Earl Raymond's cell room is located in the deepest part of this floor.
Indeed, Luobosiji did tell the truth. Clean and tidy, it was apparent Earl Raymond's resident received special care.
After the iron door was open, Du Wei came in to see his father busily reading behind a desk.
This is no act. The way he gently held onto the book called "continent's history" is clearly that of someone immersing themselves inside the text.
Even when Du Wei came in, this former Earl only casually looked up and made a relaxed greeting:
"Oh, there you are."
This tone, this demeanor, is exactly like the time when he walked into his father's study room back at the mansion.
Luobosiji was well-advised to back out, leaving this father and son pair alone.
Earl Raymond was still holding the book with no intention of putting it down. In the meantime, Du Wei began looking over the cell room.
Objectively speaking, this room is still a very clean. Whether it is the floor, walls, or ceilings, they are all comprised up of sturdy boulders. Moreover, it is said that in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping (many of the detainees are generals with great martial skills), these ordinary walls are in fact embedded with a layer of steel.
Other than rocks, this room only had one single window placed far above the ground. As the sun's subtle light shined through the opening, the rust on the window's metal cage could clearly be seen.
But that was all. Other than how clean it was, there is nothing else, only a bed and a desk.
In fact, just this extra table in the room is already considered a grand treatment in this special cell.
Oh yes, let's not forget the bucket used for excretal matters hiding in one of the room's corner.
Primitive, rough, and cold.
This is the poor state this once influential general is in now.
Du Wei is in no rush to talk and neither is his father. Calmly, this former Earl slowly flipped through the last pages before finally closing the book. Then climbing out of the chair, he actually made a few stretches before turning to Du Wei: "I already guessed you would come, but I didn't think it would be so fast. Originally, I thought there would still be a few more days before you would come."
Then he pointed to his bed: "Sit, the only place you can sit is that bed."
Once Du Wei sat down, Earl Raymond quietly watched his son and asked: "How is home?"
"Not bad." Du Wei hesitated: "The deployed nearby city garrisons already have the capital surrounded. As for the family mansion, there are guards stationed there restricting access. Luckily, because of our relationship, the soldiers there don't dare to pull anything yet. Besides the inconvenience of moving in and out of the place, everyone is doing fairly well."
Earl Raymond nods: "What about your mother and brother?"
Du Wei sighs: "Mother's mood and body is not that great, but I already had someone from the temple look at her. As for brother, his emotion recently is not very stable, but I'll protect him."
Earl Raymond ponders for a moment… Then looking up, his eyes were shining as he faced Du Wei: "So then, what should I call you now? Should I greet you like everyone else, Duke?"
His tone made Du Wei fee like his heart was being stabbed with a needle. Unable to look his father in the eyes, Du Wei replied: "Is there any meaning in these words."
Father and son were both silent.
After a long time, Earl Raymond started to laugh, his voice showing a hint of self-deprecation: "Not bad, what you said isn't wrong, these words have no meaning. The truth is, my heart still couldn't quite put this down…. Even though I spent the last few days in here already, but reality is still hard to accept. My entire life, I worked hard to climb up, but now, look at this spectacle….."
With that, Earl Raymond stares at Du Wei, his eyes quivering as if there is too much emotion inside him that he couldn't get out. After attempting several times to speak, he finally spits out what he wanted: "You're very good, very good... Son, you are stronger than me."
Seeing how Du Wei wanted to speak up, Earl Raymond waves his hand to stop him: "Listen to me first. These past few days in here, I was at first unwilling, but after a while, I finally calmed down. As i read through this "continent's history", I finally came to an understanding. Those of us living in the struggle for power, some shine, some fall, but in the end….."
He casually points to a book next to him: "A century later, everyone that shined before is nothing but a text in this book now."
Du Wei did not speak, the only thing he did was savor the meaning behind his father's words.
The Earl quietly watches his son, his eyes showing a bit of eagerness. Then closing his eyes, he whispered:
"I've been thinking, what was my biggest mistake. Over and over, this thought lingered in my mind, then I finally figured it out... My mistake is not that I supported the Crown Prince, nor the fact that I chose the wrong faction. In politics, there will always be winner and losers, this is nothing new. But what really pains me is the fact that I couldn't see through you, my son."
"You are very brilliant, even more so than what I expected." Earl Raymond smiles sincerely as he watched his son: "On that day when you publicly broke off all ties with the family, both of us actually knew what was going on. Du Wei, it was only at that moment did I truly regret. At the time, I was finally able to see through you, see through the responsibility you hold towards the family. You hoped to preserve the family, which is why you broke off all ties with the family…. Such a sacrifice really moved me. I'll tell you now, back when you were coming back to the capital, I didn't regret my actions to send assassins to kill you. Although I hurt your heart, but in my mind, I felt it was the right thing to do in order to protect the family. But then, on that day, you actually took the initiative….." Earl Raymond sighs, staring straight into Du Wei's eyes: "From that moment on, I finally regret it! Du Wei, you are brilliant, far beyond what I could have expected! Suddenly at that moment, I finally understand that I not only lost a son, but also the heir I dreamed for from the beginning. Unfortunately, the crack between us can no longer be repaired."
Du Wei says nothing.
"I've lost regarding this Coup d'état, but I do not resent you. After going over the events carefully in my mind these past few days, I realized Prince Son far exceeds the Crown Prince in everything. Such is the way of the strong eating the weak. If I had to make a guess, I'm willing to bet even you didn't think the young prince would have won that day, right?"
Du Wei admittingly nodded: "Indeed, I also didn't expect such an outcome. In my mind, I was only hoping to get him out of there after the Crown Prince breaks through."
Earl Raymond smiles: "On that day, with or without you, we were still doomed to failure. Therefore, the fact that I became like this is not because of you."
Du Wei takes a breath before looking up at his father's pale face. In a calm voice, he slowly asked: "Then father, what should I do in order to save the family?"
"Huh?" Earl Raymond became stumped for a moment. Never in his mind did he think Du Wei would ask such a question.
"I promised mother." Du Wei speaks in a light tone: "As long as I'm around, I will not allow the family to be destroyed."
Raymond Earl was silent for a moment, sighing: "You've already done it."
He smiles wryly: "You not have any relationship with the Rowling household on the surface, but who in the noble circle would actually think that? I may have fallen to ruin, but everyone from now on will look to you as the inheritor of the Rowling Household. Your sir name may have changed to Rudolf, but who would really take it seriously? Let me tell you, when I was taken prisoner in the square back then, I wasn't in despair because the family still has you, the last seed remaining."
"What should I do then?" Du Wei solemnly asked, his eyes firmly fixed on his father's.
The reason he came today is to ask for genuine advice.
The coup may have ended with him being promoted to a Duke, but even he understood his skills in politics is lacking despite the fact that he has the experience of two life times. No matter how smart he is, the gap of not experiencing the thing first hand far exceeds his capabilities.
He may be highly favored at the moment, but Du Wei can already vaguely sense a glimmer of danger.
Since the day when Prince Son rolled out the map of the Empire and allowed him to pick out any territory he wished, Du Wei can clearly feel the hostility and envy from his colleagues!
Although Du Wei had a variety of strange companion like Hussein, Medusa, and Gargamel, but none of them could take on the role of an advisor for him. The reason for this is because prior to this, he always felt the people of this world were below him in their way of thinking. Eventually, his mind unconsciously made himself feel superior and disregarded the thoughts of others.
Yet instead, the one to smash away his superior mentality is none other than Prince Son!
When Prince Son kept everything within his grasp and forced the Crown Prince to death, Du Wei started to grow a sense of dread deep inside his mind!
Saying it as a joke, Du Wei even thought of something so outrageous: who is really a dimensional traveller? If he compared himself to Prince Son, this guy is even more like a dimensional traveller!
Later on, Du Wei finally thought it through. When it came to things like politics, it doesn't matter if one is from another world. Unless a person honed his skills in such an environment, they can never achieve such amazing skills.
For him, Du Wei lived his child hood trying to escape the life of a noble heir. As for Prince Son, he had to navigate his life since he was little in this scheming and dangerous lifestyle.
Thinking it over, perhaps it was only this now ruined father of his that can give him some advice.
It can be said that this pair of strange father and son never really had a heart to hear conversation. In the Earl's mind, since he has already fallen, his only hope now is on this son of his.
"If you really want to preserve the family..." Earl Raymond smiles wryly: "Then the first thing you should do now is to keep your distance from the family, keep your distance from the Rowling Household!"
The Earl started to nock his fingers against the table surface: "The moment I fall, Prince Son will definitely make a big purge! This fact is certain…. Even if he values you, he still won't let the Rowling Household off the hook because of you! So, short term thinking, the Rowling Household is already a vortex of ruin. Whoever touches it will also fall to ruin… And now that you're the family's only hope, you must preserve yourself in order to save the family! Over the next while, you should detach yourself from us, this is the best method I can think of. Remember, you've already broken off from the Rowling Household!"
Pausing for a bit, Earl Raymond smiles: "Do you know why Prince Son is still keeping us here and not killing us off right away?"
Du Wei nods: "I know.
Sighing: "Whether it is the Rowling or Solomon household, each one of us has our own territory. Most importantly, they also have their own private army. Prince Son is a smart person, so of course he can see through this point. Killing us later on makes no difference to him because it's not like we're going anywhere. But if we were to be killed now, then the territories we own will immediately fall into chaos. If that happens, civil will definitely erupt..."