Volume 3 Journey Chapter 38 Schemes and Counter-Schemes

  "In our country, there is a custom that after the king's death, if he has no son, the throne will be inherited by his daughter, on condition that this daughter must already have a husband and her husband must agree that their children take the wife's surname. This is to prevent the royal family from having no heir. Since I am not yet married, many people are eyeing the throne left by my father. On the second day after my father's funeral, my uncle asked to inherit my father's throne on the grounds that I was not yet married and had no right to inherit the throne."

  "I really don't understand these people, is power that attractive? What's good about being a king? Living a peaceful and happy life with the one you love isn't better than everything?" I shook my head, picked up my wine cup and took a light sip.

  Sulina also picked up her glass and took a big gulp, but because she drank too quickly, the wine choked her and she started coughing violently. I asked with concern: "Are you okay? Drink slowly, no one is competing with you..." After a while, Sulina's cough finally subsided, and she smiled at me shaking her head, continuing to say: "Uncle is a very ambitious person, but he is also very afraid of my father. When Father was alive, he didn't dare show any dissenting opinions, but now that Father has passed away, his ambition for the throne is clear as day."

  I thought for a moment and asked: "What attitude did those ministers have?"

  Sulina smiled bitterly and said, "Now the ministers are divided into three factions. One faction is loyal to my father and naturally advocates for me to inherit the throne. Another faction is Uncle's party wing and naturally hopes that Uncle will successfully seize the throne. Most of the ministers are in the middle faction but are watching and waiting."

  "I see, it's indeed a tough one... So, how did you handle it?"

  Sulina burst out laughing, her drunken demeanor on full display: "What can I, a weak woman, do? At that meeting the other day, the three factions of ministers got into a fierce argument, and I was forced to think of a stupid idea."

  "A stupid idea? If you can get by in a situation like that, then you're very capable. I wonder what kind of method you came up with?" I asked curiously.

  "I said, actually I got married two years ago when I went to the mainland for further study. My husband is now traveling in the mainland and if you give me half a year's time, I will definitely bring him back." As she said this, Su Lina burst out laughing loudly, and laughed more and more fiercely, almost unable to catch her breath.

  I sat there quietly, watching her silently. Such a young girl had to face such heavy pressure after suffering the pain of losing her father, it's really not easy.

  Sulina laughed and continued: "As soon as I spoke, the expressions on those ministers' faces were truly magnificent. Especially Uncle's faction of ministers, they were all stunned. Even thinking about it now makes me happy."

  I shook my head and said, "Do you think they will believe such a lie?"

  "Sulina smiled and said, 'Of course they don't believe it, but you don't know, sometimes in politics, things aren't about how true they are, they just need a reason, an excuse. Even if the reason is full of holes, that's okay. Besides, I say I have a husband, can they still say I don't?'"

  "Hmm, doing it this way will indeed gain you the support of many moderates, but at least your uncle's faction won't believe it, and even if they did, they would find ways to refute it." I thought for a moment before saying.

  Sulina nodded: "Things are indeed as you expected, at that time many middle-of-the-road officials changed their stance and stood on my side, but the people on Uncle's side asked me to produce evidence and said that I must bring back the husband I mentioned, in front of all the officials. Promise that our children will follow my surname in the future, only then do I have the qualifications to inherit the throne."

  "But you don't have a husband, are you planning to casually find a man and bring him back saying he's your husband?" I stared at her with wide eyes.

  "At that time, I didn't think so much either. Dragging it out for the time being was just for the time being. I only thought about how to get through this matter, and what would happen later would be said later."

  Sulina hesitated for a moment, then continued: "At that time, because I saw the surprised look on Uncle's face, I was too pleased with myself and made a mistake. I even simply described the characteristics of my non-existent husband based on my imagination, so if I really want to find a fake husband to take back, I can't just pick anyone randomly. I have to find someone who looks similar to what I said."

  "Character? Oh... I see, no wonder Mr. Ben said you and his son have been together all the time, and wanted to take him back to your hometown, it turns out! You want his son to play the role of your husband!" I suddenly realized.

  She nodded: "His appearance is 70% like the person I said, and he's also very kind and willing to help me. Although he's not smart enough, even if we take him back, he might still make mistakes. But time is running out, and I don't have any room for selection. Originally, we had agreed to set off in two days, but unexpectedly, his father arrived ahead of schedule, and my plan was completely ruined."

  I smiled and sighed, "It's a pity for you, almost losing your life over this. But with such a noble status, shouldn't there be many guards around you? How could you still get caught by a merchant's servant?"

  Sulina smiled and said, "Yes, that day was lucky to have your help, or I would have really died in a mess. That time was also a mistake, my fault. He and I went out to buy some small things to bring back, I hate those bodyguards who follow us everywhere. Besides, I thought it was just going around the nearby streets, how could anything happen? So I ordered them not to follow us, but unexpectedly something really happened."

  I picked up my glass and took a sip, saying: "Then didn't you think of taking revenge on Mr. Ben afterwards and snatching his son away?"

  She shook her head and said, "He's actually very filial to his father. If I were to harm his father or force him to leave with me, it would only backfire. Besides, although Ben has gone overboard, I can also understand a father's love for his child. Forget it, let them go."

  "Well, what are you going to do now? The deadline has arrived, but the fake husband's candidate has run away." I asked.

  Sulina heard my words, straightened up, puffed out her chest, and smiled with an enchanting smile, revealing two deep dimples. With a smile in her eyes, she stared at me and said: "So I invited you today and told you this story. Actually, I think you're more like the husband I described, almost identical."

  When I heard Su Lina's words, my brain exploded and I felt that the hair on top of my head stood up one by one. After making a big fuss for half a day, she invited me over with an ulterior motive... to pretend to be her husband!