expression turned cold.

He lowered his eyes and looked at Thales' wine glass:

"You almost spilled the wine, are you really not going to take a sip?"

"The cup is in my hand," Thales said coldly, continuing to shake the glass, "I can drink it whenever I want."

Zhan fell silent.

A few seconds later, he held the wine glass and slowly walked to the window.

"Of course, then you can drink it whenever you want," Zhan En looked out the window with a cold attitude, "but the wine has been opened, and I don't know how long it can be kept."

In front of his eyes, thousands of lights in the Emerald City were dotted like stars.

The two were silent for a while, each thinking.

"I should have thought of it earlier." After a while, Thales suddenly said.

"What comes to mind?"

"You elected me to be the regent, but you strongly opposed Xi Lai's participation in the rule, not only because you feel sorry for your sister," Thales narrowed his eyes, "but also because you are still in the chess game, and the vacant city lord position is just

The goal of your other chess piece is to capture whoever sits on it."

Zhan En didn’t look back:
To be continued...