Maze Fan: I opened a buffet in the maze

"Stand up like a man!"

Patting the dizzy Fan Wei on the back, Delain smiled broadly, "I feel relieved to leave Oriel to you."

Although they had not been together for a long time, the eldest prince could see that Fan Wei's character was beyond doubt. Regardless of his ability, personality, appearance, and strength, he was the best person to help him take care of his sister.

Although most people in the empire are cold-blooded, the nobles are even more so.

But there are always some ties between people in this world, and Delain still has a normal brother-sister relationship with his sister who has the same father and mother.

But the feelings of the royal family were not pure; they were inevitably mixed with objectification and exploitation.

Fortunately, Oriel has always been a very obedient princess. She doesn't fight or compete, and doesn't let others control her. Even the other princes and princesses have no hostility towards her.

"Your Highness, I sincerely want to treat you as a friend. There is no need for any emotional bond between us."

This is a huge benefit. As long as you open your arms, the dignified imperial princess will fall into her arms, but Fan Wei said it very seriously and solemnly.

"But I'm sorry, I can't accept this offer!"

"Why?" Delain raised his chest and frowned, asking, "Do you have any opinion about my sister?"

Princess Oriel, who was holding a custard bun next to her, put her hand down silently.

"Mr. Misr, did Oriel do something wrong?"

From the perspective of a princess, such words are really humble.

Fan Wei's expression was sincere. "You don't really like being assigned to such an important matter."

"If you don't like it, there is no love, please don't force yourself."

He pushed the plate of custard buns toward the princess again and said, "If you like the taste, please eat more."

In Fan Wei's opinion, these buns might be more popular with Her Royal Highness the Princess than with him.

Delain took a deep breath, and the indignation in his chest dissipated a little. He put his hand on Fan Wei's shoulder and said earnestly: "Misr, you don't understand."

"Maybe you think that feelings are important to marriage, but we are helpless and cannot make those naive choices."

Princess Oriel, whose hands were filled with buns by Fan Wei, remained silent and gently took a bite of the snow-white custard bun.

"For us." The eldest prince looked at the ceiling.

"As long as favorable conditions can be obtained, emotions and preferences do not matter. Family, kinship, and friendship are all helpers on the road to becoming an emperor."

“It’s all about the ultimate victory.”

It wasn't said too explicitly, but Delain's meaning was very clear.

"Relationships between people are never without reason, Misr. To put it bluntly, you have what I want, and I should have what you want."

"I can promise to help you realize your wish!"

"So please join my business wholeheartedly! I will never let you down!"

The eldest prince extended an invitation to Fan Wei. This was a formal, iron-blooded alliance. He showed his sincerity and bound himself to such a close relationship with his sister.

Fan Wei held Delain's hand, stretched out both hands and held it straight.

"Your Highness, I really want to treat you as a friend." He said from the bottom of his heart, "So my wish is that you become the emperor of the empire."

There was a look of doubt in his eyes, and Delain didn't quite believe that Fan Wei's purpose was so "simple".

It's like a kid's game.

"You may not believe it, but I am not very interested in power and wealth," Fan Wei frankly stated his desire, "but I don't like to see people fall into misfortune."

"My purpose in coming to the Empire is to stop the war."

"Stop the war? That's impossible." Delain shook his head and stated the truth directly, "The Empire cannot stop the war!"

"But I see possibilities in you." Interrupting the prince's voice, Fan Wei said affirmatively: "I see a possibility of understanding!"

“No matter how impossible or arduous the task is, as long as it can be understood, there is hope of completion.”

"Derlain, you are the kind of person who can understand the pain of others, so I believe you can be a good emperor!"

The restaurant fell into silence. There were only three of them on the entire third floor. Outside, the snow fell quietly.

"Haha, your belief is really..." Delain was speechless about Fan Wei's ideas, which included absurdity, surprise, and some touching moments.

"Thank you, Misr, you really are telling me the truth."

Tea doesn't intoxicate people, people get intoxicated themselves. Delain held the teacup, staring at the milky red liquid surface, his tone a little vague, "The fight for the throne is too cruel..."

"Whether we were princes or princesses, we knew we were enemies when we were young."

"There is only one emperor in the empire, he is high above everyone else, and his power is unbreakable!"

"The fate of those who fail in the competition for the throne is to wait for the new emperor to decide their fate. That is definitely not an occasion for showing mercy. Only a throne washed with blood is truly stable."

"So all I really wanted to do was stay alive."

"Win! You must win! Only in this way can you keep everything you want to keep!"

"But who knows whether we can win or not?"

There was some fatigue and confusion in Delain's voice, but then he suddenly woke up, put on a confident and high-spirited attitude, looked at Fan Wei and said:

"You must not tell anyone what I'm going to say next, not even a single word!"

"Father hasn't left the palace for a long time, and he meets with us less and less frequently. There are some signs that he seems to be...sick."

"The Emperor is ill?"

Fan Wei instantly smelled the scent of coming storm. If it was just an ordinary disease, it would be impossible to cure it with the magic and spells of this world.

Only extremely difficult or even life-threatening diseases can be called diseases among the upper classes of this world.

"That's right. The throne may change within one or two years, or even within a few months." Picking up the teacup, taking a sip, Delain exhaled and said.

"The Lin Baier family our mother belongs to is actually the elder family behind the Tong Organization."

"Although the palace is under the protection of the God of War and astrology cannot be used to see clearly, the family gave me some incredible hints through clues."

"Father may be too old... suffering from Alzheimer's disease..."

"......" The news was so sudden that even Fan Wei was shocked.

His Majesty, the supreme emperor of the empire, has Alzheimer's disease?

"Then who is controlling the politics of the empire now?" He couldn't help but wonder. The war had just started not long ago. If the emperor was demented, who ordered the war?

"Of course it's the Elder Family and the Temple of the God of War."

Delain looked serious. "The operation of the empire cannot be stopped because of one person, but once power begins to divide, the seeds of civil unrest and conflict will begin to sprout."

"Therefore, the selection of the next emperor may have already begun."

"That's why I, and my other brothers and sisters, are so eager to take action."

Fan Wei didn't expect that he had come at a good time. He originally wanted to force the eldest prince to ascend the throne, but now it seems that he has to let nature take its course.

"There is no time to hesitate, Misr. I entrust my sister to you because I want to leave a way out for her."

"Even if I fail in the future, you can take her and some assets back to the South."

It was obvious that His Royal Highness was genuinely moved, but when Fan Wei looked at Princess Oriel, and under the gaze of her beautiful, wooden eyes, he still shook his head.

"Your Highness, you may think I'm rigid, but marriage is not what the princess needs."

"It can't bring her real happiness."

"Then tell me what true happiness is!" The eldest prince was really angry. He had already offered such good conditions, but why did this guy refuse to accept them!

His sister is the noble princess! He got a great advantage by marrying her to him!

"True happiness comes from a choice you make with all your heart, Delain. Whether you're competing for the throne or seeking a way out, is this what you really want, or is it something you can't help?"

Fan Wei gave advice and guidance like a great teacher.

“Do you feel tired, but have to persist for reasons that cannot be given up?”

Those who are involved may be confused, but those who are not involved can see things clearly. Fan Wei has a relatively clear understanding of the proposition of pursuing happiness, because he has always been happily walking on the road of pursuing happiness!

Looking at the silent prince, Fan Wei smiled freely.

"People always want to be patient and sacrifice the present to fight for future happiness, but if we can't even grasp the happiness in front of us, won't the future be like the moon in the well and the flower in the water?"

“I can’t give you any good advice on how to understand happiness and pursue it.”

"But, Your Highness, let me help you."

Delain looked up, feeling dazed. From the time he was born until now, there have been many people who have helped him, helped him gain benefits, helped him maintain his status, and helped him get rid of his enemies.

But there was really no one, no one said to help him pursue happiness.

"Practically speaking, ascending the throne is very important. Make this your goal and find like-minded friends to accomplish everything!"

Looking at the hand that was stretched out to him with full energy, Delain thought for a moment, then shook it solemnly and smiled, "Then we are allies who have made an oath."

"Of course!"

Watching her brother and the handsome 'fiancé' originally assigned to her, smiling and shaking hands, Oriel quietly raised the bun and took another bite.

So sweet...

"The fight for the throne should begin soon."

"According to the succession rules of previous emperors, if you want to ascend the throne, you must fulfill these conditions."

"Gain the support of more than half of the seven great elder families, get the approval of my father, and pass the test of the War God Temple!"

Talk about the difficulties you face.

After reaching a true alliance and friendship with Fan Wei, De Rhine also felt at ease to join him in the great undertaking. After all, some things could not be accomplished by individual ability alone and required the assistance of wise and capable people.

"It sounds like it would be the most difficult to gain the support of the seven elder families. After all, there is a direct conflict of interest."

After thinking about several conditions, Fan Wei felt that the empire's system was quite perfect. Only those who passed the test could become emperor, and those without talent would be eliminated, thus ensuring the political stability of the empire.

“Neither one is easy.”

Delain held the cup and lamented, "But the seven elder families are indeed the biggest problem. I currently have the support of the Lindbergh family, where my mother is."

"But the other brothers and sisters also have their own people behind them."

"Of course, this doesn't mean that we have to turn enemies into friends. In fact, the elder families also need to weigh the opinions of the people below."

"If we can establish connections with key figures in the areas they control, the power we gain will be able to influence the will of the elder families."

As he listened, Fan Wei roughly understood the entire process of the fight for the throne.

The emperor is not only a symbol of power, but also the master of all fields of the empire! This is very consistent with the style of the empire where the strong are respected.

The fight for the throne requires the princes and princesses to truly perform at the executive level, gain recognition from key figures, and ultimately gather support.

The most powerful and popular one is the candidate for the throne.

Of course, in addition to "people's hearts", there are also two tests: royal power and divine power. But if you don't pass the first level, you won't even have the chance to touch the next ones.

"So you're going to do some dirty py trading, right!" (Friends trading, serious!)

With a serious look on his face, Fan Wei understood the truth.

"Brother Fan's speech is so unconventional!" The eldest prince admitted helplessly, "...it does have some connotations of using connections and unspoken rules."

Although the procedures look good on the surface, it is hard to say whether the pampered royal children have the spirit of hard work and the desire to perform at the executive level.

As long as you are willing to work hard and spend your precious time and energy, your opponent will definitely be grinning from ear to ear.

To get through to key people, hard work is no match for money. Hard work is no match for publicity.

The people will not follow if small benefits are not biased. Only when real benefits of money and real silver are put into their pockets will those guys caught in the gap between the upper and lower levels of power be willing to express their attitude.

As for the fairness and justice of the empire, what does it have to do with them?

"Some people love money, some people love beauty, some people love treasures, and some people love flattery."

"Hobbies are varied, but there is one thing that is hard currency in the empire: strength!"

This is the most important reason why De Rhine took a fancy to Fan Wei. Compared with a strong man who can simply smash the door of the pupil mechanism, Fan Wei's ability to make food that improves strength is the most important.

"I see. My first priority is to help some characters cook."

"That's right. Not to mention others, I also want to try your special dishes, Misr." He said with a smile, jokingly and seriously.

De Rhine is looking forward to Fan Wei's performance.

"That's definitely no problem, but to make food with magical effects, you must use monster ingredients."

"Don't worry, the Empire has a special exploration corps. They definitely have no shortage of good stuff. It just takes some effort to establish a stable cooperative relationship."

Delain was full of fighting spirit as they discussed the next plan.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the stairs on the second floor, "Boy, are you free now? I need your help with something!"

After going out for a while, Grand Secretary Verokagins returned to the restaurant to look for Fan Wei.

After tidying up his appearance, he went upstairs and bumped into Delain and Oliel. After a moment of silence, the expressions of both of them became interesting.

"Blood Hand Supervisor?!"

"The little brat from the Yueyi family?!"

There were sounds of surprise, astonishment, and gnashing of teeth at the same time. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, they become especially jealous of each other!

Old grudges are resolved here today!