“Mr. Zhou!”
Zhou Jingren shook the Grand Duke’s hand as he smiled. “Your highness.”
“Please… you and Lily just keep on calling me Your highness when I already told you countless times to call me uncle. We are family.” The grand duke returned a smile as he gestured for Zhou Jingren to sit down. “Please… let’s treat each other as family.”
Sitting on the chair opposite to the Duke, Zhou Jingren nodded. He eyed the entire office and was easily impressed by the decorations on the wall that perfectly depicted the history of the small but beautiful country.
“We have been through a lot.” The Duke smiled, eyeing the same statues that Zhou Jingren was looking at. “And we are proud of that.”
“You should be.” Zhou Jingren said.
“So… I assume you didn’t just come here tonight ahead of your schedule because you wanted to chat about our history?”
“As much as I would like to do that, I can’t. My knowledge in Europe’s history is not as rich as my knowledge in the history of most Asian countries.”
“Your direct words remind me of Lily. You two… seem to be so alike but different at the same time.” He laughed. “And I like that.”
Again, Zhou Jingren only nodded. “I am here for a deal.”
“A deal?” the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes. “Enlighten me.”
“I need you to increase the security around Lily while she is here. That’s all.”
“And?”
“And in return, I will help you deal with your enemy.”
“Hah!” The Duke laughed. “Enemy? Mr. Zhou must be joking. When it comes to enemies. I have countless number of them. There is no need for you to get involved when it comes to my personal enemies but… I can help you with your small request about security. I was already intending to do that. After all… I know that she wouldn’t just suddenly decide to come here without a very serious reason.”
Zhou Jingren wanted to applaud the Duke’s smart thinking. He ended up chuckling. “Thank you. I always knew that you would do that. However… what I am offering you is something more than dealing with some activists.”
The Grand Duke immediately raised an eyebrow. He stared at Zhou Jingren for a few seconds as he contemplated his words. “I already know that Lily is not a threat. I also happen to know that no matter what the people who hate me do to convince her and have her work against me, it would fail.” Lily was even more wealthy than him and his family combined, why would Lily lower herself to serving a country like Luxembourg? Moreover, he had read about Lily for a long time and knew that the way she handled people was quite different.
This method was not very suitable for a public figure like a Grand Duke.
“Is— Is that what you mean by activist?” he asked when he saw Zhou Jingren just stare at him with amusement in his eyes. Did he say something that would warrant such a reaction? Frowning, the Grand Duke waited for Zhou Jingren to explain.
“Your son is dying.”
“Excuse me?”
“Prince Leandro… the next in line for the throne is dying.” Zhou Jingren didn’t come to this country empty handed. He had already asked Qin Yuanfeng to do a lot of digging about this country and its people. Because of this, Zhou Jingren was considered very knowledgeable about the Grand Duchy and its secrets. He smiled at the Grand Duke’s confusion. “Judging from your reaction… I am guessing you don’t know about this plan to kill the heir?”
“What are you talking about?” The Grand Duke’s face immediately reddened. “Please… explain yourself. These words… These words are very dangerous Mr. Zhou. I would advise you to please explain yourself.”
Zhou Jingren’s lips lifted into a smirk. “I already told you. I want a deal.”
“What deal are you talking about? I— I already assured you that I would increase security around Lily. What else do you need?” he asked, distressed immediately showing in the older man’s face. In response, Zhou Jingren stood from his seat and walked towards the huge portrait of the Duke’s family.
“I want you to help me… ruin someone.”
“Ruin… Mr. Zhou… I don’t think that would be possible. As you know Luxembourg is not as influential as other countries in Europe. We are not the US or Russia. How could I help you ruin someone?”
“Before you say no… hear me out your highness.” Zhou Jingren said. “Just like my wife, I have no intention in causing trouble to you or your family. I have my own family to worry about and your throne is not my concern. Me and my wife only want to live a carefree life.”
The Grand Duke stared at Zhou Jingren’s back.
“The request that I will make is considered small compared to what I will do for your family.” Zhou Jingren continued. “Prince Leandro is dying. We have data that suggests that he is unknowingly being fed poison. No symptoms, no sickness. It was something that he has been taking slowly. It is not fatal, yet.”
“How— How do you know this?”
“I cannot tell you.” It was actually George who helped him figure this out. After all, his influence in the black market in Europe was not as vast as George’s. “I have my ways, your highness.” He turned towards the Duke. “But… your son has been slowly and steadily consuming lead. Small amounts are included in his food or water, I am not sure about this. But… someone in your household has been buying lead from the black market for years now.”
“Lead?” a lump immediately appeared in the Grand Duke’s throat. Lead poisoning was undetectable unless dangerous amounts had already accumulated in the body. It would not show any signs or symptoms unless… the amount inside one’s body was fatal. He immediately recalled the conversation that he had with his son earlier about his health examination telling him that his sperm count was very low— too low for his age.
Wasn’t that one of the effects of lead poisoning? Slowly, the Duke’s eyes widened as he stood from his seat. “Tell me everything!”
………….
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