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

Where is my Yan State official kiln blue and white porcelain vase?

Where is my Columbia retro cordless phone?

Where is my butler, John?

"John! John!"

The Earl of Princeton ran downstairs in a panic, shouting as he ran.

"The house has been burgled! Someone has ransacked the Earl of Victoria's residence! Call the police immediately! Report to the Royal Family..."

His voice gradually weakened, and his steps changed from running to walking, until he finally stopped completely. Standing on the stairs leading downstairs, he watched as John, the butler at the gate, handed the precious Sargon scimitar to the soldier in steam armor outside the door. Then, he bowed respectfully to the soldier, waved goodbye, and closed the gate.

My scimitar, my scimitar...

That scimitar was said to have once been worn by a pasha of Sargon. As one of the few national treasures from Sargon's isolated and backward desert kingdom that had managed to surface, it was purchased by his father, the Duke of Normandy, from a smuggler at a high price. It was his fifteenth birthday present! (In the British Empire, fifteen was indeed the age of adulthood, so there's a little side note: Heidi was already this big and beautiful at 14; indeed, nobles mature early.)

Now, snap, it's gone!

"John!"

The Earl of Princeton roared in fury.

"Look what you've done!"

Pointing to the bare walls of the house, which were now completely dilapidated except for the wallpaper, he angrily and bitterly cursed, "I trusted you so much, thinking you wouldn't secretly take my things, but you actually deceived me! My scimitar, my vase, my phonograph!"

He pointed to the empty shell that used to be called the kitchen.

"And my tea, did you sell all of these?"

John was startled by the Earl of Princeton's loud shout. Confused, he looked up at his master, who was now raging on the steps, and explained, looking aggrieved:

"I didn't sell it, I gave it away."

The Earl of Princeton felt his blood pressure soaring.

Good grief, if you had sold well, I could have made some money back, but you *Victoria profanity* were giving them away for free?

Do you even know how much those treasures are worth? Even if you're incredibly stupid... you should at least take a little money, even just a tiny bit! That's a kickback, isn't it? That's my money!

You secretly gave away my things under my name without my knowledge, not for money or profit, but for what?

After being scolded, John the butler had probably recovered and quickly explained:

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, things are not as you think. I did not suggest sending the gifts; someone specifically requested them!"

The Earl of Princeton frowned. Someone specifically asked for it? Is this what you call asking? My house is practically empty except for the walls that haven't been torn down. This is clearly robbery, banditry! Even the demons aren't as ruthless as them!

The Earl of Princeton thought these people who dared to come to his house to rob him probably didn't know the true value of being "Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army," "Chief of the Noble Association," or "Victoria's Top 100 Youth"!

He immediately waved his hand and gave the order:

"Who did this? That soldier just now, whose man is he? How dare he come to my residence to steal things! Send a whole squad of patrols to ransack his house!"

John's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he quickly tried to stop him, exclaiming that it was absolutely forbidden.

Ransomware? Whose house are you going to ransack?

This is at best a temporary palace for Prince Vayne; his real home is in Londinium, in the Iron Palace!

A Victorian Earl boasted that he would lead a troop of soldiers to storm the Iron Palace. These were no ordinary soldiers and nobles, and they were bound to incur the wrath of His Highness Wayne and Her Majesty the Queen, who would surely retaliate severely!

Their rebellion was already a heinous act, thoroughly offending Her Majesty the Empress. Had it not been for the stroke of luck that they gained the favor and affection of Prince Wayne, they might still be struggling to rise in the ranks. If these words were to reach Prince Wayne's ears and offend him as well, then their fate would be sealed.

John patted the Earl of Princeton on the back to calm him down, and then slowly explained:

“These items were requested by His Highness Wayne. This place has become His Highness Wayne's residence, and he wants to carry out a complete renovation, so he moved all the existing furniture and decorations out. You signed the application for this!”

"You're talking nonsense! When have I ever signed an application for something like that...?"

The Earl of Princeton swallowed his words, his anger tempered by a sliver of reason that made him realize the unusual nature of the situation. He frowned, looked at John, and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"What did you say? His Highness Wayne is back?"

........

“Tell my soldiers that their Prince Wayne has returned.”

Wayne leisurely twirled the newly delivered Sargon scimitar, which resembled a Damascus steel scimitar, before sheathing it and handing it to the commander of the First Legion of the Northern Rebels standing before him, saying this.

The commander gave a solemn military salute, assured him that he would complete the mission, and turned to leave under Wayne's satisfied gaze.

That's all for today.

Wayne gave Ernest an order, and the Grand Duke, understanding, stepped in front of Wayne, stopping the citizens and nobles who still wanted to crowd forward, and said:

"It's getting late. His Highness Wayne doesn't want your normal lives to be disrupted because of him, so please go back now. If you have any urgent matters to report, you can go to the former Earl of Princeton's residence."

A few sighs rippled through the crowd, but most nodded in understanding. They had witnessed Wayne meeting with representatives of citizens from all walks of life and noble officers from noon until the afternoon, barely taking a break. Especially noteworthy was his consistent presentation of exquisite gifts to both ordinary citizens and high-ranking nobles, a gesture of respect and sincerity that deeply moved them.

Moreover, His Highness Wayne hasn't actually left Princeton County; he's just resting at the Earl's mansion. There will be plenty of opportunities to see him in the future.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Wayne finally turned his gaze to Kal'tsit beside him.

"What brings you here, Lord Kal'tsit?"

Kal'tsit's eyes narrowed, and she asked, puzzled:

"Why did you do this? If it was to win over the people, you could have simply used words to incite them. Instead, you ransacked the Earl of Princeton's house. Aren't you afraid he'll resort to desperate measures?"

Wayne chuckled and nodded:

"I'm pushing him to the brink of desperation."

"Kal'tsit, I ask you, what is the Earl of Princeton after?"

"He used my name and my claims to incite my people to launch a rebellion against me in Victoria, using my authority as his sole agent throughout, without seeking fame or profit. What was his purpose?"

“You don’t know, and I can’t figure it out either, so I’m going to tear off his disguise and see what kind of fox face lies beneath his lion’s skin. He can always resort to desperate measures, such as mobilizing the army and instigating the citizens, but I don’t care.”

Wayne smiled confidently, and said with a proud yet nonchalant air:

"The unknown is what's truly frightening. Once the unknown becomes known, it poses no threat to me. Besides, Kal'tsit, when did you ever consider that I would let the rebels go? Under my arrangement, the Earl of Princeton will inevitably have nowhere left to retreat. And before that..."

Wayne spread his five fingers, then clenched them tightly:

"I will carefully manage the intensity and thoroughly extract all the value from him, leaving not a single drop."

Chapter Seventy-Six: The Devil Knocks on the Door

"So, does that mean I've become a great philanthropist?"

The Earl of Princeton was speechless.

"Serving the country and its people selflessly, asking for nothing in return, a loyal dog of the royal family... This..."

Which of these has anything to do with me, the Earl of Princeton?

He slumped onto the sofa, only to find it gone. He reached for a cigarette in the coffee table drawer, but the coffee table was gone too, and the cigarette was nowhere to be found. He turned to pour himself a glass of water, only to discover that even his blue electric kettle was gone.

It took away life and hope.

The Earl of Princeton waved to John, his butler, who tried to help him up, indicating that he shouldn't disturb him. Leaning against the wall, he surveyed the empty mansion, only two words on his mind:

It’s over.

It's all over.

The Earl of Princeton was no fool; quite the opposite, he was shrewd. He cleverly exploited information asymmetry to deceive the other noble Republican dukes, forcing them to join the rebellion. He then used his father, the Duke of Normandy, holding the "sons of Londinium nobles as hostages" to secure himself the position of rebel leader. The Celts used him, and he, in turn, used the Celts. When the King's adopted daughter, "Reed," ascended the throne as a descendant of the Drakks and the King's adopted daughter, he, as the most powerful military noble in the country, could easily rise to a position second only to the king. Perhaps even further, he could become the legendary Regent Duke, a position he had always dreamed of.

Now, when he learned from the butler what Wayne had done since his return, he almost immediately understood everything.

It wasn't complicated; in fact, it was a perfectly legitimate display of every stage of the plan: from a high-profile return to attract attention, to generously donating to win over the people, and finally presenting so-called "evidence" to seal the deal. Wayne Bruce simply made a few small moves, easily dismantling the deadly trap he had painstakingly set up, and even driving him to the brink of despair.

While he was completely unaware, public opinion had already overwhelmingly sided with the suddenly appearing Wayne, and the Earl of Princeton had been elevated to a pedestal, becoming Victoria's contemporary saint. He had effectively promised to hand over military, political, and media power to Wayne.

This means that everything the Earl of Princeton has built up will soon have to be handed over to Wayne Bruce by him "voluntarily," and he will be unable to resist, because the cost of resistance is absolutely unbearable for him.

The people will think he is a treacherous villain who goes back on his word, the army will resent his unpredictable style, and the whole society will talk about him. The higher he is being praised by the public opinion guided by Wayne now, the harder he will fall when he wants to oppose Wayne and his image is reversed!

When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when a wall collapses, everyone pushes it down. People love to watch others build tall buildings, then watch those buildings crumble, and then come up and stomp on the fallen hero.

He knew that his dream was completely over.

The Earl of Princeton clenched his teeth and fists, unable to understand where the plan had gone wrong. Why had Wayne suddenly returned to the North and become involved in the rebellion?

What are the guards patrolling the border doing? Why didn't they report Wayne's entry to him beforehand?

A terrifying thought suddenly flashed through the Earl of Princeton's mind.

—Wayne Bruce, the son of the King of the North and a member of the Aslan royal family, could he have already been in the North from the beginning?

Therefore, the troops on the border were completely unaware of this, which is why he was able to arrive silently at the heart of the rebel army in Princeton County, and why he seemed to have been prepared for everything, completely reversing the situation in less than a day, sidelining him, overthrowing him, and taking power for himself.

But if that's really the case, when did he arrive in the North? How did he get there?

It's impossible for an Aslan royal to travel without making a sound, so how could the Empress of Londinium allow her greatest rival to go out?

He suddenly thought of a possibility

—The Royal Military Academy.

If there is anywhere in Victoria most likely to conceal Wayne's identity, it would undoubtedly be the Royal Military Academy, the "highest institution of learning in Victoria," a gathering place for nobles where even the imperial power has difficulty interfering.

Who are the nobles at the Royal Military Academy now?

It goes without saying that the Earl of Princeton were once nobles from the North.

With each new emperor comes a new court. The impact of the War of the Roses on the Northern King was naturally not limited to the Aslan royal family. In other words, since he dared to purge even the Aslan royal family, how could he possibly show special leniency to the old Londinium nobles who opposed him and caused him so much trouble in conquering and managing Londinium?

This can be seen from the plight of the Lancaster family. One of the three most prominent dukes of Victoria was completely wiped out, from top to bottom. Not to mention the other nobles whose status was far lower than that of the Lancaster family.

Most of the nobles in the Royal Military Academy today are former Northern nobles who followed the King of the North on his southern campaign. After the noble purge, they rightfully took over the positions of the old Londinium nobles and became the new Londinium nobles.

They had every reason to help Wayne deceive everyone and send him to the North. And the method? It was that so-called graduation exam, which just happened to be held in the remote northern city of Doron County!

The location was chosen to be secluded so as not to attract the attention of the Queen and her local spies in the North.

The reason it was called a real combat test was to legitimately allow soldiers to carry heavy firepower and steam-armored armor.

The students from the Royal Military Academy who came to the North with Wayne were not only taken hostage by their fathers, the Duke of Normandy, but they were also unknowingly taken hostage by Wayne Bruce, the son of the King of the North!

He was in the North from the very beginning!

That boy, that Aslan, wanted to replicate his father's tactics in the North—manipulating hostages to divide the nobles, winning one faction against another, forcing the Londinium army to go on a distant expedition, then using the North as a base to crush them in one fell swoop, and finally counterattacking Londinium to be crowned emperor!