King
Chapter 1177 - 1177 189 The Veteran Actor

1177: Chapter 189, The Veteran Actor 1177: Chapter 189, The Veteran Actor Jade Palace, Hudson, summoned for a meeting at short notice, sensed something amiss as soon as he entered the council chamber.

The assembled major nobles glared at him with fury, as if he had desecrated their ancestors’ graves, or as though he had taken liberties with their wives and daughters.

Hudson was speechless at the scene before him.

In recent times, he hadn’t done anything out of line.

Could it be that something from the past had surfaced?

With this thought, Hudson was confused.

There was no helping it; along the way, he had indeed committed numerous forbidden acts.

For example: privately hoarding the Blood Moon Horn and selling it to the Clergy.

Or: secretly keeping the Artifact Holy Sword of Light.

And not too long ago, he colluded with King Caesar IV and the Moxi People to secretly divide the interests that belonged to everyone.

All in all, when added up, Hudson realized his dark history was no less extensive than that of the other major nobles.

“What are you all staring at me for?

Am I being made a fuss over just for being a little late?”

Without knowing what had transpired, he couldn’t afford to appear weak.

Meeting in the Kingdom’s Council Chamber meant that the situation had not yet become irretrievable.

If they were plotting against him, traps would have already been set.

It’s impossible they would let him enter here to discuss matters with the kingdom’s big shots!

“Marshal Hudson, talents have been flourishing in the kingdom lately, and you’ve played a significant role indeed!” said Prime Minister Duke Newfoundland, which suddenly made Hudson realize he was being scapegoated.

His initially anxious heart suddenly calmed down.

If he hadn’t done it, could he be coerced into confessing to something he didn’t do?

“Your Excellency, the Prime Minister, isn’t the emergence of new talent in the kingdom a good thing?

What’s there to be angry about!

Could it be that there’s somebody scheming behind the scenes, trying to frame and entrap someone?

Is it because you think I, Hudson, am easy to bully, that any matter could be pinned on me?”

Seeing Hudson’s mix of grievance and rage, the others began to hesitate.

When dealing with the Kingdom Marshal, they couldn’t afford to be hasty.

Although breaching the unwritten rules and spreading closely guarded hereditary secrets is a big taboo in noble circles, the culprit’s identity must be considered.

For an ordinary major noble, it would be simple to make an example of them by taking them down a notch.

But Hudson was different; the kingdom still needed him, the Marshal, to deal with different races.

Before this, no one had really thought about how to handle the situation.

“Your Marshal, I’m not spouting nonsense.

According to the kingdom’s investigations, a Cultivation Method from the Moxi Duchy has been widely distributed among the lower nobility, and now nearly everyone has a copy,” replied Duke Newfoundland.

However, his tone wasn’t as strong as before.

Even though it was confirmed that the teachings had been brought back by the Expeditionary Army, it didn’t necessarily mean Hudson was the one who released them.

If they rushed to conclusions and made a mistake, the aftermath would be difficult to deal with.

As the Kingdom’s Chancellor, Newfoundland had no choice.

Such an offensive task—if he didn’t step up, they certainly couldn’t expect the King to, could they?

“What’s so strange about that!

During the last Orc invasion, so many nobles from the Moxi Duchy were wiped out, it makes sense that some of their heritage would be scattered.

You’re not suggesting that I released the heritage, are you?

That’s giving me far too much credit!

Back then, I wasn’t any Kingdom Marshal, just an insignificant noble from the countryside.

How could it be possible for me to spread the heritage quietly under everyone’s noses throughout the entire kingdom?”

The lack of explanation was already a problem, but his clarification only convinced others even more that Hudson was responsible.

Other minor nobles didn’t have the capacity to spread hereditary secrets throughout the entire kingdom, but the Koslow Family did!

Though small, the vitality of the Koslow Clan couldn’t be understated.

In the circle of nobility, the ability to bear children was a massive advantage.

Under equal conditions, men and women from the Koslow Clan were high in demand for marriage alliances.

With an already widespread family, and including relatives and friends, the reach was even more extensive.

Paying family visits, a most common social interaction, aroused no suspicions.

With his family network, Hudson had the capability to sell out the hereditary knowledge in exchange for resources needed for the development of his domain.

Just at the right time, during the development of the Mountain Domain, there were severe imbalances in income and expenses, only managed by the mysterious funds acquired by Hudson.

Everyone initially thought he had made war profits and admired Hudson’s money-making skills.

Looking back now, it was not the case at all.

Profits from war are limited, and the absence of any post-war rumors showed that Hudson hadn’t taken more than his due.

Since the Koslow Clan was populous, even if the lower levels’ blockage was broken, they could still come out ahead thanks to their demographic advantage.

Although outsiders didn’t know the exact number of family members, the Koslow Clan had over a hundred nobles with their territories, and Hudson even formed a Knight Corps exclusively from family members.

As the family with the largest population in the kingdom, they weren’t afraid of the impact from the outside world if the seal was broken.

“Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t release those heritages.

Framing and slandering me with underhanded tactics is out of the question.

If you have suspicions, then investigate thoroughly.

With so many involved, it’s impossible that all those in the know could keep the secret!”