It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

Seeing that Newton remained silent, Halley knew what she was thinking and let out a long sigh: "My father's business has run into some trouble. For some reason, the people in the patent office have gone crazy and have been cracking down on many unauthorized industries in London recently, and my father has been caught in the crossfire. The factory has been ordered to stop production and he has also paid a large fine."

"Although it's not something to be proud of, my father did secretly learn other people's techniques to do business, so he can't blame anyone else for what happened."

“My father is having some financial problems right now and he really can’t spare any money to help. I’m sorry, I can’t keep my promise.”

After hearing Halley's detailed explanation and learning that the other party had not done it intentionally, Newton's dissatisfaction subsided considerably.

But her sixth sense told her there was something wrong with this. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Could it be that someone did this on purpose, like the person who secretly instructed your father to learn it?"

"do not know."

Harley said, "But anyway, there must be someone pushing this. It's impossible for the patent department to give me a job. I also suspected that the factory owner who stole my father's knowledge was very dissatisfied, but the other party clearly didn't care much before."

"I understand, it's not your fault."

After Newton finished speaking, he hesitated for a moment and then said, "Well, if you need help, I can ask around for you."

For someone like Halley, who was proficient in mathematics and astronomy and whom he got along well with, Newton would still help.

Harley, who was initially quite disappointed, immediately brightened up: "Really? Although I'm not asking for help, and most people can't help with this, I'd probably have to switch to another business, I would still be very grateful if you could ask around for me."

Newton nodded: "Yes, it's no problem for me to ask—by the way, Halle, what does your father do?"

She said she felt a little thirsty, picked up the milk on the table, and took a big gulp. Speaking of which, Freya had been preparing milk for her a lot lately. Although she didn't dislike the taste of milk, it was a little strange to drink it all the time.

"The soap business."

"puff--"

Newton couldn't help but spit out the milk in her mouth. Luckily, she turned her head to the side at the last second, which served as watering for the grass.

Harley, looking on in bewilderment, asked, "What's wrong? Did you choke?"

Newton, not even bothering to wipe his mouth, asked again in shock, "You said your father was in the soap business?"

Freya remained calm on the side. In fact, she had already inquired about this matter, but Miss Newton generally did not care about things that were unimportant to her, so Freya had never brought it up herself.

Harley was puzzled by Newton's repeated questions and his shocked expression: "Is there a problem?"

This is a big problem!

Newton was silent for two seconds, momentarily at a loss for words.

Chapter 155 Sleeping on the Floor

The Royal Society of London.

In that room, nominally a micro-art room but essentially a studio on ordinary days, Hook gently put down his paintbrush, which was still covered in paint, and admired the work he had just completed with satisfaction.

The canvas depicts a beautiful scene: Hook (beautified version) and Halley (beautified version) sit on a grassy field covered with withered leaves. Halley (beautified version), with his soft, black curly hair, has a wise look in his eyes, and his fair face possesses both masculine fortitude and feminine grace.

The woman, Harley, was looking down intently at a spider specimen on her knee, seemingly trying to glean secrets about insects. Beside her, Hook (also in a beautified version) leaned on Harley's shoulder, but her gaze wasn't on the spider specimen; it was fixed on Harley's face, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Come find me, Harley!"

Hook looked at the easel and gave a satisfied smile.

The idea to push the London Patent Office to crack down on piracy arose after she discovered that Harley's father was pirating the technology for a new type of soap.

Hook initially discovered by chance that the owner of the genuine soap was a young man named Albert Lee, and thought that he might consider joining forces with him to save some effort and reduce suspicion at the same time.

But the red-haired guy seemed to have some mental issues, talking incoherently and nonsensically, so Hook simply decided to go it alone.

Fortunately, as the vice president of the Royal Society, she had a natural advantage in promoting patent protection. Moreover, scientists are naturally particularly sensitive to patents and copyrights. Before long, she found a few people to pressure the patent department to work overtime.

Despite the patent laws, piracy was still rampant in London (the man who invented the flying shuttle was a businessman who refused to pay patent fees and went into poverty). This crackdown on piracy caused quite a stir, with all sorts of people resorting to various methods.

During this process, Harley's father's unauthorized soap factory was naturally "accidentally" affected. The factory was sealed off and the goods were confiscated, making them one of the more unlucky ones.

All that's left is to wait for Harley to come to us for help.

......

76 High Street.

Newton looked at Halley with a rather complicated expression, which made her feel a little uneasy for a moment.

"Ahem, is there a problem?" Harley coughed twice. "I know it's not exactly honorable to make money by stealing other people's techniques, but is it really necessary to keep staring at me like this?"

Newton didn't answer the question directly. After thinking for a moment, she unusually chose a roundabout approach, saying, "I've been trying to take over Li Cheng's work these past few days..."

Harley: "?"

Newton: "I found that the factory's procurement costs were very high. I asked the factory manager about it, and he said that this was a strategy set by Li Cheng to focus on the high-end market."

Harley: "??"

Newton: "At first I couldn't understand it. After pressing him, the factory manager told me that it was because many unscrupulous businessmen found ways to make counterfeit products and then maliciously lowered prices, causing profits to shrink. If we wanted to compete with them, we would have to reduce workers' wages and increase working hours, otherwise we would only lose money. Li Cheng was unwilling to do that, so he had to find another way."

"!"

Harley had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, and her expression changed drastically: "The factory you're talking about wouldn't be......"

Newton nodded, then took a sip of milk: "The soap factory."

The scene fell silent, and Harley was completely bewildered.

For example, her family was basically selling pirated game discs, squeezing out legitimate games so much that they could only make a living by selling collector's editions. Then the government cracked down on piracy, and she went to the legitimate sellers to ask if they could help her out... Although this example is old and somewhat subtle, that's roughly the idea.

In short, let alone helping, they're practically celebrating with gongs and drums!

So Harley immediately dropped the subject and turned to a serious academic discussion. Although she couldn't afford to help with printing and publishing, she still couldn't give up on it.

Harley asked, "Will your book ever be published? I'm really looking forward to it."

"meeting."

Newton first affirmed this point, and then said, "Don't be too disappointed, Li Cheng is not quite what you imagined."

Most people wouldn't dare to press the issue at this point, but Harley was different. She brazenly asked, "What do you mean? Doesn't he care about money?"

"That shouldn't be it, it's just..."

Newton thought for a moment, unsure how to describe it, but she instinctively felt that if Li Cheng were here, he probably wouldn't care about Harley's father's piracy, and might even do something unexpected.

Finally, she thought for a moment and said, "You can wait and see, there's no need to be too nervous."

------

hostel.

For the entire afternoon after returning from the theater, Susie was worried about possibly losing her job. She even looked furrowed during lunch, almost sticking her spoon up her nose. Luckily, she didn't need a fork for lunch today.

Li Cheng didn't notice her unusual behavior; instead, he was absorbed in his own affairs, considering what to do next.

First, there's the time limit.

According to the information he gathered, Edward has not yet been formally crowned as king; a coronation ceremony is still pending.

The United Kingdom adopts a divine right of kings model, where the succession to the throne requires the coronation of God's earthly representative, the most senior Archbishop of Canterbury. The bishop presiding over the coronation ceremony anoints the king, and a king who has undergone this anointing is legally recognized as the legitimate monarch. However, a small number of kings have not undergone this anointing and have crowned themselves, in which case their legitimacy is questioned, potentially leading to rebellions by those vying for the throne or by subordinate lords.

Such a coronation ceremony is usually held several months after the death of the previous monarch, at Westminster Abbey.

Edward estimates it will be a little earlier, but no more than three months. Considering he's already used up half his time, he has a month and a half left.

In other words, Li Cheng's best chance to expose Edward is within a month and a half, before the coronation. If it drags on any longer, the situation will basically be settled, and we can start considering an armed revolution... Hold on, that direction is extremely dangerous.

Thinking about it, Li Cheng yawned wearily. He then said to Susie, who was still in the room, "It's nothing. Go back to your room and rest. You'll be more energetic in the afternoon if you take a nap at noon."

Susie, who had been lost in thought, jumped up from her chair with a start after hearing this, and said energetically, "I don't need a nap, I have plenty of energy!"

Seemingly to demonstrate her impressive stamina, she even jumped twice, causing the hem of her maid dress (which she hadn't changed into yet) to flip up due to gravity, almost losing its original protective function.

Li Cheng's lips twitched, and he quickly stopped her from making any other large movements: "Alright, alright, I know you have great stamina, but the problem is I need to take a nap now."

"I will also be very quiet and promise not to say a word."

So Susie sat back down in her chair, sucked her lips in until they were no longer visible, and then mumbled something to indicate that she couldn't speak... I don't know how to describe what it looked like, but it was quite unique and also quite idiotic.

What's going on? This girl wasn't stupid before... Li Cheng shook his head: "It's not about whether you're quiet or not, it's about having someone watching me so I can't sleep."

Susie thought for a moment: "Then I can blindfold myself..."

What the hell?! Blindfold them?! Is this the Western version of burying one's head in the sand? Besides, the thought of having a blindfolded guy in the room makes it impossible to sleep peacefully!

"No."

Li Cheng was truly speechless: "Why do you insist on staying here today? It's not a matter of whether it's quiet or not, it's that I can't sleep with someone sitting next to me... Stop! You can't even stand up now!"

Susie, who was standing halfway, sat back down after hearing this.

"Sitting is not an option, standing is not an option either."

She pondered for a while, then gritted her teeth and came up with a very creative idea: "Then I can sleep here too!"

???

Li Cheng was stunned, not expecting Susie to say such a thing. He exclaimed, "Holy crap, are you crazy? What are you thinking? Is this something you can just sleep with casually?"

Seeing his strong reaction, Susie scratched her head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "It's alright, it's not too cold today, sleeping on the floor isn't a big problem. Besides, this maid outfit is quite warm, we can always cover ourselves with something else if it gets too cold..."

"Huh? Sleeping on the floor?"

Li Cheng was taken aback; this had touched upon a blind spot in his thinking.

"Yeah, there's only one bed in this room, right? If I don't sleep on the floor, what else can I do..."

Susie blinked innocently, then suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes widening as she stared at Li Cheng: "Do you want me to sleep with you??? I heard from a senior that men always have impure thoughts about their personal maids, but I thought she was just lying to me..."

"Stop!"

Although he had initially misunderstood, Li Cheng firmly waved his hand in denial: "That's not what you're saying! What I just said was that we'd sleep on the floor—I meant that you'd easily catch a cold, and I'd have to pay for your medical expenses. Are you crazy to think of something that would be a lose-lose situation?"

Susie: "Is that so?"

Li Cheng: "I'm not lying to you about how many books I've read; it's easy to catch a cold if you sleep on the floor."

Although the misunderstanding was cleared up, Li Cheng still couldn't understand why the girl insisted on staying to watch him take a nap.

Fortunately, Susie was the type to speak plainly. When Li Cheng asked her why, she explained her thoughts: "Weren't you planning to fire me? I was just thinking of trying a little harder..."

Hey, you're going in the wrong direction! If you were really a maid, deliberately going against me like this would only hasten your being kicked out! Only some scumbag masters would keep you around for some really filthy reason because they're driven by lust!

Why do you still think that way?

Looking at Susie, who was behaving cautiously, Li Cheng pressed his temples with a headache: "Didn't I say before that I didn't fire you? I just don't want you to dress up as a maid anymore. Just dress normally and run errands for me."

Susie shook her head: "But didn't you say you'd done most of what you needed me to do?"