My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Vera tied her long hair up with a black ribbon and asked with considerable curiosity, "Lady Exos, why do we need to use this newcomer? He's just started working and probably doesn't have any experience in hiding his identity."

"It's alright. Even if someone with ulterior motives discovers our actions, the outcome won't be bad."

Although Vera didn't know Echoes' true identity, she had some complicated connections with the Wincher family, so Wayne wasn't too cold towards her.

Vera's eyes widened, slightly bewildered.

"Isn't our mission to secretly search for evidence of al-Shabaab members conspiring to rebel?"

The "Youth Party" in the capital has recently gained notoriety, its main members being sons of middle and lower-ranking nobles with exceptional magical talent. The city guard has already identified several key figures, and Hyman Agnes, who had previously been in contact with Wayne, is one of its leaders.

"No, we're here to frame someone."

Wayne said it openly and honestly.

"!" Vera almost thought she had misheard, and for a moment she didn't realize whether he was joking.

"Lord Bulwer has decided to show His Majesty the King the result he desires," Wayne said with a slight smile. "At the same time, he also hopes to convey this message to others."

Although their plan to win over Wayne failed, this setback did not deter the ambitious young people. They continued to gather a group of promising nobles and carry out numerous propaganda activities.

The king was beginning to resent these young people who, under the guise of righteousness, were making appeals everywhere, attempting to influence public opinion and interfere with the sacred and inviolable power in his hands.

Long before the operation began, enough evidence to land them in jail had already been prepared. Vera only needed to appear at the right time and place to reap the rewards she desired.

Having finally figured out the intricacies behind it all, Vera showed a look of sympathy.

"Don't worry, Lord Bulwer will at most lock them up for a few days to teach them a lesson, and in the end, he will let them go leniently." Wayne understood the king's instructions very well. "His Majesty the King does not intend to do anything to these people at the moment, after all, they are all exceptionally talented magicians and pillars of the kingdom's future."

For a stubborn man like King George II, he certainly knew how to appreciate talented people, but he only needed people who could stand on his side.

Even Aikos was no exception.

Wayne sighed inwardly. The more he learned about the king, the more he realized that it hadn't been easy for Duke Elliott to deal with His Majesty for so many years.

Upon spotting March's figure in the distance, the two who were talking immediately stopped talking.

“Go ahead, I’ll support you from the shadows.” Wayne watched Vera walk toward March.

Finding key evidence is a merit. And with merit comes the right to be rewarded.

By taking this opportunity to push March a step further, Wayne can find a way to get him into a more important field, killing two birds with one stone.

This idea didn't arise without reason. Recently, news has surfaced that His Majesty plans to establish a separate agency to manage publishing houses, requiring all newspapers and magazines to be reviewed by royal officials before publication. This is because the activities of the "Youth Party" have gradually gained momentum, finally giving His Majesty a pretext to intervene.

The Wincher family has always been very astute. They established a self-censorship system when Leaf Publishing was founded and have never accepted inflammatory submissions. On the surface, this has not had much impact on them.

However, everything has two sides, and Wayne had to prepare in advance.

Chapter 632 A New Fat Spot Appears

On an ordinary afternoon, March finally realized that his fate had once again undergone some unpredictable change.

The first person to realize this was actually the troublemaker who had always been at odds with him.

That guy used to give me attitude a lot, relying on his elders being high-ranking leaders in the city guard, and even talked back to me in public. But ever since he met with the high-ranking official sent by the city guard headquarters, his attitude towards me has suddenly changed completely.

Not only did they stop bothering me, they even made a special trip to apologize to me.

Now, whenever we meet on the road, he stops and greets me loudly, a stark contrast to his previous disdainful attitude.

March was puzzled by this unusual situation for a while, but a transfer order from headquarters finally answered his questions.

March was promoted by headquarters for his meritorious service in assisting the special team.

Congratulations on your promotion!

On this day, the director of the patrol department personally hosted a dinner party, which made Ma Qi feel quite flattered.

There were only the director's uncle and nephew, and March at the table.

"No, no, I was just doing my job well, and I'm also grateful for the Director's guidance." Ma Qi was perceptive enough to understand.

"Oh, don't mention it! Gold will always shine~" The director of the patrol department smiled kindly.

If March hadn't witnessed his cold-blooded attitude and casual scolding of subordinates, he probably would have genuinely thought this was a very friendly and enthusiastic boss.

Thinking of this, he lowered his eyes and took a sip of the specially warmed wine in his glass.

The taste is mellow and rich, completely different from the inferior wines I used to drink.

Seeing that he seemed to understand, the director felt relieved. Once the three at the table were quite tipsy, he finally spoke softly, asking, "Speaking of which, do you know who those two officials who came to see you that day were?"

March shook his head.

He had no connections within the city guard, and even his identity and background were fake, so he didn't know where to start if he wanted to find out more information.

The director then beckoned to him, signaling him to come closer.

A moment later, March's eyes widened as he looked at the director in astonishment.

The director just smiled and remained silent.

March couldn't help but raise his glass and gulp down a large mouthful of wine. The warmth rising from his stomach slightly suppressed the goosebumps on the back of his neck.

Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but he couldn't tell whether he felt surprise or fear at that moment.

"I...I only helped with the most insignificant little thing, just did what I was supposed to do..."

This recognition from such an important person came way too quickly!

The director waved his hand and jokingly pinched his thumb and forefinger together, saying, "Even if we can share the burden of the adults with the smallest of things, it is our greatest honor! Don't underestimate yourselves."

He patted March on the shoulder forcefully. "From the first time I saw you, I knew you were destined for great things!"

Ha, you clearly didn't even remember me before.

March resisted the urge to expose this hypocrisy, and just smiled innocently, appearing completely guileless.

"Come on! There are no superiors or subordinates at the dinner table. Consider this a small token of my farewell to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man next to him, who had received a signal, pushed a thick stack of envelopes over and stuffed them into his hand without saying a word.

"Brother! The unpleasantness we had before was all because I was confused. Please don't take it to heart."

“I’ve had this problem since I was a child: I don’t think before I act. Otherwise, given my uncle’s position, he wouldn’t have bothered to put me in such a lowly place. He was just afraid that I would offend people without thinking, and he wanted to temper my temperament.”

The young man seemed completely open and honest, and his expression showed no sign of reluctance.

"Consider this drink my apology. If you ever need anything, just come to me! I can't speak for others, but I know quite a few people in this patrol office. Maybe I can come in handy sometime and help you solve some minor troubles."

March looked down at the envelope in his hand; its heavy weight seemed to entrust everything unspoken to it.

Perhaps this is a fortune he never even dreamed of having in his life.

March put the envelope in his pocket.

……

The pale moonlight filtered through the leaves and spilled onto the road, making the chill even more intense.

Having drunk too much, and still feeling tipsy, a gust of night wind jolted March awake as if he had suddenly woken from a deep dream.

After a moment of stunned silence, he took out the thick letter from his pocket.

By the dim moonlight, he finally managed to count the huge denominations of the stack of banknotes inside.

Long, long ago, he also thought about saving up some money to buy a place of his own in the bustling capital, marry a woman he loved, and live a life free from worries about food and clothing.

Now, all of this seems to be within easy reach.

Yet the object in his hand had never felt so unreal to him before.

It turns out that my past dreams were so easily achieved...

He recalled what his superior had said to him at the dinner table.

"His Majesty has decided to establish a new agency to oversee the review of all books, newspapers, and magazines published in the kingdom. To help them adapt to their work more quickly, some of them will be drawn from the civilian staff of the city guard. The new agency will be under the administration of the Minister of Culture."

The director paused meaningfully, "Do you know what this means?"

March knew almost nothing about the movements of the kingdom's high command, so he could only shake his head.

"This means that a new, huge piece of meat has appeared."

Compared to the important positions of Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and Home Minister, the Minister of Culture has always been a nobody, often caught in the crossfire of various high-level conflicts.

But times have changed. With a single decree from His Majesty the King, the Minister of Culture's authority has expanded to an unprecedented level. Every family operating in related industries now needs to curry favor with this direct superior.

"When a department is newly established, it will inevitably be short-staffed. Once you join, you'll be a veteran and key member."

"But I... am just a third-rate magician..."

"Hahaha—" the director laughed heartily, "Young man, why haven't you figured it out yet! Once you have power in your hands, what does magic matter?"

"If you are given an important position, you can command countless mages stronger than you to risk their lives for you with just a word." Judging from his flushed face and terrifyingly burning eyes, he was clearly drunk.

"When the time comes, don't hesitate to lend a hand to your old friend if it's just a small favor."

"..."

Those unrestrained words still echo in my mind, as if the days of prosperity are just around the corner.

How wonderful it would be if I were just a poor country bumpkin who had stumbled upon good fortune and happened to be appreciated by my superiors.

"Sigh." March sighed deeply.

Chapter 633 The Genius Who Courts Death

Shocking! The Royal Publishing Administration has been established in the capital, and His Majesty the King personally delivered a speech!

Wayne silently put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at Chris beside him.

"Aren't sensationalist headlines becoming a bit too prevalent lately? At least seven out of ten newspapers use the exact same headline."

Chris fiddled with the small cards in her hand, replying casually, "New trends always attract a lot of followers. However, when the next wave of trends arrives, outdated things will naturally be eliminated."

Hey, isn't that a bit too cruel?

It's currently peak season for various student organizations, and only a few people are sitting in the Lily Club's activity room.

"What are you doing?" Wayne glanced at her curiously.

She raised two fingers, facing backwards, and posed as if taking a camera, framing Wayne's head in the center of her vision.

"Wayne, do you think there's a kind of magic that can turn the scene before our eyes into a picture?"

Are you sure you want to do this with magic?

After a two-second pause, Wayne summoned a small amount of earth elemental power and, through precise control, "drawn" a blurry, abstract human figure.

"Something like this?"

"what is this?"

"you."

"..." If Chris had something handy on her desk, Wayne would probably have been knocked out by now.

Seeing her dissatisfied expression, Wayne dispersed his elemental power and said helplessly, "I can't draw, or maybe we should find some mages who can draw?"

"Oh dear, that's not what I meant!"

After a brief moment of frustration, Chris quickly resumed her smug humming, "You wouldn't understand~ I'll give you a surprise once I figure it out."

Wayne shook his head and looked at another newspaper.

To stay informed about current events, Wayne used Lily Society funds to subscribe to many emerging newspapers and magazines. These included not only those under his own name, but also those from the Edgeworth family and even some lesser-known tabloids.

Originally, reading such inexpensive, popular items didn't quite fit the supposedly noble style of the Lily Society members. However, now that Wayne was the president, no one dared to openly question his decisions. Moreover, with His Majesty the King increasingly emphasizing this and establishing an organization to manage it, those with ulterior motives gradually noticed the shift in the political climate.

Tsk, such are the petty thoughts among nobles, and they can't be avoided even in academy.

This newspaper, which usually focuses on everyday life, published a story about Mrs. Cherry being moved to tears by poor children at a charity gala and generously donating money.

Lady Cherry shed tears of sorrow, saying: "I hope that one day the people of the kingdom will no longer suffer from cold or hunger. This is the shared wish of His Majesty the King and his ministers..."

Has Mrs. Cherry been attending many parties lately?

“Yes, she’s working very hard. After all, she’s His Majesty’s bedmate, so some people can’t help but start flattering and fawning over her,” Chris replied casually.

"Her reputation among high-society women has also improved?"

"Hmm... at least no one will give her a hard time to her face anymore, does that count as a promotion?"