Tao Rui didn't believe them outright. Even though they produced some strong evidence, he still had to be cautious about such matters because the truth would directly affect his future life plans.
Originally, he just wanted to be a scientist, and let the Commander's Palace treat him as a dispensable person. But if there was revenge for his mother's murder, not only would he not be able to live a carefree life, but given the Commander's character alone, he no longer wanted to have this nominal scumbag father.
The techniques he uploaded to the Star Network had caused a huge stir, becoming the focus of attention once again. The day after he met his uncle and grandfather, the commander-in-chief sent someone to take him back to the Commander-in-Chief's Palace to meet him.
The commander-in-chief was busy with his duties and had no intention of paying attention to his son. He directly questioned, "Do you realize the impact of your careless publicizing of your cultivation technique will have? You are my son, and to a certain extent, you represent the Commander's Palace. You must think twice before doing anything. How could you be so reckless?"
Tao Rui said confidently, "I didn't make this public casually. I made it public only after I confirmed that it could actually increase my rank. Whether I'm speaking for myself or for the Commander's Palace, I hope everyone's rank can be increased. There's nothing wrong with that. I don't think this is nonsense."
The four servants standing by in the room flickered their eyes, glancing at Tao Rui simultaneously. They hadn't expected the eldest prince, after two years of military school, to have the nerve to contradict the commander so directly. They remembered him always keeping his head down and simply nodding in agreement to whatever the commander said.
The commander was also somewhat surprised, but more displeased. Perhaps it was because Tao Rui was his first child, a child he had looked forward to so much, that Tao Rui's low birth status had turned all his expectations into disgust. To this day, his dislike had become accustomed to it, and even after discovering that Tao Rui had become much more outstanding, it couldn't change his feelings.
The commander didn't intend to waste time talking. He asked coldly, "Where did you get those so-called skills? Answer truthfully. If I discover you've been deceiving me, your life will be very difficult."
Tao Rui lied calmly, "I saw it among my mother's belongings."
Tao Rui subtly observed the commander's expression and found that the commander's expression changed slightly the moment he mentioned his mother, as if he didn't want to mention this person. However, after a few seconds of silence, he continued to ask.
"I've never heard your mother mention it. She couldn't have had any of these things."
"My mother probably treasured these ancient books, keeping them with her ancient jewelry, ornaments, and paintings. She might never have even opened them, so it's no surprise she didn't mention them. If my grandfather and uncle were still alive, I could ask them where they got these ancient books. Maybe we could find other ancient books there." Tao Rui asked, "Is anyone from my grandfather's family still alive?"
The commander subconsciously looked away, turned the ring on his left hand with his right hand, and replied briefly, "No one is here."
Tao Rui then said, "What a shame! I don't know how they could be so unlucky to be wiped out in their own territory. Since the founding of our alliance, such a tragic event has never happened, right?"
He slammed the table in feigned anger. "If you ask me, my grandfather's family died tragically not long after my mother died. There must be something going on. Maybe someone murdered them!"
"The officials who neglected their duties have been punished. There's nothing as messed up as you think. You said those techniques were your mother's relics? I'll send someone to check with you to make sure nothing important is missing. I've already had your account blocked. You're not allowed to do this kind of thing privately in the future."
The commander stood up and was about to leave after he finished speaking. "You haven't been back for a long time. If you like, stay here. I have something else to do, so I'll stop here today."
After a few simple questions and answers with the commander, Tao Rui no longer needed to search for further evidence. The commander was undoubtedly involved in his mother's death and the demise of the Wei family. Speaking of officials who had failed in their duties, from the perspective of a ruler, Tao Rui believed that those "derelict" officials must have been the ones the commander wanted to eliminate.
Therefore, in order to maintain a good image, the commander refused to abandon his wife, who was unable to bear children, and simply allowed her to die in private. This killed two birds with one stone, eliminating the major threat of the Wei family and removing a series of disobedient officials in the officialdom, thus consolidating his regime and making it smooth sailing from then on.
In this case, he would have to change his future plans. First of all, he had to be independent, and independent outside the commander's sphere of influence.
The second is to find a suitable way to take power, and use extraordinary means in extraordinary times. He came to this world to study intelligent technology, and this is the core that must not be shaken. He does not have time to slowly develop power and seize the throne with others. He must have an absolutely strong position as quickly as possible, and this requires careful planning.
Tao Rui was thinking of a shocking plan in his mind, but on the surface he was very cooperative and took the commander's men to check all the relics of the original owner's mother.
In reality, it was just the original owner's mother's dowry and the contents of his private vault. Houses, cars, treasured antiques, expensive jewelry—nothing special. The only rare items were three books Tao Rui had placed there specifically; they were manuals on martial arts techniques he'd written in the notebooks within his space.
Everything in this space was brought from other worlds, some even from ancient times, so it naturally looked very ancient. Furthermore, no one here knew how to write calligraphy, so when the inspectors received the books, they held them in their hands as if they were some rare treasure.
After Tao Rui agreed, they carefully took the three books away. They intended to have them appraised, analyzed, and studied by leading experts in various fields, but Tao Rui didn't care about that. Even if their accounts were blocked, the people who needed to download them had already done so. Privately, the books were spreading rapidly, and some daring people had already begun practicing according to the techniques.
Tao Rui went to and from class as usual, then took the opportunity of a date with Ye Jia to avoid the butler sent by the commander and went to the valley to meet Wei Heng and Wei Zhe again. This time, he asked them for a list of trustworthy people.
The list included high-ranking officials, military personnel, doctors, and even civilians. It wasn't a large group, only about twenty, but that didn't matter. Among these twenty, there were people they trusted, and those they trusted naturally had other people they could trust. It was a pyramid structure, and a careful look would reveal many trustworthy individuals.
Wei Heng and Wei Zhe thought he was going to fight for the throne. After talking with him, they expressed their support for him. Suddenly, he was full of fighting spirit and even proposed many plans, even the assassination of the commander-in-chief.
Tao Rui hurriedly stopped them and told them not to let their thoughts run wild. He said to them, "You've all worked hard these past few years. Now it's time for me to do something. Grandpa, uncle, I'll get you some nourishing foods. You should stay in this valley and recuperate for the time being. I'll come back to discuss the overall plan with you once I've formulated it. Be careful not to let any word leak out before I take action."
The two agreed without thinking, "Be careful, we won't contact anyone and will definitely not cause any trouble for you."
They'd done so much over the years, and now there was no hope. So their greatest hope was to trust Tao Rui and follow his instructions. Although they'd just met and weren't familiar with each other, this was the last thing the Wei family could do. If Tao Rui became commander-in-chief, perhaps their resentment would truly vanish.
Tao Rui calmed them down and went back to make a few bottles of spiritual nourishing pills using the spiritual spring water and the herbs grown in the space fields.
This kind of elixir can not only maintain the body but also replenish spiritual power. With spiritual power, they can naturally practice according to the exercises. Tao Rui gave them the elixir along with the three exercises and asked them to practice together with the military guards.
He used the same excuse, saying that he found the skills among his mother's belongings.
Wei Heng and Wei Zhe were thrilled to learn of the technique's provenance, cherishing it immensely. They also felt it was a revelation from heaven, offering them a path forward. In short, the once lifeless valley had since become vibrant and filled with endless hope.
Tao Rui secretly tested the people on the trustworthy list. It must be said that the Wei family father and son were really careful. Everyone on this list was 100% trustworthy. No wonder they were able to fake their deaths for so many years without being discovered by the commander.
After Tao Rui confirmed that there was no problem, he officially connected with them. Suddenly he had a very high-quality network of contacts, which made it much easier for him to do anything.
The first task he gave them was to have each of them submit a list of trustworthy people. The names had to be absolutely trustworthy, and no one with even a shred of doubt could appear on the list.
It took a full week to compile this list. Each person was carefully selected, screened and screened before being confirmed. Tao Rui also learned that they had all discreetly arranged a way out for their families.
Maybe he felt that he might die if he followed him.
These people truly shared the same thoughts as the Wei family father and son. They all believed that Tao Rui's promotion from C-rank to A-rank meant he was ready to officially compete for the throne. Especially now that Tao Rui had already established a solid reputation among the people, it was the perfect time to build on his success. Everyone was ready to follow him and give it a try.
Unexpectedly, the next task Tao Rui gave them was completely different from what they expected.
Tao Rui actually asked them to secretly prepare a batch of military supplies and intelligent and medical experimental equipment.
They understood military supplies, but what was the purpose of the experimental equipment? Would they use it to seize the throne? Why would they need so much? They could open several laboratories.
When they raised objections, Tao Rui asked them to prepare a large amount of daily necessities.
This made them even more confused.
Then, Tao Rui asked a few of them to find a way to change their positions. Only then did they vaguely feel that Tao Rui did have a plan, and each of them was included in the plan.
It was time for the school's monthly outdoor training session, and once again, they were going to the island to kill Zerg. This time, there weren't just the lowest-level Zerg, but also two more dangerous ones, serving as a test for the students.
Tao Xiu certainly would not miss this best opportunity for a date. He naturally used outdoor practice to get rid of the classes in the Commander Palace, and rushed to the school with a sigh of relief to meet everyone and meet Su Ya, whom he had been thinking about day and night.
As a result, the first person he saw was Tao Rui, whose momentum surpassed his, and he immediately felt a strong sense of crisis.
Tao Rui smiled friendly when he saw him. After waiting for so many days, he finally got the chance. This was truly a good brother who would give him a pillow whenever he felt sleepy.
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