The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"Because if he were already Fyodor's man, he should have been testing me on Fyodor's behalf, but the invitation contained exactly the same words he said when we first met—meaning that, in politics, this Labor Secretary is still all alone."

"Then why did you see him?"

The black snake was somewhat surprised.

"If you were going to spread the word, you should have found two socialites, or at the very least, hosted a large banquet. Why invite him alone?"

“I said that a loyal person deserves the treatment he deserves.”

The man turned his gaze to the window, where the thick curtains had never been drawn since he moved in, to prevent outsiders from peeping.

“If someone is willing to do things for me with the mindset of going to their death, then letting them die is my loss.”

------------------------------------------------------------

Yegor was led by a waiter to a door.

He looked at the understated yet luxurious wooden door, his cheek twitched slightly, and he put on that friendly and honest smile again—just like the expression he wore when summoned by other nobles or superiors.

He was stunned when he opened the door.

Inside, there were no tables laden with luxurious food, nor were there any arrogant, richly dressed diners.

There was only a regular table, two steaks, two plates of bread, and two bowls of soup.

Just like the dinner his wife made that day.

“It’s a pleasure to see you alive, Mr. Yegor—please take a seat if you’d like.”

Qiao Yelan was still wearing the same clothes he had worn when he visited Yegor's home, and he smiled as he invited Yegor to sit down.

The waiter had already quietly left. The man remained silent for a while, then put away his expression and sat down opposite Qiao Yelan.

"What, are you worried that I'll serve you a freshly cooked hog?"

Yegor gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"It's nothing, it's just that I've been disappointed too many times. I always have to keep my expectations to a minimum from the beginning so that I won't be disappointed."

Qiao Yelan didn't say anything more, and simply began to enjoy her dinner. Yegor also picked up his knife and fork and ate in silence.

After dinner, the waiters removed the plates and laid out new tablecloths. Qiao Yelan propped her chin up and looked at the man.

"After that collaboration, I hurriedly left Ursus, but I left some people behind to relocate your family. However, you personally refused the operation—I thought you felt there would be no more risks, but now it seems that's not the case?"

"...Mr. Qiao is truly insightful."

Yegor sighed, and then, without any concealment, recounted everything that had happened after Qiao Yelan left.

Because Nikolai's "disarmament proposal" had drawn attention ahead, Anatoli's ambitious project ended in a dismal fashion, with all related materials destroyed and no records kept.

Faced with the demonstrators brought together by the judges and Yegor, His Majesty Fyodor stepped forward and passionately declared that he would never betray the laws established by his father and would never allow the people of the empire to be treated unjustly.

The emperor's words implied that the problem lay with the nobility, and he also subtly mentioned the serfs in the hands of the nobles—essentially, he was standing on the moral high ground while deliberately creating antagonism.

By the time Yegor arrived here, he was already feeling somewhat uncomfortable. After all, as someone who gets things done, he could tell whether the boss was just making empty promises or genuinely wanted to get things done.

However, Fyodor did not pursue the organizers of the march afterward, and even took the initiative to suppress the impeachment against him by the nobles, thus preserving his position as Minister of Labor.

Yegor was grateful for this, and after experiencing this incident, he gained a new understanding of judges and a more detailed understanding of politics.

He guessed that Fyodor had only delayed things because he didn't have enough power to openly break with the nobles, and that Speaker Witt's plan was probably just because His Majesty had been misled by that guy.

Therefore, it was at this time that he refused Qiao Yelan's plan to help him relocate his family, because he felt that since His Majesty Fyodor was just biding his time, then he should stay and wholeheartedly assist the emperor to fight against those damned vermin.

His original idea should have been achievable—if it weren't for the deal between the Emperor and Nicholas that Qiao Yelan facilitated.

If an emperor lacks support, then everyone willing to work for him becomes incredibly valuable.

However, if the emperor is in a hurry to build his own personal guard, he will become very insensitive to other things.

In fact, even though Nicholas voluntarily handed over the organization of the First Army and even gave up a group of officers, he did not give the Emperor an extra Ursus ruble.

So Fedor was very short of money, extremely short of money.

It's important to understand that Fyodor and Witte were only superficially on good terms, and the emperor only showed favoritism towards Witte because of the power of the noble class. Now that Nicholas's loyalty has been further confirmed, his trust in Witte has naturally decreased significantly.

Both the nobles and the Wittes knew very well that if Fyodor really brought out an entire army group, Ursus's political situation could easily be shaken up—Nikola was already very old.

Nicholas was short of money, and Witte and the nobles were tightly controlling the emperor's income. So the emperor's last resort was to target the departments directly under his command.

Therefore, the Imperial Ministry of Labor became the most "suitable" choice.

Yegor was finding it increasingly difficult to stop Fyodor's greed—the Imperial Ministry of Labor was transforming from a department that "coordinated the allocation of the Imperial labor force" into a "black intermediary that sent people to factories and took a cut from both ends."

The idealist, who had been eager to find a new master, was once again doused with cold water, and Fyodor also began to become increasingly dissatisfied with him.

Hearing Yegor's words, Qiao Yelan actually felt a slight sense of relief.

Thank goodness, these guys have finally started to embrace capitalism.

God knows how furious Qiao Yelan was after hearing Anatoly's caste system plan the last time.

"So, the Imperial Ministry of Labor is actually slowly degenerating into the Imperial Ministry of Slave Labor?"

"Yes, His Majesty Fyodor is slowly enslaving the serfs who were freed by Vladimir the Great."

Yegor's voice was filled with deep gloom and resentment.

For someone who entered politics to pursue a bright ideal, seeing their followers fall and their dreams collapse is already a devastating sight—and now the successor wants to reverse course, which is practically digging a grave on Yegor's bottom line.

"What about the judge?"

“They can’t help me. Right now, it’s already quite remarkable that they’re managing to keep the Imperial laws running—I’m glad that at least I’m not fighting alone.”

Qiao Yelan nodded slightly.

"My friend, what can I do to help you now?"

"...I'm sorry I refused your offer before, but this time, I really need you to take my wife and daughter away."

Yegor took a deep breath.

"In return, I can do anything for you, as long as you don't make me betray His Majesty Vladimir and Ursus."

It's clear that Yegor has completely given up this time.

“I do need your help—I need you as a messenger between me and His Majesty Fyodor.”

Qiao Yelan nodded.

Yegor frowned—not because he was unwilling to do it, but because he was in a situation where he knew he was in the toilet but still had to breathe heavily.

What do you want me to convey?

“I plan to expand my business in Ursus, but the nobles are asking for too much, and Speaker Witt is keeping me out of the loop. So I want His Majesty to grant me protection—in return, I am willing to pay a political donation.”

How much are you planning to pay?

Qiao Yelan gave a number—equivalent to twice the amount of the check Speaker Witt had given her last time.

Yegor gave Qiao Yelan a deep look, then nodded.

The fact that he could offer such a price is enough to prove that this man is no ordinary person.

In the past, he would have immediately become wary, tried his best to distance himself from them, and then attempted to figure out the other party's intentions...

But now, all he wants is to protect His Majesty Vladimir's last legacy.

The money Qiao Yelan gave him could buy him time—that was enough.

Chapter 165 The Emperors: This Sounds Familiar

Just three days after the dinner with Yegor, Qiao Yelan met Fyodor as he had hoped.

This only illustrates two things.

First, although Yegor is now disliked by the emperor and his position is precarious, he is still very good at understanding the thoughts of those in power.

Secondly, His Majesty Fyodor is probably really short of money.

—Just like that emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty.

"Qiao Yelan".

"Your foreign minister is here."

Qiao Yelan bowed slightly in greeting.

“I remember that you were once the administrator of the Duke of Kosiché. The last time I saw you, you were an intermediary sent by the Duke of Nicholas. I also received news that you visited Victoria last year as the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies of the Great Yan.”

"Your Majesty is the most truthful and discerning."

Fyodor looked at Qiao Yelan.

He had already realized that the person in front of him was an exceptionally capable businessman.

Grand Duke Kosiché, Grand Duke Nikolai, and the Emperor of Great Yan—none of these people were fools—yet they all valued this person highly, not only entrusting him with important responsibilities but also granting him a great deal of autonomy in his actions.

It's impossible for someone in such a high position to decide how to use someone based on personal likes or dislikes—in other words, Qiao Yelan must have brought them enough benefits for them to choose to delegate power even though they knew he had his own ideas.

This was the kind of person Fyodor had been dealing with all along, so when Fyodor discovered that Qiao Yelan was this kind of person, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

For example—Speaker Witte.

No emperor is willing to relinquish his power, but when faced with a situation, he had no choice but to rely on Witte to maintain the balance of the political situation in Ursus, and even tacitly approved of the other party's behavior of using his authority to secretly expand his power.