Chapter 565 Punishment 4
Chapter 565 Punishment 4
Hansel’s applause seemed to praise Paul, but the expression on his face made him uncomfortable.
“What, is there a problem with what I said?”
“Lord Graiman.” Hansel looked at Paul and changed his expression to one of sincerity.
“I know, there are always some people with a strong sense of morality in this world ……”
Paul narrowed his eyes, looked at Hansel with great displeasure, and said in a bad tone, “Are you being sarcastic?”
Hansel stared into Paul’s eyes, “If you think I’m speaking out of turn to offend you, you can always send someone to cut off my head, you have that right.”
Paul gave him a blank look and didn’t say anything further.
Hansel continued, “I know that satisfying one’s sense of morality is indeed something that pleases one’s mind and body, and sometimes I give alms to the beggars on the side of the road in the form of possessions, and whenever I do such a thing, I feel that my soul has been uplifted.”
He turned his words, “However, the matter of my giving alms to beggars does not harm a third person except in favor of both the beggar and me.”
Paul caught his drift, “What do you mean? Do you mean that if the heart is a little softer, it will hurt others?”
“Yes, Count Graiman!”
Hansel no longer covered up and said bluntly, “If you are just a man, forgiving your enemies is good, a generous and very praiseworthy behavior. But–“
Hansel got up from the sofa and slowly walked over to the window behind Paul, opening the previously half-hidden curtains completely.
By now night had fully fallen, and the star-studded night sky covered the city, with every house lighting its own lamps; the window of Paul’s office faced the north-to-south axis of Lakewood’s main street, and the view from it was spectacular, with the light emanating from the lamps.
“But you are not alone now, Count Paul Graiman. Look at this town. You are the master of this town. That means that there is a large group of people who are loyal to you and serve you, in other words, you are now a leader.”
“Just think, Sir Ford, Cecil, Schroeder, Victor, Blaise, and Philip the butler, and so on and so forth, there are simply too many. Many of them have been loyal to your family generation after generation, tracing back to their ancestors. Their relationship with you can truly be described as sharing both glory and loss together.”
“Doesn’t Lord Earl think about these loyal subjects? You may put your own safety at risk, but can you bear to put them in danger as well? If you insist – and I mean if, after all, you have always shown too much mercy – on not eliminating potential enemies, is it not selfish to trade the safety of your men for your own illusions? safety in exchange for your own false sense of moral superiority.”
“You ……” Paul said sharply, trying to say something but unable to say anything, and after half a minute of awkward silence he said, “It’s simply comical, a bunch of sinners’ families, imagine almost all of them old and weak, could be any kind of threat, that our great men of Lakewood would be intimidated by these people?”
“Oh …… can’t think like that, Lord Gladman. Rising up in rebellion in broad daylight may not be possible for these men, but what about hiding in dark corners and committing assassinations? The outward appearance of old and weak women and children might be more deceptive, and who knows what the children among them might be capable of when they grow to adulthood? You know, assassins are a major player in changing the course of history, and how many great men of renown have fallen into their hands. You and your vassals, even your families, will be in danger.” “Yes, your moral level is high, but you cannot hope that the moral level of your enemies is on the same level as you. Our current prevailing values are just that – avenging one’s next of kin is a revered act.”
Paul slumped helplessly back into his chair, Hansel’s exhortation with the comfort of his own vassal irritating him deeply, so to speak. Yes, he could be careless of himself, but he could not be careless of those who owed allegiance to him.
Should he really cut off the roots and strangle every possible danger in its infancy?
He thought for a while, and finally said: ”Hansel, you can call me selfish, but the path of history should be moving forward, not circling around in the same place, someone has to take the first step in the direction of the front, no matter what kind of mindset the person who takes the first step is in, is it from the heart? Is it from the heart? Or is it for the sake of fame? But he still chooses to go forward.”
Hansel said with some emotion, “Lord Greymane, the path of history is covered with thorns, and those who go first are often pricked to the bone.”
“Yes, I know, that’s no fun at all,” Paul said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders, “but I’m prepared.”
Feeling more than a little tired from his conversation with Hansel, he decided to put an end to it, and
“Hansel, it’s still over a year until the final trial, I’ll think it over in the meantime and try to make the outcome take care of all aspects. Right now …… I’m a little tired.”
Hansel sighed softly and walked slowly over to Paul directly across from him, then bowed slightly and gave a curtsy.
“Since I have known you, I have already witnessed many things that I would not have dared to imagine before, so perhaps the insistence in your heart is correct. Whatever choice you end up making, I trust in your wisdom, Lord Graiman.”
“Thank you, Hansel.”
…………
During the few days of Paul’s work back at the lord’s mansion, the news of the disturbance in Lakewood began to spread in all directions, so many residents witnessed what happened in the city from beginning to end, the mass martial law, the militia mobilized to and fro, the sound of the cannon at the lord’s mansion, and the army’s standoff outside the city, it was impossible to hide it. On the contrary, the matter of Paul’s attack in the village of Babol, because the location is too remote, not many people know about it.
The more the news spread, the more outrageous it became, and in places farther away from Alda, some rumors even said that the current Count Greiman had long since ceased to be the original Count Greiman, and that the one sitting on the lord’s seat now was just a puppet double who looked very similar to Paul Greiman.
There are two groups of people who are most interested in this news, the first one is the vassal lords of Emden, to figure out who is the boss now is undoubtedly the most important thing for them.
Then there were the other lords of the Customs Union, who sent messengers or even personally traveled to Lake Town to confirm that Paul Gleeman was still sitting in the lord’s seat.
It was then that many realized that Paul Gleiman was already in a position of being in the limelight in the Northwest Bay.
(End of chapter)