"Keep the music playing, keep dancing."

As Louis spoke, the music began to play again.

The whole banquet hall turned into a bizarre theater, with everyone forcing a smile, and each sip of wine felt like swallowing seven parts poison.

No one mentioned Joseph again.

It was as if he had never appeared at this banquet, as if his shrill shout of "How dare you!" was just an illusion.

Edward was also pretending to laugh, but his eyes were unfocused, and a thin layer of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

He mechanically echoed the pleasantries around him, secretly feeling fortunate: "Thank goodness... thank goodness I didn't agree to Joseph that day."

He remembered that meeting clearly, Joseph had dragged him to discuss land rights and fiefs, confidently asserting that they should "cooperate to control the parliament's main power and sideline that idiot Louis".

He was tempted for a moment, but due to his cautious nature, he ultimately didn't nod in agreement.

At this moment, he suddenly felt as if he had dodged a guillotine hanging over his head.

But just as that sense of relief arose, it was immediately swallowed by another tumultuous emotion.

"What if Louis thought I was involved too? If I had said a few more words earlier, would it be me being taken away?"

Relief and fear entwined and tugged at his heart.

Even he couldn't tell if he wanted more to escape the eerie banquet, or the young prefect sitting at the host's seat, always with a gentle expression.

Yorn, sitting not far from him, was a completely different story.

He had long been annoyed by that pretentious, profit-driven Joseph.

Watching the man being forcibly dragged away by knights now made him gleeful, with a grin almost reaching his ears.

He laughed like a hooligan enjoying the spectacle, gulping down his drink and muttering under his breath, "Tsk tsk, he really took a solid fall this time."

While saying this, he deliberately nudged Willis lightly with his elbow, eyebrows flying: "See that? Told you he's too pretentious, too much of a poser... did he really think the boss was easy to fool? Now look, he posed his way into prison."

Willis, on the other hand, was far less relaxed.

He made no retort, his gaze crossing over the glasses, landing on the brother sitting at the head of the banquet, always smiling gently as if nothing had happened.

"Did he plan this long ago, waiting for Joseph to walk into the trap? Or was it a last-minute decision, attacking suddenly?"

Willis considered himself to have met quite a few "ruthless people".

But someone like Louis, who fused calmness, authority, and performance together seamlessly, he had never seen before.

He even wondered: just how many more hidden cards does this strange little brother have up his sleeve?

In that barely maintained melody, amidst the awkward atmosphere of forced smiles from everyone, the banquet, originally meant for celebration, finally came to an end.

As the last tune concluded, the musicians placed down their instruments almost relieved, each with sweat beading on their foreheads.

Yet none dared to leave first.

They only looked towards Louis at the head of the table, waiting for his lead.

Only when he slowly stood, waved his hand gently, and said mildly, "Alright, thank you everyone, let's call it a day,"

This "dismissal" was like releasing a tethered warhorse.

The crowd could finally move, but they dared not do so too quickly, fearing to show even a hint of fear or disrespect.

They left the banquet hall in orderly waves, their steps cautious, expressions complex, as if a single wrong step would have Louis take them away.

It was only upon returning to their temporary accommodations that they finally shed the facade of "harmony".

Small groups quietly formed in the night, gathering in twos and threes, each discussing.

Some frowned while whispering, some mumbled softly, some were simply bewildered.

"What do you think... what on earth happened?"

"What right does he have... to just take Joseph away? On what charge?"

"Is he mad?"

"But if he's mad, why does everything seem so meticulous?"

They searched like ants for an exit in the night, yet could never unravel the answer to this question: "Why did Louis do this?"

But no one knew the truth, and no one dared to publicly ask.

They only realized a terrifying reality:

The young prefect who appeared gentle and seldom smiled, whether or not he was going mad, was far more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

......

Louis, at the center of the vortex, remained as calm as an ancient well.

Not long after the banquet ended, he summoned Willis and Yorn.

One after another, they pushed the door open, Yorn spoke excitedly the moment he entered:

"Louis, your move earlier was brilliant! I nearly burst out laughing, that self-important guy got taken away just like that!"

Willis was not so light-hearted.

He glanced complexly toward the closed door and asked softly, "Louis... aren't you afraid something might go wrong? After all, directly taking Joseph away, could there be any repercussions?"

Hearing this, Louis merely chuckled lightly: "His arrest has nothing to do with me."

"What?" The two were taken aback.

Louis lightly tapped the table, his tone unruffled: "It was an order from Duke Edmund. He's likely on the way to the Governor's Mansion now; I merely took the opportunity to establish my authority."

Yorn and Willis's eyes revealed shock.

"I didn't tell you beforehand," Louis continued, "because the intelligence was initially uncertain. But now the evidence is clear, he committed treason."

Just this afternoon, knights from the Governor's Mansion arrived in Red Tide Territory, explaining the matter to me.

I thought on a whim about using this incident to establish authority, and thanks to the cooperation of the knights, I was able to complete the act."

In the shock and doubt reflected in the two's eyes, Louis succinctly narrated the entire sequence of events:

Joseph Kadari had secretly established communication with the "Silver Plate Guild" of the Jade Federation more than half a year ago.

He provided them with confidential information from the Kaladi Clan in the Imperial Southwest Defense Zone, including guard shift times at watchtowers, consumption calculations for military provisions, and even deployment schedules for the Southeast Line Knight Team.

In exchange, he received a large amount of gold coins, medicinal materials, grain, and "technical slaves" from the Federation.

And it just so happened that I intercepted the informant heading to his territory for the Silver Plate Guild, then sent them to the Governor's Mansion, from which the full story was uncovered.

"Worse yet, the evidence includes not only detailed records of his dealings with the Silver Plate Guild but also his own signed documents."

Willis widened his eyes, while Yorn kept his mouth agape for quite some time.

A silence filled the air.

Yorn clicked his tongue softly, "No wonder he dared to act so boldly; he was aiming for something big..."

"But now," Louis gave a carefree smile, "everything he had is over, and it might even implicate his family."

Willis turned pale, muttering, "He's lost his mind…"

After discussing Joseph's situation, an awkward silence hung in the air.

Louis did not waste any more words, moved directly to the point: "Alright, for tomorrow's meeting, I plan to do something and need the cooperation of you two."

Yorn straightened up: "Of course, just tell us what you need."

Willis nodded: "No problem, we'll follow your instructions."

Louis briefly outlined each person's tasks.

Yorn was responsible for maintaining stability on the floor, appropriately expressing positions to suppress any possible unrest;

Willis would provide rationalization from perspectives of policy, efficiency, and safety, helping lay a "for the people, for the public" foundation in public opinion.

Both agreed without issue, quickly reaching a consensus with a snap.

The three then discussed handling a few key nodes in a more focused manner, soon reaching agreement.

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