Chapter 53 Honey Pot's innate laziness resisted the temptation of power. ...
A few years ago, Shi Chuan managed to infiltrate the company's core team and also knew people in the government. It shouldn't be difficult for him to help Aldrich find some big clients and raise the unit price.
“Thank you very much,” Aldrich said. “I didn’t know your family had connections in the Fran Empire—”
People from these remote planets had no idea about Shi Wei's identity. It was only after he became an executive officer and got to know some minor nobles in the capital that he vaguely learned what kind of person she was.
Although he only knew bits and pieces of information, his ability to emerge from a backward planet meant his insight was naturally different from that of ordinary people: whether it was a girlfriend or a lover, His Majesty only had her by his side now, and that was enough.
In particular, His Majesty's tense attitude during the last incident—he even personally took charge.
He later worried countless times about himself, thankful that he and Shen An had made the right choice.
Moreover, judging from the prince's attitude, this young lady's status should be even higher than he guessed.
Feeling that he could already be considered one of their people, he said, "Last time you told me not to have too much contact with the two princes, but this time, does Your Highness intend to have your people stationed on Moonfall Star?"
He asked the question tactfully, but judging from the conversation that day, it was probably she who instructed the other party to do so.
Shi Wei glanced at him, making him nervous, before saying, "That's because you hadn't become an executive officer yet, and everything was unknown. As long as you don't make any mistakes, you won't be replaced anytime soon... As for the garrison, both princes want the resources here, but it's clear that Prince Similan has an advantage in this regard."
His Majesty's agreement to allow the Similan to come this time should be considered tacit approval.
“In a few decades, everyone will gradually take sides. If I am still by His Majesty’s side, I will inevitably follow suit. It’s better to make plans sooner rather than later.” Shi Wei saw that he intended to surrender and began to speak frankly.
Aldrich nodded: "Yes... Actually, why don't you have an heir for His Majesty and make other plans?"
Shi Wei's body trembled slightly, and he turned his head away to hide his shocked expression. "If it weren't for you, big brother, I would have just been chatting casually. We're not that close, so there's no need to go into such depths."
She has no interest in the throne. Even if she had a child, she wouldn't let it become emperor.
Aldrich continued, "Actually, I'm a little curious. The First Prince should have a better chance of winning, so why did you choose the Second Prince?"
Lu Qi had asked her the same question, and her answer was: "We should help the inferior, not the superior. It's always better to offer help in times of need than to add to someone's success."
Besides, she might not even live to see that day. Maybe in a few years she and His Majesty will grow tired of each other, and she'll just pack up and leave, not caring who inherits the throne.
Cyril has too many nobles supporting him, so he doesn't need someone like her. Besides, he's obviously a bit more difficult to deal with than Similan, at least Similan seems a bit stupid on the surface.
She certainly couldn't say that to Aldrich, so she considered her words and said, "The Second Prince is easier to talk to. Prince Cyril doesn't really need me."
Aldridge said "Oh," and nodded, "I understand."
After he left, Shi Wei couldn't help but sigh.
A few years ago, she was a financially independent working woman who could quit her job with ease.
At my most arrogant moment, I would flick my resignation letter directly in my boss's face.
Now, he's someone who can casually guide a planetary executive.
It's truly heartbreaking, and yet she felt so good about it, not nervous at all.
Perhaps it's because I've had too much contact with high-ranking officials and nobles in my daily life.
Nobles were among those he conversed with, and no commoners were among his acquaintances.
He even learned His Majesty's crude and direct way of solving problems under his subtle influence.
Should she tone it down a bit? If she continues like this, what if she actually goes home one day? Will her brother think she's too much of an "official" type?
Shi Wei was deep in thought.
Shen An also took the time to meet Shi Wei. She had a good impression of this bear-clan beastman and readily answered his question: "His Majesty will not drive the beastmen to the brink of extinction. The beastmen's genes are an invaluable asset to the empire, but it is precisely because of their strong physique that we cannot give you too much say in military affairs."
Another, more important reason is that the place with the most orcs in the universe today is the Chaotic Starfield.
That was the only destination for Bai Xiao and Bai Jiao to escape to.
Pushing the orcs here too far will only provide Yi Lan with free labor.
Shi Wei hinted to him: "The Moonfall Star has a special geographical location, so the defense line is very important."
Shen An looked at her for a long time, then hummed in agreement, and said casually, "Some orcs did manage to smuggle themselves out, but there were very few, so I didn't bother them. They are dissatisfied with the government taking over power and have been causing trouble. They are also very hostile towards pure-blooded humans... You should be careful."
"I understand." Shi smiled slightly, knowing who he was talking about.
Lavezzi said that in the past few days, unidentified flying objects had passed through the unclaimed star system, and after he ordered them to be shelled, they quickly fled.
Looks like some people can't change their nature, no—she's not poop.
Shi Wei was a little annoyed: Why is this guy staring at her so intently?
That evening, he called His Majesty and asked him to find something for the mercenaries to do.
So annoying.
Shen An hinted to her that the snakes were still persistent, so she told Lavezzi. The captain of the guard increased vigilance, and amidst these undercurrents, the visit ended smoothly.
Although it was supposed to be a relaxing trip, they actually conducted a thorough investigation, which was affirmed by the head of the secret service after Shi Wei and Lu Qi reported back.
As for what she promised Aldrich, Shi Wei had already told Shi Chuan that it wasn't a difficult matter.
Manla and Fran have always had trade cooperation, and the procedures required are not many. Shi Chuan said, "It is easy to find buyers for Si ore. I talked to people from the Ministry of Commerce last time. The Ruola armed group has been buying at high prices recently. The price of anthocyanins has been declining in the first half of the year, and it is not possible to sell them at a good price now. Can't this kind of thing be sold directly to pharmaceutical factories?"
“Anthocyanins are easy to process, have low pharmaceutical costs, and fast efficacy… so they don’t fetch a good price. He asked several pharmaceutical companies, but the prices they offered were very low.” Shi Wei sighed. “Although vanillin, which also acts on neuropeptides, has a much higher cost and only slightly better efficacy, it can be sold at an extremely high price because of the scarcity of the raw material vanillin. Pharmaceutical companies prefer this kind of drug.”
Shi Chuan revealed a contemptuous expression: "That's how it is in countries where the medical system is controlled by powerful nobles. They sell whatever has the highest profit margin. Even a few cents' worth of vitamin C always has various flaws. The media is full of propaganda about the so-called perfect compound vitamin C, isn't it all for profit?"
This was the truth, and Shi Wei had no way to refute it: "Mara's medical system is like a monster with a huge head and feet, and a skinny body. Pharmaceutical companies are always touting newer and more expensive drugs, and nobles are bribing authoritative research websites to have various high-level experts publish papers on new drugs, using the results to deduce the experimental process, and then using this excellent data to fool the common people—"
Shi Chuan had also handled the import and export of drugs and was very familiar with these operations. He sneered, "Commoners with the means will naturally choose the most expensive drugs under the 'guidance' of doctors. The doctors in Manra are all middle-class or nobles, and some even have shares in pharmaceutical companies. Naturally, they will not consider the economic level of commoners."
"The Fran Empire is indeed better. The government has taken over the discourse on medicine from the nobles and restricted the proportion of treatment with many expensive drugs. But there are always ways to circumvent policies. Effective drugs are even more expensive now... I remember when we were kids, we both had a fever, but there wasn't enough medicine. My mother said that I was more robust and gave me some, but it turned out to be starch pills."
Shi Wei recalled her childhood. Back then, many children had fevers, and medicine was scarce for a short period of time. As a result, the cheap medicines were useless, while the expensive special medicines were very effective.
Shi Chuan paused for a moment, then remembered the matter: "The ingredients are clearly the same, but in order to reduce costs, no one can guess what the pharmaceutical company will put in it. As long as it passes the test, it's fine... Forget it, there's no point in discussing this. At least we can afford good medicine now."
Yes, every country's think tank could produce a perfect, detailed report analyzing what they were discussing. Was Queen Skolag II any less intelligent than her? Couldn't she see the monstrous healthcare system of Manla? The Prime Minister of Fran's government didn't understand whether blindly cutting costs and squeezing pharmaceutical companies' profits to satisfy the appetites of the nobility would ultimately force the common people to spend even more money—
They all understand this, but they simply don't want to or are unable to break this balance.
The Manla Kingdom's laws are revised and supplemented every year with some regulations—so-called rules.
These accumulations, after thousands of years, have become shackles, binding this vast empire.
As long as the system doesn't collapse, no new rules will emerge.
The Fran Empire is newer; it hasn't yet reached its full strength, which is both a bad thing and a good thing.
But in Manra, one seems to see the future of the Fran Empire.
From every piece of history that has passed, we can see the future.
Shi Chuan glanced at her and said, "If you want to help him sell this large batch of anthocyanins, you can use the same method—Moonfall Star is a country that has been surrounded by magnetic storm particles for many years, so it's hard to say that these anthocyanins won't mutate into 'new varieties,' and it's possible that their therapeutic effects will be even better."
He glanced at his sister's face and, seeing that she was calm and showed no sign of confusion, said directly, "Mara has a higher academic standing. Have him buy a few top-ranking C-page articles on research websites. I'll help him contact scViP pharmacologists like Fran. They'll definitely be willing to publish a few articles in exchange for those C-page articles. Then we can find a pharmaceutical company to develop a new drug, sell it at a high price, and so on."
"Win-win".
The idea that Shi Chuan provided is undoubtedly feasible. Many nobles actually do this, and she can benefit from it. Aldrich will be more enthusiastic towards her, and His Majesty liking her is different from her being able to directly give her money.
Who wouldn't be stunned for a moment if they were hit by money?
However, Shi Wei's limited conscience made her refuse the suggestion. She said, "Forget it, I'm just doing him a small favor. There's no need to worry about it. Anyway, I don't lack money now. It's none of my business if he can't sell it."
Shi Chuan sighed, and Shi Wei looked at him strangely: "What's wrong? If you want to make this money..."
But then he saw his brother shake his head: "I was just saying. I didn't expect you to accept this kind of underhanded operation so calmly. What kind of life did you live in Manla?"
Forehead--
Isn't this a common practice among nobles?
It's not enough to just focus on your rivals. Instead of fighting to the death, why not sit down and discuss business peacefully, and work together to empty the pockets of ordinary people? Wouldn't that be more profitable?
This is the consistent style of the Jiang family: they will never take action unless absolutely necessary. Secretary Jiang perfectly embodies this. He has a good relationship with almost all important officials, whether they are from noble or common backgrounds. Even on the surface, he and Shi Wei are very friendly.
She often listened in on His Majesty's afternoon tea time. As someone who mooched off his afternoon tea and gathered all sorts of information, Shi Wei often received his guidance, and she had to admit that what he said was all correct.
Shi Wei privately asked Sklag II which direction she should strive to achieve in order to control her emotions as perfectly as Secretary Jiang—she still couldn't hide her disgust for this man whenever she saw him.
He, however, was able to teach her various kinds of knowledge and skills earnestly and calmly.
I truly admire that.
His Majesty's reply was disappointing: "He can't learn that, it's innate... It doesn't matter, if you don't like him, just ignore him."
Shi Wei: Speechless. Do you think I'm like you, the emperor?
She was still racking her brains to describe her easy and carefree life to Shi Chuan, which made her older brother frown as he listened:
"You go to the Royal Library every day to look at classified files and take notes? You cover all aspects of politics and economics... and you even conduct regular inspections... Oh? Not only King Slag II, but the head of the Security Service also discusses these things with you?"
Shi Wei was stunned: Why did Shi Chuan say something so strange about things that she took for granted every day?
Shi Chuan frowned, seemingly puzzled: "What does Sklag II want to do with you? As his girlfriend, you have to study national historical archives, write economic reports, and even manage some kind of account to control public opinion by posting videos?"
"What does he take you for? If you were that capable, you would have been Prime Minister Fran long ago!"
Seeing Shi Chuan's skeptical look, Shi Wei became unhappy: "I'm actually very versatile. I'm just a little bad at math. I'm very smart, everyone says I'm very smart..."
Shi Chuan looked at her as if she were some fallen prostitute.
"If it's really as you say, I'll pull some strings for you. The premiership is a bit of a problem, but the vice premiership should be fine," Shi Chuan said, half-probing and half-joking. He wanted to know how many sugar-coated bullets his sister had already consumed under this honeypot of power.
Shi Wei rolled her eyes and said, "Who cares about being a prime minister? Being a prime minister is just like being an emperor, it's exhausting. I'm not doing it."
Shi Chuan breathed a sigh of relief—his innate laziness had resisted the temptation of power.
Thank goodness, just lie down and don't get involved with these politically minded Alphas.
Talking about feelings might hurt your heart and body, but talking about politics and interests can be fatal.
At this time, Shi Chuan still held onto the fantasy that his younger sister would be able to return home in a few years.
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Author's note: Glug glug~ Glug glug~~
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