Yes, Madam Prime Minister

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"Hmm." Yu Daoheng responded, "It's alright now. This was my mistake. I didn't expect Wang Fang to be so ruthless. Fan Hong is also a person of such cultivation level, yet he still managed to do such a thing." To be honest, he was also shocked by the other party's extremely crude, barbaric, and low-level methods.

Chapter 712 The Gap, No Cards? When it comes to flattery, Ronan is the best.

At almost the same time, in a mansion in the West India.

A middle-aged man, covered in cigarettes and alcohol, with slightly balding hair, dressed extravagantly, still in good shape, and vaguely resembling his handsome younger self, suddenly knelt down, pretending to hug her legs. But before he could even get close, Ambrina kicked him away.

The man, instead of being angry after being kicked away, shamelessly grinned and then wailed, "Your Majesty!"

Ambrina had been waiting for a while, intending to say a few words, but seeing a grown man crying like this in front of her, she decided against it. "What are you crying for? You're like a useless piece of trash. Get up and speak. Besides, I'm not a king anymore, just an ordinary woman."

The man whom Ambrina dismissed as a piece of trash was the president of the West India Trading Company of the Kingdom of Fas, equivalent to a colonial governor, but not a governor.

Because in India, the Brahmins and Kshatriyas are truly formidable fighters.

The West India Trading Company of the Kingdom of Fas was established after the kingdom defeated the Empire and formed a trade alliance with Weyland, which is only a few years ago. The tyrannical ruler Ambrina still has an impression of the man in front of her. She knows that his name is Humbert, the second son of a noble family. When Ambrina first tried her hand in the New World and presided over the formation of the Monopoly Trade Alliance, he was a member. At that time, he was still a young man.

Humbert stood up and shamelessly flattered, "In my heart, you will always be the only sun."

Ambrina smiled. "You've all learned that line from the Marquis of Rhine, haven't you?"

Humbert took two steps back, looking somewhat embarrassed.

He thought to himself, "How can I get by without playing the clown and flattering her? I was just out drinking and kept Ambrina waiting for hours."

Seeing that Ambrina didn't seem angry, Humbert asked again, "Did the Marquis of Rhine come too?"

“I’m here. I’m out drinking with the former prime minister,” Ambrina replied casually.

Humbert thought to himself, "As expected," and felt much relieved. He still admired Ambrina, but once she left the throne, her political maneuvering was nothing special. Ronan and Dinia, on the other hand, were different. Ronan was very good at persuading others with interests, and if he couldn't persuade them, there was the former Prime Minister, Ms. Dinia, who was even more persuasive.

“Is there anything I can do for Your Majesty?” Humbert asked.

Ambrina sat in the chair, one hand supporting her chin and the other on the armrest, her fingers tapping lightly. "I heard there was a negotiation with Seris recently, but I don't know the details. You must have been involved, right? Tell me about it."

“Yes, that’s another story, and it’s been quite strange from the start. Not only were the people on Seris’s side internally divided, but they also made it clear,” Humbert said. “However, even stranger things followed…”

He recounted the events, and the situation was basically the same as what Liu Menglong had described before.

"So, war might break out now?" Ambrina asked.

“Yes,” Humbert replied.

"Aren't you afraid of losing money?" Ambrina asked again.

“We used to be afraid, but not so much now. After so many years, we’ve established a foothold in India. Now, at sea, we’ve widened the gap with Seris. Our ships were already better, plus we have flying machines, cheap but high-quality cannons, magic guns to deal with low-level mages, magic armor, and so on. In the last thirty years, we’ve upgraded our ships three times, while Seris is still using the same old equipment. If we fight, we won’t suffer too many losses,” Humbert explained. “Although even if we win, we still won’t be able to affect Seris’s homeland, but it’s enough to suppress their naval power and dominate the order in Southeast Asia.”

Ambrina nodded and asked, "So, most of the presidents and directors of the three West India Trading Companies, as well as several governors of Biria, are pro-war?"

“Yes,” Humbert replied.

“Understood. Okay, tomorrow you can arrange for the other people to come over to you the day after tomorrow,” Ambrina said. “Don’t mention me, just use your own name.”

After saying that, Ambrina got up to leave, and Humbert quickly stepped forward to persuade her to stay, "Your Majesty, why don't you stay here with me?"

“No need,” Ambrina refused.

Soon, Ambrina arrived at a hotel and met Dinia and Ronan, who were still drinking rum. She told them what she had learned from Humbert.

Dinia frowned. "This is getting complicated." Ronan wanted to mediate, as only then could the people of the Western Continent prove Liu Menglong's innocence. But now, it was clear that the pro-war faction on the Western Continent side had the upper hand and didn't want peace.

Coercion? Even if it were possible, Dinia wouldn't do it. Although she hoped to do Liu Menglong, this Seresian, a favor so she could smoothly enter Seres later, she was first and foremost a Phosian, a Western Continentian. It was absolutely impossible for her to betray the interests of her country and nation.

Moreover, coercion is not advisable.

However, if the two sides start fighting, and Seris gets hurt badly, then their future plans to enter Seris will probably be difficult.

Faced with this predicament, Ronan remained as relaxed as ever, saying, "The best way to get people to give up their interests is to offer even greater ones."

“Where are you going to find benefits for them? What they want is maritime power in the East.” Ambrina, who always thought her husband was omnipotent, was now somewhat doubtful. After all, it wasn’t the time for her to be queen and for Ronan and Dinia to jointly control the government. They had no cards to play.

Ronan smiled, pointed to the ground, and asked, "Isn't it right here?"

"Huh?" Ambrina and Dinia were both confused.

Ronan downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp. "If we all agree to spread Western freedom and Seres' righteousness to this land beneath our feet, wouldn't we be able to make peace?"

No cards? Wherever I, Ronan, go, there are cards.

“Both sides have already established influence here,” Dinia said.

“Not enough,” Ronan said. “Slavery severely hinders exploitation. In the end, the people of the Western Continent buy cheap raw materials from local nobles here, then process and sell them. Some are sold all over the world, and some are sold back to local nobles, who then sell some of those back to their subordinates and even those who are not considered human. Buying raw materials and then selling them—both of these processes go through local nobles. How much money are lost in that process?”

"However, in the East, the power that we Westerners can mobilize is limited, while India's advanced supernatural forces are located in the New World and the Southern Continent. In addition, Seris is unwilling to see us dominate South Asia, so he has never been able to conquer India."

"But if Seris doesn't care, or even sides with us, wouldn't we have a chance?"

"Although Seris may not agree, I believe they are willing to try to make peace given such huge benefits. If it doesn't work, then we'll talk about it again."

Ambrina smiled and praised, "You're really amazing."

“No matter how much wisdom you possess, it can only be demonstrated through your prestige, Anri,” Ronan flattered.

Chapter 713 Turning Black into White, Killing Two Birds with One Stone, I'll Just Say It Frankly

Two days later, at night, at Humbert's mansion.

Humbert himself, Weyland and the presidents of the West India Company, Cole and Elders, the governors of West Malaya and the Philippines, Fernando and Javier, and the former Rhine-Honoré Ronan gathered in the drawing room.

They came to India together because of this negotiation and because they gave Seris a lot of face. Now that the negotiation has broken down, they were planning to leave and return to their own territories, but unexpectedly Humbert mysteriously said that a big shot wanted to meet them.

For this group of people, the Pope and the Emperor were the real big shots.

However, Humbert's country is now the leader of the Western Continent, and he needs the new weapons provided by the Kingdom of Fas to fight against Seris. He still has to give them face. These people may not have learned much else in the East, but they are masters of the word "face".

To their utter surprise, it turned out to be a very important figure: the former Marquis of the Rhine, Ronan. The reason for the "former" is that the Marquisate of the Rhine no longer exists in name; now only the Duchy of the Rhine exists, and Ronan and Ambrina's youngest son, Louis, holds the title of Duke of the Rhine.

However, people still prefer to use "Marquis of the Rhine" as a respectful title for Ronan.

Ronan didn't mince words. He briefly touched on the previous negotiations and then proposed to join forces with Seris to take over India.

Instantly, everyone was captivated, and couldn't help but marvel at the Marquis of Rhine's grand vision.

“But then we’ll still have to make peace,” said Cole of Weyland. He was the most enthusiastic about Ronan’s proposal, since Weyland’s main interests in the East were in India.

“The Seres are so insincere. We all came as governors, and they only sent two low-ranking officials.” Eldres of the Netherlands expressed his indignation. His family was originally nobles of the Holy Empire, the very old kind. He was a man who was both greedy for money and concerned with his reputation.

“We can negotiate, but they may not be willing,” said Fernando, the governor of West Malaya. As the governor of an old colonial empire, he knew Seris well and knew that Seris was difficult to deal with, preferring to suffer losses rather than lose face in diplomatic matters.

“I think we can use war to make peace,” said Philippine Governor Javier. Because of Seris, Villa did not truly occupy the Philippines, but rather split it in half with a kingdom of the Tianfang Sect. His territory was too close to Seris, and he was under a lot of pressure. He had been hoping for a joint military operation to relieve the pressure.

“I think that since the Marquis of Rhine has said this, he must have his own reasons,” Humbert said.

Ronan swirled his wine glass. "It's not that complicated. Hand over the person who colluded with the chief envoy of Seris to Seris, then send someone there to prove that the deputy envoy was framed, and that the whole incident was caused by a few people on our side with ulterior motives colluding with traitors on the other side. Finally, we'll restart negotiations."

After he said that, everyone fell silent. Proving innocence was easy, but handing over the person was difficult.

The group exchanged glances, their eyes finally settling on Philippine Governor Javier, the staunchest advocate of war and the chief envoy of the Seris negotiation team he had colluded with, Wang Fang, who had orchestrated this clumsy charade.

“I did it, but none of you objected, did you?” Javier retorted, making it seem as if the blame was solely on him.

Cole of Wieland stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Don't get agitated. It's not like we're going to hand you over. Just arrest the people directly involved, and hand over one or two of your subordinates to take the blame. That should do the trick, right?"

Fernando, also the overseas governor of Villa, explained on behalf of his colleague, "It's not that easy. To make it look realistic, two fourth-tier mages were involved. How can we pay them?"

"Oh, is it really necessary to make this so real?" Humbert wanted to laugh, but was too embarrassed to.

“This is troublesome,” sighed Elder of the Netherlands.

At the fourth rank, in any country in the Western Continent, he would be a person with his own power. Regardless of his original background, with this power, he could easily become a member of the nobility or a shareholder of a company.

Even in Seris, this level of skill would easily qualify someone as a local tyrant or bully.

Such a person is not incapable of action, but it requires not only a higher-level superhuman to carry it out, but also must be done in a reasonable and legal manner.

Moreover, these two men were actually major shareholders in two important chambers of commerce within the Villa colony, and the governor had to rely on them to get things done.

Ronan ate a slice of ham and took a small sip of red wine. "I think there will be an anonymous, white-haired, red-eyed person who will happen to do something heroic and help capture these two gentlemen."

Instantly, everyone's heart leaped into their throats. White hair and red eyes—did they really need to reveal their names?

"Of course, afterwards, due to the Indians' poor supervision, they escaped. Combined with the testimonies of the officials involved, we have reason to suspect that this was actually the work of the Indians, who wanted to provoke a war between several civilized countries in our western continent and Seris."

Everyone couldn't help but think that it was just a false alarm.

However, this is really something else. They say they'll hand over the people, but in reality they're just releasing them. This way, the governor of Bilia only needs to find a scapegoat official, and this official doesn't even need to be handed over. From beginning to end, all they need to do is send a few people back to their country with Seris's deputy envoy as witnesses to prove his innocence. Incidentally, they also pinned a conspiracy on India to start a war, thus finding a legitimate reason for the subsequent joint action to bring the "light of civilization" to India.

After all, India is so bad, it must be because it's not civilized enough.

"As expected of the Marquis of Rhine, his words are so prescient. I think this kind of thing will definitely happen in the future," said Willandkol, clapping his hands.

“The Marquis of Rhine is the real expert on East Asia,” Elders of the Netherlands flattered.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Fernando of Villa wholeheartedly agreed, since Villa wouldn’t lose out this way anyway.

“Then let’s do it this way.” Javier agreed. He had no choice but to agree, because everyone else had agreed, and if he disagreed, he might encounter a shipwreck on the way back.

Humbert poured the wine, then raised his glass. "Excellent, gentlemen, let's drink to that together."

Twenty years later, Ronan is still as charming as ever, and with just a few words, he got everyone to agree with his opinion.

The group clinked glasses and drank together. After one drink, Elders of the Netherlands suddenly asked, "If I may ask, what was the purpose of the Marquis of Rhine in bringing this to fruition?"

The moment the words left his mouth, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats. Damn it, if I may be so bold, why did you even ask?

Everyone knew from the beginning that Ronan definitely had his own agenda, but did anyone ask? No. Why? Because they didn't dare.

This Netherlandman is nothing like a Netherlandman. He doesn't understand the concept of making a fortune quietly, and he doesn't ask questions he shouldn't ask. Does he really think Ronan is an honest man? This guy is a ruthless person who put a woman on the throne.

“It’s nothing. I recently made a friend from Seres and I’m helping him with a little thing. Is that inappropriate?” Ronan asked in a gentle voice. He dared to openly say that he wanted to befriend the Seres.

Chapter 714 A Cold Joke, A Big Favor, Not an Answer to an Answer

The air was suddenly quiet.

For a moment, Ronan didn't know how to respond.

“Haha, Lord Rhine is joking. There’s nothing wrong with that. I have many friends in Seris as well,” said Cole of Weyland.

You have no Seresian friends, do you think you're funny? You're the least cultured islander here, you can't even speak a word of Seresian fluently.

“I testify,” Humbert added.

"Hahaha, I agree." Even Fernando, who didn't usually laugh, laughed. It was quite funny to have a Fass man testifying for a Welander.

"Indeed," Javier could only manage a perfunctory reply, his mood far from pleasant.

Elders fell silent for a moment. He hadn't expected that after he questioned Ronan, no one would follow up, making him a laughing stock.

Ronan put down his glass, stood up, and said, "Let's stop here. There's no need to discuss the specific details. We're all civilized people who understand the law and know how to proceed."

To put it bluntly, it's about putting on another show.

Whether the acting is good or bad is not important. Just like before, in the story of Wang Fang of Seris, the director staged a scene where Liu Menglong colluded with foreigners to murder him. The play was absolutely terrible. The details could not stand up to scrutiny and could even be described as absurd and laughable. Whether it was people from other Western countries or people within the Seris delegation, who could not see the truth? However, what is recognized by others is the truth, no matter how absurd it is. What is not recognized by others is a fact, but it is not a fact.

Next, they'll stage a scene of uncovering the truth, arresting those involved, and then proving Seris's innocence.

Similarly, it's enough to just make it look like a proper performance.

How well you act is not important; what matters is what you act.

The operation began the following day.

It must be admitted that the subjective initiative of colonizers and capitalists was indeed high.

In just one day, the play was over: solving the case, arresting, interrogating, closing the case, detaining, and escaping—all in one go. It made one wonder if there was something wrong with the bureaucratic system, as it could be so efficient.

Anyway, now we're just waiting for Liu Menglong to come back so he can go back to China with a few foreign witnesses to report this matter.

Meanwhile, Liu Menglong and his group, along with Ronan's fleet, had been waiting at the port for quite some time. In fact, they had arrived the day before, just waiting for the show to end.

When Ronan and his two companions arrived at the port, the first person they saw was a middle-aged man dressed in a white robe.

"My name is Yu Daoheng. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Luo for his help." The middle-aged man bowed in thanks.

Ronan and Dinia exchanged a glance and confirmed one thing from each other's eyes: they both remembered this man—the same man who had protected Zhao Yingqi in the underwater alternate dimension beneath the Egyptian pyramids.

Ronan waved his hand, "It's a small matter, and it was just a misunderstanding anyway. Brother Menglong was wronged, wasn't he?"

“In any case, this is a great favor, and my unworthy disciple and I will certainly repay it.” Yu Daoheng insisted that he owed Ronan a great favor.

"Then let's pay it back now." As soon as Ronan said this, Yu Daoheng and Liu Menglong were both surprised. Pay it back now? Pay back what?

Ronan pointed to Zhao Yingqi on the other side, "It's simple, don't ask about her."

Liu Menglong felt that Zhao Yingqi looked too much like his wife, but their temperaments were very different. He thought they couldn't be the same person. Besides, how could there be such a thing as the same person in the world?

But Yu Daoheng is an elder who watched Zhao Yingqi grow up, and his own cultivation is extremely high. How could he not see that this is the same person? At his level, he can also come into contact with more hidden and mysterious things, and he doesn't think that anything is impossible.