Chapter 464: Chapter 296: Black Knight General Yan Jinnian!_3

However, within the Monitoring Bureau, Yan Wenli had absolute say, and if he wanted to place the Black Cavalry under the control of a deputy director, then there was nothing he could do about it.

He didn’t dare criticize the director’s decision in Tang Fei’s presence and instead said with a chuckle, “Such an important force naturally needs to be in the hands of our own people.”

“Isn’t the director also one of our own?” Tang Fei asked with a smile.

“We are our own people, they are family. It’s not the same.”

“I understand.” Tang Fei looked toward Zhong Jiayuan and said aloud, “The director and I are family.”

Zhong Jiayuan couldn’t grasp what Tang Fei was hinting at with this remark. Was he implying that his own matter with the Princess was certain to succeed?

If he truly married the Princess, then they indeed would be family…

“That’s how it should be.” Zhong Jiayuan answered with a smile.

As Tang Fei shared words designed to foster rapport with Zhong Jiayuan, his mind was preoccupied with figuring out how to establish a relationship with Yan Jinnian.

That woman was extremely important.

If it really came down to it, let Little Fatty make the sacrifice.

He wondered what type of handsome men she liked…

——

Lu Ban Mountain. Lu Family Mansion.

In the ancient-seeming study, a middle-aged man sipped his tea and said, “The case at the Monitoring Bureau is closed.”

“It’s not closed.” The old man lying on the massive wheelchair gasped for breath, his voice weak, “Since they have bitten into the Lu Family, they won’t be satisfied with just tearing off a piece of flesh.”

“Are they going to continue the investigation?” The middle-aged man frowned deeply, his expression displeased, “Gongshu Wuyu has already taken the blame for everything, and Wang Wenyou has been taken in as well… What more do they want?”

“Isn’t this exactly to your liking?” The old man glanced at the middle-aged man and said, “The fiercer the fight between the Lu Family and the Royal Family, the more likely they will stand on your side… Hasn’t your goal been achieved?”

“I need a strong Lu Family, not one with its spine broken.” The middle-aged man said.

“You want to strike without being crippled; how easy do you think that is?”

After a moment of contemplation, the middle-aged man asked, “How far do you think they will go?”

“To hurt or to disperse.” The old man said.

“What if we show weakness proactively?”

“Have we not shown enough weakness over the years?” The old man sighed softly, “We haven’t taken any key positions, only your second uncle managed to secure the position of Mechanical Minister, and even that was forced upon him by the Royal Family…”

“But when it comes time for them to deal with the nine major families, they still come after us first… They don’t care what you’ve done, only what you control.”

“Our Lu Family holds the lifeline of a nation; can they not worry and fear? So, if they’re going to strike, they strike at us first… Beat us till we’re sore or broken, and then it will be much easier to deal with the other families.”

“Will kneeling be of no use?”

“It’s useful.” The old man said, “Once you kneel, you’ll have to follow their orders, hand over all the mechanical techniques and latest research results they want, and accept their troops stationed on Lu Ban Mountain… Can we accept that?”

“If we give them all this and open Lu Ban Mountain to them, the millennium foundation of the Lu Family might very well be destroyed.”

“As long as we guard these, no matter how the outside world changes or dynasties are replaced, the Lu Family will always be the Lu Family. Without these, what else does the Lu Family have?”

“People? People can be wiped out. Just like the Tang family…”

“How far can we accept them going?” The middle-aged man asked.

“We’ll just have to endure for now. Grit our teeth and hold on.” The old man said.

“What if it becomes unbearable?”

“Then there’s no need to bear any longer.” The old man’s voice was faint but carried within it a chilling determination.

After a pause, the old man said, “The Lu Family can still bear it, my main concern is about that boy… His identity cannot be exposed, I fear the other members of our family won’t be able to tolerate him.”

The middle-aged man’s gaze was profound as he said in a deep voice, “The people of the Lu Family indeed can’t tolerate him.”

(ps: 23 years have passed, and I don’t miss it one bit.

In the new year, I hope we all get better and more beautiful.

Friends, happy new year.)