Reddy Noble Family Main House
"Haa!!! Those bastards from Cochin are always up to sothing annoying," Raghav Reddy, the current Patriarch of the Reddy Noble Family, grumbled, pacing the room with a scowl on his face.
Govind Rao, a young man engrossed in a book, and the patriarch of the Rao Noble family chuckled. "Isn't it funny how hard they're trying to gain an upper hand they never had in the battle for the throne?" he said, glancing up with a smirk.
Raghav stopped pacing and turned to him. "Govinda, never underestimate the Cochin Nobles," he warned. "There's that snake in their midst."
Balaji Mudaliar, a man in his late forties sipping tea, leaned back in his chair. "There is also that demonic woman. She is a real nuisance," he spat. "She's been trying to interfere for a long ti, and she does have the authority to back herself up."
Anand Jadhav, the current Patriarch of the Jadhav Noble Family, sighed and rubbed his temples. "Of course," he warned. "We can't just go deal with her. That woman is strong, don't underestimate her because she is a woman,"
"All of you, shut up!" Gopala Shastri, a pot-bellied man in his early fifties, interrupted. He looked around the room, his expression stern. "Let's not talk about useless things. We have more important matters to handle. The prince will be here soon."
"Eh... Old man, don't be so stiff. Hahaha, relax!" Govinda Rao laughed out loud, stretching his arms above his head.
The room's tension was interrupted by a new voice. "Haa... All of you have gathered pretty early today, huh?" A figure erged quietly, taking the host's seat at the table. It was the First Prince of the empire, Chandra Deva Raya.
The First Prince had, as usual, brought both his trusted retainers to the eting. Ram, standing tall on his left side, carried a talwar and wore armor, his presence imposing. On the other side, Neelakanta, shorter than Ram but elegantly dressed, held a book ready to note down important points during the eting.
"So, let's start the eting. Any unusual movents from the second prince?" Chandra Deva Raya asked, his eyes scanning the nobles seated at the table.
Anand Jadhav, with a frustrated expression, spoke up. "Yes, Your Highness. Considering the new open seat in the council, they are trying to make the Nairs of Travancore head Ashokan Nair, the new mber of the council."
Gopala Shastri leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "Your Highness, I suggest we push Govinda Rao here as a candidate for the new position."
Govinda Rao raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Eh... The old man is being nice to for once! I am so happy," he exclaid sarcastically, shifting his gaze to Gopala with mock appreciation.
Gopala rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it," he muttered under his breath.
Chandra Deva Raya looked at both of them indifferently, shaking his head. "Alright, enough banter. Let's focus. Govinda, do you think you can handle the council seat if we push for it?"
Govinda straightened up, his expression turning serious. "Of course, Your Highness. I am ready for the challenge."
"Good," the Prince nodded. "We need soone of your caliber in that position. Let's make it happen."
" and Mudaliar here have been pressuring the Patwardhans to join the Imperial Faction as you instructed, but they seem to be holding out despite the second prince also pressuring them at the sa ti," Raghav Reddy ntioned, frustration evident in his voice.
"Of course, they're holding out well. The elders of the Patwardhans have recently gotten involved and are helping the current patriarch. But even if we can't sway him to our side, we've managed to topple him from the council since he hasn't made any significant contributions anyway," stated Balaji Mudaliar, sipping his tea.
Govinda Rao chuckled. "Well, unless he makes a coback with so groundbreaking contribution, the Patwardhans won't be able to crawl out of this hole."
"What about the youngest prince? Should we be doing sothing about him?" Raghav Reddy asked, leaning forward.
"Harsha?" The Prince mused. "Hmm. He has made a na for himself lately with the trade deals and the new road developnt projects." Chandra Deva Raya reached for a report that Neelakanta handed him.
Raghav Reddy folded his arms, frowning. "Yes, but isn't that a potential threat? Shouldn't we be cautious?"
"Your Highness, don't you find it suspicious? He used to avoid everyone in the palace, and now, after his injury, he's changed, I have heard reports of his great martial prowess," Govinda said, raising his concern about the youngest prince.
Chandra thought about the possibility of the youngest prince becoming a threat to his ambition for the throne. "It is suspicious, but he's always been unpredictable. We can deal with him if necessary, but right now, his influence is negligible."
Chandra continued, "We can eliminate him if I think he will beco a threat to ,"
Govinda pondered the situation, thinking, 'Are we underestimating the young prince? That report on the battle at Gulbarga was extraordinary. What if he's changed and is already preparing by biding his ti? ' Then he recalled their first eting two years ago and how unimpressive the young prince had seed to him.
"Anyway, let's move on to our plan. We need to secure the throne before Cochin makes a move. We can't let them gain more power," Chandra said, shifting the focus.
"And has Cochin tried to block any trade routes yet?" Chandra asked, his curiosity piqued.
"In Mangalore, there's a chance of a blockade. Our inforr reports that the Nairs have begun so unusual activities there," Govinda Rao explained.
"Mangalore? Does it fall under their control?" Chandra asked, furrowing his brow.
"Your Highness, the Nairs bought the land from a rchant. Now they control the route connecting to Mangalore," Balaji Mudaliar answered.
"Hmm... Prepare to tariff their goods and block them from moving through our territories. We'll act once they start any blockades or economic warfare. Understood?" Chandra commanded after a mont's thought.
Although he didn't want to ignite a civil war, it was becoming evident that a conflict might be brewing between the Imperial Faction and Cochin.
'Would Father intervene if there was a civil war? He wouldn't be happy to see civilians die, so there's a chance he might step in...' he thought
"Your Highness, there is a new rchant in the capital expanding rapidly to all cities," Anand Jadhav said, concern in his voice. "It's an independent group led by soone called Nakul. They've recently secured a road construction contract and have dipped their hands into textiles, ceramics, and tals."
"You an the rchant group led by that young man who rose quickly?" Chandra asked, leaning forward.
"They started with nothing and grew fast. I've tried to monitor their movents, but they have a very well-oiled system. There's hardly any relevant information about their trade secrets. Even their caravans are well-protected," added Raghav Reddy fiddling with his notebook.
"Do you think we should try to get them on our side? They possess enough wealth to rival that stingy old man Prabhakar from Goa," questioned Gopala Shastri.
"They're a powerful force," Govinda Rao replied with a scowl and stretching his limbs. "The fact that they remain independent in this tense atmosphere suggests they're fence-sitting, waiting for the battle to play out so they can swoop in and declare support for the winner."
Chandra considered the possibility of gaining a potential ally and said, "Gopala, I'll leave the negotiations to you. Try to get them on our side. We can't afford to let Cochin snatch another powerful rchant from under our noses."
"Understood, Your Highness," Gopala said with a slight bow of respect.
"Also, Your Highness, Harsha has been invited by the patriarch of the Nayakas. This is a big deal. That old man is quite a force," Balaji added.
"Oh... Hmm... That old man is so whimsical. I wonder why he invited Harsha," Chandra gestured to Ram to lean down and whispered to him "Try to find out the reason behind the invitation. Is it just because of the road project, or is there more to it?"
"Anything else to report? If not, I guess the eting is over," Chandra said, looking around to see if anyone had more to report before he left for the royal palace.
Later, as Chandra sat in the carriage, enjoying the scenery, Neelakanta, who was sitting beside him and reviewing reports, spoke up. "Your Highness, we might have a problem."
"What problem now?" Chandra asked.
Neelakanta handed a file to the prince containing docunts gathered by the First Prince's spies. Chandra skimd through the report, his face souring at the contents.
"Is this true? This is another trouble brewing," he muttered.
"The report has been verified. It's the truth, Your Highness," Neelakanta replied.
Chandra called Ram, who was riding a horse beside the carriage as his bodyguard, and said, "Ram, take care of this mission. It is very important."
"Understood, Your Highness," Ram replied confidently.
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