Yes, Madam Prime Minister

His colleagues would never have time to deliver gifts to his home. Besides, how could he, as the bureau chief, not know if they were delivering gifts?

It must have been sent by an official who is about to be investigated.

These people couldn't do anything about him, so they tried to target his family.

"Put the things away properly and don't touch them again," Elliott commanded sternly.

Then, Elliott asked his wife, "Did you see who sent the gift?"

"A young man, probably in his twenties, with a mustache and a big nose," his wife replied, recalling the scene.

Among the high-ranking officials in Xinhai City, there are only two or three in their twenties. This characteristic clearly indicates that it is neither Ronan nor the other one. Obviously, the person who came to deliver the gift is just a minor figure who runs errands, and the person in charge did not personally show up.

Elliott wasn't in a hurry. He knew the person in charge would definitely come knocking on his door in the next couple of days. He would just return the items and send the guest back.

He would not stop until he had thoroughly exposed and brought down all these parasites, especially those who had slandered his deceased father.

Chapter 111 Situation, Stance, and Feigning Confusion

Sure enough, the person in question came to his door in just two days. Elliott returned the items to the person without hesitation and asked him to leave, even though this person was his uncle by blood, and he had been able to get that teaching job in the past because of this person.

As he stepped outside, the man suddenly turned back.

“Dear Elliott, you, no, this so-called oversight department, were all established under the arbitrary rule of that mayor, and there are three reasons why we obey her.”

"First, she's a powerful figure with deep connections. The tax official sent down from above died under mysterious circumstances, yet the case was closed swiftly without causing a ripple. Who among us small fry would dare to disobey her?"

"Secondly, she promised to bring a magic academy and a council, which many people are looking forward to and naturally don't want to upset her."

"And the third, and most important, point is that everyone knows she won't stay long because she's a big shot and very young. Look at Miss Alice, who used to be Ronan's maid. She didn't act as recklessly as you all. Why do you think that is? Because Ronan knows very well that this mayor won't be here long."

“Once she leaves, your department will be laid off, and you will all be held accountable one by one. It’s even very likely that you will be severely punished after this matter is over. Don’t think that Ronan can’t do anything to you just because he’s not saying anything now.”

"So, I advise you to stop."

The man said the following.

His thoughts were basically those of most officials in New Sea City regarding Dinia, Ronan, and the recent turmoil.

"Uncle, are you done?" Elliott said with a look of disdain. "Just like ten years ago, you are a person who is very good at seeing the situation, so you have become one of the people who led the way in betraying us, just like Ronan."

"Back then, I had a wife and children," the man sighed helplessly. "You're the same now."

“That’s not a reason.” Elliott’s gaze was firm and unwavering.

"Think what you want," the man said, and walked away.

After seeing his uncle off, Elliott returned home and comforted his somewhat worried wife.

The next day, Elliott invited Alice to dinner.

After obtaining Ronan's permission, Alice accepted the invitation.

That evening, at a reasonably priced but delicious restaurant, Alice met Elliott, who was already waiting for her.

The man was as polite as ever, pulled out a chair for her, and then gestured for her to enter.

But as soon as Alice sat down, the man's expression changed, becoming unusually serious. "Alice, why aren't we taking action?"

"Didn't I take any action?" Alice countered.

She did take action, but she followed the procedures and regulations, and unsurprisingly, she gained nothing.

“You’re really starting to look more and more like that man.” Elliott looked disappointed; the man he was referring to was, of course, Ronan.

Alice wanted to speak up for a moment, but remembering Ronan's instructions, she dismissed the idea. "Did you come with me just to say this?"

"Have you forgotten how he persecuted those who dared to speak out for justice? Your father even died because of him."

Elliott said.

“I’ve said it many times, my father’s death had nothing to do with him.” Alice’s face showed anger.

"Just because he did you a favor, you don't care about right or wrong?" Elliott said. "He used to be the biggest parasite in Wright City, and now he's the biggest parasite in the entire New Sea City."

Alice stabbed the lamb chop that had just been served with a fork. "Elliot, I'll let you get away with this once, out of consideration for the fact that you're my teacher and that we were friends in the past. But if you slander him like this again, I can only say that you'll be in trouble, big trouble."

"Since you insist, I won't say anything more," Elliot sighed helplessly.

Alice sighed as well. "If you won't tell me, I have to. Some people in the inspection team are taking advantage of this investigation to extort money from some officials who have no problems, while also accepting bribes from some corrupt officials who have serious issues. Are you aware of that?"

When Alice learned this fact from Ronan, she could hardly believe it. These people were all members of the book club, and some of them were even her friends. They might like to talk big, or sometimes they might be too impulsive, but they had never done anything bad.

When Ronan presented the evidence to Alice, she was furious.

They quickly degenerated into the very kind of people they once despised, having just acquired a small amount of power.

Ronan's reaction was quite calm, even a little surprised, and he said, "It's unexpected that there are less than ten degenerates. It seems that your friends aren't so bad after all, Alice."

Going back to reality.

Elliott didn't take it seriously at all. "Ronan told you all that, didn't he? That guy is a habitual liar. Even if one or two things are as he says, it's just about collecting some debts."

"I think you're the one who really can't tell right from wrong." With that, Alice slammed her knife and fork on the table and left.

arrive home.

Ronan noticed Alice's uncomfortable expression and asked, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? I had Elena heat up the food."

“You’ve already figured this out.” Alice sat down.

"After all, I was the one who invited Elliot to teach you to read and write. I know him, so how could I not know what kind of person he is? In his eyes, anyone who verbally agrees with him can't be too bad, and anyone who can't do anything to him is a villain. He's essentially no different from those idiot thugs who treat each other like best friends at the dinner table and think they're so great. The only difference is that thugs drink, eat meat, and talk nonsense, while his behavior seems more upright and his hobbies seem more refined."

"It's fine for such a person to be a teacher in a school, but it's unacceptable for him to be an official. He can't be a corrupt official, and he can't be an honest official either."

As Ronan was speaking, Elena brought over the dishes.

On a whim, Ronan suddenly asked Elena, "Elena, don't you think so?"

“Yes,” Elena answered without hesitation.

Alice looked at Elena as if she were an idiot. "Did you hear what we said? Answer us!"

Elena placed the dishes on the table. "Young Master Ronan asked me if it was him, and I looked at his expression and answered 'yes.' Is there a problem with that? Alice, I don't need to know what you're talking about."

“Alice, do you see that?” Ronan asked.

Alice was a little confused.

Ronan then asked Elena, "Elena, did you hear what I was talking about with Alice just now?"

“I heard it, and I didn’t hear it,” Elena replied.

Ronan looked at Alice, then pointed at Elena and said, "Look, this is good material for an official. She has a firm stance and knows how to play dumb."

"Oh? I can't do that. My head gets dizzy if I read too many words."

Elena said she couldn't do it.

Ronan got up and called Elena to leave together, leaving Alice alone to eat and ponder.

Chapter 112 Lingering Fear, Overjoyed Rejoice, and a Deadly Letter

Another week has passed, and more than a dozen people have been arrested. Although they were caught off guard at the beginning, those arrested were much better prepared, both in terms of destroying evidence and in terms of psychological preparation.

Unfortunately, the personnel in the oversight department had all been trained by Mrs. Antari, and there were also Ronan, old Barr, and old Alves, the three former secretaries-general of the special city, acting as traitors.

In the end, all those arrested confessed to their various crimes.

Ultimately, it's not that the people in the supervisory department are particularly capable; after all, they were just a bunch of bookish intellectuals who loved to talk big before. What kind of methods could they possibly have? The main problem is that the officials from the special municipality had been too comfortable in the past, and most of them had very poor stress tolerance.

They had no chance of promotion in the past and were confined to one city. But because of this, they lived a carefree life in the city. Especially after learning some tricks from Ronan, they felt that they were flawless. This complacent mentality made them have the bad habits of feudal lords. They never thought that they would be really punished or subjected to methods, and they had no experience in dealing with investigations.

They couldn't withstand even a little bit of rudimentary psychological tactics and fatigue interrogation.

"It's time to close the net."

Ronan knew it was almost time.

"I feel relaxed, but also lonely."

Ronan sighed again.

This is just the first punch in a series of moves. Once he finishes this series, only two voices will remain in the entire New Sea City Hall: one will be Lady Sun, Dinia, and the other will be Ronan himself.

After he joined forces with Dinia, none of the seven special cities were any real contenders.

The next few years will be a game just for him and Dinia.

Two days later.

The whistleblower letter reporting that the oversight department had used illegal means to conduct the investigation arrived on Dinia's desk. Almost simultaneously, Ronan, together with the court president, Alves, and a large group of officials, demanded that Dinia re-verify the reliability of the investigation results.

Under such coercion, Dinia naturally agreed to re-verify the reliability of the investigation results.

Under Alves's manipulation, most of the investigation conclusions were overturned, with seemingly valid reasons: the oversight team conducted illegal investigations, fabricated evidence, and coerced confessions.

Then, most of the suspended officials were immediately reinstated, and the relevant investigation files were destroyed.

A few officials were dismissed from their posts and put on trial due to conclusive evidence.

The officials in Xinhai City naturally accepted this outcome. After all, it wouldn't be reasonable for the mayor to take such a big step without sending a few people to jail.

As for those who went to jail, they deserved it.

Anyway, it's not like I'm the one going to jail.

As for those who have connections with these people who are destined to go to jail, they have already begun to plan how to completely sever ties. Some of those with particularly close relationships have even started thinking about how to make these people who are going to jail "commit suicide." This shows that in times of greatest danger, only old friends will ever care about your life or death.

The main concern is death.

If most of the investigations were deemed invalid, then it was a close call, but I still felt a little lingering fear.

What happened next was something to celebrate.

First, Elliott was transferred to the Customs and Excise Department, which recently merged with the former Fisheries Protection Department and added the task of combating private fishing. As everyone knows, Ronan has a lot of influence in the fishing industry, so it's easy to imagine that Elliott's future will not be easy.

As for those members of the supervisory team who participated in extortion and bribery, they will all be dismissed and severely punished.

Although there were only a few people in charge, more than twenty people shared the spoils. These twenty-odd people were not severely punished, but they were dismissed and ordered to return the ill-gotten gains.

The vacant positions in the supervisory departments are no longer being filled, which is equivalent to reducing the staffing.

At the same time, stricter regulations were introduced, and the position of bureau chief was abolished, meaning that the department's level was downgraded by one level, further weakening the power of the supervisory department.

The bureaucrats were practically bursting with excitement, while secretly thinking to themselves that the secretary-general was indeed a cut above the rest.

After everything was finished, it was time to leave work.

Ronan ran into Mrs. Antari as soon as he left the city hall.

"Your Excellency Secretary General, are you satisfied now?" Mrs. Antari asked with a smile, her words carrying a clear veiled meaning.

"What do you mean by that? Everything was done according to the mayor's wishes. I was just an actor," Ronan said modestly.

"Ha, do I really have to spell it out?" Madam Antari clicked her tongue. "This operation also purged a few veterans, and a few young people rose to power along the way. Don't tell me that those young people who rose to power weren't your preferred candidates. With these people plus the young people recruited later, your power has expanded once again, hasn't it?"

This man was truly the most skilled young man she had ever met. He always managed to accomplish his personal goals while handling official business flawlessly, achieving both objectives perfectly without leaving any room for criticism.

Ronan feigned innocence, "Alas, it was just a coincidence, or perhaps the gods also believe that good people should be rewarded?"

"Don't pretend with me, I have no intention of fighting with you." Lady Antari said, taking out a thick envelope. "A letter from His Highness to you."

Ronan's eyes widened in shock. More than a month had passed since she left, and he had thought that Ambrina had forgotten him. Ronan was even thinking of going to church to thank God for his intervention. But it turned out that there was no God in this world after all, and Ambrina had not forgotten him at all.

Ronan dared not refuse, so he took the letter and left.

That night, Ronan secretly opened the letter alone.

"For my friend Ronan."

"How are you? A month has passed. As I write this letter, it is the third day since I returned to the capital. I slowed down my pace on the way back because I wanted to see more of this country that I knew nothing about before."

"I'm sorry, I borrowed the book 'Musketeers, Mages and Civil Servants' from Teacher Dinia without informing you."

“I have learned a lot from this book, and recalling some of the things you have said before, as well as what I have seen and heard along the way, I think I understand what Ronan wanted to convey to me.”

"The sentence on page 201 of this book states that a king who only knows how to wield power cannot be called a true king. A true king is one who can drive the times and create power. His Majesties Oran and Lawrence are the only two kings in the history of the Golden Eagle Dynasty."

"The manor economy is disintegrating, and some people, probably the agricultural capitalists mentioned in the latter half of this book, are beginning to emerge. Perhaps, the times have reached a point where they need to move forward again."

“You once said that if I were to control those people, I would have to fight against knights in plate armor with a musket.”

"However, I still don't understand how to get a musket. I hope you can tell me someday."

The letter started with a very serious topic, but soon, long passages of it turned into the girl's travel experiences and anecdotes.

Ronan's reading speed also increased.