Chapter 66: An Unexpected Discovery of a Conspiracy
"Who are you! Get out of here!"
A woman screamed, but she couldn't break free from the knight's iron grip. She continued to struggle after being captured, only to be slapped roughly and knocked to the ground.
Chivalry? At this moment, chivalry was all about who had the bigger fist.
As the head of the household, Edward was hiding in his room while two knights were prying at the door with their weapons. Peeking out the window, he saw more knights and soldiers below.
This was it; he was done for.
Edward didn't know what he had done wrong to deserve this treatment from the prince upon his return. However, he knew that if he was captured, it wouldn't end well. This was England, not the European continent. The king's word was law here, and the most favored Prince John only had to please his father to decide Edward's fate.
As the door was pried open bit by bit, Edward could see the cold gleam of the knights' weapons. The creaking of the wooden door sounded like the death knell.
"Edward, this is an order from the Earl of Lancaster. I advise you to think carefully; there's still a chance if you open the door now."
Jacques called out from outside, his voice filled with the pleasure of revenge and a hint of triumph. But to Edward, he sounded like a death knell.
A literal death knell.
"Shut the hell up, you bastard. I should have killed your mother back then and then killed you too, you mongrel!" Edward cursed.
This clearly infuriated Jacques.
In his memory, he could never forget the tragic sight of his mother's suicide nor Edward's monstrous actions. The surrounding knights watched as Jacques' temples throbbed, his face flushed with rage.
Jacques grabbed a flail from a nearby knight and began smashing the door.
The wooden door, already on the verge of collapse, miraculously held up under Jacques' blows. Unfortunately, it was not indestructible and eventually gave way.
In that instant, countless images flashed through Edward's mind. Perhaps his head would be smashed in one blow, or maybe he would be impaled by a spear.
But none of that happened.
A knight Edward didn't recognize burst in, pinned him down, and skillfully knocked the knife from his hand. As for Jacques, he was restrained by another knight just as tightly.
"Let me go, I want to kill this bastard!"
Jacques roared like a wild beast, his rationality seemingly gone. But the knights sent by John didn't care; they were here under orders.
Edward couldn't die, at least not mysteriously and abruptly here. After all, he was appointed as the county magistrate by Henry II. John had to follow proper procedures and have him tried before having him executed. If anything went wrong at this stage, it could become a blemish on the record.
After the knights took Edward away, they finally released Jacques.
"Jacques, calm down," the knight captain said, patting his shoulder. "Come with me, let's search his room."
Jacques, slightly calmer but still looking as if his soul had been sucked out, nodded. He followed the knight and began ransacking Edward's room.
Surprisingly, they found a large number of letters in Edward's room. These were locked in a chest under the desk, likely either overlooked by Edward or he hadn't had the chance to destroy them.
Jacques pulled out the documents and went through them one by one. When he looked up, the knights saw a serious expression on his face.
"Take these to Prince John."
...
Meanwhile, John, still at Preston Abbey, held the letters in his hands, trembling uncontrollably.
These letters unveiled an astonishing conspiracy, revealing collusions among many nobles, Richard's plot, and King Philip of France's secret instigations.
"Young Robert, David, William..."
John counted the names one by one. These were key figures in the kingdom, holding significant influence within England.
Robert, the son of the Earl of Leicester, also known as Young Robert.
David, the Earl of Northampton.
William, the Earl of Derby.
These three names appeared most frequently, and their territories were all in central England. These nobles hailed from prestigious families and were among the most privileged individuals in the kingdom from a young age.
Who could have imagined that these people would conspire to rebel together?
"You've really helped me a lot this time, Margaret," John said, pushing the letters towards the nun.
Margaret, illiterate, could only quietly help John put the letters away. She placed them on the shelf, still pondering what method John would use to seduce her. However, John was in no mood for flirtation now.
The Kingdom of England was facing a terrifying rebellion, and Henry II, currently in Anjou, was completely unaware. Most of John's troops were stuck in Ireland and couldn't immediately reach Lancaster County. Additionally, the knights of the Earl of Gloucester were all in southern England, conveniently separated by the territories of these nobles.
At this moment, John realized he was in a completely isolated and helpless situation. The words from those letters still echoed in his mind:
"Our target is the Earl of Lancaster. Once the Earl of Lancaster is dead, the Duke of Aquitaine will inevitably ascend to the throne. We will then become the new king's supporters, the king's confidants, rather than just replaceable nobles."
"After the Earl of Lancaster returns to his territory, County Magistrate Edward will strike first. If we can capture the Earl in the chaos, we will gain the upper hand. If not, we will weaken the enemy as much as possible and wait for young Robert from Leicester to support us."
"The three thousand pounds from the Kingdom of France have arrived in Leicester, which will fund our uprising. We are not rebelling; we are fighting for the future of the Kingdom of England."
"The Duke of Aquitaine is the most suitable heir to the throne."
These opportunistic nobles, under the guise of the kingdom's welfare, were pursuing their own interests. Most importantly, their target was John himself.
John couldn't understand what he had done to provoke them, nor what benefits Richard had promised them. He felt a chill run down his spine, from head to toe.
Now, surrounding John's territory were packs of hungry wolves, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on him and tear him apart. John couldn't make any significant moves; otherwise, these wolves would surely notice something was wrong.
He could certainly choose to flee directly, returning to Dublin, which would be the safest place for John. However, John could also choose a more covert method to deploy his troops from Dublin to England.
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