The most powerful person in the Federation was, of course, President Sieg.
The Vice President, the Chairman of the Federation Management Committee, the Director of the Federation Investigation Bureau, the National Security Advisor, and the Director of the mysterious Bureau of Proclamation. These were all important figures who stood beside the President, who stood at the pinnacle of power in the Federation.
The Chief Executives of the various regions, as well as the Governors of large states like Ross, were all people of low status. However, the one with the highest prestige in the hearts of the Federation citizens was the old man from the Lees of Philadelphia.
Outside of the political structure of the Federation, the seven great families were hidden in the shadows. However, they possessed sufficient power to stand up against these important figures mentioned above. This was especially true for the Zhong family from the West Woods, who had been stationed at the edge of the universe for generations. They were akin to warlords.
The Tai family was the most mysterious and low-key of the seven great families. All these years, the leader of the Tai family had always been a woman. Ever since she got engaged to the previous head of the Tai family at the Double Moon Festival ball at Ewha University, that woman had been the most powerful woman in the Federation since she was in her twenties.
Especially now that the Tai family was gradually stepping into the limelight, the existence of this woman was even more important. Every decision she made could possibly affect the future of the entire Federation.
…
…
After becoming friends with Tai Zhiyuan, Xu Le learned about the history of the Tai family and their status in the Federation. He had once been curious as to what kind of person this powerful Lady Tai was. After coming to the capital and entering the Nutshell Prison, especially after being released from prison for the past two days, he had truly felt the terrifying influence that the Tai family had on the Federation. Thus, this curiosity had become even stronger.
Sitting in a black car, sitting on an electric scooter, looking at the scenery of the lake and mountains, looking at the ivy covered corridor, Xu Le's mood didn't relax at all. This was because he knew that he was about to meet that woman. He kept guessing in his heart what kind of person Lady Tai should be.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. Until he came to the balcony and saw the woman smiling as she watched Zou Yu's wrist movements under the parasol … he suddenly understood that Lady Tai should be like this. Because of the passing of youth, she appeared ordinary and peaceful. There was nothing special about her.
No matter how the people in the Federation guessed, Lady Tai looked like this, and this woman was Lady Tai.
…
…
Secretary Shen politely pulled out the chair next to Zou Yu and gestured for Xu Le to sit down. Then he went to Lady Tai's side and pulled the chair to the back. He sat down quietly and didn't care about the blazing morning sun outside the parasol. He silently rubbed his hands and maintained a suitable distance from the three people under the parasol.
Xu Le felt that his lumbar vertebrae seemed to be a bit rusty, and the movement of sitting down was somewhat difficult. It was clearly a scene of afternoon tea on the lakeside balcony, but because of the existence of the woman across the table, there was a trace of uneasiness in the atmosphere.
This naturally wasn't because the afternoon tea had been moved to the morning, but because of the identity of the woman.
This was the smell of power.
…
…
After taking the teacup handed over by Zou Yu, Xu Le subconsciously looked over and saw Zou Yu quietly lowering her head to divide the tea. Every movement was so natural and graceful. Xu Le had seen many sides of this girl, but he never imagined that Zou Yu would be so pure, so quiet, and so virtuous.
After Xu Le took his seat, the lady across the table didn't say anything. Instead, she held a small teacup made of Guna porcelain and slowly took a sip. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the lake below the terrace, as if she was thinking about something long ago.
Xu Le was silent for a moment. He picked up the teacup handed over by Zou Yu and took a sip. There was no food to eat in the district procuratorate, and he didn't drink much water in the morning. The key was that the air on the balcony had become a bit dry because of the smell of power. His throat was a bit dry and spicy.
He finally understood why Zou Yu was able to expose the political collusion behind the laboratory data the night before. A girl who often drank afternoon tea with Lady Tai, trained under this kind of pressure, shouldn't be a normal person to begin with.
But this kind of tea was too depressing. Xu Le lowered his head slightly and put down the teacup. He thought to himself, Could it be that Zou Yu's coldness and craziness outside was because she was too suppressed in front of Lady Tai? In an instant, he thought of Lady Tai's afternoon tea. Many people in the Federation probably wanted to drink it, but couldn't. Zou Yu drank tea with the woman for so many years. She had seen so many people and things. The woman across the table probably really liked Zou Yu and wanted her to marry Tai Zhiyuan.
But now, Zou Yu was an unmarried mother. The child in her belly was growing healthily, and his identity was that of the child's father.
Thinking of this, Xu Le's mood became a little strange. But then he thought about how Deputy Minister Zou could see at a glance that he was taking the blame for someone else. The woman in front of him was smart enough to see that as well. Plus, he had called Tai Zhiyuan from the very beginning to report this matter.
Just as he lowered his head and pondered in silence, Lady Tai had already retracted her gaze from the lake. She smiled and looked at his ordinary face, but still didn't say anything.
Xu Le put the teacup on the table and took a deep breath. He raised his head and looked back at her with a smile. His smile wasn't deliberate. It was just like how he used to be in the past. It came from his heart and appeared naturally and optimistically.
Lady Tai didn't seem to expect that this young man, who came to see her for the first time, would have the courage to look her in the eyes. A faint glimmer of light flashed across Lady Tai's eyes, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes smoothened a lot.
Just then, Butler Jin came to the balcony with a pot of coffee and poured a cup for Xu Le.
Xu Le was a little surprised. He bowed and nodded in response.
...
...
"Gata coffee. This is Caspian caviar," said Lady Tai with a smile. "I heard that you like caviar very much, so I specially prepared some for you today."
Xu Le was slightly stunned. He didn't expect this to be the first thing this woman said today. He was very familiar with the aroma of the coffee in the cup and the small plate of black, pearl-like snacks on the table. This was because many nights in the H1 section of the library of Linhai Lihua University, he would often exchange scallion pancakes and plain porridge bought from small stalls for Tai Zhiyuan's coffee and pancakes.
Lady Tai specially prepared this today because she had heard someone mention it before. Xu Le immediately understood the meaning behind Lady Tai's words. Secretary Shen sent people to bail him out of the District Attorney's Office not because the Tai family needed Xu Le, but because she valued the friendship between her son and him.
"Tai Zhiyuan doesn't have many friends. Other than Zou Yu, you're the only friend I've ever seen," said Lady Tai with a smile.
Xu Le took a sip of coffee and ate a piece of caviar to satisfy his hunger. When he heard this, he laughed. He believed that Lady Tai definitely didn't hear it from Tai Zhiyuan himself, but from Butler Jin. After all, Tai Zhiyuan should know very well that he didn't like this kind of weird-tasting, luxurious biscuit at all.
"I heard that you used to be a soldier in Donglin District? When did you enter Ewha University? "
Drinking tea on the terrace was something that only the upper class of the Federation liked to do. However, different classes of celebrities gave off different vibes. Presumably, there weren't many people in the Federation who had the right to occupy half of the National Park and become the backdrop for a tea party.
However, no matter what kind of tea they drank, other than a very small number of people who drank alone, it was all a means of communication. What they drank was secondary, what they talked about was more important.
Xu Le held his coffee cup and narrowed his eyes. The scenery of the lake and mountains entered his mind. When he heard Lady Tai's question, he answered quietly and politely, "Madam, I entered Ewha University in the winter of the 65th year of the Constitutional Era."
"Oh? Back then, Tai Zhiyuan's father and I also studied at Ewha University. How are the flowers in Ewha Garden blooming now? "
"Very beautiful." Xu Le answered, "I spent most of my time beside the iron gate of Ewha Garden. I took a lot of photos."
"At that time, I lived in the girls' dormitory in Plum Garden …"
The ordinary-looking Lady Tai spoke normally. She didn't seem to be probing him. This high and mighty head of the Seven Great Families used the common point of Ewha University to find the rhythm of the conversation. She smiled and chatted idly with Xu Le, diluting the previous atmosphere on the terrace.
At this time, Xu Le was a little distracted. Only now did he remember that it had been almost two years since he escaped from Donglin District. As for Plum Garden Dormitory … he had once waited for a young girl in the dormitory on a snowy night.
The gossip continued. The high and mighty lady across the table didn't deliberately pretend to be approachable. She only looked at Xu Le calmly. The examination in her eyes was completely hidden by the shrewdness she had cultivated for decades.
Xu Le also didn't feel like he was bathing in the spring breeze. He knew that the lady across the table wasn't a politician. She didn't need to win the favor of the voters, and she didn't need to maintain a friendly image. Today, he was able to sit on the terrace, basking in the mountain breeze and the lake light. It wasn't because he had the data from the laboratory as his capital, nor was it because he had a good relationship with Tai Zhiyuan. It was because the lady across the table wanted to look at him for some reason.
After the matter of Ewha University was finished, Lady Tai stood up and left. Zou Yu followed behind her. She found an opportunity to turn around and sneak a glance at Xu Le. She made a strange expression.
Only Xu Le and Secretary Shen were left on the terrace under the parasol. Xu Le knew that the real conversation had just begun. Without the presence of the lady, he felt that the air was suddenly filled with a relaxed atmosphere. The scenery of the lake and mountains began to reveal its true beauty.
Secretary Shen smiled at him and asked, "Do you still have the data?"
"Yes."
"When will you give it to me?"
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