The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"In this way, although it will take more time, it will be a long and inevitable process of victory. The important thing is that there will be no side effects in the process."

Fyodor took the memorial and read it carefully—it was probably as thorough as he could when reading his father's will.

Then he raised his head, looked at Qiao Yelan, and spoke, word by word.

"Minister Qiao, you are truly a national hero."

Qiao Yelan simply bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty flatters me. I am merely a down-to-earth and conscientious businessman."

Chapter 166 The Troubles of Middle-Aged Werther

Looking at the plan in his hand, Fyodor clenched his fist, suppressing his excitement.

This is a complete industrial reform plan.

It's not that no one has submitted similar petitions; after all, Ursus's distorted industry has persisted for decades, and it's not some "hidden ailment."

However, the biggest difference in Qiao Yelan's plan is that it is feasible.

It wasn't about relying on wild ideas or throwing money at the problem, but rather about using whatever resources were available, adapting to local conditions, and making the most of what Ursus itself possessed to accomplish this plan.

That's why Fyodor had such a high opinion of Qiao Yelan.

If Qiao Yelan was merely a "speculator" in his eyes before, now he sees her as a genuinely outstanding minister.

At this point, Fyodor could only sigh in regret.

"Qiao Aiqing's plan is excellent, very good."

He emphasized his fondness for the plan—and then came the "but".

"However, I still do not have enough control over the empire, especially in the industrial sector. Apart from the Ministry of Labor, my proposals for appointments in almost all other related departments are inevitably rejected in Parliament."

"But Speaker Witt isn't..."

Qiao Yelan made a somewhat surprised expression.

“You mentioned before that you tried to contact me through Witt, but I didn’t hear a single word about it from him—I think you understand what that means.”

Fyodor sighed with regret. Nothing is more painful than having a great plan in front of you, but not being able to press the start button.

Qiao Yelan also fell silent, and for a moment, the study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"...If that's the case, Your Majesty, then we can only cede some of our interests to Speaker Witt in exchange for his support of the new industrial policy."

The man's voice rang out again, initially with a hint of support, but growing increasingly firm over time.

Fyodor ignored the word "we" in the sentence, and he didn't even think there was anything wrong with what Qiao Yelan said. At this moment, the emperor's attention was entirely focused on Qiao Yelan's magical words.

Why Witt?

"Because Witt has no army, Your Majesty, his support comes from the banner of the Ursus Empire. Once the empire falls, everything they have will vanish. Therefore, they must depend on the empire, and thus they will hope that the empire becomes stronger."

Qiao Yelan gave his answer incisively.

"But the nobles are different. They all have their own armies, their own fiefdoms, and their own mobile cities. They don't want the empire to become stronger; they want it to become weaker—Victoria's example is bloody!"

“Once they learn of this plan and it is implemented, they will definitely prioritize expanding their industrial strength, and their own territory is sufficient to support an industrial system—at that time, they will expect to become the next Duke of Caesar!”

Fyodor couldn't help but nod; Qiao Yelan's words had struck a chord with him.

The nobles only wanted to tear the empire apart, while Witte at least wanted to be a paperhanger.

"However, if we involve Witt and the others, won't their power become too bloated, leading to a situation where they become too powerful to control?"

"Therefore, Your Majesty, we must leave a backup plan, a backup plan that can strike at the root of the problem."

Qiao Yelan had clearly come up with a solution.

“Guys like Witt only see the expansion of factories and the increase in production lines, these tangible increases in wealth—but these things all require workers to actually operate!”

Fyodor immediately understood what Qiao Yelan meant.

Imperial Ministry of Labor!

Once the emperor controls the movement of workers, he can control their very lifeline. When they realize that if they don't compromise with the emperor, they will face a situation where no one will be available, they will naturally begin to obey.

"Your Majesty, if we are to implement this plan, we must bring Speaker Witt into the picture. And if we are to bring Speaker Witt into the picture, then the Imperial Ministry of Labor is the most important card to play in counterbalancing the other side!"

Qiao Yelan's face was serious.

“I know quite a bit about Minister of Labor Yegor. He’s a real old hand. He can smoothly and tactfully reject anything that’s not in his favor, while keeping his opposition in a way that doesn’t offend anyone. Only someone like that can withstand the encroachment of those guys like Witt.”

The emperor recalled Yegor's previous behavior and suddenly realized that it was indeed true.

The rejections that had previously made him feel uncomfortable and even annoyed, as well as the various negative treatments and double-dealing—now it seems that if this guy dared to play these games with him, there's no reason why the other party wouldn't dare to do the same with Vittor.

Indeed, garbage is just a resource in the wrong place.

Thinking of this, Fyodor's previous dissatisfaction with Yegor vanished, and he even looked forward to seeing what kind of expression Witt would have when he faced this guy later.

"However... someone like him will definitely put his own interests first in everything, so how can we guarantee that Yegor won't be won over by Vitra?"

The emperor's mind works quickly. He may not care about loyalty, but he knows very well which positions require loyalty.

“Your Majesty, His Excellency Yegor already has a family, and he loves his daughter very much.”

A cold smile curved at the corners of Qiao Yelan's lips.

"Your Majesty need not worry about this matter. I will have Yegor 'voluntarily' hand over his wife and daughter, and then wholeheartedly stand on Your Majesty's side."

Fyodor gave Qiao Yelan a deep look.

"I heard you had a good personal relationship with Yegor before?"

"When I was a merchant, I naturally had to maintain a good relationship with Lord Yegor—but now that I am His Majesty's henchman, I will naturally not form cliques with other ministers."

"Okay, then I'll leave this matter entirely to you."

Fyodor was very satisfied with Qiao Yelan's answer.

The plan was proposed by Qiao Yelan, and Yegor was in a very important position—if these two people joined forces to deceive him, they could really keep the matter tightly under wraps.

Qiao Yelan himself had no foothold in Ursus and little connection with Witt, which meant he could only rely on himself.

Now, if Qiao Yelan is allowed to control Yegor's family and turn the two of them against each other, then I certainly won't have to worry about being deceived.

As someone in a superior position, Fyodor was very satisfied with Qiao Yelan's pledge of allegiance.

Similarly, as someone in a superior position, he naturally knew that it was time to give back.

"In that case, Minister Qiao, the heavy responsibility of persuading Islam Witt is entrusted to you—as long as you can convince him to participate in this plan, I will definitely guarantee you the position of Minister of the Imperial Industry!"

Qiao Yelan bowed respectfully.

"I will definitely live up to your Majesty's trust."

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"Mr. Qiao Yelan, what brings you here?"

Alexander rushed to the main gate and urgently stopped Qiao Yelan from entering.

"I mentioned before that I wanted to visit Speaker Witt, but he wouldn't give me a definite answer. So I had no choice but to come over while he was at work."

“Mr. Qiao Yelan, as I said, Speaker Witt is extremely busy. When he has some free time, he will naturally…”

Alexander's voice was abruptly cut off upon seeing the pass.

His Majesty Fyodor's seal gleamed brightly.

"By order of His Majesty the Supreme Tsar of the Ursus Empire, whoever holds this pass has the right to see anyone he wishes at any time—Speaker Witt, you should have some free time now, shouldn't you?"

Qiao Yelan showed the pass and said calmly.

-------------------------------------------------- ------

Islam Witt looked at the man before him, his heart filled with turmoil.

He had been avoiding meeting with Qiao Yelan because he didn't know what the guy was up to, which was why he kept delaying. Even after he sent Alexander to stop him, he was thinking about whether he should find an excuse to hold a meeting first.

Because he was worried that Alexander wouldn't be able to stop him.

Now it's hopeless, there's no stopping it now.

Luckily, I wasn't in a meeting, otherwise, if someone had used this pass to call me away halfway through the meeting, I would have lost all face.

Anyone with a brain knows that Qiao Yelan was after him from the start, and the bargaining chips he got after his deal with the emperor were all used to find him—just how big must Qiao Yelan's scheme against him be?

Witt knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

The other party has something to ask of him, and it's a big one—that's why he's always wanted to control the other party, because there's no doubt that Qiao Yelan needs Victor's help right now.

"Mr. Qiao Yelan's methods are truly extraordinary—he even managed to obtain the Tsar's warrant."

The man spoke slowly, but his mind was racing with a thousand thoughts.

"Your Excellency the Speaker is too kind. I am merely working for His Majesty."

Qiao Yelan remained calm.

He actually had another one of these, but that one was "slightly" old.

"Alright, alright—Mr. Joe has caused such a commotion at St. Eagle Castle, and he's been trying every means to see me, and now he's even produced the Tsar's warrant... What exactly do you want?"