CH 50

The interrogation transcript and relevant documents were laid out in front of Pei Zhaozhou, including a drawing of a gray-brown owl emblem.

Upon seeing the gray-brown owl emblem, Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze suddenly paused, and he stared intently at the paper in his hand.

Si Huaixi recounted in detail the process of interrogating these ‘mice’.

“This guy, Peter, used to be a petty thief, selling supplies from the Imperial Logistics Department. Even a bottle of nutritional supplement in the Empire has a specific number. Normally, no one checks, so he quietly sold them off. He didn’t dare to make a big fuss. Each time, he earned a few thousand interstellar credits. Besides, some of the supplies provided by the Empire couldn’t be obtained through normal channels. They sold well on the black market at low prices. After a few years, he had already made over seven hundred thousand interstellar credits.”

“He originally thought he could get away with it, but the night before this trip, someone suddenly showed up at his door. They said that if he didn’t follow their orders, they would expose his embezzlement. According to the Empire’s laws, embezzlement over thirty thousand carries a minimum sentence of five years. The prices Peter sold on the black market were lower than normal, so when converted to the regular prices, his embezzlement exceeded one million. That would already warrant a life sentence.”

“That person brought out all of his black market transaction records. Peter was scared and didn’t dare to resist. Moreover, that person promised to give him a large sum of interstellar credits after the task was completed, ensuring that he wouldn’t be implicated.”

“The others are in similar situations. They all have some leverage held against them. The person threatening them took excellent measures to maintain secrecy. No one could clearly see the person’s face. But there’s one guy, Colby, who is a bit smarter. He agreed openly, but he was afraid of getting into trouble and being used as a scapegoat. He quietly followed the person who was threatening him. Colby had been a scout before, so he managed to keep up despite almost losing them along the way. Finally, he discovered that the person went to a villa after several twists and turns.”

“That villa belongs to a noble family. While Colby was hiding in the bushes observing, he noticed that the butler opening the door had a gray-brown owl emblem on his sleeve. Usually, nobles and their servants wear clothing with family crest symbols. When Colby saw that, he immediately got scared and slipped away.”

Si Huaixi’s gaze turned curious as he looked at Brother Pei, who was lost in thought. He said, “Among the noble families using the owl emblem as their family crest, there are three: Harrington, Morris, and Claude. Brother Pei, do you remember if you’ve offended any member of these families?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s mind suddenly flashed with an image of a person with brown hair. His eyebrows furrowed, and a deep suspicion appeared in his eyes.

Si Huaixi asked, “Brother Pei, have you figured it out?”

Pei Zhaozhou let out a slow “Mmm” and three words escaped his thin lips, “It’s the Claude family.”

Claude? Si Huaixi immediately accessed internal data about the Claude family and presented all relevant information in front of Pei Zhaozhou.

The current head of the Claude family is Charles Claude, with the noble rank of Earl. The family emblem is indeed an owl. The current head, Charles Claude, is the Deputy Minister of Finance in the Empire. His eldest son, Eddie Claude, is a Second Lieutenant in the Empire’s Third Legion. Terry Claude, the second son, holds a position in the Empire’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There is also a daughter named Karma Claude, who recently celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony.

Currently, the public opinion about the Claude family is mediocre. The head of the family, Charles Claude, is an average and unremarkable Alpha. His children don’t have any outstanding achievements. One could only say that his eldest son, Eddie Claude, still retains some of the noble demeanor of the Claude family from the past.

Originally, the Claude family’s predecessors were soldiers who followed the founding emperor, hailed as the owl by the king’s scepter, acting as the king’s secret eyes. However, unfortunately, their descendants were not up to par, and the Claude family’s noble title continued to diminish. 

The imperial titles were not fixed, every three generations, there would be an assessment of noble titles. If the inheritor and their family behind them failed to meet the minimum requirements in terms of contributions and merits for the empire and the king, they would be demoted. 

The noble titles were divided into five levels: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron, with Duke being the most prestigious and Baron the lowest. The Claude family, originally Marquis, was demoted to Earl by one level. Although it was only a slight demotion, the Claude family had become the laughingstock of the aristocratic circle. To regain their former glory and return to the center of power in the empire, the Claude family was willing to seek refuge with another prominent aristocratic family.

Pei Zhaozhou recalled a student he had once admired, the eldest son of the Claude family, Eddie Claude, who is currently a Second Lieutenant in the Empire’s Third Legion. Unfortunately, he had personally sent him to the Empire’s military court…

To his surprise, Eddie Claude was released without guilt and even became a lieutenant in the Empire’s Third Legion. If his military record had not left behind any investigation stains, Eddie Claude might have been promoted even faster.

Si Huaixi was unaware of the conflicts between Pei Zhaozhou and the Claude family. Based on the surface information, there seemed to be no problem with the Claude family. So why was there such persistence in framing Pei Zhaozhou, who had long since left the empire’s military?

Si Huaixi’s eyes were filled with suspicion as he asked, “Brother Pei, what is the conflict between you and the Claude family? As someone from a common background, you shouldn’t have much entanglement with the nobility. I want to know everything about your past, Brother Pei.”

“In the past, the conflicts between me and those noble heirs were immense, and Claude was just one of them,” Pei Zhaozhou sneered, his eyes tinged with mockery. 

“What do you think I was like when I was young?”

Being asked in such a manner, Si Huaixi had always pictured Brother Pei as mature and stern. He also felt a slight curiosity about Brother Pei’s youth.

Before Si Huaixi could answer, Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze revealed a trace of weariness towards the past as he continued, “When I first entered the Imperial Military Academy with top-notch achievements, those noble students couldn’t stand the fact that a commoner like me was overshadowing them. Bullying was quite common on campus, and many commoner students were forced to drop out.”

“In the mech training courses, which were the best places for the noble heirs to target commoner students, they had customized mechs that were far superior to the academy’s teaching mechs. Despite having the same level of mech operation skills, the noble heirs used their customized mechs to crush the commoner students… but I still defeated them. Their petty tricks were boring. They wanted to smear my name and use their noble influence to force me to drop out. It’s no different from the current nobility.”

Pei Zhaozhou sneered coldly, feeling a hint of boredom.

Si Huaixi’s gaze turned deep. “So, did Brother Pei drop out of school later?”

A shine flashed in Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes. “No, I took advantage of the practical combat courses to cleverly maneuver those noble heirs into the hospital. With excellent results, I entered the Imperial Army ahead of schedule. And conveniently, I had some sparring sessions with the elders of those noble heirs.”

Sparring?

It probably meant something more like ‘beating up.’ No wonder Brother Pei always looked down on those nobles.

A vivid image of a young and proud mech pilot had already formed in his mind. Even if he found himself sink in the treacherous quagmire of power, he would fearlessly rise above it with his own abilities.

Si Huaixi’s eyes brightened, and his deep blue pupils sparkled as he smiled. “That’s quite unexpected. But I really want to see the youthful Brother Pei. He must have been dazzling.”

Pei Zhaozhou’s brow relaxed, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement before gradually fading away.

“Because of some unpleasant memories from school, when the school invited me to teach the mech specialization course at the Imperial Military Academy, I wasn’t interested. However, I attended a few classes and noticed a particular student…”

Pei Zhaozhou’s gaze became obscure. “Eddie Claude, the eldest son of the Claude family. Initially, I thought he was a commoner, as only commoners were usually bullied by the aristocracy. I taught him some mech piloting skills, and he learned quite well. After graduating, he joined the legion under my command. But unfortunately, I was the one who sent him to the military court.”

Si Huaixi frowned slightly and asked, “What did he do?”

Pei Zhaozhou’s eyes grew deep. “He committed a serious dereliction of duty. Prince Edward went to deliver a diplomatic speech on the planet Yael, but due to its remote and vulnerable location, a portion of the Imperial Army was deployed there. I assigned Eddie and the remaining soldiers.”

“Initially, I wasn’t involved in this royal guard duty, but Prince Edward heard about my military achievements and summoned me at the last minute. I couldn’t defy the royal order and had to go to the planet Yael. However, what I unexpectedly witnessed there was…”

“A group of unidentified individuals entering Prince Edward’s residence. Many soldiers and guards who were originally stationed at the western gate were injured or killed, while Eddie remained unharmed, his eyes filled with horror when he saw me approaching.”

“In the end, I resolved the crisis, but Eddie Claude was seriously injured while voluntarily rushing to the rescue after seeing me and was sent to the hospital. I escorted him, injured as he was, to the military court, but he was ultimately acquitted1Free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty..”

Pei Zhaozhou sneered, “It seems he was always on edge, afraid that I would discover the true intentions of the Claude family.”

Si Huaixi furrowed his brow, his mind forming a vague suspicion.

In the plot, when the protagonist encounters the second prince, the first prince, Edward, has already tragically passed away. But was it truly an accident?

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