The path was paved with bluestones, and an ancient aura seeped out from the slightly damp stone crevices, moistening the old-fashioned craftsmanship of the walls. Coupled with the warm wind under his feet, the Flowing Wind Slope Club was forcibly transformed into a spring and autumn garden in this cold winter of the capital. Following the deliberately carved bluestone path that was absolutely natural, Xu Le walked for a long time under the corridor. He pushed open the door in front of him alone and saw Lady Tai sitting on the gilded half couch, using a wooden ruler to push tea.
They had only met once, but Xu Le had never forgotten the impression of this woman with the greatest power in the Federation. This middle-aged woman's calm and ordinary appearance was like a screen that completely covered the great rivers and mountains in his heart. As long as she was willing, the splendor of the rivers and mountains would spurt out and crush everything in front of her.
"You're here." Lady Tai looked at Xu Le with a smile. She noticed that this young man still didn't have epaulets on his military uniform, and his hands that were exposed outside of his sleeves were neither nervously clenched nor presumptuously open. Instead, they were carefully and cautiously held as if he was holding two raw eggs.
Xu Le nodded and walked to stand in front of the lady.
Lady Tai was in a very good state of mind today. Her calm and gentle face exuded a layer of luster. The trouble in the Federation was about to be solved, and the grand plan she had designed was about to be unfolded page by page. In this state of mind, this small-eyed boy in front of her became much more pleasing to the eye.
"I heard from Minister Zou that you are now an official captain of the Ministry of National Defense's General Assembly Base."
This wasn't a question. Lady Tai lightly tapped the wooden ruler. Two beautiful ladies in long dresses with long trailing skirts came out from behind the screen behind her. They took away the tea chips and utensils beside her. She turned to Xu Le and gestured for him to sit down. She continued to say gently, "In that case, you don't have to go back to Whitewater Company anymore."
Hearing this, Xu Le's eyebrows trembled slightly. Lady Tai quietly paid attention to his every expression, but she thought he was worried about something else. She smiled and explained, "I know you like Jian Shui'er, but with your contributions and status this time, how can you still be someone else's bodyguard?"
The lady's well-maintained hands slowly overlapped each other on her lap. She calmly looked at the silent Xu Le, and the silk at the cuffs of her sleeves slightly glowed. Lady Tai was the only person in this universe who knew about Xu Le's true background. Thus, when she said the three words' Jian Shui'er ', her tone actually carried a trace of mockery and teasing, but Xu Le himself didn't notice it.
Because she knew about Xu Le, Lady Tai was confident that she could completely control Xu Le. Because she could control him, she had the leisure to evaluate him. In these past few months of evaluation, Xu Le had put in a lot of effort during the presidential election, demonstrating his ability and strength. Whether it was the development of the new mecha or the information on how to oust Macklin in the end, it all made the lady feel admiration for this young man.
"Regarding the matter of the Federal Academy of Science, you've gone a little overboard, so I've suppressed you for a few days." Lady Tai looked at him quietly. She pushed over a folder beside her and continued, "Go to the engineering department or the research institute. It's up to you what you think. The promotion order from the Ministry of National Defense is about to arrive."
Xu Le hesitated for a moment, then took the folder and opened it to look at it carefully. Inside the folder were several letters of commendation with the electronic signatures of the relevant departments of the Federation, as well as a summary of a meeting. He said softly, somewhat absent-mindedly, "Lieutenant colonel?"
He had originally only been a second lieutenant civilian officer. Because he had assisted the Nutshell engineering department in developing the MX mecha, the Ministry of National Defense had granted him the authority of the general assembly base and the rank of captain. However, he had never imagined that he would be promoted to lieutenant colonel so easily through this banquet today.
How many lieutenant colonels had there been in the history of the Federation? Even during the years of the Three Star Wars, relying on his impressive military exploits to jump ranks, it was still difficult for him to be promoted so quickly. In that instant, Xu Le fell silent. This was probably due to the division of rewards. In the distribution of benefits by the Federation, Lady Tai had given him a very ample reward, which also meant that this lady was truly prepared to nurture him.
"You have the ability. Even the Li family's Little Madman is a lieutenant colonel. Since you defeated him, of course you can't be lower than him," said Lady Tai calmly.
"Lieutenant Colonel Li Feng was promoted because of his military exploits on the West Woods front lines," said Xu Le, shaking his head.
"President Sieg and the military remember your contributions to the Federation very clearly. You don't have to be humble." Lady Tai said, "The Nutshell should promote you to Level One Technical Supervisor. Do well in the future."
Lady Tai's tone was very normal and natural. Whether it was the rare 20 year old lieutenant colonel rank of the Federal military or the illustrious position of Level One Technical Supervisor of the Nutshell company, in her words, it was as simple as asking whether onions should be purple or red. For the head of the most mysterious and most powerful ten thousand year old Tai family of the Federation, even the change of president of the Federation was something that could be influenced, let alone the two positions that a young man had to go through in his glorious life.
Xu Le was silent for a very long time. After a very, very long time, he raised his head and looked very seriously at Lady Tai's face. He asked, "Are you planning to arrange my life?"
"It's just a suggestion, just like my suggestions to many people." Lady Tai looked very seriously at him and said, "Our generation will eventually gradually grow old. You are different, and Zhi Yuan is also different. He will need a partner like you in the Federation in the future."
For Lady Tai to be able to say such words to a small figure like Xu Le, it showed enough sincerity. It was probably also because of some of the characteristics that Xu Le had displayed in the story over the past year that made this lady believe that her son should be very lucky to have such a partner or subordinate.
However, a long time ago, Xu Le had directly rejected Tai Zhiyuan's invitation to enter the Tai family. Due to some very simple and direct reasons, he expressed his rejection again. He shook his head and said, "I am very sorry, I am not used to having my life arranged by others."
Lady Tai narrowed her eyes and said, "As far as I know, although you are stubborn, you have never been a pedantic person."
"I rejected in the past because I wanted to ensure that my friendship with Tai Zhiyuan would not change. Now, I naturally understand that it is very difficult for my friendship with him to last a lifetime." Xu Le organized his words and quietly explained, "I rejected now because it is very difficult for me to accept the way you and the level of people you represent do things."
Lady Tai didn't say anything. She only looked quietly at Xu Le, wanting to know what this seemingly fearless young man wanted to say.
Xu Le didn't immediately speak, because he knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, he might anger this lady in front of him. He was silent for a long time. Then, he took a deep breath and bravely said, "I have always believed that people like Macklin should be tried by the Federation's laws. But now, since Madam's attitude is different from mine, then our previous relationship can only come to an end."
During the morning tea in the back of Mochou's mountain, Xu Le had once said to Shen Li that his relationship with the Tai family could only be one of mutual cooperation. Lady Tai heard him repeat this and couldn't help but smile. With a trace of coldness, she slowly said, "Child, in the Federation, there are many people who are qualified to cooperate with me, but that definitely does not include you."
"I understand." Xu Le lowered his eyes slightly and stared at his shiny military boots. He said word by word, "So, Madam, please take back this envelope."
Lady Tai looked at him quietly. Suddenly, she felt like she was looking at that man from many years ago. However, that man was very different from this small-eyed boy in front of her. Although they were both good at hiding their abilities under the opposite appearance, the appearance they chose was too different. That man was so amazing and insufferably arrogant, but this small-eyed boy in front of her was only calm and even dull. It was hard to tell what he was thinking and what he wanted to do.
Thinking of that man made Lady Tai's mood slightly gloomy. Xu Le was still like a smelly rock. He didn't notice the subtle changes in this important person's mood. He said straightforwardly, "Tai Zhiyuan promised me that he would not let Macklin become the vice president."
Lady Tai said coldly, "Do you think Macklin still has a chance in this life?"
"But this is not enough."
Lady Tai suddenly felt a little angry. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the young man in front of her. She couldn't understand how that cold-blooded and heartless guy could teach such a stubborn and righteous student. Did he really think that he was a messenger of justice?
"The Federation's biggest threat now is the Empire." Lady Tai said coldly, "In this situation, the Federation needs to be united. There can't be any more chaos, so Macklin can't stay in the Ministry of Justice any longer. In the face of the great interests of the Federation, what does personal hatred count for? What does your laughable sense of justice count for? "
Xu Le thought to himself, When did justice become a laughable thing?
"You want to trample on justice, so you don't hesitate to cause unrest in the Federation." Lady Tai stood up slowly. There was a faint light flashing in her black dress. She looked at Xu Le coldly and said, "You don't hesitate to cause the deaths of tens of thousands of people? I can even ignore the fact that my son was assassinated. What kind of role do you want to play, you pitiful little fellow who was deceived? "
Lady Tai looked at his eyes and said coldly, "In Schiller's play, there was once a madman who fought with stone giants. In order to avenge his daughter, that madman didn't hesitate to bury an entire village. When the bards questioned him, he even boasted that even if tens of thousands of people died because of it, as long as justice existed, he would persist … But, how selfish is this? "
The threat of the Empire was like a black cloud hanging above the sky of the Federation. This society needed peace and unity. That was why a shameless person like Macklin would find a twisted way forward. If Macklin was held accountable for his crimes, it would cause unrest in the Federation. Thousands, even hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people would die … Was this selfish? This was such a great, glorious, and correct compromise. However, when Xu Le heard it, why did he still feel that this compromise was extremely rotten?
At the end of the bluestone road, in the quietest room of the Flowing Wind Slope Club, Xu Le was silent for a long time. Then he slowly stood up, looked up, narrowed his eyes, and grinned, revealing two rows of neat white teeth. He said to Lady Tai, "Madam, people will always die. The trillions of people in the Federation will always die. It's only a matter of who dies first and who dies later. However, in the end, only reason can survive in this universe."
"If that's the case, reason is of course the most important thing."
Hearing this, Lady Tai smiled and then said, "You are only one person. Even if you persist, you will only make yourself more worried and angry. Think about it before the banquet. No matter what, give me an answer later."
Xu Le lowered his head and thanked her. He watched as the madam slowly left, dragging her long black dress behind her. When he straightened up, he found that his back was already drenched in sweat. In the cold winter, although the interior of the club was incomparably warm, this sweat was actually cold sweat. In this one year, the changes in the Federation made him extremely aware of just how terrifying the seven great families of the Federation were. That madam from before was even more so a figure that no one dared to look straight at her.
Lady Tai herself did not have any shocking aura, and her tone was also extremely calm. However, when he connected the dots to this madam's identity, the pressure that Xu Le's earlier questioning and rebuke had created in his heart was no less than that time when he had faced that heavy M52 mecha in the underground parking lot of the Linhai State Gymnasium.
"This way, please." At some point, Butler Jin had appeared by his side and politely led him out of the room. They followed a completely different style passageway towards the bustling part of the club.
Xu Le found that Butler Jin was not the same as when they had first met last year. At the very least, there was a certain hostility and coldness hidden within that courtesy. This puzzled him — even if Lady Tai did not like him, with his status and strength, how could he possibly attract Butler Jin's hostility?
However, there was no time for him to think too much about it. In a side hall of the club, a flashlight lit up. The momentary flash of light made Xu Le's eyes squint even more, and the warm applause also made his sharp hearing much worse. He could only roughly make out something about a commendation, something about important mecha developer, something about a fighter pilot, and so on.
A general walked up to him and patted him heavily on the shoulder, personally sewing a medal on the left breast of his military uniform. He then leaned over to his ear and said, "Young man, well done. The medal will be in your hands in a few days."
Another councilman gestured for everyone to raise their glasses, and so everyone raised their glasses. Even the silent Xu Le had an extra glass of expensive champagne in his hand.
For a moment, wine glasses clinked softly, music played softly, and everyone laughed softly. Only Xu Le was like a puppet, allowed to be manipulated by others in this Federation banquet.
…
…
Xu Le and Butler Jin walked out of the hall. The guests of the Flowing Wind Slope Club were the most respected and most important people in the Federation. There were not many people, so it was not very noisy. Only when the music behind him was gradually forgotten did he regain his senses. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "I don't understand what this means. I didn't agree to Madam's request."
Along the way, many people raised their glasses to Xu Le as a sign of respect and affection. Xu Le had seen a few of them in Linyuan, but most of them were people he had only seen on TV. These big shots might not know Xu Le, but they all knew about Xu Le and the role this young man played in the presidential election. More importantly, they knew that Madam admired this young man and decided to cultivate him. This was enough for them to pay enough attention to him.
"I want to leave," Xu Le said to Butler Jin.
Butler Jin took him to an office on the second floor and then handed him another folder. The old butler looked at him strangely and said coldly, "Where there are people, there is a path. Others can leave at any time. But your path is already set. "
Xu Le narrowed his eyes. It was not surprising that Madam wanted to control him, but why did they still go ahead with the plan after he had clearly expressed his objection? When he thought of this, he suddenly felt that the folder was a little heavy.
Inside the folder were a few photos and a file.
One of the photos was a rare photo of Xu Le in Donglin. The photo was taken with Li Wei and Qiang Zi. The other photo was taken recently. Li Wei, with a scar on his face, was walking on a street. Looking at the style of the street, it did not seem to be in the Federation's territory.
Xu Le's hand holding the folder trembled. It was not because of the power in his body, but because of extreme fear and shock.
He did not look at the file attached to the folder seriously because the first paragraph of the file clearly stated a few words.
"Citizen number: DLAS420500481X, information node missing, name: Xu Le, note: Federation 4427, target 2, death confirmed."
When he saw these things, Xu Le knew that a fundamental change had occurred. His identity as a fugitive from the Federation, the person responsible for the Bureau of Proclamation's first-order incident, his relationship with Uncle Feng Yu, those secrets hidden in the depths of his heart that no one other than himself knew about, had finally, finally … been discovered!
Coldness, fear, anger, killing intent, and drifting away. In the end, all these chaotic emotions turned into silence and heavy breathing after the shock.
Butler Jin said calmly, "Madam has given you time to consider. What do you think?"
Yes, in that room, Madam Tai had asked him to consider before the banquet. At that time, Xu Le did not expect that this madam had already grasped his most fatal weakness. Since that was the case, the time he had to consider was reduced to a humiliating interval.
Xu Le had considered accepting the style and methods of these big shots in the Federation, but he did not know what he should do about this matter. However, when he held the folder in front of him, which weighed hundreds of thousands of tons, in his hands, he felt helpless and uneasy for the first time in his life.
After a long time, Xu Le asked in a hoarse voice, "Li Wei … where is he now?"
"Bermuda. Of course, you can also say that he is in our hands." Butler Jin said as if he was a kidnapper, but he still appeared as steady and elegant as ever.
Xu Le licked his dry lips and smiled with some difficulty. With trembling hands, he fumbled with his military uniform and touched the cardboard box below the Purple Star Medal that represented supreme honor.
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