Irwin chose Zhang Fan to stir up trouble at Ryan Military Academy because, as the academy's dean, Irwin knew just how deep the turmoil within the academy was.
Although Erwin is theoretically the highest-ranking official in the Academy, many decisions regarding the Academy are not made by him, and he is subject to the control of others in many matters.
The simplest example is money. Running a school requires funding. Ryan Military Academy's main income comes from two sources: appropriations from the Ministry of Finance and donations from the community.
Funding from the Treasury could potentially be a bottleneck for the Senate, and a significant portion of social aid comes from the nobility, which could also be a bottleneck for the Senate.
In a sense, the Senate represents the majority of the "hereditary nobles" in Ryan, and can be called the "conservatives" of the old nobles, which is different from the "reformers" of the new nobles who rely on their own efforts to rise to the noble class.
From placing confidants in the military to getting involved in major military academies, Erwin keenly sensed the undercurrents hidden beneath the surface.
It is common knowledge that Erwin is a staunch ally of Marshal Zhu Yifu, and it is no secret that the Lane Military Academy, in a sense, represents Zhu Yifu's power.
Until recently, the Senate arranged for noble sons to come in for "gilding" and continuously promoted them to middle and lower-level commanders in the Ryan Army. At the same time, it constantly recruited high-ranking military officers to its camp. The Ryan Military Academy has become a new arena for power struggle between the Senate and Zhu Yifu.
The two forces continue to clash here.
With years of experience cultivating the academy as his own territory, Erwin was able to see beyond the surface and perceive something deeper. He sensed a more dangerous undercurrent; it seemed a third force was stirring within the academy...
When Zhang Fan reappeared in the academy, the other trainees cast complicated glances at him, while some familiar faces from the F training camp surrounded him, asking after his well-being.
With the training these past few days, Zhang Fan has fully integrated into the group, and the atmosphere within the academy has been completely renewed, gradually restoring it to what a military academy should be like.
No commoner student who enters the Royal Military Command Academy of the Duchy of Ryan is a good-for-nothing. Their past decadence is merely a result of the distorted values and suppressed nature of the aristocratic class.
When the academy returned to its roots, the school that had nurtured the legendary team "Shadowfang" truly regained its former vitality.
...
Crescent Villa, which used to be lunchtime.
Clang—
The room echoed with the crisp sound of a plate hitting the floor.
"go out!"
"roll!"
A maid, looking flustered, bowed her head and retreated from the room, her apron stained with soup and food.
Two maids, carrying brooms and rags, tried to enter the room to clean, but as soon as they entered, vases rained down on them, scaring them so much that they scrambled out of the room.
The corridors on both sides of the door were filled with helpless maids. Things were being thrown out of the room. The young master had not eaten yet and was in a bad mood. Because of their duty, no maid dared to leave, but no one dared to go in either.
Looking at the shattered vases scattered on the floor by the room's entrance, some of the maids felt their hearts bleed. They usually wiped these vases with utmost care, never daring to be careless, because breaking even one would cost them a lifetime of work.
But in a mere instant, they were all reduced to white shards on the ground. Some of the maids whispered among themselves: "If only our young master had a little kindness and given us these unwanted vases! We would be eternally grateful..."
"Cough~ Hmph."
A cough in the corridor silenced the maids' chatter. All the maids immediately stood in two rows, crossed their arms at their sides, leaned slightly forward, lowered their eyelids, and bowed their heads in greeting.
"Lord Ralph."
"Hmm." The person who walked over was a middle-aged man wearing a dark button-down long coat and a snow-white shirt, with white gloves on his hands and frameless glasses on his nose.
He took out his pocket watch from his left breast pocket, glanced at it, and then waved his hand, and all the servants immediately dispersed to return to their posts.
Knock knock knock!
The middle-aged man knocked a few times on the half-open door.
"Didn't I tell you not to bother me?!" Alice screamed from inside the room. "Get out! All of you, get out!"
"Miss, it's your old servant, me."
"Ralph?" The room fell silent for a moment. "Come in quickly!"
This middle-aged man was a second-level butler at the Marquis Charles's mansion. Although he was only a second-level butler, many of the first-level butlers in the Marquis Charles's mansion dared not offend him.
For no other reason than that he had taken care of Alice since birth, and he had spent more time with her than her parents.
"Ralph, sob..." Alice sat on the bed, hugging her pillow and crying as soon as Ralph entered the room, "Someone bullied me..."
“I know, I understand.” Ralph took out a clean white handkerchief and gently wiped away Alice’s tears.
Ralph has served the Charlie family for thirty years, starting as an apprentice butler at the age of twenty, with more than half of that time spent on Alice.
He witnessed Alice grow from an infant into a graceful young woman, and in Ralph's heart, he had long regarded Alice as his own granddaughter.
The relationship between this master and servant has long surpassed that of a typical master and servant; it is more like a grandfather-grandson relationship.
“Ralph, you don’t know,” Alice cried, tears streaming down her face. “You’ve only been gone for two days, and someone has already bullied me, boohoo…”
"I know, I know everything." Ralph gently wiped away Alice's tears.
The Charlie family's stewards of level three and above are required to return to the family once a year to report on their duties, so Ralph was away for two days.
Although he left Crescent Villa, Alice would still be reported to 24 hours a day on everything that happened around her.
While reporting on his duties, Ralph knew that the head of the family must be keeping track of the situation at Crescent Villa through other means at all times. However, out of concern and care for Alice, Ralph took the liberty of mentioning a digression and carefully revealed to the head of the family the recent situation of Princess Alice.
Fortunately, the head of the household was not angry because he had said something unnecessary. He simply waved his hand and did not want to get too involved in what was happening in the academy.
Ralph understood the patriarch's meaning; after all, that was Erwin's territory, and the patriarch didn't want too many open conflicts with Erwin right now.
Princess Alice didn't actually suffer much loss in this conflict, and the noble children weren't injured either. Moreover, Alice was the one who started the conflict, so it would be even more unreasonable for her to demand an explanation.
But whatever the reason, Alice was wronged, that much is certain.
That's enough!
Just for that, Ralph has every reason to want the other to die a hundred times over!
“That scoundrel, the old servant will teach him a lesson,” Ralph said, straightening up. “Miss, would you like to eat first?”
"Ralph, how are you going to discipline him?" Alice stopped crying instantly, her eyes sparkling.
"Miss, would you please listen to what this old servant has to say while you eat your lunch?"
"Okay!" Alice rolled off the bed and obediently sat down at the dining table.
Ring ring ring—
Ralph rang the bell on the table, and immediately a group of maids came in to set the table, and the broken vases scattered all around were instantly cleaned up.
"How about we hang him up at the school gate and beat him to death?"
Ralph skillfully cut off the tenderest part of a whole roasted lamb and placed it on Alice's plate, which Alice then forked and chewed on.
She hadn't eaten properly for days, and only in front of Ralph could she disregard her ladylike image and eat heartily.
"No, I don't want him to die."
Alice swallowed a bite of roasted lamb with great interest.
“I want him to kneel down and beg me.”
“I want him to be my servant.”
"I'm going to torture him every day!"
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