Chapter 78 - Truth or Falsehood

Zhong Yan chuckled. “You’re right. I misspoke.”

Stalvern could keenly sense that something was different. Zhong Yan still appeared humble and courteous in front of him. Every time he gets angry, Zhong Yan would bow his head at his word and admit his own wrongs, but Stalvern had been psychologically fighting with people all his life. He had such keen eyes that there was no way he couldn’t tell that Zhong Yan’s seemingly indistinguishable attitude no longer held any respect for him.

He instantly felt furious and asked him coldly, “What are those men surrounding my house for?”

“Please excuse me, but how are they surrounding your house? They are merely waiting for me at the door. They were the bodyguards my husband assigned to me for my safety. They were going to follow me in, but I stopped them—how disrespectful would that be to you? Moreover, why would they need to follow me into the Yate Family residence?”

“And that’s where you’re wrong,” Stalvern spoke with mockery in his voice. “It is only normal to bring your bodyguards with you when you enter someone else’s home. You wouldn’t think that this is your home now that you’ve married Adrian Yate, would you? Then let me tell you, my family does not recognize that unfilial brat who threw dirt at my ancestors’ reputations.”

Seemingly not the least bit angry, Zhong Yan responded easily, “I did not think of it that way. After all, my husband does not recognize you as family either.”

“Hmph. You’ve grown too big for your nest now, have you?” Stalvern couldn’t hold back his anger. “I was wondering why you spent so much effort just to go to Navi—it turns out it’s so you can latch onto my grandson. It’s probably to get the Navi Military Command as your backer isn’t it? You shrugged off Bayer as soon as you arrived. Funny I actually believed that nonsense you made up about those space pirates and being placed under house arrest in Navi!”

“Those are all true.” When Zhong Yan saw him get angry, his tone turned into a more comforting one. “At first, I really was…detained by them. I should have returned early on, but Bard Pearson and Qu Yongyi had to step in. They ended up dragging me into it too when they tried to assassinate Navi’s commander. Don’t even mention coming back, I nearly lost my life back there. But that’s fine. I didn’t have to be in the Capital when the ‘Honor Decree’ was announced thanks to their little mess. Now I’m completely clean of it.”

Stalvern laughed when he heard his words. “So what if your hands are clean? You’re a Representative Councilor, one of the highest-ranking members in the Supreme Council. You are one of the Twelve! Now that the prestige of the Supreme Council has come crumbling down, do you still expect to come out of this in one piece? You’re too short-sighted!”

“Yes, you’re right. Naturally, I understand that principle. That is why I do not plan to watch this nest turn over. If I truly am short-sighted, then I would just hide in Navi while the Capital is in trouble. Why should I rush back for this event? Naturally…I’ve come to turn the tides.”

Stalvern reacted as if he had just heard a stupid joke. “You? Do you really think you’re capable of that?”

Zhong Yan was not upset at all about having his ability questioned. As if he did not hear him, he continued, “I plan to convene a round table meeting. We are going to vote on my proposal, and it will be broadcasted live to the entire Federation. This will appease the turbulent hearts of the people and restore our support.”

“What proposal?”

“An impeachment bill,” Zhong Yan answered him calmly, “and our target is the artificial intelligence, ‘Butterfly’.”

Stalvern was stunned for a moment before he realized what he was saying. He couldn’t help but stand up and cursed at him with his eyes wide. “Outrageous! Sure enough, you’ve really been colluding with those people from Navi! You want to abolish artificial intelligence?”

Zhong Yan sat down and went on, “Councilor Yate, please calm down. Would I come to discuss with you if that was truly my goal? Would I not just be asking for abuse? I am talking about an approach where we break things down before rebuilding. Currently, the civilians have deep grievances against ‘Butterfly’. Even the military commands are refusing to stay loyal. If we do not do anything now, then I’m afraid the Supreme Council is going to be lost soon. A resounding impeachment case is the best way to appease the people. Don’t they want ‘Butterfly’ to step down? Then we will show them what they want to see. Regardless of whether the impeachment succeeds in the end…the people will already have calmed down after the meeting ends. The impeachment may not succeed, but the cracks in our system will be surfaced. We will give them a sincere promise to rectify our policies, then wouldn’t everything become a thing of the past?”

Stalvern still remained standing. He looked down at Zhong Yan with suspicious eyes while Zhong Yan allowed him to do so without moving. But in just a moment, what Stalvern asked was not related to the impeachment case at all. “How much do you know about Navi dispatching their troops this time around?”

“I know everything about it.” Zhong Yan laughed as if he was unable to hold back his amusement. “Your grandson really does not have his guard up against me at all. I would like to thank Councilor Pearson for this one. It was with his actions that I ended up accidentally saving his life.”

Stalvern asked in a sharp tone, “If you know everything, then why didn’t you report this to the Capital in advance?! If we could have sent out our troops early, then we would be able to control the people on the Institution Star. We would not have ended up in such a passive position!”

“Perhaps. But if the Capital doesn’t fall into this situation, how am I going to ‘turn the tides’? If I can’t bring up the impeachment case, then my trust among the people will not be established.” Zhong Yan’s eyes gradually cooled. “Councilor Yate. Please do not blame me for being cruel, but if you give them a disease and cure it yourself, then the merit will be yours—Councilor Pearson is going to bring up the reform soon. I’m sure you’ve caught wind of it, right? He helped ‘Butterfly’ draft the ‘Honor Decree’ this time, so ‘Butterfly’ is likely to support him. Moreover, after the Round Table changes to a pyramid structure, and the personnel is cut…how will I still have my place in the Supreme Council? I hope you will take no offense from what I am about to say. After all, you’re already retired. Your influence in the Supreme Council is declining. I’m afraid you won’t be able to help me keep my seat, right? But everything will change after the impeachment order. The public will learn of my sympathy toward the people, and the Supreme Council will remember my work as well. When that time comes, I’ll really have a firm foothold in the Supreme Council. No one will be able to shake me off easily.”

Stalvern returned to his seat on the sofa. He’d always known this young man was ambitious, he just lacked the background and qualifications. From what he could see then, he also lacked the toughness and trickery. Back then, these were the very things he used to take Zhong Yan under him. But he never thought that he would judge him wrongly. At first, Zhong Yan was just like a puppet who was under his control for many years. But it was never his intention to be one deep inside.

“You’ve crafted such a grand plan and even dragged in ‘Butterfly’ all so you can steady your own position, allowing the world to insult ‘Butterfly’ as they wished. It’s absolutely shameful!”

When Zhong Yan heard this, he actually laughed. When Stalvern glared at him, he apologized, “Sorry. I just suddenly thought that you’re still rather similar to my husband in certain aspects. He really was raised by you after all.”

The Yate Family has always taken “loyalty” as their badge of honor. Only, Stalvern’s loyalty was aimed towards the AI, while Adrian pledged his to truth and justice.

However, he was not here to speak with Stalvern about this. Stalvern was offended enough right then. When he thought about it, Adrian would definitely jump out of his seat as well if he heard what he just said. Fortunately, this grandfather and grandson pair were equally disgusted at each other, so there weren’t many chances for confrontations.

Stalvern took this as an insult and snapped back at him. “Your style is the same as my old rival, Pearson. It’s a shame you did not continue working for him.”

Zhong Yan lowered his gaze and did not deny him. “Is that so? I think so as well. So, as they say…You can’t have two tigers on the same mountain. If he can’t tolerate my presence, then it’s neck or nothing for me. I came to you because I thought we could both benefit. After all, I’m young. I’m afraid that nobody would even dare to give me any support if I were to bring up something like an impeachment. What’s more, if it really does make it to the voting stage, twelve is an even number. What are we going to do if we have an even vote? And now that Pearson is the most senior member of the Twelve, the lead will inevitably go to him. So, I was thinking, wouldn’t it be better to invite you to come out and give your vote? Then, we will be able to hold the majority firmly on our side. You are the most recently retired member of the council, and though old, your prestige still runs strong. It is also easy to explain to the others. What do you think?

Stalvern digested Zhong Yan’s desperate plan for a moment and brought up his questions. “It’s too dangerous. This is no game. Everything will be broadcast live to the entire world! What will you do if the vote really goes through?”

“It won’t.” Zhong Yan shook his head and chuckled. “I believe the only man in the Twelve who will vote for the idea is Vahl Cayman. As for the two who are on a neutral stance, I’m not sure about them. But even if they do vote yes, the only people left are either Pearson, me, or our men. How could we give out a passing vote? Speaking of which, we can’t have a lopsided vote. If we’re going to make the move in front of everyone in a live broadcast, it’ll get everyone talking. Whether the vote will be done anonymously or with our real names, and in what order, whether we need to arrange a few people to put in an approving vote, and also whether I as the person who proposed the idea should vote or not…I’ll have to rely on your advice.”

Stalvern’s anger finally subsided a little. He let out a cold snort and did not say whether he was in agreement to his idea or not, but Zhong Yan did not rush him either. He waited patiently beside him. After a moment, Stalvern’s cold voice said, “I’ve lost myself a little from my anger earlier. Your idea is feasible. So, in just the few days it took for Navi’s army to stir up the waves, you’ve already got yourself set on a big decision like this that’s going to affect the rest of your career? Zhong Yan, I know what kind of person you are. You’re cautious. This isn’t a conspiracy you set up with that unfilial brat, is it?”

“What are you saying?” Though he was hit right in the bulls-eye, Zhong Yan still remained completely unruffled. “Naturally, this is something I’ve been planning for a long time. Otherwise, why do you think…”

As they say in the past, the best lies are only 70% false. However, when it comes to dealing with a sharp and experienced old man like Stalvern, 30% of the truth won’t be enough.

“Otherwise, why do you think me and Commander Yate would be matched as optimal marriage partners by ‘Butterfly’ in such a great coincidence?”

Stalvern looked at Zhong Yan in surprise while the latter chuckled. “Would you like to know who I was originally paired with?”