The bluestone is the road, and the ancient meaning seeps out from the slightly damp stone cracks. It is moistened on the old-fashioned plastered walls around it. With the warm wind under the feet, it is hard to be born in this cold capital winter, and the Liufeng Slope will be changed. It has become a garden in spring and autumn. Following the deliberately carved and absolutely natural bluestone road, he walked under the corridor for a long time. Xu Le pushed open the door in front of him by himself, and saw Mrs. Tai who was sitting on the golden half-couch pushing tea with a wooden ruler.
We have only met once, but Xu Le has never forgotten the impression of the most powerful woman in the Federation. The calm and ordinary appearance of this middle-aged woman is like a wall, covering all the great rivers and mountains in her heart, and as long as she is If you are willing, Jiangshan Fenghua will spit out, crushing everything in front of you.
"Come on." Mrs. Tai smiled and looked at Xu Le, noting that the young man still had no epaulettes on his military uniform, and that the palms exposed outside the sleeves were neither tightly held nor openly open, but cautious. It was like holding two raw eggs.
Xu Le nodded, walked to his wife and stood still.
Mrs. Tai's mental state is very good today, and her calm and gentle face exudes a layer of luster. The troubles in the federation are now resolved. The grand plan she designed will be unfolded page by page. In this state of mind, in front of her. The boy with small eyes also became much more pleasing to her eyes.
"Listen to Minister Zou, you are now an official captain officer of the General Assembly Base of the Ministry of National Defense."
This is not an interrogative sentence. Mrs. Tai tapped the wooden ruler lightly, and two beautiful ladies with long dresses dragging the floor turned out from behind the screen. She took away the tea utensils beside her. She turned to Xu Le, motioned him to sit down, and continued. Gently said: "In this case, you should not go back to Baishui Company."
Hearing this sentence, Xu Le's brows trembled slightly. Madam quietly paid attention to every trace of his expression, but thought he was worried about other issues, and explained with a smile: "I know you like Jian Shui'er, but with your credit and status this time, how could you possibly return it? To be someone else's bodyguard?"
Madam's well-maintained hands slowly overlapped on her lap, calmly looking at Xu Le who was silent, the brocade at the cuffs shone slightly. Mrs. Tai is the only person in the universe who knows Xu Le's true origin, so when she said the three words Jian Shui'er, her tone actually contained a hint of mockery, but Xu Le didn't feel it.
Because she knew Xu Le, Mrs. Tai thought that she could completely control him, and because she could control him, she would have the leisure to judge. After several months of judging, Xu Le made great efforts in the presidential election and showed his ability and strength. , Whether it was the development of the new mecha or the materials that finally ousted Medellin from power, Madam had an appreciation for this young man.
"Regarding the matter of the Federal Academy of Sciences, you have done a bit too much, so I pressed you for a few days." Mrs. Tai looked at him quietly, pushed a file bag beside her hand, and continued: "Go to the engineering department. Or the research institute, depending on your personal thoughts, the promotion order from the Ministry of Defense is coming soon.”
Xu Le hesitated for a moment, then took out the document bag and opened it, taking a careful look. In the file bag were several awards letters that had been electronically signed by the relevant federal departments and a meeting minutes. He said softly, a little absentmindedly, "Lieutenant Colonel?"
He was originally just a second lieutenant civilian officer. Because he assisted the Nutshell Engineering Department in researching MX mechs, he was granted the authority of the final assembly base and the rank of captain by the Ministry of Defense. However, he never thought that he could be promoted to lieutenant colonel so easily in today's feast.
Will the twenty-year-old lieutenant colonel, how many people in the history of the Federation? Even in the years when Beacon Fire was even three-star, it was difficult for him to leapfrog the ranks with his impressive military exploits. In an instant, Xu Le was silent. This was probably the reward for the entitlement. In the distribution of the interests of the Federation, the lady gave herself a very full return, which also showed that the lady was really ready to cultivate herself.
"You are powerful. The little lunatics of the Li family are all lieutenant colonels. Since you have defeated him, of course you can't be lower than him." Madam said calmly.
"Lieutenant Colonel Li Feng was promoted because of his military exploits on the Xilin frontline." Xu Le shook his head and said.
"President Seagal and the military all remember your achievements in the Federation very clearly. You don't need to be humble." Mrs. Tai said, "Nuthu should promote you to the first-level technical director, so you can do it well in the future."
Mrs. Tai's tone was very normal and natural. Whether it was the rank of 20-year-old lieutenant colonel, which was rarely seen in the federal military, or the prominent position of the first-level technical director of the Nutshell Company, in her words, it was like onions should be purple. Still as simple as red. For the most mysterious and most terrifying Patriarch of the Seven Great Families in the Federation, even the change of the President of the Federation is something that can be influenced, not to mention the two positions that a young man must pass in his glorious life. .
Xu Le was silent for a long time. After a long time, he raised his head, looked at his wife's face seriously, and asked, "Are you trying to arrange my life?"
"It's just a suggestion, just like my suggestion to many people." Madam looked at him seriously and said, "Our generation will eventually grow old. You are different, and the source is different. He will be in the Federation in the future. I need a partner like you."
Mrs. Tai showed enough sincerity to say such words to such a small person as Xu Le. It was probably due to some of the qualities that Xu Le showed in the story of more than a year, which made the lady believe that her son It should be very lucky to have such a partner or subordinate.
However, a long time ago, Xu Le directly rejected Tai Zhiyuan's request to invite him into Tai's house. For some very simple and direct reasons, he refused again, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not used to being asked by others. to arrange your own life.”
Mrs. Tai narrowed her eyes and said, "As far as I know, although you are stubborn, you have never been a pedantic person."
"I refused before because I wanted to ensure that my friendship with Tai Zhiyuan would not change. Now it is clear that my friendship with him will not last a lifetime." Xu Le organized his own words and explained quietly, "I refuse now because of I have a hard time accepting the way you and the people you represent at this level act."
Madam didn't say anything, just looked at Xu Le quietly, wondering what this seemingly fearless young man wanted to say.
Xu Le didn't speak immediately, because he knew that once he spoke, he might anger the lady in front of him. He was silent for a long time, then took a deep breath and said bravely: "I always thought that people like Medellin should be tried by federal law, but now that Madam's attitude is different from mine, then our previous cooperation The relationship has only come to an end.”
During the morning tea at Mochou Houshan, Xu Le once said to Shen Li that the relationship between him and the Tai family could only be mutual cooperation. Mrs. Tai listened to him repeating it, and couldn't help smiling. With a hint of indifference, he said slowly, "My child, there are many people who are qualified to cooperate with me in the Federation, but you are definitely not included."
"I understand." Xu Le lowered his eyes slightly, stared at his shiny military boots, and said word by word, "So please take back this file bag, Madam."
Mrs. Tai looked at him quietly, and suddenly felt as if she saw the man many years ago, but that man was very different from the boy with small eyes in front of him, although he was equally good at hiding his abilities in Under the opposite appearance, it's just that the appearance chosen is too different. That man is so amazing and brilliant, but the small-eyed boy in front of him is blindly calm or even dumb, making people unable to understand what he is. Think about something, want to do something.
Thinking of that man made Mrs. Tai feel a little gloomy. Xu Le was still like a stinky stone. He didn't notice the slight change in the big man's mood, and said straightly: "Tai Zhiyuan promised me not to let Medellin be elected vice president."
Madam said indifferently: "Do you think Medellin still has a chance in this life?"
"But it's not enough."
Madam suddenly felt a little annoyed. She squinted at the young man in front of her. There were signs of instability in the city for decades. She couldn't understand how that cold-blooded and ruthless guy could teach such a stubborn person. And students with a strong sense of justice, do you really think that you are the messenger of justice
"The biggest threat to the federation now is the empire." Madam said indifferently: "In this situation, the federation needs to be united and not to be in chaos, so Medellin can no longer stay in the Ministry of Justice. Under the great interests of the federation, What is personal hatred? What is your ridiculous justice?"
Xu Le wondered when did justice become a ridiculous thing
"If you want to practice justice, you will not hesitate to disturb the federation." Mrs. Tai stood up slowly, a light flickering in her black dress, she looked at Xu Le indifferently and said, "Thousands of people died because of it, Are you willing to do anything? I don't even need to pursue the assassination of my son. What kind of role do you want to play, you poor deceived little guy?"
Mrs. Tai looked into his eyes and said indifferently: "In Schiller's play, there was a madman who fought a stone giant. In order to avenge his daughter, the madman did not hesitate to let the whole village be buried with him. When the bard asked When he was at him, he also said boldly that even if thousands of people died because of it, as long as justice lasted, he would insist... Then, what kind of selfishness is this?"
The threat of the empire is like a black cloud shrouded above the federal starry sky. This society needs peace and unity, so shameless people like Medellin will find a twisted path forward. If Medellin is held to account and the federation is turbulent, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, millions of people will die... Is this selfish? What a great and gloriously correct compromise this is. However, when Xu Le listened to it, why did he still feel that there was an extremely rotten taste in this compromise
At the end of the bluestone road, in the quietest room of the Liufengpo Clubhouse, Xu Le was silent for a long time, then slowly stood up, raised his head and squinted his eyes, grinned, showing two rows of neat white teeth, and said to his wife, "Mrs. , people are always going to die, and the trillions of people in the federation are always going to die, only to die first and then to die, but after all, this universe can only survive with reason.”
"In this case, the truth is of course the most important thing."
Hearing this sentence, Mrs. Tai laughed and said, "You are only one person, and even if you insist, you can only make yourself more sad and angry. Before the banquet, think about it. In any case, I will give you an answer later. ."
Xu Le bowed his head in thanks and watched his wife dragging her black dress away slowly. When he straightened up, he realized that his back was soaking wet. In the cold winter, although the interior of the clubhouse like spring was extremely warm, the sweat was cold sweat. During this year, the situation in the Federation has changed, making him extremely aware of how terrifying the seven members of the Federation are, and the previous lady was even more afraid to look at.
Mrs. Tai herself was not in a state of shock, and her words were very calm and flat, but in connection with the identity of this lady, the previous questioning and refutation by Xu Le caused the pressure in her heart, which was no less than the underground parking at the Linhaizhou Gymnasium. On the field, facing the heavy M52 mecha.
"This way, please." At some point, Butler Jin appeared beside him, very politely led him out of the room, and walked along a passage with a completely different style to the lively part of the clubhouse.
Xu Le found that Butler Jin was not the same as when he met a few years ago. At least there was some kind of hostility and indifference hidden in that politeness, which made him very puzzled. Even if Mrs. Tai didn't like her, but with her own identity and strength, How could it possibly cause Butler Jin's hostility
It wasn't his turn to think too much. In a side hall of the clubhouse, a flashlight came on. The instant light made Xu Le's eyes narrow even more, and the warm applause made his keen hearing a lot worse. I just heard about the awards, the important developers of mechas, the Kaqifeng fighter division and so on.
A general stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder heavily, placed a medal on the left chest of his military uniform, and then leaned into his ear and said, "Young man, you've done a good job, you've earned a military medal. It will be in your hands in a few days."
Another member of the Congress signaled everyone to raise their glasses, so everyone raised their glasses, and even the silent Xu Le also had a glass of expensive champagne in his hand.
For a time, the wine glass rang softly, the music played softly, and everyone laughed lightly, but Xu Le was like a puppet, allowing anyone to play with this federal feast.
Xu Le and Butler Jin walked out of the hall. The guests of Liufengpo Club were the most respected and honorable people in the Federation. There were not many people, so they didn't appear to be noisy. The music behind them was gradually forgotten. , he came back to his senses, squinted his eyes and asked, "I don't understand what this means, I didn't promise Mrs."
Along the way, people raised their glasses to Xu Le, with respectful eyes and affectionate expressions, a few people Xu Le had seen in Linyuan, but most of them were characters that he had only seen on TV. These bigwigs may not know Xu Le, but they all know Xu Le, the role this young man plays in the presidential election, and more importantly, they know that his wife appreciates this young man and decides to train him, which is why It's enough that they give them enough attention.
"I want to leave." Xu Le said to Butler Jin.
Butler Jin took him to an office on the second floor, and then handed him another folder. The old butler looked at him with a strange look, and said coldly, "Where there are people, there are roads. , others can leave at any time, but your path is predestined."
Xu Le's eyes narrowed, it's not surprising that the lady wanted to control herself, but why did they still follow the plan after she clearly expressed her objection? Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that this folder was a little heavy.
Inside the folder are a few photos and a file.
One of the photos is a rare photo taken by Xu Le in Donglin in those days. The object of the group photo is Li Wei and Qiangzi. The other photo was taken recently. Li Wei, who has a scar on his face, is walking on a street. , looking at the style of that street, it doesn't seem to be in the federal territory.
Xu Le's hand holding the folder suddenly trembled, not because of the strength in his body, but because of extreme fear and shock.
He didn't look at the file attached to the folder, because a few words were clearly written in the first paragraph of the file.
"Citizen ID: DLAS420500481X information node disappeared. Name: Xu Le. Remarks: Federal 4427 plan goal 2, death confirmed."
When he saw these things, Xu Le knew that everything had fundamentally changed. The identity of the federal fugitive, the person responsible for the first sequence of events in the Charter Bureau, and the relationship with Uncle Feng Yu, those secrets hidden in his heart that no one knows except him, finally, finally... !
Cold, fear, anger, violent murder, and drifting away, after all, all these mixed and frantic emotions finally turned into heavy breathing after silence and shock.
Butler Jin said calmly: "Madam gave you time to think about it, how are you thinking?"
Yes, in that room, Mrs. Tai asked him to think about it before the dinner party. At that time, Xu Le never thought that this lady had already caught her most fatal key. In this case, the time for consideration would be taken away. compressed into a humiliating range.
Xu Le never considered accepting the behavior and methods of these big figures in the Federation, and he never knew clearly what he should do about this matter. For the first time in his life, he felt helpless and uneasy.
"Li Wei... Where is he now?" Xu Le said in a hoarse voice after a long time.
"Bermuda, of course, you can also say it in our hands." The butler said the kidnapper's words, but still seemed so stable and elegant.
Xu Le licked his dry lips, smiled with some difficulty, groped for his military uniform with trembling hands, and touched the cardboard box from the bottom of the Purple Star, which represented the supreme honor.
He took out a Sanqi brand cigarette and lit it, took a deep breath while trembling, and said, "Give me some time. I'll go sit in the square and blow the cold wind, I should wake up a bit."