576: Military Special Order

"Oh, right..."

Lü En changed the subject again, his tone becoming a bit more serious.

"Today's conversation must not be disclosed to anyone, do you understand?"

The reason he emphasized this so much was because he knew very well that once this matter spread, those sharp-nosed juniors in the Family would likely swarm to contact Li Yang.

By then, it would not only bring unnecessary pressure to Li Yang, but might even attract the attention of the Emperor.

After all, even he, as the Premier of the State Council, did not know the Emperor's true attitude toward Li Yang—whether it was appreciation, a test, or something deeper.

Thinking of this, Lü En felt a bit apprehensive.

Just the fact that Lü Zheng and Lü Xia had taken the initiative to contact Li Yang already made him uneasy.

If a group of Family descendants were to swarm him as well, the scene would be simply unimaginable.

By then, even if he were the Premier of the Imperial Supreme Political Council, he might not be able to contain the situation.

However, having said that, deep down, Lü En was quite satisfied with the foresight shown by these two grandchildren.

With his status and vision, he naturally saw further than others; someone specially favored by the Emperor would never stop at being an ordinary Official in the future.

By his conservative estimate, Li Yang would at least reach the level of an A-grade Official in the future; even if he were just a bottom-tier A-grade Official, an A-grade was still an A-grade.

Given this premise, the fact that Lü Zheng and Lü Xia could take this step in advance, regardless of their motives, at least showed they had vision and courage.

This point, in addition to his worry, gave Lü En a bit of gratification.

"Understood, Grandfather."

Lü Zheng and Lü Xia replied in unison, glancing at each other, both seeing a hint of contemplation in the other's eyes.

Although Lü En did not say it explicitly, the solemnity and caution in his tone made them instinctively realize that Li Yang was someone who must absolutely not be disturbed by too many people.

"Alright, go and attend to your business..."

Lü En waved his hand, as if to end the conversation.

Lü Zheng and Lü Xia had just turned around and were about to push open the heavy door of the study when Lü En's slightly hoarse yet exceptionally clear voice sounded behind them.

"I will have the Family allocate a bit more resources to you."

He paused, his gaze lingering on their backs for a moment.

"Remember, you must maintain a good relationship with that Comrade Li Yang."

The moment his voice fell, an invisible yet irresistible force quietly emerged, like an unseen hand giving a gentle push.

Lü Zheng and Lü Xia felt their feet lighten, and before their eyes could adjust, they were already standing outside the study, the heavy door slowly closing behind them with a low "click."

The light outside the door was bright, forming a stark contrast with the dimness inside the study.

The two stood stunned in place, unable to fully process what had happened for a moment.

After a few seconds, Lü En's words, "allocate a bit more resources to you," finally echoed in their minds.

Lü Zheng's pupils constricted at first, then an irrepressible joy slowly spread across his face.

"Grandfather said... he would give us more resources?"

Lü Xia also reacted, her originally slightly tired eyes instantly brightening.

She took a deep breath, trying hard to make her voice sound calmer.

"Yes, I didn't hear wrong, that's what Grandfather said."

The two glanced at each other, both seeing undisguised excitement in the other's eyes.

You must know, they had been running around busily during this time, even consuming some of the Family's original resources to exchange for those billions, all for the sake of gaining more say and resource allocation within the Family, right?

The resources of the Lü Family were not comparable to those small-time operations outside.

The "a bit of resources" that Lü En mentioned so casually, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to drive any ambitious person crazy; that was a massive power sufficient to support a Chairman.

Lü Zheng couldn't help but straighten his back, his face filled with smugness.

"How about that? I told you my judgment was right."

He lifted his chin, his tone carrying a sense of triumph.

"That Li Yang hasn't even truly developed yet, and we have already obtained more support from the Family because of him."

When he said this, he deliberately lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress the pride in his tone.

After all, when he first proposed betting on Li Yang, Lü Xia hadn't completely agreed; that was a full three billion in funds, not a small sum that could just be thrown away.

Lü Xia rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

"Fine, fine, you win; it was my vision that was limited."

Although she said this, she had to admit in her heart that this move of Lü Zheng's was indeed brilliant.

Not only were they not reprimanded by the Family for investing in Li Yang, but they actually received more resource allocation, which showed that Lü En had already recognized their judgment, and perhaps had even foreseen Li Yang's future potential in advance.

Lü Zheng was overjoyed by her words "you win," but he didn't forget to wave his hand with feigned modesty.

"Can't say that, can only say we were lucky and bet on the right treasure."

Although he said that, the confidence in his eyes became increasingly firm.

Lü Xia glanced at him, restrained her smile, and said seriously.

"Since Grandfather specifically reminded us to maintain a good relationship with Li Yang, we must be more cautious in our actions from now on, so we don't end up getting the resources but offending the person."

Lü Zheng restrained his smugness a bit and nodded.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The two walked side by side in the corridor, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway.

...

Longlan Star Cluster.

Seven or eight months had passed since the last auction that had stirred up various forces.

Time was like a steadily flowing river of stars, silently washing over this border Star Domain.

Everything was as peaceful as usual.

There were no large-scale fleet movements, no sudden star gate accidents, and no unexpected civilization conflicts.

The border defense line was stable, trade routes were busy, and the lives of the citizens progressed in an orderly manner, as if this Star Domain had truly become a rare "place of tranquility" on the edge of the Empire.

In the office of the Chairman, the light was soft and quiet.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows were slowly rotating planets and twinkling star rings, like a silently flowing river of light.

Li Yang sat behind the large desk, his expression focused.

He was still handling the complicated daily Official business as usual, from border defense reports to livelihood proposals, from resource allocation applications to garrison rotation arrangements, one by one being approved, forwarded, and archived under his fingertips.

His movements were proficient and steady; a long period of time had already made him completely accustomed to this dual Official duty of "Chairman + Division Commander."

Just at this moment, the light screen on the desk suddenly popped up, and a slight prompt sound broke the silence of the office.

[Beep—]

The smart brain's light screen quietly lit up in front of him, and a line of striking red text appeared on the light blue light screen, carrying an unquestionable priority mark.

[Special Order from the Military Department]

[Recipient: Chairman of the Longlan Star Cluster, Division Commander of the Garrison Troops — Li Yang]

Li Yang's gaze paused, and he subconsciously put down the document in his hand.

He raised his hand and tapped lightly, and the light screen instantly expanded, the complete content of the order clearly presented before his eyes.

"Special Order from the Military Department: Order the garrison troops of the Longlan Star Cluster to conduct negotiations with the civilization at coordinate xxx, and make it submit to the Empire. If necessary, force may be used."