[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-160":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2285996,4472,"Chapter 160","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-160",160,"\u003Cp>This new Duke of Lionheart really is… terribly unaristocratic…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Leon rush toward the massive carriage, carrying the old steward who had collapsed with froth at his mouth, the middle-aged lady couldn’t help but twitch her lips in utter disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she didn’t hear what the man finally said that made the old steward faint on the spot, she had still caught the earlier “either… or…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the only thought in the middle-aged lady’s mind was that the Lyon family was truly cursed—after being saddled with such an eccentric new duke, they were surely already counting down to their ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm… if you think of it that way, Princess Veronika isn’t so bad after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she sometimes lacked dignity and couldn’t resist doing outrageous things in private, at least she could usually communicate normally and listen to advice in important settings, unlike the Lionheart Duke, who went out of his way to torment himself like he did that old steward…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah! This trip was definitely worth it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the middle-aged lady, who felt a sense of morbid sympathy, Princess Veronika quickly pulled back after watching the spectacle, slammed shut the carriage window, and burst into a “turbulent” laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, once she’d laughed herself out, she wiped the tears from her eyes, gently rubbed her flat abdomen through her gown, and groaned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oof… I’m sore from laughing so hard—this new Duke of Lionheart really knows how to cause chaos… hmm… but he’s not a bad fellow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing back through the air vent and seeing Lyon family members actually paying compensation, even helping to right the overturned carriages at the new duke’s request, Princess Veronika’s eyes flickered with appreciation, then she smiled at the middle-aged lady:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, if he hadn’t inherited the title of Duke of Lionheart but some other title instead, how wonderful it would be—if he were a marquis of the Silver Chalice or the Light Shield family, he might even have had a chance to become my prince. What a shame~” ???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the princess’s words, the middle-aged lady flinched violently, then replied stiffly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness? You’re not joking with me, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the middle-aged lady’s terrified expression, Princess Veronika couldn’t help but smile, then shook her head and answered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I really think he’s excellent. Never mind anything else, if someone like him were my prince, life would certainly be interesting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interesting… I think you mean deadly! If he really became your prince and passed on his habit of causing chaos to you, I’d lose at least ten to twenty years off my life!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Princess Veronika!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Observing the princess’s glittering eyes and realizing she genuinely found the Duke of Lionheart intriguing, the middle-aged lady hurriedly spoke up to warn her:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s truly unsuitable for you! Even if the Lyon family becomes a hollow shell, it’s still the nominal leader of the old nobility—all old noble families related to them by marriage will never tolerate the Lyon family aligning with you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, don’t worry—I understand this matter well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing back through the rear air vent at the lion-carved carriage with faint regret, then looking at the tense middle-aged lady, Princess Veronika teased:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at you, so worked up… I was just joking earlier. I wouldn’t casually choose someone as my prince.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm… speaking of choosing a prince, Father actually prefers to marry me off rather than let me pick one himself—he’s recently suggested quite a few candidates: the Fourth Prince of Mornar Kingdom, the Duke of Hessen Kingdom, or even the leader of the Labor Party in Olesong Kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So unless something goes wrong, the final choice will likely come from among these… hehe, to be honest, in terms of qualifications alone, they might not even be better than that Lionheart Duke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the princess’s words, the middle-aged lady’s expression froze slightly, then sank into deep silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Princess Veronika were to be married off, not only would she be forced to leave her homeland and distant from the kingdom, but the candidates the Emperor proposed—all illustrious, immensely powerful nobles—were all around forty years old on average.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the Fourth Prince of Mornar had been married before, but his wife died in childbirth; the Duke of Hessen had suffered a leg injury from a childhood horse-riding accident and seemed bitter and dark-tempered; the Labor Party leader of Olesong Kingdom was said to be extremely difficult to get along with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though with Princess Veronika’s skill, even if she married one, she’d likely suffer no disadvantage and might even turn the tables, gradually drawing their behind-the-scenes power toward the kingdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such a political marriage, built entirely on mutual interest with such a vast disparity in status, was naturally devoid of happiness—so if she truly married one, her later life would likely be far from joyful…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such a political marriage, with vastly unequal conditions and sustained solely by interest, was naturally divorced from happiness; thus, once she truly married over, Princess Veronika’s later life would likely be far from joyful…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm? How come, while we were talking, you started worrying about me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the middle-aged lady’s deep concern and reluctance, the princess’s eyes warmed slightly, then she smiled and comforted her:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know my capabilities? Even if I were married off to a foreign land across the sea with no one beside me, I’d still live comfortably—don’t worry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes… you can thrive anywhere, but… will you be happy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the princess, whose face carried a smile but whose eyes were calm and detached, the middle-aged lady clenched her teeth, then lowered her voice and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the princess, whose face bore a smile but whose eyes were calm and detached, the middle-aged noblewoman couldn’t help but grit her teeth, then lowered her voice to ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, must you really marry outside? Couldn’t you stay? Even… even if it were that Lionheart Duke?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not whether I want to marry out—it’s what Father decides. After all, from the very beginning, this wasn’t something I could choose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the middle-aged lady’s question, the princess’s eyebrows lifted slightly, then she replied calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After losing the battle for the Caizheng Force, Father pretended to withdraw from affairs and handed all royal personnel over to me—but he never abandoned his desire to fully control the kingdom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To control the kingdom, one needs only legislation, personnel, military power, and financial power. Joshua’s mother happens to be the younger sister of the Minister of Finance. In a few years, when he grows up, if he agrees to let Joshua inherit the throne, the Minister of Finance will likely defect to the royal family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, by then, whether my reforms succeed or fail, they’ll have enraged the old nobility and the Lower House. Father can simply declare me unfit to inherit the throne, marry me off abroad, and effortlessly quell everyone’s fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way, he gains the majority of power I seized from the old nobility, secures powerful foreign support, paves the way for Joshua’s succession, turns the Minister of Finance to his side, and fully controls the Caizheng Force—all at the cost of just one failed marriage of his eldest daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Father as I do, he would never let such a golden opportunity slip away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heh, just one failed marriage of my eldest daughter has brought so many tangible and intangible benefits; knowing my father as I do, he would never let such an opportunity slip away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the princess’s deduction, the middle-aged lady leapt to her feet, eyes blazing with anger:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve done so much for the kingdom these years! Even if His Majesty ultimately doesn’t let you inherit the throne, he shouldn’t treat you this way! And if someone else inherits, fine—but Prince Joshua is simply… ugh… this is just too cruel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve done so much for the kingdom all these years! Even if His Majesty ultimately denies you the throne, he shouldn’t treat you this way! And besides—if someone else inherited the throne, fine, but Prince Joshua—he simply can’t… um… in short, this is far too unfair!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Princess Veronika shook her head and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the king’s daughter, I was born with nearly everything nine out of ten people in this country dream of—but in exchange, I’ve lost certain things too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, you don’t need to feel sorry for me. I’ve merely lost the right to choose my own marriage. Joshua is the truly pitiful one—because of Father’s excessive indulgence, he’s lost even his mind. Isn’t he worse off than I am?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, you don’t need to feel sorry for me—I’ve merely lost the right to choose my own marriage. Joshua is the truly pitiful one; because of Father’s excessive indulgence, Joshua has even lost his wits. Isn’t he worse off than I am?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the princess, who seemed to have accepted her fate and even had the energy to tease her, the middle-aged lady stamped her foot:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness! Why aren’t you angry?! Are you just going to accept this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else can I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The princess’s eyes flickered slightly, then she asked calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To reject this future, should I immediately overthrow everything and fully ally with the old nobility? Or should I try to align with the Prime Minister in Parliament and let those exploitative ‘economic bills’ pass unchecked?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or should I offer a huge bounty to hire assassins to kill my brother? Or launch a coup, lead the military into Wang Gong, and hang my own father from the gallows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps offer a huge bounty to hire someone to assassinate my brother? Or simply launch a coup, lead the military into the palace, and hang my own father from the gallows myself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the princess’s expression—calm, almost detached, her eyes heavy with exhaustion—the middle-aged lady was left speechless, her nose suddenly prickling, her vision blurring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had cared for the princess for so many years. As a child, she had been lively, running wild through the palace gardens, always covered in dirt, never upset even when scolded, her face always lit with a sunlike smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as she grew older and still smiled often, somewhere along the way, her smiles had subtly changed—gentle smiles, helpless smiles, self-deprecating smiles, weary smiles… never again that pure, heartfelt laughter of childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her memory, when had she last seen that radiant smile? Three years ago? Five? Or longer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! Look at you—you got worked up over nothing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the middle-aged lady, whose eyes were slightly red and whose lips trembled as if she wanted to rush forward and hug her and cry, the princess smiled and teased:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just speculating—those things won’t happen for years, and who knows? Something might change in the next few years~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the middle-aged lady, whose eyes were red and whose mouth was trembling as if she wanted to collapse into tears, the princess smiled and joked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For instance, if that Lionheart Duke ever met me and fell head over heels, defied all his marital families’ pressure, and proposed to me with the entire Lyon family as his dowry, then the situation would be completely reversed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with the chance to fully control the Lüzhen Force and the military, Father would probably arrange for Joshua to marry a female monkey, then kick him across the sea and weld the throne permanently to my seat~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the princess’s dark joke, the middle-aged lady burst into laughter, then, unusually disregarding propriety, pinched the princess’s waist hard, glaring through her still-red eyes:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say that?! That Lionheart Duke hasn’t even turned twenty yet, and you’re already twenty…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the kingdom’s highest secret about to spill from the middle-aged lady’s lips, the usually calm princess panicked, lunged forward, and clamped a hand over her mouth, then hissed a threat:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We agreed not to mention this! If you dare say it again, I’ll take you with me across the sea—tie you to a fishing rod and drag you after sharks!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm… I won’t! I won’t say it anymore! But… move your chest a little… you’re crushing me, I can’t breathe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two inside the carriage seemed to reach an unspoken agreement, avoiding further talk of marriage and instead relaxing into playful banter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, the lion-carved carriage, after standing still for over twenty minutes, finally moved again, swiftly passing through the path cleared by petty merchants, carrying the reluctant duke toward the end of Redwood Avenue and the Lyon Estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the excessively luxurious Lionheart carriage departed, the two inside the two-wheeled carriage checked the time of the succession ceremony and realized they’d barely make it in time—they switched from the cargo lane to the noble-only thoroughfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the driver’s constant acceleration, the sightseeing carriage raced forward, its wheels nearly shaking apart,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>barely entering the Lyon Estate’s gates before the sun fully rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, good! They’ve just started here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stepping down from the carriage, handing a fake-identity invitation to a maid, and seeing the manor’s main hall still open, the princess, eager for spectacle, immediately lifted her skirt and ran forward, ignoring the middle-aged lady’s frantic warnings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going ahead! You run faster too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You! Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the princess sprint ahead with no decorum, her skirt lifted, her figure bouncing wildly even under her shawl, the middle-aged lady stamped her foot in fury, wishing she could grab her and give her a dozen etiquette lessons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Princess Veronika growing farther away, fearing her identity might be exposed, the middle-aged lady sighed inwardly at her misfortune, then lifted her own skirt and ran after her, gasping for breath as she called out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“V… Verne! Dignity! Mind your dignity… hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the princess suddenly stop at the door, standing frozen outside, the middle-aged lady’s heart clenched—she feared Veronika’s identity had been revealed, and rushed forward to shield her—yet…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Slap!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From inside the main hall came a thunderous slap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged lady, rushing to the princess’s side, was horrified to see the newly appointed duke, who should have been receiving congratulations, lifting Prince Joshua by one hand, spitting directly onto his swollen face, then sneering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think you can stop me from becoming duke? Fine. Better make good on your word.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2369,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","11383a35fe2d46da57f06af7c936cbe70aead89b97779a6dd4130490e521fdc8","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-161","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-159",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]