As dusk fell, Feilin Xierte was sitting in his room, flipping through the newly issued education textbooks. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door outside.
"Honey, I'm baking bread, can you open the door?" Ailin called out, "It might be Miss Meiyi."
"Got it."
He closed the book, went to the living room door, and pulled open the latch. The person standing outside was completely beyond his expectations.
"Father! Why are you here?" Feilin said in surprise.
"I came with His Royal Highness the Prince," the old Earl patted the snowflakes on his shoulder, "I arrived in Border Town yesterday. Although I mentioned to them that my son lived here, they still arranged a residence for me in the area near the castle."
"Come in quickly, it's cold outside." Feilin quickly stepped aside.
"Hmm," the Earl paused as soon as he stepped into the house, "You have... heating here too?"
"You know about heating?"
"I only found out today. I thought the castle was unusually warm last time, and I thought the heating equipment the Prince mentioned was a new type of fireplace. This time, when I visited the City Hall, I found that the rooms were warm without any open flames, and I realized that this thing generates heat from water vapor." He took off his coat and hung it on the stand next to the door, "Wait... I remember you didn't know what this was when I went to the castle last time?"
"I learned about it through the City Hall's public announcements," Feilin poured a cup of tea for his father, "Before they do anything, they always announce it to the townspeople in advance. Now the announcement area in the square is even more popular than the convenience market."
"So, in just two months, the Prince installed this thing in ordinary people's homes?" the Earl clicked his tongue, "Wouldn't that cost thousands of gold dragons?"
"Our community was among the first to be installed. The west and north sides are still being dug. And it is said that water and heating are only part of the three connections project. When the entire project is completed, we can live like daytime at night."
"Live like daytime at night?" the Earl raised his eyebrows, "Are you talking about lighting more candles or oil lamps?"
"Neither. The City Hall people said they would send lightning into everyone's home."
"Light...ning?" the old man was stunned.
"I also find it incredible, but that's what the Prince's publicity says," Feilin nodded, "With electricity, the town will be as bright as day at night." Strangely, even though the news sounded absurd, he felt in his heart that if it was Prince Roland, it might not be impossible to achieve.
After all, he is always creating new miracles.
"Earl Xierte, E、Earl, H、hello..." At this time, Ailin also ran out of the kitchen. In a panic, she was still holding a half-baked bread skewer in her hand, and almost dropped the bread on the floor when bowing.
The Earl chuckled twice, "Hello, Miss Ailin. Actually, there's no need to rush. I'm not hungry yet."
Feilin saw his wife's cheeks turn red instantly.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "Let's add two more dishes today, take your time, there's still plenty of time tonight."
...
After the family had dinner, Ailin finally recovered from her initial nervousness. The three chatted for a while, and she began to clean up the dishes and the table, while his father took him to the room. Feilin realized that he had something important to tell him.
Sure enough, after the Earl sat down at the table, he asked calmly, "Do you know what has been happening in the Longsong Stronghold these days?"
"I know something..." Feilin organized his words and said, "I heard that the four major families rebelled, and the Prince left the town to quell the rebellion. There was publicity about it on the bulletin board."
"The City Hall even talks about this kind of thing?" the Earl was stunned, and then roughly recounted the course of events, "Although I also sent someone to pass on the news to the Prince, I didn't expect him to come so quickly. You should be able to guess the result, the four major families were completely vulnerable in front of the Prince's troops, the Maple Leaf, Benlang, and Yeqiangwei families were completely destroyed, leaving only the dying Elk, and our family was almost implicated."
"What?" Feilin said in surprise, "Could it be that you, Father..."
"Of course not me," the old man sighed, "I'm old, and I don't want to participate in such risky things anymore, but your brother is different. He craves a greater achievement than you to prove his excellence as an heir. Unfortunately, he stood on the wrong side."
"Are you saying that Misuo participated in the rebellion?" Feilin's face darkened.
The Earl nodded, "After the rebellion was defeated, he was captured by the Prince's soldiers. On the day of the trial, I went to the square to see him one last time."
"..." Feilin closed his eyes. Although Misuo had been targeting him everywhere after he became a well-known star knight, the other party was, after all, his brother, and he still felt quite uncomfortable that he had ended up in this situation.
"Because he didn't have blood on his hands, and he surrendered actively, he was sentenced to ten years of hard labor and should now be in the North Slope Mine."
His father's last words brought him back to his senses in an instant, "T、ten years of hard labor? I thought he was by the Prince..."
"Executed?" the Earl shook his head, "The last time I said, refers to the last time as the head of the family. From that moment on, he was no longer a member of the Xierte family."
"You... severed relations with him."
"That's right," the Earl took a deep breath, "I warned him a long time ago, but he never took it to heart. A person who treats the future of the family as a child's play and the fate of all family members as a bet is definitely not a suitable candidate for heir." Although he said it decisively, his expression clearly revealed sadness, and the wrinkles on his forehead were even deeper. "Now I only have you as a child."
"Father..." Feilin felt his eyes a little sore, and he involuntarily grasped the old man's hand.
"I have never asked for anything, but this time, I hope you can inherit the Xierte family. I have a hunch that it will be revitalized in your hands," the Earl said slowly, "The reason why I agreed to come with His Royal Highness this time is also to occupy a good position in the future changes."
"But positions cannot be inherited, Father... the title will also become an honorary title."
"I know, but you have overlooked the role of contacts and experience. The Prince said that positions will be filled by those with outstanding abilities, and with the experience of predecessors and the relationships that have been developed, your chances of obtaining the same position are far greater than ordinary people." He patted his son's hand, "Even if you still want to be a teacher, I won't force you, as long as you can pass on the family name."
Feilin was silent for a long time before finally nodding, "I understand, Father. I promise you."
"In that case, I can rest assured," Earl Xierte smiled, "By the way, if you have a choice, which part of the work would you like to participate in?"
"This..."
"How about the Second Army? According to the commander Tiechui, in addition to the soldiers fighting on the battlefield, the army seems to be forming a department to offer advice, and this plan will be tested in the Second Army first," the Earl looked at Feilin with interest, "Actually, I know that this job is not what you love most. If you really liked dealing with books, you wouldn't have chosen to become a knight in the first place." His father's eyes were burning, as if he had seen through his inner thoughts, "You are still the Dawn Morning Light, my child."(。)