"Ms. Maggie, please come back with us and assist in the investigation."
A prosecutor spoke politely in front of Maggie and gestured for her to come in.
Several hairdressers and waiters were similarly told they were being taken away to assist in the investigation, and Maggie was just one of them.
Suddenly, Maggie rushed to the side and appeared in front of Lu Ming and the noble lady. She didn't know when a shiny razor appeared in her hand. She reached out to grab the noble lady, shouting, "Don't move." She pointed the razor at the neck of the noble lady in her arms.
Unexpectedly, she cried out in pain, but the hostage in her arms twisted her wrist and pushed her to the ground.
The lady's face had already turned pale. She was clearly grabbed by the wrist by this lunatic and was about to be pulled into her arms. She was screaming when she was gently pushed aside by a force.
The one who subdued Maggie was the blackhead who had been standing beside Lu Ming.
Lu Ming looked at Maggie, who was handcuffed with a blank expression, and shook his head. He felt that many of these extremist organizations and their associated people were smart people. Although there were several people who were to be taken away for investigation, not just her, Maggie quickly realized that something was wrong.
Suddenly, many burly Western men came into the store and surrounded the lady.
They even nearly came into conflict with the prosecutors and detectives who were trying to stop them. Moreover, they were all extremely arrogant. Only after being scolded by the noble lady did these Western bodyguards retreat obediently, but they surrounded the noble lady and left.
Lu Ming also waved his hand, telling his men not to stop them.
Obviously, this noble lady is not an ordinary aristocratic woman.
…
This was Lu Ming's first time visiting Christine's manor.
The interrogation of Maggie has yielded no results, and an in-depth investigation into the network of relationships behind her is underway.
Mrs. Bucklo is also a frequent visitor to "The Beauty of the East China Sea". Although it seems to be a very normal thing, Lu Ming still ordered the investigation team to secretly conduct a detailed investigation on Mrs. Bucklo.
The plan to go back to Sansha was put on hold for the time being. Lu Ming planned to attend the municipal meeting in the first half of April on the 15th before going to Sansha.
At this time, yesterday afternoon, the office received a call from the Minister of Secret Code of Tulip Manor, Miss Christine, inviting Councillor Lu Qianxing to visit the manor tomorrow.
Tulip Manor is Christine's residence. As for the Minister of Secret Code and so on, it should be a traditional title for some stewards in the manor. Nowadays, people in the manor usually call themselves that. It is also a way for traditional nobles to reminisce the past. I don't know why this "Minister of Secret Code" used the title of Minister of Secret Code when he called his own office.
I thought I had become somewhat good at playing tennis, and my physical strength has been getting stronger recently. I also wanted to arrange a game of tennis with Christine before going to Sansha again.
However, he did not expect that it would be such a formal meeting. It was different from the previous appointments for dinner and play. The "Secret Minister" directly contacted his office to confirm the itinerary, which was a very formal and official act.
The Tulip Manor is located in the suburbs of the West District. This land is extremely valuable and probably covers tens of thousands of acres. Even a tributary of a river belongs to the Tulip Manor.
After all, before the era of great reclamation several hundred years ago, the entire East China Sea belonged to the Duke family of East China Sea.
The manor has deep courtyards, forests and lakes coexisting, and countless ancient castles hidden among them.
Riding in an extremely luxurious snow-white horse carriage to tour the place, Lu Ming could only shake his head in his heart. He had lived in this place since he was a child, and he had all these things. So what was money? The thinking of the real top aristocrats was indeed unattainable for the grassroots.
However, the carriage did not take him to any luxurious banquet hall, but instead stopped beside a river.
A beautiful blonde in an exquisite maid's outfit had been waiting on the side. After kneeling to greet him, she led Lu Ming along a dreamy path lined with flowers. When they turned around the path, they saw a small pavilion beside a gurgling stream, with a few figures vaguely visible inside.
When he got closer, Lu Ming was slightly stunned. In addition to the maid, there were two noble women sitting in the pavilion. Both of them were wearing extremely gorgeous puffy skirts. The hems of the skirts were exaggeratedly stretched out so that people could be hidden inside. One of them was a graceful and beautiful lady, and it was Christine. She was wearing a gorgeous and exaggerated puffy skirt that blended snow-white and light purple. The high-waisted purple tulle was layered, overlapping to create a light and dreamy feeling. The several layers of tulle skirt were clearly layered, making Christine look as noble and elegant as a white swan.
Lu Ming was slightly stunned when he saw her. His mother was still very beautiful.
I used to regard my mother as an elder, but today I suddenly discovered that she is actually very charming and beautiful. Her noble and inviolable majesty adds to her indescribable charm.
Looking at Christine's side again, Lu Ming's face fell a little.
It's like she's sitting on a fat pig, and she's wearing the same long skirt as Christine, but the waist must be specially made for her. But no matter how hard she tightens it, her fat and thick waist doesn't look slim at all.
The fat woman turned around and Lu Ming was startled. It was the noble lady in the barber shop.
The lady's face was full of flesh and she was smiling like a flower. "Yes, yes, yes, it was this young man. It was him who saved my life."
Christine chuckled: “As soon as you said it, I knew it was this little guy.”
Lu Ming took two steps forward and saluted with his hand on his chest, "Mrs. Christine, this distinguished lady! It is an honor to meet two noble ladies!"
"Haha, you're really good at talking!" The fat woman pointed to the seat next to her, "Come on, sit down!"
"Thank you, ma'am!" Lu Ming still sat on the slightly lower Western chair a little further away from the pavilion.
The Fat Lady smiled at Christine and said, “It seems that the rumors are false. This kid is not that close to you. He doesn’t even want to sit with us!”
Christine didn't bother to pay attention to her. She looked at Lu Ming and said, "This is Lady Windsor, the wife of the Grand Duke of Falkland in the imperial capital." Seeing Lu Ming's expression, she knew that he didn't know who was who. "Your Windsor College in Beiguan was founded by Lady Windsor's ancestor a hundred years ago."
Lu Ming suddenly realized that she was the princess of the imperial capital.
Lu Ming really didn't care about the situation in the imperial capital. For him now, he couldn't even figure out the complicated relationships among the powerful people in East China Sea, let alone the imperial capital, which was too far away.
But when it comes to Beiguan Windsor College, you will know that the Windsor family is currently at its peak. A woman in the family even married a prince who was granted the title of Grand Duke more than ten years ago.
Being able to be conferred the title of Grand Duke makes him a very important prince to the current royal family.
After all, there are not many grand dukedoms left in the royal family's hands, and they are in the recycling stage.
A hundred years ago, many titles were abolished by Parliament.
Of course, according to the tradition of Middle-earth, the Grand Duke of Falkland is more like a prince in name only, while the Grand Duke of East China Sea is a real prince with a fiefdom.
According to the Middle-earth tradition, this Lady Windsor can be considered a princess.
Lu Ming smiled at Mrs. Windsor: "So it's Princess Windsor, I'm sorry."
"You are my savior. I have to thank you very much!" Mrs. Windsor said with a smile, "I didn't expect that we are a family. That's great."
Lu Ming knew that although it was Heitou who rescued her, in her eyes, black slaves were not considered human beings. How could she be rescued by a lowly black slave
So, naturally it was the owner of the blackheads, that is, herself, who helped her.
As for her insisting on calling me her "lifesaver" or something like that, there's no need for me to be humble and explain that it's not a lifesaver or something like that, as if it's a big deal just because she's being polite.
"What an outstanding brother!" Lady Windsor's plump face was full of admiration. She added, "Chris, it seems that he is the future Privy Council Minister you have chosen?"
Christine smiled: "He, you want to command him? This little guy has his own ideas, and he has a lot of ghosts in his mind. I don't know what he wants to do. I will be very grateful if you don't beat me to death in the future!"
Lu Ming's heart trembled. Many people tell jokes, but in fact, they often reveal their true thoughts.
However, it is certain that no matter what happens, I will not do anything bad to Christine's mother in the future.
"Throughout the ages, capable people have always been like this!" A cunning light flashed in Mrs. Windsor's eyes, and she looked at Lu Ming a few more times.
Lu Ming suddenly asked curiously: "The Privy Council?"
Lady Windsor smiled and said, "Brother, you can't do this. Chris will be granted the title of Earl of Berkshire tomorrow and officially become the crown prince. How come you don't know anything about this?"
Lu Ming was stunned. Earl Bai Hanli was the most fundamental title of the Duke of Donghai's family.
Berhanli is the old name of the West District. The former Earl of Berhanli means that all the land in the West District of East China Sea belongs to this earl.
In the Duke of Donghai's family, Earl Bohanli is both the Grand Duke and the steward. Only when the successor is determined, will Earl Bohanli grant the successor the title of heir, which truly confirms the title of crown prince.
"Sir, congratulations!" Lu Ming smiled and was sincerely happy for Christine.
Then I thought, no wonder the stewards of Tulip Manor would communicate with my office in the name of the Minister of Secret Codex. So that's why.
"Why do you still call me Your Excellency? That's too distant." Lady Windsor smiled. "Brother, you and I hit it off right away. How about this? According to the tradition of the people of Central China, isn't it possible to become sworn brothers and sisters? You call me sister and brother, right? How about I acknowledge you as my brother? From now on, you can call me sister, and you can call Chris sister, or you can call her aunt according to seniority. I have to call her aunt according to seniority, but we have always been sisters."
Lu Ming was stunned, completely unprepared.
Mrs. Windsor curled her lips and said, "Why? I know you are very capable and proud. You are young, not even 20 years old, but you have already beaten all those big lawyers, both white and red. You are also a councillor and municipal commissioner of Beiguan. But this is just your appearance. In fact, your current wealth, not counting the oil field in the West Region, is almost over 100 million. However, the bank debt is also 80 to 90 million, and this is only a short year. In fact, you don’t have any background. Some outsiders think that you are someone supported by Chris, but in fact, you are not. You are really a monster. So, you look down on your sister, right?"
Lu Ming immediately broke out in cold sweat on his forehead.
This fat Windsor looks like an arrogant and brainless noblewoman, but surprisingly, she is actually a powerful person.
You really can't judge a person by his appearance.
She is not like Christine. Christine respects herself, so she will not investigate herself secretly.
But she had obviously checked herself thoroughly.
Although, what she found was not all, she should have investigated herself recently and it did not take her much time.
If she is really given time to dig deeper, she will definitely be able to dig out more things.
Mrs. Windsor smiled again: "You little devil, you think you can stay out of the bloody storm that is coming. Especially, if those people investigate you like I do, they will definitely think you are Chris's financial planner. Will they let you go? Now, why don't you call me sister? There are many things that I can help you hide!"
“Why do you want to scare him?” Christine frowned slightly. “This little guy has a strange temper. You can’t scare him.”
Mrs. Windsor smiled and said, "Young sister, you are distressed, right?"
Kristine was too lazy to pay attention to her. She looked at Lu Ming and was a little helpless: “You guy, I really can’t think of it. Windsor told me and scared me.”
Lu Ming scratched his head and said, "You didn't ask, and I didn't lie to you on purpose."
Christine nodded and looked at him: "Okay, then let me ask you now, how much gold and silver have you collected?!"
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment, thinking about it. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Christine had already smiled and said, "Forget it, give me a surprise later." He looked at the stream and sighed softly, "Once you enter the Marquis's house, it's like entering a deep sea. You have a lot of things to think about. Is it worth entering these terrible whirlpools?"
Lu Ming nodded slightly.
"Tsk!" Mrs. Windsor curled her lips, "It's boring."
Lu Ming smiled at her: "Sister, let's become sworn brothers!"
Mrs. Windsor was startled for a moment, then she laughed happily: "Brother, I knew I was right about you!" She stood up even more excitedly: "It seems like you want an incense burner or something, right? Chris, if you don't have it here, go ask someone to buy the best one!"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Sister, the most important thing in sworn brotherhood is to know each other's hearts. We can just pray to God!"
"Well, then let's pray to God!" Mrs. Windsor laughed in a hoarse voice, which hurt people's eardrums.
Lu Ming didn't expect that when it came to swearing brotherhood, Mrs. Windsor was very serious. She knelt down and swore the oath she had taught. She swore very seriously and kowtowed three times so hard that her forehead was red and swollen.
It was extremely inconvenient for her to do these movements in her exaggerated puffy skirt, but she pushed the maids who wanted to help aside and worked herself into a sweat.
Lu Ming also swore solemnly. When he stood up and looked at Mrs. Windsor again, he felt something different in his heart.
"Come on, everyone. Let's talk as siblings!" Mrs. Windsor waved her hand, and the maids all left.
Mrs. Windsor talked about all sorts of things, one moment she asked her brother about the oil field and how he got the title deed, the next she talked about the situation in the imperial capital.
Lu Ming just listened in most of the time, but gradually he got the general idea.
It seems that Lady Windsor came from the imperial capital to work as a lobbyist.
The situation in the imperial capital is very chaotic now.
It's mainly a fight for the throne, and it's very different from before.
The main competition is between the two heirs, and since both sides have the support of military figures, civil war is likely to break out.
Because this struggle for imperial power was not just a struggle for power, but also a fierce conflict of imperial political ideas.
In the imperial capital and the areas where Westerners gather, they are very dissatisfied with the fact that the Central Continental areas represented by the East China Sea are becoming increasingly wealthy and that because of autonomy and elections, those areas are becoming more and more autonomous for the Central Continental people, while the privileges of Westerners are being increasingly weakened.
The supporters of the first-in-line heir are all conservatives.
Especially in Donghai, the empire's richest metropolitan area, when the first Central Continental person became the local chief judge, the news spread to the imperial capital and caused an uproar.
The second in line to the throne, his supporters are actually more radical on ethnic issues.
It is very likely that this change of imperial power will lead to a brutal civil war in the Federal Empire.
Lady Windsor's faction supports the third heir. According to an ancient prophecy, this heir will be born when the empire is most in danger of division.
According to the ancient prophecy, this heir should be the first in line to the throne.
But the powerful people in today's imperial capital no longer believe in prophecies. With the advancement of technology today, some of the teachings of our ancestors are no longer relevant.
This heir does not have many supporters and almost no real power.
Lady Windsor wanted to persuade the lineage of the Duke of East China Sea to support the heir and resolve the most serious crisis in the empire in hundreds of years.
Especially this heir, according to ancient tradition, has a special contractual relationship with the lineage of the Duke of Donghai.
However, the Duke of Donghai has always remained neutral and has been slow to express his stance on the increasingly fierce power struggle in the imperial capital.
Lady Windsor and her group placed their hopes on Princess Christine.
As he listened, Lu Ming rubbed his nose. It turned out that his sister wanted to become sworn brothers with him just to get closer to Christine.
Listening to Mrs. Windsor's long and rambling speech, Christine sighed, "It's really inconvenient for me to say anything, but Windsor, don't worry, His Highness's safety will be assured in the East China Sea."
Mrs. Windsor shook her head: "Chris, when the dust settles, do you think that if His Highness were to go into exile in the East China Sea, would your Tulip Castle be able to protect him?"
Christine was silent and picked up the cup to drink tea.
Mrs. Windsor looked at Lu Ming and smiled, "Brother, you are a genius, don't you think this is true? Even if we want to be neutral, we have to have the capital to be neutral, right?"
Lu Ming agreed in his heart, but he couldn't say anything at this time.
Lady Windsor shook her head. "The East China Sea is no longer something that can be represented by the Tulip Castle. All kinds of parties and political forces, when faced with a crisis, do you still want to go there? Mobilize the militia to defend the king? How difficult is that?"
Lady Windsor glanced at Lu Ming and suddenly smiled: "Brother, you are making trouble in Jiangning Province, right? Why not drive that old fool Chaxon away? He is almost becoming a joke. Only Chris still remembers the old times. If you drive him away, I will help you or your confidant to become the governor. They have been guarding against the barbarians in the North. There must be a lot of troops there, right? They are all from Central China. You can make friends with them, grasp them in your hands, and practice well. When the day comes when the real plan is revealed, it will also be our capital!"
Lu Ming was stunned.
Christine already frowned: “Windsor, what are you talking about?”
Mrs. Windsor chuckled: "I said it was too early, didn't I?"
Lu Ming was even more stunned. He looked at Christine who was drinking tea calmly from the cup and was speechless for a moment.
I really seem to be a child.
My mother tempted me to go to Jiangning by saying that she wanted to become a steel tycoon. Could it be that she had other intentions
This world is too complicated, I'd better go back to my previous life.