Chapter 128 In the Name of Man (Additional chapter for the helmsman of [Summer Wood Warlock])

The boat was very quiet.
There is only the sound of waves blown by the sea breeze.

After a while,

Keqing raised her head and shook her head at Wang Hao: "You can promote legislation, but I don't think it's okay to use the name of the Emperor."

Wang Hao frowned, a little confused: "Are you worried that the emperor will blame you?"

"No, I don't think the Emperor will blame me, but... why does this legislation have to be made in the Emperor's name? Why can't it be made in the name of a human being?"

There was a gleam in Keqing's eyes.

"This is what we are supposed to do, so let's do it in our name. As for the Emperor... this is not his order."

Keqing's meaning was very clear, she didn't want to borrow the Emperor's reputation.

Wang Hao wanted to remind the other party that in today's Liyue, the Emperor is the most legal.

Simply using the name of a person, or even the name of the Seven Stars, I guess even the Seven Stars may not agree.

But looking at Yi Xi in Keqing's eyes, Wang Hao suddenly found himself speechless.

He knew that this was Keqing's philosophy.

Seeing that Wang Hao didn't say anything and was silent, Keqing looked at him firmly.

Wang Hao and Keqing looked into each other's eyes.

Their eyes seemed to speak.
Silent, but loud.

for a long time,

Wang Hao withdrew his gaze. He knew that Keqing would not give in on this point.

Since Keqing won't give in, he has to give in.

Anyway, as long as we can promote legal reform, the plan will be completed.

So, Wang Hao nodded gently: "Then let's do it in the name of man."

As long as the Emperor does not deny it, even if I don't use the Emperor's name,
Reforms promoted in the name of the Seven Stars will still have legal basis.

The prerequisite is that Qixing can agree, but this can be left to Keqing to persuade, and Wang Hao does not need to worry about it.

Another thing is that it may cause opposition from many people.

These dissenting voices may affect the emperor's judgment.

However, the Emperor should be able to understand himself!

At worst... I can ask for a statue of the Emperor to be placed in the Law Hall.

If it really doesn't work, he will go to the Wangsheng Hall to pester Zhongli Keqing and give him gifts every day.

He would be too embarrassed to deny the reform of the law.

Well, it should be possible to do this.
Humph, I'm not giving in to Keqing.

Wang Hao thought so in his heart.

Wang Hao, who was lost in thought, did not notice that Keqing's eyes opposite him were gradually changing.

From the firmness just now, it became softer, and there was something more complicated.

It's a little cold on the sea due to the late night clouds.

But Keqing's heart is burning.

She totally felt it.
Wang Hao understood her and was willing to support her.

"Thank you." Keqing said sincerely, her eyes were soft and sincere, but also mixed with something different.

Keqing doesn’t have many friends, and Wang Hao is the one she cherishes the most.

Now, this friend has even changed some plans for her ideas.

This touched Keqing very much.

While she was moved, she was also examining her own heart.
Whether I am worthy of Wang Hao's change.

In the end, Keqing came to the conclusion that she deserves it and will not let Wang Hao down for his changes.

Wang Hao didn’t know what Keqing was thinking. He just thought that Keqing’s idea was worth trying.

Wang Hao wanted to gradually transition from divine rule to human rule.
Keqing wants to strengthen human rule under the environment of divine rule and be prepared for the departure of God.

Although there are differences between the two, their essential purposes are the same.

So, there's nothing wrong with changing the plan a little.

Although borrowing the Emperor's name can make the operation smoother,
But it is not impossible to act without using the name of the Emperor.

Besides, in the name of man...

As long as it is in the name of the people of Liyue, isn't it in the name of the Emperor?
The Emperor might even prefer to act in the name of humans.

As long as the Emperor does not explicitly object, he will succeed in the end with both methods.

If the Emperor objects, then no matter what, it will not succeed.

In essence, it all depends on the Emperor's opinion.

Well, I’ll buy some gifts and go to the Hall of Rebirth later.

Facing Keqing's thanks, Wang Hao, who was still thinking, subconsciously responded politely: "It's all for Liyue."

“…Yes, it’s all… for Liyue.” Keqing’s face suddenly stiffened, and she spoke with some hesitation.

Damn, this guy...

Keqing suddenly felt discouraged and began to doubt her own charm.

She has given Wang Hao vague hints more than once, but Wang Hao has never made a clear statement.

Sometimes, Keqing even wondered if Wang Hao hadn't gotten his point.

But when the two were together, Keqing would occasionally see different colors in Wang Hao's eyes.

Keqing was sure that Wang Hao had feelings for her.

But this guy just won’t say anything!
Thinking of the close relationship between Wang Hao and Ningguang, Keqing couldn't help but feel angry.

Why did this guy accept Ningguang’s investment? Can’t he just come to me?

After feeling angry, the girl silently cursed herself for having wild thoughts.

At that time, Wang Hao had no choice but to accept Ningguang.

I can only blame myself for not discovering the other person's brilliance earlier.

A girl who doesn't want to make trouble unreasonably, even if she is angry, is unwilling to blame the problem on others.

……

the other side,
At the dawn of day,

The Fatui's large ship crossed the Yunlai Strait, entered the Qiongji Wilderness, and anchored at a remote shore.

There are small boats here to pick up the valuables and transport them back to the secret base continuously.

No one noticed,

In the shadows of the ship's deck, something was moving slowly.

Not only were there shadows on the deck, but there were also shadows creeping in the captain's room, in the sailors' room, and even in the ballast room.

In order to find out the Fatui's secret base outside,

Except for No. 3 who was investigating the corrupt family, all the other death warriors were sent out by Wang Hao.

Once these assassins hide in the shadows, they are really hard to spot unless they expose themselves.

And this time, Andre only brought people to catch the fat boss.

Apart from a few debt collectors, there were really no elite troops, and they deliberately avoided the locations where the debt collectors were, so the death squad sneaked in easily.

Following the boat all the way to the secret base, the members of the death squad waited until the debt collectors took the fat boss off the boat before they began to shuttle through different shadows.

Then, out of sight of the ordinary fools guarding the ship, he quickly left.

"puff"

On the big ship,
The Fatui on duty seemed to hear some sound.

"Did you hear the water?"

"I heard it. It might be a fish. There are a lot of fish in this area."

"Well, that's right. It can't be a human."

"Hahahaha, there are only two of us here, what are you thinking about."

This is a secret base, how could there be anyone here?

The Fatui laughed and chatted.

in water,

There was a hint of apology in No. 6's eyes. When she entered the water, her voice was a little loud.

The others lay in wait for a while, and only continued their action after making sure that the Fatui had no reaction.

The four of them turned into shadows, gradually approaching the coast, and quickly disappeared into the shadows of several Fatui who were carrying goods.

"Strange, why is it wet here?"

"The cargo on the ship might be damp."

A few Fatui who were carrying goods grumbled, but didn't care and continued to carry the goods.

They also have to send these things back to Liyue in batches, have people identify them, and then sell them.

This was used as collateral for the five million Mora that the fat boss borrowed.

Follow the fools who are carrying the goods back and forth twice,

While they were resting, the death squad quietly slipped into the shadow of the cargo.

Next, they will follow the cargo back to Liyue and report the coordinates of the base to Wang Hao.

at the same time,

In the secret base,
Andre was standing in front of a man, sweating profusely.

"I heard that you messed up an order?"

Pantalone played with a bracelet in his hand and looked at Andre with interest.

Andre was sweating profusely. “Yes, sir, but please give me another chance. We have seized the other party’s property. As long as we sell it, we can use it to pay for the goods.”

Pantalone was not angry. To be honest, he didn't care about the mere five million Moras.
However, he liked Andre's attitude very much. Although this guy messed up an order, at least he didn't try to hide it from him, right?

He would rather have an obedient dog than a clever person.

"I lost a gift for the Queen, and you messed up a list. We both made mistakes."

Pantalone smiled very gently.

"Just as the Queen doesn't blame me, I won't blame you either." As he said this, he patted Andre's shoulder.

"I will be returning to Zhidong to report on my work. You are the highest-ranking official of the Northern Bank in Liyue. You know what to do, right?"

Pantalone lost the gift for the Queen. Although the Queen did not blame him, he still had to go back to Solstice.

Before returning to Dongzhi, he had to ensure that there would be no problems at Liyue Northern Kingdom Bank.

This is the real reason why he didn't deal with Andre.

Because Andre is one of the few capable and practical people in the Northern Bank in Liyue.

If they really deal with him, the Northland Bank won't be left without workers, but it will definitely be targeted by one of the Seven Stars and suffer heavy casualties.

"You want to go back to Winter?" Andre's eyes showed a hint of joy, but it quickly faded away. He knew that he had passed this test. "I understand. I will be more low-key."

Pantalone nodded with satisfaction. He didn't care about Andre's little joy because he heard a satisfactory answer from Andre's mouth.

Yes, keeping a low profile is the answer he wants.

This is also the reason why he is satisfied with Andre. This man at least knows his own weight.

If the Northland Bank continues to act in a high-profile manner when I am away, it is really because they are afraid that the Seven Stars' knife will not be effective.

The correct approach is to keep a low profile, shrink business, and wait for yourself to come back.

"Okay, this time when I go back, I will ask for credit for you, Andre. Your name will appear in front of the Queen. Don't let me down."

Pantalone dropped another big pie.

But pancakes are very effective.
Andre's eyes were full of surprise.

He knelt down directly: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir."

If he really catches the eye of Her Majesty the Queen, his future... will definitely take off.

Pantalone lowered his eyebrows to look at the prostrated Andre, raised the corner of his mouth, turned around and left without saying a word.

He knew that Andre had no second thoughts.

"Oh, by the way, [Rooster] has sent a few more action teams here. They should be numbered as the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Action Companies. They don't belong to our Northland Bank. Leave them to Ivan. Just record the flow of funds."

Pantalone suddenly said,

Andre nodded immediately: "Okay, I'll record it."

"Well, you continue working. I'm leaving. You don't have to see me off." Pantalone stood up.

Andre hurriedly followed and said, "The boss said he won't send it off, so you really won't send it off?"
"Oh, I said you don't have to send me off." Pantalone's face turned cold.

Andre froze in place, watching Pantalone leave, and after a while, he realized that this was a warning to him to be obedient.

Leaving the secret base,

Pantalone walked on the road, receiving the respectful gazes of the lower-class fools.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Look towards the ground.

The Fatui around them suddenly fell silent.

There were undried water stains on the ground.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze.

"Well... give the cleaners a raise. If they get paid too little, they won't work hard. At least they should keep the base cleaner, right?"

Pantalone said with a smile.

The fools around trembled and dared not speak.
They couldn't tell whether it was true or false.

Looking at the fearful looks of these lower-class fools, Pantalone shook his head in boredom and walked straight to the shore.

He will return by sea until winter.

After Pantalone left,
The secret base was in turmoil, and the Fatui who were cleaning were severely scolded.

As for Pantalone's talk of a wage increase... it's so funny, you believe the capitalists? You deserve it.

……

Three days later,
Andre personally escorted the goods back to Liyue Harbor.

After inspection, the cargo successfully entered Liyue Port.
The origins of these goods have all been verified, and the Fatui do have this skill.

While the Qianyan Army was inspecting the cargo, several shadows quietly left.

Returning to the North Bank with the goods,

Andre immediately held a meeting to inform everyone that Executive Officer Pantalone had left.
And his own appointment as interim top manager.

No one objected.

Everyone knows that without the executive officer, Northland Bank will definitely be targeted, and taking over at this time is not a good thing.

"You should all scale back your business and stop being so high-profile. Don't worry about the general losses. Just play it safe and wait for the executive officer to come back."

Andre ordered, then looked at his men on the side.

"By the way, what was the name of the person we mentioned earlier who was going to appraise antiques? Oh, Zhongli Keqing from the Wangsheng Hall, go and ask him to come over."

The staff of Northland Bank nodded immediately to indicate receipt.

It's just hiring someone, it's no big deal.

Here, the Northland Bank is having a meeting.
the other side,
The death squad returned to Wang Hao.

The originally elite team now has low spirits and looks very weak.

They had been hiding in the shadows for three days, avoiding detection, without a drop of water, and were already very weak.

The reason they were able to return to Wang Hao was because they had undergone professional training.

【I go, what did they do? 】

[It seems that Wang Hao sent them to follow the Fatui's ship. ]

[What's going on? Why are you so weak? ]

[It looks like he hasn't eaten for several days. ]

【…】

The comments on the barrage all saw the team’s weakness, and Wang Hao could naturally see it as well.

"Number Three, take them to eat something and rest first. We'll talk about things later."

Wang Hao quickly asked No. 3 to take them to rest.

There is no rush to report.

Number Three immediately took his men downstairs to arrange for rest.

She also felt sorry for her comrades.

After a while,

She just came back with the map, but the others didn't come because they went to rest.

This is the map prepared by the team.
The death squad marked the secret base on the map and also noted some guard points.

Wang Hao took the map and glanced at it.
The Fatui's secret base is located right on the coastline of Qiongjiye, which is indeed hidden.

There is no way. Liyue’s coastline is too long and it is impossible to patrol it.

Some wild coastlines can only be patrolled once a month.

Otherwise, the pressure on the Qianyan Army would be too great.

Therefore, some treasure-stealing groups in the wild are difficult to clean up.
You never know where they're going to end up.

"What do you think? Should we solve it ourselves or hand it over to the Qianyan Army?" Wang Hao suddenly asked No. 3.

Number Three hesitated for a moment. Normally, she would not comment on such matters.
After all, she is a assassin.

But after following Wang Hao, she also understood that Wang Hao really did not treat them as his death warriors.

Looking at Wang Hao's clear eyes, No. 3 said, "We don't have enough manpower to deal with this base, unless we borrow some from Lord Ningguang."

Wang Hao really doesn't have many people under his command.

There is only one death squad that can be used.
It was already a struggle to wipe out the Fatui camps in the wild before.

Although many people were killed, they were killed separately and not all at once.

Now we have to deal with a secret base of the Fatui. There are many fighters inside and there may be casualties.

Number Three cherishes her team very much. They are all her people.

They don't mind sacrificing for Wang Hao, but if it can be handled better, it is better not to sacrifice.

"Is that so...Okay, go give the information to Keqing and let her handle it. She doesn't like the Fatui kidnapping the casino owner, so she can use this as an excuse to wipe out the Fatui base."

Wang Hao also felt that he couldn't spare the time to deal with it.

After all, he had been busy sorting out the evidence of the crimes of those corrupt families these days.
Compared to the external poisons of the Fatui, these internal evils are what Wang Hao wants to eliminate the most.

Only after clearing away these internal evils can he start dealing with the external poisons.

Just leave it to Keqing, since Keqing likes to do these things anyway.

The aftermath of her previous doubts about the Emperor is still there, so it would be helpful for her to come forward and boost her reputation.

Thinking about it, Wang Hao no longer cared about this matter.

Number Three calmly took the map. Seeing that Wang Hao was no longer interested in this matter, he changed the subject: "Regarding the investigation of those big families, we have already found out some of their assets abroad. If we want to clean them up, we may need diplomatic assistance."

"There's no rush for this. Just record it. When we start the action, let Sister Ningguang come forward and officially contact the corresponding country to conduct diplomatic negotiations."

"Okay." Number Three nodded, and then continued, "Also, our recent investigation seems to have alarmed them a little."

Wang Hao's expression remained unchanged.

It took a month of investigation to alert these big families, which shows how powerful the General Affairs Department's spies are.

As for these big families, they may be corrupt, but they are also the real elites. Their abilities may not be strong, but they are definitely capable.

"It's just an alarm. We're still short of clues. We need to continue investigating. It's okay if we're discovered. However, everyone should pay attention to safety. Safety is the top priority." Wang Hao said.

After a month, almost all the evidence had been collected.

But Wang Hao still lacked an excuse to launch a large-scale attack.

A reason for ordinary people in all of Liyue to pay attention.

Using the power of the situation to suppress others is what Wang Hao wants to do.
Otherwise, if they just assassinated them directly, they would have killed everyone in a month.

It must be aboveboard, it must be upright,

Only in this way can we have legal rationality, promote subsequent legal reforms, and stop some people from sympathizing with corrupt people.

Don't think that no one has sympathy for these corrupt people.

There are all kinds of people in this world.

It is so magical that the victim can forgive the perpetrator.

Well, Teyvat is a fantasy world.

(End of this chapter)