Chapter 227 Family Deserves A Second Chance
After removing the spatial field, Gu Ya greeted the king once again and left the place by using the portal, leaving behind curious people.
Mark chose to keep silent on the matter as he thought it will only cause unnecessary panic and they aren't strong enough to stop what was coming.
If they were close enough, they too tried to push him into divulging the matter but as they barely know each other, the King and the princess didn't ask him again once he refused to speak about his discussion with the elder of the church of doom.
Putting aside the future quests, for now, Mark focused on the present and asked the King, "Your Majesty, how may I help you in reclaiming the throne?"
The King turned to his daughter who was wise and intelligent enough to advise him even when she was only 13 years old.
Princess Shen Ling thought for a bit and explained her strategy, "Harsh and sometimes reckless his policies might be, I should agree that Uncle was a good administrator. Even the happiness index of the Lunaris city rose considerably. We are also doing great in the economy because of foreign traders.
So, storming into the palace and making a ruckus would only cause unnecessary panic among the public, especially the traders and other foreign businessmen because of worry about an uncertain future.
At first, while I was on the way, I thought it is best to abduct Uncle and let father replace him without making any fuss like how he did it with you. But, the issue here is that Father and Uncle no longer look the same. So, that option is no longer viable.
But, what if you privately meet with Uncle and Mother, and come to an arrangement? You will forgive their mistake. In exchange, you will get back your throne without bloodshed. The royal court will then announce that you went missing and Uncle was ruling in your place to protect the kingdom from hostile forces.
Of course, Uncle will not remain in the palace. He will be reinstated as the governor of Helong province. It is on the border with Western Yan and he will take responsibility for mending the relationship with the Phoenix Empire as penance for the betrayal."
Mark was visibly surprised by her suggestion. In his mind, there are several scenarios like bombing the capital or bombing around the royal palace as a distraction to take out Shen Qiu, bombarding the enemies with missiles until they submit, or letting Allen use the might of the divine sword to cut through the enemies until he takes down the Queen and the impostor Queen, etc…
All he could think of destroying enemies but never expected of having a pact with the other party to have peaceful aftermath. Of course, he didn't think Shen Ling's plan was right too.
Looking down on it, he commented with a simple sentence, "Princess Shen, you are too idealistic."
He didn't bother to explain any further but the princess understood what he wanted to convey. She looked at him and said, "It's because they aren't strangers, Mr. Lu. And family deserves a second chance so that they can repent on their actions."
Her words made him remember his mother and other family members who he swore to destroy.
Unlike Mark who never had any memories of his real family, Shen Ling received love from her mother and probably from her uncle too before facing betrayal in the form of getting separated from her father. Her hatred towards the both of them should exceed him.
Okay, he can understand her forgiving the Queen because it is her mother whom she dearly loved but even her uncle was forgiven? Based on the conversations he had with the princess, he didn't feel like she was a fool.
But, if she was right, then, he will be wrong. That isn't something he wants to admit. So, he responded with a question, "what if one doesn't have any emotional connection with those family members from the start? Then, are they still worthy of forgiveness?"
"Eh?" This time, it was Princess Shen Ling's time to get surprised. She was only trying to justify her suggestion. So, she didn't expect that kind of question from Mark.
And when asked, she thought for a bit and answered, "Of course, everyone deserves an opportunity to redeem themselves but we seldom have the heart to forgive the strangers. But, we can show some mercy on close friends and family for once unless they are hell-bent on killing you. We can atleast do that much, right?"
Mark didn't argue with her and stayed silent as his conscience told him that she was right but his heart cannot accept it because it defeats his purpose of opening the store in Imperial city in the first place. If not for his revenge, he would have also taken it slow.
As a result, he wouldn't have reached the position where he was now. Who knows… he might be an owner of a small modern weapon store whose income is majorly dependent on Lin Xue's grace.
Revenge is what drives him to success. At least, that's what Mark believes at the moment.
Anyway, putting his feelings for a second, he continued to listen to her plan. The princess appeared to be betting on Mark's presence to arrange the meeting between her father and uncle.
Mark was prepared to even go to war to complete his quest. Acting as a bodyguard doesn't seem that difficult. Mark was actually hoping for the meeting to turn violent as he would be able to showcase the strength of his weapons. At the same time, his reward from the king would also be a bountiful one.
Meanwhile, her father reluctantly agreed to her suggestion of forgiving his brother and wife, although, in his mind, he planned to send his wife, his brother, and his family to exile after Shen Ling gets married.
Very soon, the princess ignited a talisman and sent a message to her mother. When Mark saw the process of her storing the message into the talisman, he reconsidered his thoughts about the princess.
Her earlier suggestion gave an impression that she has a soft heart but now, she doesn't appear that way any longer. Mark found her character interesting.
What message did she send that made Mark change his impression?
Shen Ling not only asked the two of them to come to the Zhishang city and meet them at Quanjude restaurant that Mark had earlier booked for the meeting of the King and his daughter but she also gave them the time limit of four hours.
As far as Mark knows, Shen Qiu left to inspect the Qincheng Prison. Whether he was back or not, he wasn't sure and neither does the princess has any idea. So, this demand of hers indicates that she doesn't plan on going soft on her family even if she forgives them.
The princess further warned her mother that in the event both of them fail to arrive in time, she and her father will publicly dethrone her uncle publicly and reveals her conspiracy too.
If that happens, as a fellow partner in crime, not only the Queen would become a traitor but also be framed for adultery due to the possibility of sleeping with Shen Qiu during the past decade.
As a result, before losing her life, she will lose her dignity. Because she's the Queen, for decades, the future generations will also talk about her.
Shen Ling never had the intention to do that. But, to add psychological pressure on her mother and uncle, she neatly explained the consequences, although, for some reason, she didn't tell her mother about Mark at all.
Maybe, they have really been scared or maybe, they have a plan in mind. Mark didn't know.
But, roughly after three and half hours, the Queen along with Shen Qiu and some unknown elderly-looking person reached the restaurant where the royal knights were stationed at the entrance.
A royal knight escorted the three of them to the third floor, where a garden is located. On the way, they discovered that there was no staff on the ground floor. It gave the impression of a closed-down restaurant at one glance.
There, in the open air, surrounded by fire lamps, Shen Ling and Shen Niu were sitting at the table while Allen and Mark were standing behind them like bodyguards. Both of them wore black robes, covered their heads with hoods, and faces with blank masks.