There are less than two galaxies left before Yang Ming meets the prince.
In the Lord's Mansion of Saka Star, there were a few more well-dressed old men, including Prince Kinofu, who had stayed here before and also showed up here within the past few hours.
They either became lobbyists or came on behalf of someone else.
Everyone lowered their posture and asked Yang Ming to step forward to settle the matter and quell the public opinion storm.
They have hidden threats.
For example, cutting off the resource supply to Sakaar and forcibly increasing the cost of living on Sakaar.
There was also explicit bribery - giving Yang Ming the large amount of resources he wanted, giving Saka all kinds of preferential policies, giving Saka the most abundant resource allocation, and merging the residents of other planets who had also suffered from the insect plague but survived with difficulty to Saka, in order to quickly increase the population of Yang Ming's territory.
Be it threats or benefits, Yang Ming just nodded with a smile.
He neither spoke nor agreed, and then went to sleep, washed, and changed clothes normally, just like a person who was having fun and staying out of the matter.
Since Prince Gehali left the Imperial Star, more and more imperial bigwigs have used projection technology to find Yang Ming to negotiate.
But the two people that Yang Ming most wanted to see and least wanted to see did not show up.
These two people, one is the emperor of the empire, and the other is Director Ino.
As for these two people, if they asked Yang Ming to calm down public opinion, Yang Ming would have no reason to refuse, nor would he have to refuse.
This represents that the imperial power of the empire, or the Sherman family elites who secretly control the empire, bowed their heads and submitted to him, a small earl.
Although this would prevent Yang Ming from getting any immediate practical benefits, he could greatly enhance his political influence within the empire.
Yang Ming was also gambling.
He bet that the old emperor was arrogant and had great contempt for the common people in his heart, and he would not bow his head because of this public opinion offensive.
He was also betting that the Sherman family elites who controlled the empire were all very proud and used to solving problems in their own way.
If something goes wrong with a prince, abandon him.
Yang Ming even speculated that the Sherman family elites, represented by Director Ino, had already calculated the consequences of all his reactions and had prepared a disposal plan.
To be honest, Yang Ming was somewhat frightened of the Sherman family, a mysterious family that possessed enormous power.
He doesn't have a dreadnought now!
No matter how scared he was, Yang Ming still had to stick to doing what he had to do.
This attack and the firepower support from external forces gave Yang Ming a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
What should Luofeng and Dark Star do if there is no window of opportunity for development?
Then he chiseled one out.
Yang Ming glanced at the time on his watch. In another hour and a half, the prince would arrive here.
On the side, 026, with Hanyin and Hanxiang, set up the panoramic live broadcast equipment, and the two maid robots also began to clean and tidy up the living room.
This live broadcast was suddenly announced by Yang Ming. The nobles, officials, and generals present were not too surprised. After all, White Ghost started out by doing live broadcasts.
What they are personally more interested in is how White Ghost can make the live broadcast here spread widely within the empire.
The biggest mystery surrounding White Ghost is actually his almost omnipotent "network ability".
Law has made all the preparations.
The New Federal CIA and intelligence organizations of various countries provide traffic interfaces 'for free'.
The fan sites of White Ghost kept crashing and being repaired one after another. The computing power and storage capacity of the originally prepared server group were no longer sufficient, so Lu had to invade the official server of the Empire and bear the risk of being expelled at any time.
To be honest, Yang Ming was also very curious.
She has never stepped forward to calm the storm.
If the Law takes action, based on the crushing computing power and resources, even if the Law plus ten CIAs were to take action, they would not be able to cause the slightest wave in the empire's cyber world.
"Can reason actually think for itself?"
"The examiner's reasoning is gradually being unsealed. The abnormal alternation of the top powers in the empire has occurred in both the Council of Elders and the military..."
"Li is helping me? Why is she helping me? Because of the existence of Lu? Or because I created the Dark Star, she thinks I am one of her own?"
Question marks popped up in Yang Ming's mind one after another.
"Hanton," Daphne's voice sounded beside her.
Yang Ming looked up and saw that the princess had recovered as usual. She whispered to Yang Ming, "Can you come over and talk?"
"Is there any need to talk ?"
Yang Ming responded with a smile.
Daphne bit her lip slightly and displayed her trump card again - pitiful and delicate.
Yang Ming chose to ignore it.
Many eyes gathered at the door and outside the courtyard. Daphne lowered her head and walked away, sitting on a chair in the corner. Her mental state had obviously declined.
She hasn't had a rest for a long time.
Amid the buzzing sound, Yang Ming opened his watch and took a look. He found that it was a text message from Catherine, asking him if there were any problems. Yang Ming replied with a smiling emoticon.
Although the current situation is not clear and Yang Ming is walking on thin ice, he still has to appear optimistic enough in front of his girlfriend so as not to worry her.
Yang Ming found a small elimination game and started to kill time.
Half an hour later, Daphne came over again.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
"Hmm," Yang Ming smiled, looked around to see that there was no one around, and said slowly, "Sometimes, we don't lack the motivation to resist, but the awareness to resist. We are completely controlled. You can never become their kind. Only those who cannot be controlled are qualified to become their partners."
Daphne frowned slightly.
Yang Ming has already lowered his head and focused on the game interface.
Daphne returned to her seat, and Captain Grace came over, stretching and yawning, and looked down at Yang Ming playing games for a while.
"You also have areas you are not good at," Grace casually found a topic to talk about. "Can I ask you, how are you going to end this live broadcast and hype?"
"It depends on the performance of His Royal Highness the Prince."
Yang Ming said leisurely: "Gris, how do you think today will end?"
"Well, I can't guess. There are too many mysteries about you. It's a miracle that the Empire has tolerated you until now and hasn't taken you away for dissection."
Yang Ming explained simply: "A big factor is that the real elite of the empire dare not offend the people above me."
"Above you? Who?"
"High-dimensional civilization," Yang Ming glanced at Gris, "Do you think that humans can complete the fusion of ancient god genes and human primitive genes at this stage? These are just experimental projects."
"Experimental project..."
Grace couldn't help but raise his hand to support his forehead.
Yang Ming smiled and said, "This is my confidence."
"Alright," Gris coughed, "Anyway, if you want to do something later, don't kill him. After all, he is still the second in line to the throne."
"Am I such a rude person? This is not a bug," Yang Ming said calmly, "I still have to consider the people of Sakaar. Don't worry about it. I know what's going on."
"Understood."
Gris breathed a sigh of relief, strolled away with his hands behind his back, and began to send messages to his boss and a dozen elite onlookers in the Skywrath Fortress group chat.
What is the highlight moment?
He, Gris, is now the first-hand intelligence source for the entire family of Skywrath Fortress. The ice goddess who usually ignores him now takes the initiative to add him as a friend and asks to join a group chat.
This was his highlight moment.
Moving forward in time, the fleet enters the port, and the prince will reach the surface in half an hour.
Yang Ming was playing the game with more and more enthusiasm.
The countdown for White Ghost’s live broadcast across the entire network has begun. Hundreds of thousands of diversion live broadcast rooms are ready and will start live broadcasting five minutes before the encounter.
…
Daphne stared at Yang Ming's profile quietly.
She actually didn't understand.
Why would such a person suddenly appear, who despised the imperial nobility, ignored the rules of the empire, used all kinds of incredible means to break the barriers between classes, and yet remained safe and sound?
Is it because of his absolute individual force?
Or is it because of other factors?
The hierarchy of the empire has always been strict. Daphne has experienced this strictness. Ever since she was old enough to understand, her mother, due to her own depression, took large amounts of banned drugs every day in order to escape and feel pleasure.
Daphne didn't initially understand her mother's position in the palace.
Later she learned what the great nobles' loyalty to the royal family was, and why, after her mother died of organ failure due to an overdose of drugs, her grandfather's family spent a huge amount of money and used various means to keep her position in the palace, forcing her to grow up in the palace.
Imperial power is like a black hole, the nobility is the star system attracted by the gravity of the black hole, and the common people and slaves are just the accretion disk around the black hole, waiting to be swallowed by the black hole.
As long as she is in the palace, her mother's family can maintain its influence and gain more power and benefits through this influence.
'You'll never be like them.'
Yang Ming's voice seemed to have some kind of hypnotic power. Daphne yawned sleepily, leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a nap.
She seemed to be dreaming.
In her dream, she returned to the night when she was nine years old. She stood in front of her mother's ashes, staring at her mother's virtual projection, listening to people around her talking about her mother's death, and then she got a new mother.
She was lucky to have met a pretty good imperial concubine who taught her wholeheartedly.
She was also unfortunate because all her hypocrisy was an act to win her father's favor, and she became the new mother's political capital in the court.
she……
"Your Highness, Your Highness?"
Daphne opened her eyes as if she had been electrocuted.
A maidservant beside him whispered, "Prince Gehari is already outside the lord's mansion."
Daphne stood up immediately, subconsciously covering her chest, and looked down at the elegant long dress she had prepared.
Her expression changed from a moment of bewilderment to her usual calmness, and then quickly turned into tiredness and sadness. With her hands folded in front of her stomach, she walked towards the sun-soaked gate with her maid.
Yang Ming was standing at the door with his hands behind his back. There were more than ten floating camera balls inside and outside the door.
Many nobles were waiting in the courtyard. Daphne walked past Yang Ming and went to a relatively conspicuous corner, looking outside the door.
Two teams of guards in gorgeous formal attire entered the already crowded courtyard, formed two human walls, and stood facing each other.
Music was heard outside the door, and the two luxurious hovercrafts owned by the princes slowly came to a stop.
Lieutenant General Thomas was the first to get out of the car and walked straight towards Yang Ming. He was in a hurry and obviously had a lot to say.
The prince was not in a hurry to get off the car, but quietly waited for the climax of the music. The guard in charge of opening the door was also counting the seconds to calculate the "perfect time" that His Highness mentioned.
"Hanton!"
Just as Lieutenant General Thomas was about to speak, Yang Ming gave a standard military salute, forcing Lieutenant General Thomas to return the salute.
"Lieutenant General," Yang Ming said gently, "I am broadcasting live, and the live stream is now all over the empire and beyond."
"Yes, I know," Lieutenant General Thomas whispered, "The great Emperor ordered His Royal Highness Prince Gehari to come to Saka to carry out pacification work. Unfortunately, your territory has suffered a vicious incident such as a poison gas terrorist attack. The Imperial Military Department expresses deep condolences for the victims."
Yang Ming sighed and whispered:
“I have already retaliated against the New Federation’s CIA, and they still refuse to admit that the terrorist attacks were ordered by them.
"But it doesn't matter, I will investigate thoroughly, produce irrefutable evidence, and then repay them tenfold or a hundredfold.
"My territory does not allow any evil forces to invade. It has suffered from insect plagues and experienced a century-long decline. The population has dropped to only tens of millions. This is the most inconspicuous corner of the empire. They should enjoy peace and protection."
"Yes," Lieutenant General Thomas said seriously, "We will definitely provide full protection here."
"But, Lieutenant General Thomas!"
Yang Ming's eyes became sharper:
"I am not afraid of external forces. The powerful army of the empire is the best support for the people. But I cannot guard against the filth and sneakiness within the country!
"During the concert, the integrated supply ship that Her Highness Daphne was on opened fire at full force, carrying out precise strikes on thousands of the Empire's citizens, including Her Highness Daphne! If I hadn't been on guard and parked my warship there, the consequences would have been disastrous!
"The damage caused by poison gas bombs is far less than this artillery attack! If there is another riot and stampede at the scene, it will be a bigger disaster!"
Lieutenant General Thomas groaned for a few seconds and said, "Hanton, we will definitely get to the bottom of this matter!"
"I'm getting closer to the truth of the matter," Yang Ming whispered, "I didn't hurt those officers. I just used common simulated surgeries and simulated case handling methods to collect and organize their memory data."
Thomas said immediately: "A viscount and two honorary earls have committed suicide out of fear of crime, and the clues of this matter have been cut off."
Yang Ming asked in return: "Why did they want to kill Her Highness Daphne? What was their motive? What was their purpose in disrupting the concert? Just to cause trouble for me, they made such a huge sacrifice and even committed suicide. Aren't their personalities in some aspects beyond the understanding of ordinary human nature?"
Lieutenant General Thomas frowned and looked at Yang Ming.
Yang Ming's eyes were clear as he and Thomas finally looked into each other's eyes.
"The entire empire is paying attention to this matter now," Thomas said. "We have noticed that many foreign forces are behind this and are trying to intensify class conflicts within the empire. This behavior is extremely shameful. We should now act to restore peace to public opinion in the empire. We will never stop investigating this matter."
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant General," Yang Ming said, "I have great respect for your personal achievements and abilities, but in this matter, I must stick to my principles."
Thomas asked, "What is your code?"
"To be a hero of the empire," Yang Ming raised his head slightly, "A hero should stand before the weak, before justice, be fearless, and pursue the true truth!"
Thomas said firmly: "The truth will only be half a day late at most!"
Yang Ming said: "But if we lose this attention, and lose the silent support and solidarity of the people at this moment, will the mastermind behind it really get the punishment it deserves? The people's right to know may not be suitable to be mentioned in the empire, but the civil code of the empire clearly stipulates that the civilian class is the citizens of the empire and has the full right to know about historical events and major disasters!"
"Hanton!"
"Lieutenant General, please do not try to persuade me," Yang Ming raised his head slightly, "Even if I risk everything today and lose my noble title and this territory, I must give those innocent people justice! If you, Lieutenant General, want to stop me, please ask the Imperial Noble Court to arrest me on the spot for incitement!"
Thomas sighed: "Hanton, you are a hero of the empire, and the military is proud of you. How could you..."
"Sedition?"
Suddenly there was a chuckle from behind.
It was a chuckle that came from the external speakers of the luxury hover car.
The car door opened, the orchestra's music reached its climax, and the guards on both sides simultaneously activated and raised the decorative golden lightsabers in their hands, adding a layer of soft golden light to the entire courtyard.
The tall and handsome prince walked in with a smile, and his voice continued to float throughout the courtyard through the directional capture device in the car.
“I didn’t expect that Earl Hanton would have such a clear understanding of his mistakes.”
Many elderly people in the venue frowned subconsciously.
Standing at the best viewing spot on the second-floor balcony, Grace couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Prince Gehari walked forward calmly, but his buttons and watch were obviously triggered light shield generators. After taking a few steps, he stopped far away and looked up at Yang Ming.
"My Lord Earl, have you forgotten the basic etiquette of aristocrats?"
Yang Ming frowned slightly and glanced at Lieutenant General Thomas.
Lieutenant General Thomas' facial muscles trembled slightly, but he still said gently: "This is the prince who was appointed by His Majesty to appease the people."
He put the words "appease the people" particularly clearly.
However, the prince at the door, who had previously promised to lower his posture, turned a deaf ear to him.
Now, six percent of the empire's population is watching this live broadcast actively or passively through various means.
If this live broadcast caused bigger news, its video footage would spread wildly across the entire imperial network and reach the eyes of most of the imperial people.
Yang Ming: Is this guy trying to cause trouble?
Gehali: Now is the best time to publicize the majesty of the empire and reverse the bad impression of myself in my father's eyes!
"Lord Hanton!" Gehari's eyes sharpened, "Shouldn't you salute me?"
Most of the nobles in the courtyard had already saluted once before, but now, several old men reacted quickly and saluted again, and everyone followed suit, wanting to give Yang Ming a way out.
Yang Ming put his hands behind his back again and stared at Gehari calmly.
"Did you give the order to fire?"
Gehari pretended to be speechless: "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Really?" Yang Ming said calmly, "There is a senior judge of the Noble Court on the scene. I would like to ask, what is the crime of deliberately murdering thousands of people and the princess of the empire?"
The courtyard was extremely quiet.
The sun shines on the vines, gently caressed by the breeze.
"ha."
Prince Gehari suddenly laughed: "Please ask the senior judge to answer this question of our earl, and by the way, tell him what the crime is for being rude to the prince."
A middle-aged man walked out with his head down and whispered, "Your Highness, being disrespectful to the prince is disrespectful to your superiors. You must be warned and fined. In serious cases, you can be detained and imprisoned for self-reflection."
Prince Gehali looked up at Yang Ming.
Yang Ming asked: "Don't you want to answer my question?"
The middle-aged man said, "This is the intentional murder of thousands of people and the princess of the empire. The highest penalty under the Aristocratic Code and the Civil Code applies... Considering that the planner of this incident has committed suicide out of fear of punishment, the main responsible parties for this incident will be the officers who ordered the artillery to fire. The Aristocratic Code does not apply to this incident. It should be... the death penalty."
Yang Ming's voice was somewhat cold: "The mastermind is at large, and a few of his minions have been sentenced to death. Is that right?"
Someone immediately said, "Lord Hanton, we understand that you have emotions, but the existing evidence is not enough to show that there is a bigger mastermind behind this."
"Instead, you should reflect on this," the famous old man snorted, "Why do two honorary earls with bright futures want to retaliate against you at all costs? Why don't they retaliate against others? Isn't it you who is arrogant and reckless that has brought disaster to Sakaar?"
Wow, you start licking already?
Yang Ming looked down and saw that most of the people in the courtyard were facing him.
They are together.
Yang Ming knew from the very beginning that these guys were all in the same group, so it was not surprising that he now stood decisively in front of Prince Gehali.
Lieutenant General Thomas tried to smooth things over: "Let's go in and talk, Hanton, please let His Royal Highness in."
Yang Ming was still thinking about giving Thomas this face, but the prince at the door smiled and said, "No need, Earl Hanton doesn't seem to welcome me."
"Yes," Yang Ming's mind raced, and he said calmly, "I suspected that Your Highness was the mastermind behind this, so I became hostile to Your Highness."
"Please don't talk nonsense if you don't have evidence."
Prince Gehari said with a smile, his left hand in his trouser pocket, a warm smile on his face:
"Daphne is my most beloved sister. How could I bear to see her get hurt? Mr. Ghost, you held such a high-profile live broadcast and widely circulated it throughout the empire, trying to intensify contradictions and create conflicts. It seems that the charge of incitement can be implemented."
"Yeah?"
Yang Ming suddenly laughed and asked slowly, "How is the crime of incitement sentenced?"
The middle-aged man immediately said, "It depends on the situation. Generally, it starts at five years in prison, and there is no upper limit."
"This crime is really scary, but fortunately, you don't have any evidence," Yang Ming said with a smile, "Then is there any clear record in the noble code about how to deal with it if two nobles fight and cause some flesh injuries?"
"Fights are mainly mediated."
"What if the person being beaten is the second in line to the throne?"
“This…”
The middle-aged man looked up at Yang Ming, his expression changed: "This is a serious crime that requires imprisonment, Lord Earl, please don't mess around!"
"I messed around? What's wrong with me?"
Yang Ming spread his hands and walked down the steps: "Did I do anything?"
"Hanton!" Lieutenant General Thomas realized that something was wrong and took two steps forward, but he suddenly stopped.
A shock wave suddenly burst out from Yang Ming's forehead.
Ordinary people at the scene were all dizzy and unsteady on their feet, but they did not feel any violent impact, they were just a little confused.
Very gentle mental disturbance.
However, Prince Gehari's condition was slightly more serious. He was shaky and was about to fall when he took two steps back, but he felt a big hand holding his arm.
The prince's watch flickered, and a soft film of light enveloped the outline of his body.
"Oh," Yang Ming's voice penetrated into Prince Gehali's ears.
Prince Gehari looked up and saw Yang Ming's smiling face, several floating photography balls, and the somewhat dazzling starlight.
“You, you…”
"Unfortunately, I have no evidence to prove that you were the one who ordered this operation," Yang Ming sighed.
Just as Gehari was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he felt the big hand holding his arm suddenly exert force.
He felt the world spinning before his eyes, and his body was like a tattered sack, being pulled up, over the guy's shoulders, and smashed down heavily.
There was a muffled thud.
Although Gehari was protected by a shield, his brain still suffered the concussion and he almost fainted.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have had any illusions about you."
Yang Ming slowly squatted down, put his palm slowly close to Gehari's eye sockets, and said in a gentle voice:
“Your Highness, when I find solid evidence, I will personally send you to the Supreme Court of the Nobility of the Imperial Star, and I will let hundreds of billions of people in the empire witness your final fate.
"I gave you a chance, but you were useless.
"How could your wise and great Majesty have a child like you? You are such a disgrace to the royal family."
After saying that, Yang Ming gently patted Gehari's cheek, crushed Gehari's watch, took off his buttons, and said with a smile: "If I want to harm His Highness, your protective device will be useless."
A guard rushed up with a terrified expression.
Yang Ming did not resist and took the initiative to leave the prince's side; those guards who tried to approach him were bounced away by the red light film around him.
"Your Honor," Yang Ming turned his head and said, "Take me to your court ship. I just had some physical conflict with His Royal Highness the Prince. Is this considered a serious fight?"
The judge's Adam's apple trembled. He was about to nod, but shook his head subconsciously.
He is also afraid of being beaten!
Lieutenant General Thomas raised his hand to his forehead, but he felt relieved in his heart, after all, it was just an over-the-shoulder throw.
Lieutenant General Thomas has realized that although Yang Ming's behavior was out of line, he has found a good way to control the situation. He has diverted the public's anger to the prince, while not giving in to the royal family.
Ge Hali was helped up by the guards. He staggered and looked at Yang Ming's back. He was about to curse angrily, but when he saw the floating shadow balls, he immediately suppressed his anger and gently swept away the dust.
"You are very rude, Lord Henton."
The corners of Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly.
This guy is not without his merits.
“Brother!”
Daphne's voice suddenly came from behind. Gehari turned his head and looked over. He immediately smiled warmly, as if the previous embarrassment had disappeared.
Daphne hurried forward.
Gehari immediately opened his arms, and if he hadn't been a little dizzy, he would have walked straight up.
"Oh, Daphne, I'm so glad you're okay. You were frightened, weren't you? I'll take you back to the Imperial Star for recuperation..."
Bang!
A crisp sound was heard on Gehari's cheek.
Because he was still dizzy, Gehari didn't feel much pain, but he felt the force and turned his head to look to the side.
His eyes widened, and he stood there in bewilderment.
However, before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his lower body. Daphne, who was wearing an elegant long dress, raised and lowered her right leg , leaving a heavy cold snort at Gehari.
"Daphne...how dare you...oh!"
Gehari fell to his knees with his legs together.
Daphne walked around him and came behind Yang Ming in her crystal shoes.
"Judge, I also participated in the fight, so please count me as one of the prisoners."
Yang Ming blinked: "You are using my traffic again."
"Really?" Daphne crossed her arms. "I was just expressing my dissatisfaction with an unscrupulous brother."
Yang Ming: …
Damn, he had originally planned to take advantage of this wave of wounds that tore the empire apart to put himself in prison for a while, so that when Lu carried out the assassination plan, he would not be implicated. After the storm subsided, he would organize some demonstrations to force the empire to release him.
What a great move! Kill three birds with one stone and sneak into Chencang.
Why has it suddenly changed now?
This happened in front of the entire empire!
At this moment, there must be hundreds of millions of "hit" floating by in the barrage!
Yang Ming asked: "You won't be locked up in the same cell with me, right?"
Daphne pursed her lips and glanced at him with a hint of disgust.