Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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Faith continued to gaze at the night sky. "I just haven't found meaning yet, so I can only temporarily force myself to acknowledge that some things have meaning. I'm pursuing meaning, but you've never pursued it."

Ronan couldn't help but feel a little sentimental, "It doesn't matter if life has no meaning, but there are always some fun things to do. The game of power, the squandering of wealth, and special women like you always make me happy. That's enough."

"Do you know which of the church's many sins is the most serious?" Faith asked.

Ronan shook his head. "I don't know. You know I'm not religious."

“It’s arrogance,” Faith said.

The arrogance here refers to a lack of humility before "God," and there is no doubt that Ronan was not a humble person.

“I think I understand a bit,” Ronan replied. “I also have a question: what is your current significance?”

“To study the beliefs of people in different parts of the world,” Faith replied, her tone still devoid of emotion.

Although her expertise lies in the study of the human body, she is not actually very interested in it; she prefers theology or sociology.

Ronan picked up the cup, gulped down the honey water, and felt incredibly refreshed under the cool night sky. "That's good. Who knows, I might become a sociologist."

“Ha, you’re the real authority on this,” Faith said.

Ronan's several books on social issues are almost essential reading for those in power.

If that were all, Ronan would only have a little reputation, much like the theorists of various schools of thought. But Ronan was also a successful ruler. Although he was only the third most important person in the Kingdom of Phos, other countries considered him to be number one.

The leaders of various Western countries all wanted to invite him to be their prime minister, but of course, it was just wishful thinking.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the two returned to the house. Falek and Canaan were already in bed, and judging from their appearance, they didn't want to come back.

Ronan simply went to sleep as well.

The next morning, before breakfast, the four of them took a shower together and then had breakfast.

A very Arabian-style breakfast: meat sauce crepes, which are a bit like fried dough sticks topped with syrup, and Ronan's homemade milk tea.

Not long after finishing breakfast, the three of them went to change their clothes.

Canaan changed into white pantyhose with a creamy mousse texture. If Ambrina was a small creamy ice cream, then hers was a large creamy ice cream. Alice and Zhao Yingqi were both on the thinner side. Alice had loli legs, while Zhao Yingqi had delicate girl legs. Wearing white pantyhose didn't make them look like ice cream.

Falek changed into black pantyhose. The interplay of light and shadow on the black stockings highlighted the fleshy look that couldn't be contained, especially the buttocks, which looked so alluring that you wanted to insert them along with the pantyhose.

Faith changed into her most worn brownish-yellow pantyhose, a color that was neither sexy nor even a bit tacky, but paired with her, it gave off an irresistible urge to assault her.

The three sat side by side on the low bed. Ronan lay on the floor, eating a large white silk ice cream drizzled with thick honey, kneading black silk thighs with his hands, and enjoying foot fetish service from flexible feet encased in brown stockings.

Ronan closed his eyes in bliss.

After a while, Canaan forcefully pulled his foot back, while Falek kicked Ronan hard in the stomach twice, and Faith also stopped kicking.

Ronan opened his eyes. "What happened?"

The three looked at Ronan and asked in unison, "What do you think?"

It's time to start a new round; that's what the three of them meant.

Ronan knew that he would definitely make sure they ate their fill before they left.

“Come on, ladies,” Ronan said, standing up and throwing himself at them with outstretched arms.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, thousands of miles away, after a long period of discussion and debate, the new emperor was finally chosen.

The court officials reached a consensus and selected Zhao Quanlin, the Prince of Jiaodong, who was the late emperor's cousin.

This is a compromise, but it is also a result that none of the parties are truly satisfied with.

Because the King of Jiaodong could not represent the interests of the vast villages and communities in some parts of the Central Plains that had a collective agricultural character, or the large landowners in other places that had a certain manor economy character, let alone the interests of the scattered small rural villages and large factory owners in the south.

All the ministers knew that this outcome had actually sown the seeds of unrest.

Because the political propositions of each faction cannot be effectively promoted, and the interests of each faction cannot be fully satisfied.

But what could they do? They couldn't persuade or overpower each other, and the throne couldn't remain vacant any longer. Although the emperor had no real authority, the court needed someone like him to give its orders full legitimacy.

In this world of Seris, the emperor is not the Son of Heaven, nor is the founding monarch.

The founding emperors of all dynasties were merely angels, chosen ones sent by Heaven to quell chaos and restore order.

The emperors who followed were merely successors to the will of the angels; they were not even angels themselves.

So, was it reasonable for the ministers to seize power from the emperor? Absolutely.

But an emperor is still necessary. Without an emperor as a platform, benefits cannot be channeled from a single source, and governance cannot be concentrated in one person, making it impossible to coordinate the entire country as a unified entity. Without a unified national strategy, this grand unification becomes merely an illusion.

This is a kind of "public will" formed by selfish people because of their selfishness.

Should we change it? Of course we want to change it, especially after the establishment of the Wei Dynasty, when the country's economic model was changing, and consequently, people's thinking was also changing.

In reality, over the past few decades, the ministers have been gradually turning the emperor into a mascot.

But in the current situation, stability is the top priority. Reform? Forget about it.

For the high-ranking officials of the court, they certainly have their own interests and the interests of the factions they represent. But first and foremost, they are high-ranking officials of the court. They must first protect the court in order to protect their own positions. Only after protecting their positions can they talk about what comes next.

But clearly, some locals don't want to talk about it.

All they wanted to say to the bigwigs they supported was, "You've disappointed me so much," but to be honest, it wasn't that surprising.

In short, the campaign to purge the emperor's inner circle has officially entered the preparatory stage.

Meanwhile, the imperial court was prepared to strike swiftly and decisively to eliminate any troublemakers.

But can this really be done? Everyone knows that there are many internal conflicts within the imperial court.

Furthermore, if we were to speculate with the utmost malice, even if the local officials did not want to immediately purge the court of corrupt officials, certain people in the court would instigate them to rebel. If they did not rebel, they would be forced to.

Because if top-down reforms don't work, then a bottom-up revolution will do.

In the end, whoever loses becomes the king's sidekick.

As for the rest, do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Chapter 903 Returning to Guangxi, the Shocked Confidants, the Nickname Wasn't Wrong

At the end of March, just before April, Zhao Quanlin, the King of Jiaodong, received an imperial edict of abdication. His expression was even more unpleasant than if he had given birth to a talented son who had died young.

But no matter how unwilling he was, he still had to accept it.

He himself is only at the second rank and has no power. How could he possibly resist? Even if he could, what would he do if he resisted? Rebel and become emperor?

At the same time, Lu Jianling, along with her third son Liu Chongyu, three members of the technical team, and the entire team, left Foshan for Guangxi.

Upon arriving in Guangxi, Lu Jianling led his men straight to their post.

After a quick meal, a quick wash, and a short rest, they set off again, led by three trusted confidants, along with Falek and the others, and a few soldiers, to their destination.

The three confidants were Liu Xingyi, a second-rank guerrilla and a fourth-rank official. He was considered a cousin of Lu Jianling's deceased husband. The reason he could only be considered a cousin was because the influence of clans under the village system had been greatly weakened, so they were not really close relatives.

Secondly, there is Lu Youwei, a second-tier, inner scribe, seventh-rank. She is Lu Jianling's niece. Originally, they were going to arrange for her to take the "military-to-cadre" route, but it was delayed. After all, Lu Youwei's talent in cultivation is average, her military strategy is also mediocre, and being a woman, it is not easy for her to get along in the military.

Thirdly, Hua Tianju, a military officer, fourth rank, third grade. He is not a Han Chinese, but a Tibetan from Qinghai. He is considered an old comrade-in-arms of Lu Jianling. Although he is not Han Chinese, as a fourth rank officer with considerable seniority and merit, he is quite "overqualified" to be a military officer. If he were willing to go back, becoming a high-ranking official would not be a problem at all. Here, he can only remain in a limbo.

In fact, Lu Jianling himself was a bit over the top. Not many fifth-level soldiers would stay in such remote and desolate front lines for long. They would either hold a military rank and live a carefree life, occasionally accepting temporary conscription, or they would live as lords in good places. Even if they had to do something, they would do it like Chen Zuolin from Foshan before.

Deer sword feathers are quite rare.

On the way, Lu Jianling told her three confidants about the more specific situation. She had briefly mentioned some things in her letter before, and she could add a lot of nonsense. After all, whether it was news about Annam or the plan to recruit a group of Zhuang people to become extraordinary soldiers, it had to be kept strictly confidential and could not be mentioned in the letter.

The three were not particularly surprised by Annam's intention to send troops, because upon reflection, taking advantage of a vulnerability was perfectly reasonable.

But the idea of ​​creating a wave of super soldiers is truly astonishing.

In particular, Lu Jianling said that this group of extraordinary soldiers could achieve a first-class level in terms of pure physical qualities.

This was almost too shocking to believe.

But Lu Jianling brought several foreigners, her son, a group of people from Guangdong, and some foreigners from who-knows-where. It didn't seem like she was joking with them.

After a brief moment of shock, the three of them had no choice but to accept the fact.

"Sir, isn't this getting a little out of control?" Liu Xingyi expressed his concern.

Lu Youwei added, "We still have more than a dozen people in positions of authority here. As long as we select people without connections, form a separate team, and put them under our direct command, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Let's transfer it to my side for now," Hua Tianju said.

Wearing a mask, Liu Chongyu said with a relaxed expression, "When the time comes, I'll trouble General Hua to give them a good, strict training first, to force out a few who don't follow the rules. I'll kill a dozen or twenty of them to establish my authority. Then Lord Lu can make some promises, and at least for the time being, getting them under control won't be a problem."

While others couldn't sense Liu Chongyu's strength, Hua Tianju could. He was puzzled as to where General Lu had found such a powerful person.

"Why are you still wearing a mask? The imperial edict exonerating you has already been issued," Lu Jianling said to Liu Chongyu with a hint of displeasure.

The exoneration of Liu Chongyu was also orchestrated by Ronan through the efforts of several top superhumans he had previously met. They managed to portray Liu Chongyu as an undercover agent, but since he had killed several officials, his merits and demerits had to be offset, and he would have to pay a large sum of compensation.

Lu Jianling paid part of the money himself, and Luo Nan paid the rest. On the one hand, Luo Nan needed Liu Chongyu, and on the other hand, Liu Chongyu was, after all, his adopted son.

When Liu Chongyu took off his mask, Hua Tianju felt that he looked familiar. He had only seen Liu Chongyu when he was a child. Liu Xingyi and Lu Youwei, on the other hand, recognized him immediately.

It's unbelievable that the third brother, who clearly has no talent and is just an ordinary person, actually possesses such strength.

"Uncle Hua, Uncle Liu, and Sister Lu, it's been a long time," Liu Chongyu greeted them.

"This...is it really you?" Hua Tianju still couldn't believe it.

“I can testify, it was him,” Lu Youwei said, her feelings somewhat complicated.

"Ha, I didn't expect this, I really didn't expect this." Liu Xingyi was very happy.

"This isn't the time for reminiscing, Xingyi. We've reached our destination and will be staying here for the time being. Could you please go and fetch that person over?" Lu Jianling spoke gently, his tone implying a request, as errands shouldn't be left to superhumans.

That's how the world works. Superhumans can bring higher efficiency, but unless there are special circumstances or it's necessary, superhumans would never dare to run errands or deliver messages. Not to mention that Liu Xingyi is a guerrilla commander, which is a fourth-rank military officer, a mid-to-high-level general. Here, he is second only to the general, deputy general, and brigade commander.

"Ha, don't worry, sir, I'll bring the person over soon," Liu Xingyi said happily.

Not long after Lu Jianling and his group settled down, Liu Xingyi brought his people over.

There were three people in total: Bai Dahai, the "One-Horned Rhinoceros"; Zhang Wu, the "Black Tree Frog"; and Wang Gui, the "Golden Mouse".

All three of them were involved in business in this area.

As the saying goes, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Bai Dahai is fair-skinned, tall, and fat. Apart from Lu Jianling, no one present is taller than him. He is a rare tall man in Guangxi. He has only one leg, but he still has the strength of a first-level master.

His ancestors migrated here, and now they are considered one of the major surnames in the area. He has a wide variety of businesses, and the inn where Lu Jianling and his group are staying is also his property, but the core business is medicinal herbs.

Zhang Wuhei was short and stocky, with a puffy nose, a flat nose, and a protruding mouth, making him look like a frog. He was also a superhuman, but not yet in his prime. He mainly made a living by organizing people in the mountains to burn charcoal and then selling it. He also had some small workshops where he could make farm tools.

Wang Gui was thin, with shifty eyes and a mustache. He wasn't in a proper position; he mainly worked as a middleman, getting goods from the Han Chinese in the north and east and exchanging them with the non-Han people in the west and south, making a profit from the price difference. He also did some human trafficking.

Although these three men did not commit cruel and tyrannical acts, they certainly did a lot of things that harmed people.

As soon as the three entered the door, they knelt down with a thud and began kowtowing repeatedly.

Immediately afterwards, the three of them took out the silver they had prepared. Although they knew that this amount of silver was nothing, whether they gave it or not was a matter of attitude.

Lu Jianling did not refuse, but did not want to waste time, so he directly ordered the three men to gather their own thugs and bring them to this place three days later.

You don't need too many; ten or so per person is enough.

Chapter 904 Opportunity, Fear, and Gift

Bai Dahai, Zhang Wu, and Wang Gui left the inn. Before they had gone far, they straightened their backs and adopted an arrogant attitude.

There's no other reason than that the three of them were the elite in this area.

In fact, although the population of Guangxi is not large, it is still more than two million people. However, due to the limitations of civilization and education, there are not many extraordinary people, only more than two thousand. More than half of them are from the north, while the eastern part is either Sinicized or simply Han Chinese.

This situation is actually the same as that in the New World and the southern continent south of the Mediterranean. Even if the cultivation methods are slightly inferior, if the proportion of people who achieve extraordinary status can be similar to that of the Western countries, the Westerners can suppress them, but they will never be able to establish colonial rule.

But the truth is that the extraordinary education in the New World was just the nobles messing around, and the older generation of wizards used some unsystematic texts and mainly relied on oral teaching to educate people. In addition, there was no selection mechanism, so although the talent was fair, their proportion of extraordinary people was low, and they were no match for the Westerners.

The "barbarians" in Guangxi are much the same.

Of course, there are many people whose cultivation is higher than Bai Dahai, Zhang Wu, and Wang Gui, but they are either chieftains or local "teachers," or Han officials, at least minor officials, or have simply been absorbed into the army. In short, those who can act with impunity in this gray area between Han and Yi people are basically at the same level as them.

The three of them, through their individual abilities and a bit of luck, managed to make a name for themselves in the area.

At this moment, the three looked at each other for a moment, said nothing, and then left.

Although the three were not in the same industry, they were rivals, each wanting to expand their own business. In this case, to expand their own business, they had to devour each other.

In the past, none of the three could do anything to the other.

Bai Dahai's ancestors were not locals. His family migrated here during the transition between the previous and current dynasties and developed well. Some minor officials in the north were familiar with him, but they did not really consider him family. Some villages in the south were very hostile towards him.

Zhang Wu had many charcoal burners and miners under his command, making him arguably the three with the most ruthless thugs.

As for Wang Gui, although his surname and appearance don't seem like those of a native, he is actually from the Zhuang tribe in the south. In his youth, he ventured out into the world and was adept at dealing with both local Zhuang people and outside merchants and officials.

And now, the opportunity has come.