Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

……

Holy Lytania Empire: Chapter 18: Are you the hunter or the prey?

The so-called reception room was actually just a storage room with freshly painted walls.

The room still smelled of lime and sawdust, and a simple wooden table and a few chairs were all the furniture.

A man was sitting upright in a chair, his posture very straight.

He was dressed in a black valet uniform that was pressed without a single wrinkle, and his white-gloved hands rested flat on his knees.

Hearing the door open, he stood up, turned to Lacey at the door, and bowed slightly.

"Good day, Mr. Lacey."

“I am Heinrich, Miss Gertrude Strolow’s page.”

Lacey sized him up.

This is a man around thirty years old, with a thin face, sharp eyes, and a taut jawline.

His manners were impeccable, revealing a deep-seated aristocratic rigor.

“Mr. Heinrich, please have a seat.” Lacey casually pulled out another chair and sat down, gesturing for Serafina to sit beside him.

"Sorry for the waitting."

“It is my honor to have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Lacey.” Heinrich sat down again, his gaze sweeping over Lacey and Serafina before finally settling on Lacey’s face.

"I'm sure Mr. Lacey is already aware of Miss Gertrude's proposal."

“A declining noble family, and an heir eager to take the throne,” Lacey replied directly.

"I'm curious, Miss Gertrude, why do you think our Workers' Party would be a suitable ally for you?"

“Because we have a common enemy,” Heinrich replied.

"Those old forces that are entrenched in Letania, sucking its blood, suppress the living space of commoners, and also stifle the future of capable young nobles like Miss Gertrude."

"Our enemy is the same group of people."

“That sounds nice,” Lacey smiled. “But talk of a common enemy is usually for fools. I want to hear something more concrete.”

"For example, what do you want us to do? And what will we get in return?"

Heinrich leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "My mistress, Miss Gertrude, needs your help to reclaim what rightfully belongs to her—the title of the Strolow family."

"Her brother, Cole Strolow, is a well-known good-for-nothing."

"Alcoholism, gambling, and a penchant for entertainment make his inheritance of the title not only a disgrace to the Strolo family but also an irresponsibility towards the people of Viseheim."

"But the big shots up there like this kind of trash."

"So, you want me to get rid of this piece of trash for you?" Lacey's tone turned serious.

Heinrich did not answer directly, but calmly stated: "Mr. Cole's lifestyle is very unhealthy. He could end his miserable life prematurely at any time due to an accident, such as falling off a horse while drunk, or being accidentally killed in a fight in a tavern."

"The guards at Viseheim will happen to be unable to arrive in time during that period due to a shortage of manpower."

This statement is almost an explicit indication.

They not only wanted the Workers' Party to take action, but they even wrote the script.

"And then?" Lacey leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. "We help you get rid of a nobleman, making us the public enemy of the entire Letanian noble class?"

"And Miss Strolo can then rightfully inherit the title, and then turn around and wipe out us, the murderers of her brother, winning fame and the favor of the adults in one fell swoop."

"Mr. Heinrich, do I look like a fool?"

For the first time, Heinrich's expression changed.

He hadn't expected Lacey to be so direct in breaking the ice.

He quickly composed himself and explained, "Mr. Lacey has misunderstood."

“We are allies, and once it is done, the Strolow family will become the Workers’ Party’s strongest backer.”

“Viseheim will open its doors to the Workers’ Party. You can set up branches there, develop members, and we can also provide you with funds, weapons, and connections.”

“Just empty promises,” Lacey chuckled. “Why should I believe your commitments?”

Heinrich remained silent for a moment, realizing that this leader of the common people was far more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated.

He is not a reckless man who only knows how to incite the masses.

“So, what kind of assurance does Mr. Lacey need?” he asked.

"A guarantee?" Lacey stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the workers sweating profusely on the construction site outside.

"I don't need guarantees; I only believe in what I have in my hands."

He turned to the attendant and said, “You’ve got one thing wrong, Mr. Heinrich. You have no choice, but I do.”

“You!” Heinrich’s expression finally changed.

“Your mistress, Miss Gertrude, has more than just one good-for-nothing brother to worry about.”

"Don't forget how her father died. Do you think those remnants of the Witch King's faction who murdered the old Earl would just stand by and watch her secure her position as head of the family? By eliminating her brother, she will only make herself the next target." Lacey's words were like daggers to the heart.

Heinrich's breath hitched after hearing this.

This was indeed Gertrude's biggest worry.

Lacey slowly walked back to the table, looking down at Heinrich: "We can help her inherit the title, and we can also help her gain a foothold in Viseheim and eliminate those remnants of the Witch King."

"In return, she needs to support all the Workers' Party's actions."

Heinrich was completely stunned by Leisie's sudden change of attitude.

He originally came to recruit a hunting dog, but the other party wanted to become a hunter instead.

"This...this is not something I can decide," he said with some difficulty.

“I know.” Lacey sat down again, her tone softening. “So, I need to talk to your master.”

"Have her come to see me in person."

He paused, then added, "Tell her this is the first test of our collaboration."

“If she doesn’t even have this much courage and sincerity, then our conversation can end now.”

Heinrich stood up and gave Lacey a deep look.

“I will relay your words to Miss Gertrude verbatim.” He bowed again, this time with a much lower posture than before.

"Farewell."

After Heinrich left, Serafina finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

She looked at Lacey and said, "You're betting that the woman's ambition will outweigh her arrogance."

"Politics is a high-stakes gamble."

Lacey picked up the tea that had gone cold from the table and drank it all in one gulp.

“This Miss Gertrude, if she were smart enough, would know that cooperating with us is her only way out.”

"I'm quite looking forward to seeing what kind of outcome I'll reach with this lady."

……

Holy Leitanian Empire: Chapter Nineteen: Pleasant Cooperation

A few days later, at the construction site in the slums.

Lacey had just climbed out of a ditch that was more than a meter deep.

He took off his mud-covered rough cloth shirt, revealing his muscular upper body. Sweat dripped down the lines of his muscles, a sight that made Serafina blush.

"Boss! Have some water!" came the loud voice of blacksmith Taylor from the side, who tossed over a water bag.

Lacey caught it, unscrewed the cap, and tilted her head back to gulp down several mouthfuls.

"Damn, I can't believe it, you're the one leading this job." Taylor walked over and plopped down on a nearby mound of dirt, his own head covered in sweat.

"I've lived for over forty years, seen lords, officers, and those gentlemen who spout platitudes about benevolence and morality, but I've never seen a big shot personally come down to dig sewers."

“I’m not some big shot.” ​​Lacey smiled and wiped the mud off her face with her sleeve.

The workers around them laughed good-naturedly when they heard their conversation.

In the past few days, they have gotten used to this legendary leader working with them, eating with them, and making lewd remarks during breaks.

This feeling was strange; it made them feel that Lacey wasn't so much a high and mighty leader as a trustworthy older brother.

That's why, when he proposed some plans that seemed far-fetched to the workers, such as building public toilets and sewage systems, they were willing to follow him even though they didn't understand them.

Because they saw with their own eyes that Lacey was the first person to pick up a shovel.

At that moment, a young member of the Workers' Party ran quickly to Lacey and whispered a few words in his ear.

Lacey's smile faded. He nodded and said to Taylor, "Taylor, I'll leave this to you for now. I have something to take care of."

"Go ahead and don't worry, boss!" Taylor assured him, patting his chest.

……

Salem, in the study of the Earl's mansion.

Countess Lenia, holding a glass of red wine, gazed with great interest through the floor-to-ceiling window at the bustling construction site in the slums in the distance.

Herman, the butler, stood three steps behind her.

“What an interesting man,” she said, swirling her wine glass.

"Instead of paying me a visit, he went to the slums and spent three days digging sewers with a bunch of peasants."

"Hellman, what do you think he's trying to do? Is he putting on a show for those lowly people? Does he think he can win people's hearts with this cheap act?"

The butler, Herman, bowed and replied, "Miss, I think Mr. Lacey is perhaps consolidating his power base."

"After all, those commoners are the source of his power. Mr. Lacey is not a nobleman, he has no family or fiefdom, and he can only rely on such behavior to gain the support of those people."

“Support?” Lenia chuckled, turned around, and placed the teacup on the desk beside her.

"What's the value of the support of a mob?"

Her gaze fell on a piece of intelligence that had just been delivered to her on the table.

"Her Majesty the Queen has commended the presiding judge, Alistair, praising his wise judgment."

Lenia picked up the paper with her long, slender fingers and said with a hint of amusement, "Hellman, what do you think?"

The butler paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, "Does this mean... that Her Majesty the Queen is also tacitly approving Mr. Lacey's actions?"

Instead of answering directly, Lenia asked, "Who helped our Empress ascend to that throne?"

"Yes... Electors."

"That's right, it's a weapon jointly recommended by the electors in order to overthrow the rule of the Witch King."

"After a weapon has fulfilled its mission, what do you think its situation will become?"

Hermann's breath hitched slightly. He didn't answer, but the answer was obvious.

“This is so similar to the situation of that little girl named Gertrude in Viseheim,” Lenia saw it clearly.

"My father was murdered, my family business was coveted, I was hampered by an incompetent older brother, and I had a hostile enemy watching me from the outside."

"They all sit in a position that seems glorious, but is actually a place of constant anxiety, with enemies both inside and outside."

She turned to the butler, who seemed to have just realized what was happening, and said with a smile, "At a time like this, with the emergence of such a variable as Lacey, what do you think our Empress will do?"

“She will…use him.” Hermann finally understood, “use him to deal with those powerful old nobles, use him to disrupt the Electors’ chessboard.”

"It seems that Her Majesty the Queen's thoughts coincide with yours," the butler added.

“No, there is a difference.” Lenia shook her head.

As soon as she finished speaking, a servant quietly entered, holding a visiting card in both hands, and respectfully handed it over.

“Your Excellency, Mr. Lacey, leader of the Leitanian Workers’ Party, requests an audience with you.”

Lenia accepted the visiting card and smiled.

Tell him I'll be there soon.