"You know why you don't hurry up!" He suddenly exploded and kicked Li Xin.
"You told them so much... I see you don't usually report to me in such detail!"
"Ah... sir!"
"How dare you hide!"
"What are you still standing here for?"
"Go...go and inform the Count of what just happened!"
Chapter 21 Three Portraits 1
Considering the taste issue, James found a noodle restaurant for Hitzfeld and others.
Don't get me wrong, there are no noodles or buns here... The so-called pastries refer to pancakes that are eaten with various grilled meats and braised meats. Diners need to personally bake the pancake base on hot stones, and then it is up to their own preferences as to what to pour in it.
Even in the modern society that Hitzfeld was familiar with, this was a relatively novel way of eating. They all ate it well, and even she, who had a small appetite, ate a whole cake.
James made an excuse to go to the bathroom, but in fact two people here could see that he was going to the front to pay the bill.
"Your Highness..." Daryl leaned close to Hitzfeld and asked her in a very low voice, "I heard you guys talking before, that the nobility in human society is determined by their titles?"
"That's basically it." Hitzfeld wiped his mouth with a tissue. "You can think of it as a kind of vanity, right? They miss their past glory. Since the royal family doesn't grant them real power, they try to get it for themselves."
"What about Mr. Larence? Isn't his family a baron?"
"Larence is different." Hitzfeld shook his head. "What does it mean to be a steel tycoon? Airships, ships, airplanes, and even tanks and cars! The production of these vehicles cannot be separated from steel. They have taken root too deeply in this country... The title of baron is dispensable, understand? Even if their family does not have any noble titles, it does not affect their dignity."
"More than that." Xia Yibing was still cleaning up the leftovers on her plate. Upon hearing this, she echoed, "The title of the Lawrence has never been high, but they have been passed down intermittently for more than 150 years. They know a lot of ancient secrets that even people like me don't know, and they have been seeking industrial transformation. The steel king has been a thing of the past since the moment your majesty ascended the throne. Maybe in another ten years, they will be called the rubber king or the oil king."
She continued to explain that it turned out that the Security Bureau had received intelligence long ago that after Alwin ascended the throne, Lawrence integrated a lot of steel - especially industries involving heavy military industry - and handed them over to the royal family.
It was a very smart move. Baron Larence actually made great contributions in the Death Tree case. He did not obey the recruitment of the old royal party but cooperated with King Charuni. The Larence family should have been able to take this opportunity to make further progress, but the baron was so keen that he smelled the danger and retired at the peak of the family's glory in the eyes of others. There was great wisdom in this.
Hitzfeld was also surprised: "They are also targeting oil?"
"That's right. They don't have many factories now. Instead, they are engaged in ore mining, coastal oil wells, and processed products." Xia Yibing nodded. "This is the information I have handled."
"The Tree People have no reaction?"
"What should be the reaction? Currently, most of the coastal oil wells are in the hands of the royal family. Don't worry, they know that this is the 'blood of industry', but sometimes... you can't just do something just because someone else goes to dig a well, right?"
Xia Yibing glanced at Lori meaningfully: "Especially at this critical moment when the other party has just entrusted you with a lot of their life and hard work, you will make people very impatient."
"Why do they think this kind of impetuousness can threaten the human royal family?" Daryl still couldn't understand, "Can't we just kill them all?"
"No, no... If you kill them, who will manage the country?" The woman shook her head. "Who will collect taxes? Who will open factories, organize theater troupes, and sell goods?"
Xia Yibing was also speechless. She discovered that this female apostle was not as peaceful as her initial impression. She was a violent person at heart.
Daryl had never intended to hide her true nature - when she was interrogating Leon, she almost punched him to death. She was a direct person by nature, but being a bodyguard didn't require her to be talkative.
But she is still curious about human society.
In her own words, she wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the race that the Doctor once protected.
Xia Yibing's answer obviously did not satisfy her. She frowned immediately: "Then doesn't this become a 'threat'?"
"These people... the nobles and officials... they are in collusion with each other. Although they may not have the courage to do something particularly bad, if you dare to touch them, they will unite and use their positions and the 'social stability' they are bound to to resist. Isn't this a threat?"
"It's better to say 'checks and balances'." Xia Yibing unexpectedly looked at her a little longer and couldn't help but sighed: "You are much more cultured than I thought."
They talked about how the nobles and the royal family checked and balanced each other and needed each other. Lori shrank into the corner and dared not speak.
Is this something a mediocre agent like me can listen to?
Director 乚 really doesn’t treat me as an outsider... Oh my God, I won’t be silenced within a week, right?
After waiting for a long time with trepidation, James finally came back.
"I paid the bill... eh? Mr. Agent?"
James wanted to take credit for it, but when he turned around, he saw Lowry staring at him as if he were a savior. The look was so weird that it made him feel a little scared. He quickly stopped where he was and looked around at his clothes, fearing that there was something dirty on him.
"Let's go." Hitzfeld nodded and stood up. "After a whole night on the train... I think you must be very tired, James. Why don't we go back and take a rest now and put this case aside for the time being."
"Is that so?" James' eyes lit up. This young earl was really too difficult to get close to. The fact that she was willing to call him by his name was truly a huge improvement.
"But wouldn't it be too...wouldn't you like to go and see the corner tower over there?"
"There's nothing to see." Xia Yibing was also getting ready to get up. "I don't need to go there to know what it should look like."
Once abandoned archways and corner towers become gathering places for vagrants and gangs, the internal environment will deteriorate rapidly.
The internal environment here is exactly what it sounds like - those people won't just throw away their garbage and go to the toilet. You can imagine that there must be foul water flowing inside, and you can see a burning corpse every few steps.
She and Hitzfeld didn't mind knowing about the dark side of the lowest level of society, but having fallen to this point, it was too disgraceful for them to go to such places to investigate in person.
She is a director after all.
Want her to go in person?
Are the people under her dead?
"Besides." She turned to look at Lori.
"If Mr. Radice can't even detect a corner tower after receiving such advice, then I should really doubt whether he is suitable for this job."
"I'll investigate!" Lori saluted her quickly, "You can go back and rest without any worries!"
This group of people came by late train, and this was lunch. But Lori slept until early morning, and he had no reason to shirk his task.
When leaving, James warmly invited several ladies to get in his car. It turned out that his servant had already driven his special car for Port Wayne.
It was a silver Lion King, and the color showed that it was a limited edition. Not counting the few golden gifts specially provided to the royal family, this thing was already the most luxurious item that could be obtained in this circle.
Hitzfeld no longer cared about these things. She pulled the guard and Xia directly into the car and asked James to drive them back to No. 221.
"and many more!"
Just before the car started, Lori grabbed the window from outside.
He just happened to take the object from a man in black who had hurried over, and stuffed it in through the gap in the car window.
"The three paintings you requested...here are their information!"
James was a pretty good driver, driving steadily and slowly all the way until he saw from the rearview mirror that Lowry was no longer chasing the car, then he started to speed up.
He happened to pass by that street again, and with a squint he caught a glimpse of the vendor eating his meal against the wall.
The question this guy asked her at the beginning was meaningful.
James' face twitched a few times.
If I remember correctly, the stall owner once asked the woman if she needed him to run errands for her. This was actually a way for the savvy vendor to ensure a way out.
If necessary, it means the problem is very serious and there is a high probability that there is an evil spirit. People like him need to be recruited to guard and patrol nearby, and if necessary, he may be asked to spread the news and evacuate the people.
If you fail to realize what the other party really wants and just deal with this kind of problem casually, it is likely to cause panic in the entire neighborhood.
But she did it without missing a beat.
I've only heard rumors from the outside, it seems the new security chief is also very capable.
Chapter 22 Three Portraits Part 2
Xia Yibing was unaware that James was already a little afraid of her. She was testing the package for drugs according to the procedure.
She had done this once before the meal, and she didn't think it was troublesome at all. She really made it so that no one would believe it except herself and a very few people.
After the inspection, there was no problem. There was no poison on the surface and no poison powder inside. The paper bag gave off a normal ink smell, which was a bit pungent, but not surprising.
"That's enough." She handed the item to Hitzfeld.
"It would actually be faster if you let me do it." The girl took it and gave her a sidelong glance.
"I know you are more professional than me in this area, but I can't let you stand in front of me." Xia Yibing said to her seriously, "I said I would protect you."
"squeak--"
The Silver Lion King shook slightly, just like the trembling heart of the young Lawrence.
Xia Yibing looked up at the rearview mirror and saw James with a look of shock on his face and cold sweat on his head, as if he was trying hard to restrain himself from looking over.
"Drive your car carefully, Mr. Larence." She warned him and turned back to look at the girl. "Why don't you open it and take a look?"
"Xia!" Hitzfeld took a deep breath, as if this could drive away the heat and shyness on his cheeks, "I don't plan to - I don't plan to let too many people know some things!"
"Then what's the point of changing your hairstyle?" Xia Yibing moved closer threateningly, causing Daryl in the third row to raise her eyebrows. "Isn't changing your hairstyle a declaration? Isn't it just to tell them about this? How is it different from what I did?"
Yes... the reason why she dared to speak "relatively openly" - that is, "even though she didn't say it very clearly, anyone with a normal IQ could understand their relationship" - was because she didn't want to endure it anymore.
With the power of winning the God War in Aisha Continent, Imaer's life experience and inheritance, and the generous reward from Count Xieyang, what is the point of her returning to Sara if she can't even have a semi-public relationship in a small circle, and has to endure others' coveting of herself and Aisuen?
Some of the changes that happened to her might not even have been noticed by Hitzfeld, but after learning about the history of her ancestors' family, she was able to jump out of Sarah's political vortex and observe everything from a broader perspective.
So she would never allow such a thing to happen... Just a few shitty nobles, even if they were just trying to get their hands on her angels, it would be a serious crime if she knew about it. She didn't mind abusing her power to target them, just like she targeted those bastard newspapers.
If before they had to conceal things, restrain themselves, take into account various influences, and guard against the birth-inducing nuns coming to their homes to establish relationships, then now there is no need to endure at all.
She told Larence about this matter. If he was smart, he would definitely tell his father when he got back. Then through Larence, the "noble among nobles", this news would spread throughout the circle at the fastest speed to warn those noble men and women who liked to have wild thoughts.
This was an attitude, but also a warning. She wanted to take this opportunity to declare her sovereignty over Aisuen. If someone with no eyes dared to control her again in the future, or dared to arrange a marriage for them, Nianlun should not blame her for not giving them face.
"..." Hitzfeld could certainly understand her intention, but this kind of thing... this kind of thing...
This kind of thing is too sudden no matter how you look at it!
She thought she wasn't mentally prepared yet... On an inner level, she felt a panic that her secret had been revealed. It wasn't that she didn't want to, on the contrary, she was actually quite looking forward to it. But at least... why didn't she tell her in advance?
"This is a surprise, little Annie." Lady Yusilian whistled in her ear, "How can it be a surprise to tell you in advance? Well, the blood descendants I created are really very perceptive..."
"Open it and take a look." Xia Yibing tried to get back to the point. "This is the information about the painting you're most interested in."
...Now that things have come to this, there is no point in saying anything.
Hitzfeld's chest heaved violently for a while, and she looked at the front row and found that James was concentrating on driving, with an expression of "I didn't hear anything and I don't know anything."
If his tightly pursed lips and the blue veins on the back of his hands hadn't betrayed him, she might have believed his acting.
Well, at least Lawrence knew about it.
Damn... this was a sudden attack, and she said it so obviously, the more I explain it now, the less effective it will be.
This is the only way for now... Maybe she is right, and making it public in a small circle like this can save us from a lot of trouble.
Unable to persuade Xia, Hitzfeld could only glare at her angrily and start unpacking in a bad mood.
Xia Yibing felt as comfortable as feeling a cool breeze in the summer. She liked to force Aisuen to do things she didn't like - as long as it did not violate their principles, the more such plots the better.
After opening the package, there was a stack of ink documents inside.
The pungent smell of ink indicated that they had just been printed. Hitzfeld started from the first one and spent more than ten minutes to read all of them.
It's amazing how Lori could find so much information from just three paintings.
Or to put it another way – just three paintings, yet they hold so much information.
"Ebony Dodge." She whispered the name and looked up at James. "Ebony Dodge—Does Lawrence know anything about this man?"
It was not until she asked the second time that James realized she was asking him. He stammered and answered them, "Uh... Of course, Earl Dodge is also a celebrity in the capital. He is keen on painting, especially portraits."
Then he seemed to realize what she was talking about and turned his head sharply: "Is there a painting by Count Dodge in there?"
Xia Yibing also rushed over, grabbed his right sleeve and pulled it hard.
The steering wheel was pulled back, and the young man turned around and saw the front of the car brushing against a heavy carriage.
With a layer of sweat on his back, he quickly apologized: "I haven't driven for a long time... Oh... I mean driving in the city... You know... There's actually nothing on the road in the countryside..."
"Is Earl Dodge worth making such a fuss?" Hitzfeld was a little curious. In her impression, James was still a very capable young man.
He can't always be this bad, so the problem lies with this Dodge.
What a strange name.
Although the spelling is different, she always associates it with the car brand.
"Dodge's paintings are the best of our time." Xia Yibing answered her on behalf of James, "Ebony Dodge was born into an aristocratic family. His father is a knight and his mother is a baron... He showed extraordinary artistic talent at the age of 7. He is even one of the few students who is qualified to study in many art universities."
"The Earl of Dodge was knighted at the age of 34," James added, "because he presented a huge portrait on the king's birthday... You should have seen that painting. It was placed on the wall at the innermost gate of the palace during the king's time."
"...I cannot accept this reason for the title."
