In the end, the Empire's Prime Minister mounted his old horse and left without a word.
Durin stood at the doorway, sending the old man off. Durin understood what the old man was really thinking; claiming to pity his own grandchildren was a facade.
A person like him, as long as this land prospers, he is capable of abandoning anything. If his descendants do not prosper, you see, he's already prepared to defile himself, thinking one day to retreat from the court with the most promising grandchild, hoping to make a comeback in later years.
The reason he came this time was to see what Durin planned to do. With Durin's guarantee, the old man might soon resign—there's no place for old ministers like him in the New Era, better to make an early retreat and educate his grandchildren.
