Chapter 111: 110 Blood Night Impact

Indeed!

After listening to Li Ang’s words, the old man slightly furrowed his brow, then asked follow-up questions:

“Why did you kill him?”

“Because of operational requirements.”

Since he wasn’t sure how much the old man knew about “the world beneath the water,” Li Ang did not immediately reveal his fabricated story, but instead asked:

“How much do you know about the Cleanup Bureau?”

“I’ve learned a little.”

Having thoroughly investigated Li Ang’s file, the old man naturally would not have avoided learning about his work. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand, dismissing the two officers, then lowered his voice:

“The royal family possesses a manual. Once a name is written on it, one can remain in ‘silence’—preserving their soul even when aware of anomalies, avoiding any anomalous attacks. My name is on it.”

“And since you mentioned the Cleanup Bureau, that means this wasn’t merely an internal conflict within the Lyon family—it’s connected to your Cleanup Bureau’s ‘operations,’ isn’t it?”

A manual that preserves the soul in ‘silence’? So not all “ordinary people” are unaware of anomalies—just that there aren’t many.

After storing this information in his mind, Li Ang nodded:

“Yes. Bobby Lyon fused with an anomaly. He tried to seize the anomaly I was guarding and even threatened ordinary lives to force me to reveal the Cleanup Bureau’s secrets.”

“Although the Cleanup Bureau forbids harming ordinary people unless absolutely necessary, the situation was urgent, and he was no longer human. So I had no choice but to kill him.”

…

So that’s how it was…

After learning the “truth” behind the Lyon Blood Night from Li Ang and cross-referencing it with other information he knew, the old man’s tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.

If Li Ang had simply answered outright at the start, he might have seized on several inconsistencies and pressed further.

But Li Ang first “troubled” him with two questions, confirmed his level of knowledge about the Cleanup Bureau, and only then “reluctantly” revealed the “true” circumstances of the Lyon Blood Night.

As the saying goes: a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as an affair, and an affair is not as good as one that never happens. The current situation is much the same.

Compared to an answer handed to you on a silver platter, information gained with difficulty naturally carries higher credibility. At least, the Defense Minister, who only had a slight understanding of the Cleanup Bureau, now largely believed Li Ang—though…

“If possible, I’d like you to phrase it differently.”

With Li Ang’s surprised gaze fixed on him, the old man spoke seriously:

“Of course, for the Cleanup Bureau, say exactly what you must. But when others outside the Cleanup Bureau ask, I hope you’ll cooperate with us and classify the Lyon family incident as an internal conflict.”

We?

Although as an “ordinary person,” Li Ang didn’t fully understand the kingdom’s political landscape, he’d vaguely heard who stood behind the Defense Minister.

“Is the Princess planning to use this opportunity to strike at the old nobility?”

“Yes.”

The old man, his hair streaked with white, openly acknowledged Li Ang’s assessment:

“If you want, I can be even more blunt… This is a frame-up!”

After openly stating his intentions, the old man’s hawk-like eyes locked onto Li Ang’s, studying his expression closely as he spoke rapidly:

“Whether it’s rebels or an internal conflict, the Lyon family—having lost so many high-ranking members—is finished. But the old nobility are a unified whole. Even if the Lyon family falls completely, their vacant positions won’t go to outsiders—they’ll be swiftly seized by other noble houses.”

“Then, aside from Lyon Arms becoming Ma Sai Arms, and Lyon officials in the Department of Transportation, Finance, and Agriculture all becoming Yorke, or some other surname, everything will continue as before. The country won’t change at all.”

After briefly outlining the possible outcome, the old man looked at Li Ang, who listened intently, then raised his voice slightly, his tone grave:

“But now it’s different. If you cooperate and prove the Lyon incident was an internal conflict, you’ll give the Princess a perfect opportunity to push this nation one giant step toward a better future!”

But now it’s different—if you’re willing to cooperate and prove that the Lyne family incident was an internal rebellion, you’ll give the Princess a superb opportunity to propel this nation a giant step toward a better future!

Frowning, Li Ang asked, puzzled:

“Whether it’s an internal conflict or rebel attack, aren’t the Lyon family members still the ones who died? How does that give the Princess a good opportunity?”

“Because the kingdom must remain stable. No department can—or should—suffer massive vacancies all at once.”

Seeing Li Ang clearly unfamiliar with political maneuvering—even less so than his own daughter—the old man paused, then explained as simply as possible:

“Of the more than two hundred Lyon family members killed or wounded, over a hundred were mid-level officials across royal departments. Especially in the Department of Transportation and the Military: together, they lost nearly eighty personnel at once.”

“Of the forty-seven subordinate divisions in the Military, a quarter now have backlogged documents. Two small bureaus have temporarily shut down due to the loss of their leads.”

“Though the old nobility will quickly replace them, it’ll take at least one or two months for new officials to take over and become familiar with their duties. Fully clearing the backlog could take over three months—and for the next half-year, those departments will operate inefficiently due to unfamiliarity.”

After briefly outlining the direct consequences of the Lyon Blood Night, the old man continued seriously:

“A single noble family’s internal conflict caused such severe disruption. What if two, three, or more noble families suffered similar incidents within half a year? This is the perfect pretext to act!”

If the incident could be classified as an internal conflict, the Princess could use the need to maintain national stability as justification to demand in Parliament a reduction in the number of old nobles in each department, balancing their excessive power.

Even if she fails, she could still demand that the old nobles cede authority—ensuring no single noble family holds too many positions in one department, preventing total paralysis if a similar crisis occurs.

And when nobles can no longer dominate a department with large numbers of kin, those leaning toward the Princess gain room to maneuver, forming alliances to counterbalance them—and even reclaim control over critical affairs in that department!”

As he spoke, envisioning the Princess’s reforms succeeding and sweeping away years of royal decay, the old man’s face flushed slightly, his eyes alight with fervor:

“Take the Lyon family as an example. If their officials in the Department of Transportation were reduced to half—or even a third—of their former numbers, could they still control construction in the old district?”

“If their presence in Military procurement dropped to half, could Lyon Arms still siphon off so much of the Military’s budget each year? If… what?”

“Someone from Her Highness has arrived…”

One of the two young officers entered the ward holding a command scroll, his expression odd:

“Her Highness’s envoy says… the Lyon family’s Duke is dying. He demands that the top five heirs arrive immediately…”

The Princess’s envoy said… the old Duke of the Lyne family is dying, and he demands that the top five heirs hurry over immediately…

Hearing the young officer’s words, the old man’s expression brightened slightly. He immediately rose from his bedside, acting with decisive speed:

“In any case, consider my words carefully. Opportunities like the Lyon Blood Night won’t come again. Your choice might become… what now?”

In short, consider my words first—this chance of the Lyne Blood Night won’t come again; your choice might become… what’s wrong now?

Glancing at Li Ang, bandaged from head to toe, the young officer sighed helplessly:

“The man on the bed… is the fifth heir of the Lyon family…”

The person on the bed is the fifth heir of the Lyne family…

Huh?!?!?!

Ah?!?!?!