Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

She turned her head, her gaze fixed on the artificial waterfall cascading down the towering rock face into the deep pool, and said softly:

"Anyway, there's nothing to think about."

Xiaoxue walked to Jingzhe's side, looked up at the noble young lady of the Qilin clan, and whispered:

"Then why don't you listen to me for a moment, Sister Jingzhe?"

Jingzhe looked at her with some surprise and said, "Go on."

"Captain Xia Zhi went to the palace this morning. Did you know about this, Sister Jingzhe?" Xiaoxue asked.

Jingzhe shook his head. Since returning from their trip to Longmen and reporting Wei Yanwu's unusual behavior to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the three of them had never reunited. Afterwards, they were always assigned to tasks by the Court of Judicial Review, but as if manipulated by an invisible hand, at least one of them would always be reassigned elsewhere. It had been ten days since Jingzhe last saw Xiazhi during a routine patrol.

Xia Zhi looked somewhat haggard at the time, but her voice was still strong, and she seemed to have no problems with her energy and spirit.

Jingzhe received a warning from her family, telling her to stay out of the matter. She and Xia Zhi could only exchange a brief greeting before parting ways. She was certainly unaware that Xia Zhi had entered the palace.

Jingzhe asked with some delight, "Did His Majesty the True Dragon summon him?"

Xiaoxue shook her head, pouring cold water on Jingzhe: "His Majesty the True Dragon did not summon him. His Majesty the True Dragon has been staying at home for almost half a month and has not attended court. All affairs have been handled by the cabinet. Not to mention summoning the captain, even the chief minister has not seen His Majesty these days."

"How could this be..." Jingzhe sighed in disappointment, then suddenly looked up and asked in surprise, "What did Captain Xiazhi go there for?"

Unauthorized entry into the palace without being summoned? That's a capital offense! The Dali Temple is a law enforcement agency; even a three-year-old knows this. As an inspector with over fifty years of service, Xia Zhi couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

A possibility suddenly flashed through Jingzhe's mind.

She suddenly looked at Xiaoxue, only to find that Xiaoxue was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and Xiaoxue's eyes showed a clear understanding, while Jingzhe showed a rare hint of retreat.

"Sister Jingzhe, you really do know what happened, don't you?"

Jingzhe remained silent, but her averted gaze spoke volumes.

He did know what had happened. In the observation room of the Lungmen Guard Bureau, Xia Zhi had risked everything to say the following to Jing Zhe.

"Jingzhe, Wei Yanwu is monitoring us here, so I can't say much. But you must understand that once we return to the capital, our mission will only just begin. We have no evidence, and His Majesty may not believe us, but we must still do what we should do as inspectors. If necessary, you must protect yourself, and I will choose to speak frankly, even to the point of death."

Xiaoxue closed her eyes and let out a long breath:

"Fortunately, Captain Xia Zhi was stopped. The Imperial Guards will not allow anyone to trespass into the palace. Captain Xia Zhi was subdued before he even had a chance to fight back. He is not in any danger."

Xiaoxue paused, then changed the subject:

"But! This matter has already shaken the entire capital. Now, millions of ordinary people, big and small, are discussing it—'The Dali Temple Inspector storms into the palace in anger, and the Emperor does not hold court for half a month, causing widespread panic.' This is the title of a new story written by street storytellers."

"That....."

"That's right, His Majesty must give a response. Tomorrow will be the largest morning court session in the past two weeks. Nearly ten thousand people, including representatives from the three provinces, six ministries, and twenty-four offices of the Great Yan Dynasty, the two major supervisory offices of the Imperial Observatory, the Imperial Guard, the National Protection Army, the People's Army, and even representatives from various provinces, will gather in the Forbidden City in the capital. His Majesty will formally announce the handling of this incident in front of the people. The day of Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects) means that the Court of Judicial Review will also participate in this court session, including you and me."

Xiaoxue swallowed hard; she spoke quickly, clearly equally nervous.

"And when that time comes, the Lungmen Incident, which caused this whole thing, will certainly be brought up, and the three of us will become the center of the meeting."

She reached out and, despite her short stature, firmly placed her hand on Jingzhe's shoulder, asking earnestly:

"Do you know what this means, Sister Jingzhe?"

"This is a court assembly concerning the royal family, the nation, and our future—an assembly open to all! If we do not present sufficient evidence at this assembly to prove that our accusation of 'Wei Yanwu's rebellion' is true, then... then..."

Therefore, Captain Xia Zhi's actions would be considered an act of tyranny that offends the Emperor. The accusations against Wei Yanwu would become slander against members of the royal family. Jingzhe might be able to save her life thanks to her status as a member of the Qilin clan, but she certainly wouldn't be able to keep her official position. As for Xiaoxue and Xia Zhi...

“I don’t think His Majesty the True Dragon would do such a thing. We are clearly doing the right thing.”

"Jingzhe said palely."

Xiaoxue bit her lip. She wanted to explode in anger, wanted to question Jingzhe. Jingzhe had the protection of her powerful family background, which allowed her to stand aside and make sarcastic remarks. But what about her? What about Captain Xiazhi?

But she opened her mouth, yet said nothing. She realized that offending the emperor or the person behind Jingzhe would lead to the same end.

"Things have come to this point, it's no longer a matter of right or wrong. The Awakening of Insects."

Xiaoxue closed her eyes and said weakly, turning away as if she didn't want Jingzhe to see the expression on her face.

“I came to you not expecting you to save us, I just felt that the captain shouldn’t have died like this. We all know we’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?”

Jingzhe clenched her fists, wanting to say something, but could only watch Xiaoxue's figure leave Jingsiting and disappear into the depths of the corridor.

She desperately wanted to say that she had evidence. Wayne gave her evidence. Whether it was evidence of rebellion, collusion with Laterano, or something else entirely.

She even submitted copies of the evidence to His Majesty through the Qilin family's channels immediately, but what she received in return was a warning from the family not to touch this matter again, His Majesty's half-month hiatus from court, the court's unified silence, and finally, the irreversible trial of Captain Xia Zhi and them at the grand court assembly.

Everything turned out exactly as Wayne had predicted. The issue was no longer about right or wrong; it had become entangled with something far more serious.

“Mr. Wei Yanwu is a member of the royal family. Without any evidence, even if you report the Longmen incident to the court, it is uncertain whether His Majesty will take it seriously. The most likely scenario is that he will take it seriously, but in order to maintain the dignity of the royal family, he will suppress it for the time being and handle it in secret. In that case, you and your companions will inevitably be punished for sowing discord among the royal family and damaging its reputation.”

"I remember this crime is serious. Even if His Majesty spares the death penalty to avoid suspicion, he will still be punished. But I can give you a chance."

The same.

Jingzhe lowered her head, looking at the long table and inkstone in the quiet contemplation courtyard, her thoughts seemingly returning to that night.

“I know that with your status and abilities, you probably couldn’t do something like this. Even if you did, publishing it under your name would be unreliable and could easily bring huge trouble to your family. So, I’m giving you a chance.”

“Grasp this pen and become the next Joseph Pulitzer. I allow you to use this renowned name in Terra, to put a perfect end to this before everything falls into irreparable ruin. Turn things around with your own hands.”

Jingzhe's breathing became heavy.

Chapter 171 The Curtain Is About to Rise

The villa in the western suburbs of Lontinim, a secret base that Wayne hadn't returned to for a long time, holds countless secrets from before Wayne's rise to power. It is now being temporarily lent to Bozokasti, Yelena, and the guerrillas.

Not all the tundra guerrillas came. Most of them didn't even speak Victorian and would find it difficult to live in Victoria, and many were unwilling to leave Ursus. Wayne handed over the Sarkaz to Theresa, who arranged accommodations for them in Kazdel. As for the Ursus people, considering Ursus's brutal treatment of the Infected, Wayne contacted Emperor Fyodor of Ursus. Fyodor agreed to help them obtain legal status in the countryside. Once the Duchy of Kosichear was reclaimed, Fyodor would move the mobile city back to the vicinity of St. Arthur's Keep to serve as a pilot city for the nationalization of Ursus, and place the Infected in this city directly under the emperor's control.

When Wayne heard the news, he was surprised for a long time. In the end, he still acknowledged that there were smart people among Terra's leaders. Although their thinking was backward, their analytical abilities were by no means lacking. Fyodor had actually seen the benefits of nationalization so quickly and started learning.

The resettlement of those guerrillas unwilling to go to Victoria was basically resolved satisfactorily. There weren't many left; they were mostly Shield Guards and Yetis who had followed the Patriots for a long time. Alina, Ino, and Sasha were among them.

Wayne came here happily, and naturally left happily as well. Patriot had no objection to Wayne's proposal, and Yelena, who had an innate aversion to the military and didn't want to join, readily agreed upon hearing about the Tower of Babel.

Out of personal interest and at Kal'tsit's request, Wayne seriously inquired about their future codenames from the two of them.

As expected, Bozocasti used his nickname, "The Patriot." Purebred Wendigos are already top-tier, and there are practically no strangers to him when he's on the field, so there's no need for him to hide his identity. However, it's said the deeper reason is simply that the name is more familiar, and Bozocasti couldn't think of any other suitable nickname.

Miss Yelena, however, had many ideas. Upon hearing that she needed a code name, her first reaction was to use a nickname that was commonly used, just like Patriot, such as—Big Sister.

However, Wayne regretfully rejected this title, reasoning that the people of Babel would feel taken advantage of if they called Yelena that in the future. Yelena thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case, so she then suggested "Snow Doll" (derived from a nursery rhyme she often sang), "Princess" (who doesn't dream of being a princess?), and "Winter" (this was also rejected by Wayne, for reasons we all understand).

Finally, Yelena, who had run out of ideas for a title that was catchy, meaningful, didn't take advantage of others, reflected her own characteristics, and was easy to pronounce (all reasons Wayne rejected the codename), eagerly awaited Wayne's veiled revelation:

"How about calling her FrostNova?"

Miss Yelena's eyes lit up. She silently repeated the name a few times, and finally nodded happily, accepting the code name: "It does sound good, don't you think, Father?"

Bozokasti stretched out a hand bigger than Frostnova's head and rubbed the white rabbit's head. He didn't object, and it seemed that he agreed.

As if he had completed a historical mission, Wayne bid farewell to the father and daughter, and visited Alina in the camp outside the house, where she was singing a lullaby to Ino and Sasha. He also relayed Talulah's greetings. While informing Fyodor to arrange for the people's accommodation, Wayne received news that the Inner Guard had arrested Kosichie. Talulah had returned to Ursus ahead of time to witness the historic moment. Alina raised her index finger at Wayne, signaling him to be quiet and not to wake the two children who had just fallen asleep.

She stepped out of the camp, curiously observing the unfamiliar monarch. In Alina's eyes, there was not much difference between a prince and an emperor; both were important figures she had never seen in her life.

But Wayne didn't act like a big shot, so when she gestured for him to be quiet, she thought the person outside the tent was just a guerrilla member who hadn't gone to sleep in the middle of the night.

When she stepped out of the tent and saw Wayne's unfamiliar face and his distinctly different attire, she realized:

"Are you Prince Wayne?"

Wayne smiled and nodded: "Yes, it is. Miss Alina, you actually know me?"

“Talulah often mentions you to me.” Alina covered her mouth in surprise. “What a surprise!”

Wayne raised an eyebrow, asking curiously, "What's surprising?"

“Talulah described you to me, saying that you… well… are even more robust than Mr. Bozokasti.”

"Stronger than Patriot? What am I then?" Wayne chuckled as he estimated Patriot's size.

"Talulah actually described me like that?"

“She was probably referring to presence,” Alina said.

“I don’t think I have any kind of aura,” Wayne waved his hand.

Alina shook her head solemnly: "You can't feel an aura, but the people around you definitely can. For example, when I stand next to you now, it feels like I'm not facing a haughty nobleman, but a close friend. Even when I first met Talulah, she still had some of the habits and quirks of a nobleman."

Wayne smiled and shrugged meaningfully: "Probably because that's just who I am."

Chatting with Alina was quite a pleasant experience. It was hard to believe that an Elafia from the remote mountains of Ursus would have such insight. Had she been born in Londinium and received a quality education, she might have become a great scholar. Fate played a cruel trick on her, nearly ending her prime years in the snowfields, but thankfully it wasn't too late.

Wayne always felt that chatting with her, especially when talking about Talulah, was like a wife who knew her husband's strengths and weaknesses by heart, talking non-stop. In ten minutes, Wayne had gathered more dirt on Talulah than he had in a year and a half of watching the storyline.

Unfortunately, it was getting late, and Veen couldn't stay any longer. He patted his pockets, took out a gold coin, wrote "VEEN" on it with his pen, and handed it to Alina, saying, "You're welcome to visit the palace in Londinium sometime. Show this to the guards, and they'll let you in. Or you can contact Talulah and have her bring you in."

Alina accepted the gold coin and bowed deeply.

Thank you.

"Why make such a fuss? It's just a gold coin."

“You’ve given us more than just one gold coin, Your Highness,” Alina said earnestly.

Wayne's body jolted, and he looked at Alina, and then at the so-called fate that had been altered, and nodded: "It's what I should do."

........

Under the cover of night, Wayne opened the car door, sat in the back seat, and looked at Kal'tsit in the driver's seat with a face full of satisfied joy.

Kal'tsit glanced at Wayne in the rearview mirror and asked:

"What's wrong with you? You look so happy, like you just had a really big dinner?"

“What kind of description is that?” Wayne patted the back of Kal'tsit’s chair, slumped back, and stared at the sky outside the window. “It’s just that we’ve accomplished a lot of goals.”

Let Frostnova and Patriot safely join Rhodes Island. Although it's still called the Tower of Babel now, once Rhodes Island is dug up, it will practically be Rhodes Island.

Protect the best deer in the world, kill the old black snake, and let Sister Tazi not have to do so many wrong things.

Wayne had indeed accomplished quite a few goals. But time seemed to be running out for him to linger a few more minutes and enjoy a moment of contentment. His phone rang again.

Curious, Wayne pulled out his phone. It wasn't a call, but a text message. From an unexpected number.

"Awakening of Insects".

Wien sensed something, patted Kal'tsit on the shoulder, and said:

"I'm going to be busy tonight. Please let Vina and Theresa know to wait for me in Vina's office."

Kal'tsit nodded, stopped the car, checked the message before asking, "About what?"