After the children received their father's permission, they quickly left. Each of them wanted to prove that they were the most suitable person to take over.
After the children left, the provincial governor was still sitting on the chair. His elbow was pressed against the armrest, and his chin was supported by his thumb and forefinger. He was thinking about something.
After the housekeeper came in, he cleaned the study again. There were some very important things here, and the maids were not allowed to come in.
Looking at the housekeeper who was about to leave, the provincial governor suddenly asked a question, "Whose method do you think is the best?"
Just now, when the provincial governor was asking about the solution to the five children, the housekeeper was outside the door. The provincial governor did not avoid him. In fact, sometimes the housekeeper knew much more confidential things than his children.
The housekeeper bowed slightly and lowered his head. "Master, I don't understand these things."
The provincial governor smiled. "You understand. You understand more than anyone, more than them …" He sighed and felt a little melancholy.
The housekeeper and he had grown up together. When he was about eight or nine years old, the housekeeper began to serve him by his side. At first, it was to protect him.
At that time, the conquests between the ruling classes of the entire country had stabilized, but there were still some aftershocks. All kinds of conspiracies, schemes, and attacks would occur from time to time.
Compared to thinking about letting a provincial governor father who had many children care about the physical and mental growth of a certain son and whether or not he was safe, it was better to rely on himself.
To put it cruelly, when the provincial governor, including his father, his grandfather, and even the children who would inherit his position in the future, were faced with the choice of power and family, which might make things difficult for most people, they would not hesitate to choose power.
As long as they had power, they could have as many family members as they wanted.
From a young age, the housekeeper had, to a certain extent, filled in some of the emotional problems that the descendants of a powerful family lacked when growing up. The feelings between father and son, the feelings between brothers, and the feelings between family members.
They were not family members, but they were more than family members.
But … they were not family members in the end. This was even more so for those in power. The housekeeper knew this very well, so he never said much.
No matter how many mistakes the Provincial Governor's children made, he would only punish them and make them feel bad. However, once the housekeeper made a mistake, it was very likely that he and his family would disappear. Therefore, he would not take the Provincial Governor's sentimental sentiments as the truth unless he did not want to live anymore.
Seeing that the steward kept bending over and lowering his head, the provincial governor was a little annoyed and disappointed at the same time. He felt a little bored. He changed his sitting position and moved his shoulders. "What's the boss doing recently?"
The butler's heart tightened. If such words came from an ordinary family, it would probably mean that the old father was concerned about his eldest son's recent work and living situation. But in such a powerful family, it meant that the master's attitude towards his eldest son had changed.
"Young Master has been very keen on participating in some salons recently …" The butler lowered his head slightly as he spoke. It was not that he was lying. He did not dare to lie in front of the Provincial Governor. He was just a little worried for the Provincial Governor's eldest son.
As expected, the Provincial Governor frowned. "Salon?"
"That's right. Actually, it's just a chat. The organizer will come up with a theme, and everyone will talk about their own opinions on the theme."
Although the butler's description was not completely accurate, it was not far from it.
The Provincial Governor sneered. "They're just looking for a reason to eat, drink, and play!"
He determined it accurately, then frowned again. "Who are the organizers?"
Who else could it be? It was nothing more than some businessmen. These businessmen knew very well how to use the wealth in their hands in exchange for influence. They had set up all kinds of clubs, salons, and held all kinds of entertainment activities regularly in this backward and ignorant place.
For this backward and poor country, all the entertainment and information from developed countries had become the target of their pursuit. Activities such as clubs and salons satisfied their needs.
The latest magazines, the latest records, the latest movies, and even some things that could not be seen outside could be seen here.
These people became the loyal partners of the businessmen. The businessmen never asked them for anything, and the people were more and more willing to participate in these activities.
But even these seemingly harmless activities that allowed them to get to know a lot of people still made the Provincial Governor unhappy.
Human life was very fragile. He knew this better than anyone else. Before he was 30 years old, he had never considered the problem of death. He felt that death was very far away from him.
Before he was 40 years old, he had never considered that one day he would not have enough energy. At that time, even if he did not rest at all, he would only feel a little tired at most.
Before he was 50 years old, he had never paid so much attention to his body. He felt that he was very healthy, so healthy that illness would not be able to find him!
But now, he understood that human life was fragile. Everyone knew very well why these businessmen wanted to rope in the descendants of those in power, whether they had the opportunity or not.
Because opportunities were created by people.
The Provincial Governor wiped his face. "Get someone to keep an eye on him. Also, I feel that the recent situation is not quite right. Arrange for more guards …"
After he said that, he looked at the butler. The butler could feel the Provincial Governor's sharp gaze without raising his head. The gaze was like a knife stabbing into him, making him feel a little uncomfortable. It made his heart beat faster and his mouth dry up.
"I know what to do!"
He responded with a grunt.
The Provincial Governor's expression eased a little. "You know me. We grew up together. You are like my brother. Sometimes, you don't have to be so careful."
The butler raised his head and quickly glanced at the Provincial Governor. Then, he lowered his head again. "Master, I am a servant."
"Alright, alright, do whatever you want. Let the two girls massage me again. I've only been sitting for a short while and I'm starting to feel uncomfortable again …" he complained as he stretched out his hand. "Come, give me a hand."
While the Provincial Governor was chatting with his children, someone also found Lynch.
The person who looked for him was a local tycoon, a foreign businessman named Simon.
Lynch found a very interesting phenomenon. This Mr. Simon, including some businessmen from other places, were more enthusiastic about wearing local traditional clothes than the locals.
In a sense, this kind of practice was to express a kind of message, a message that everyone was "one of them". They were seeking a sense of identity.
Among the many ways, there was no more direct and effective way than "cultural identity". Therefore, they were more enthusiastic about wearing the traditional clothes of the natives than others.
Looking at the God tablet hanging on Mr. Simon's chest, Lynch felt that it was necessary for him to hang it up as well. At least it represented his recognition and support of the native culture.
"Mr. Lynch, did I disturb your rest?"
Mr. Simon's tone was very gentle and polite.
He was a man in his forties, about five feet six inches tall (about 1.7 meters, rounded off by one inch was the usual practice). He was a chubby man with fair skin.
Lynch greeted him and reached out to shake his hand. "Of course not …" The two exchanged a few words and sat in the living room.
Mr. Simon's visit was actually related to Müshehaye. He had another family behind him. He reported the matter between him, Lynch, and the Provincial Governor's son to his superiors.
If he didn't say anything now, he might have to bear the consequences himself in the future. If his superiors knew about it, they could more or less cover for him.
If a third person knew about it, then a fourth, a fifth, and more would follow. Soon, Mr. Preston also knew about it. He immediately sent someone to visit Lynch and see what Lynch's attitude was.
If they could cooperate, they would unite and become reliable business partners. They didn't mind sharing some of their profits to satisfy Lynch's appetite.
If they couldn't cooperate, then they would have to start preparing to deal with it. So no matter what, they had to test Lynch's attitude first.
Mr. Simon was a big businessman in the Magulana province. He was mainly responsible for the export of spices here.
Every year, a large number of spices here would enter the international market through his hands. Those spices, which might only cost 30 to 50 Galil locally, could be sold at hundreds or even thousands of times the price in the blink of an eye after some gimmicks, some packaging, and some hype.
Businessmen were unscrupulous in their pursuit of profit. They even roped in the royal families of several small countries. By sharing the profits, they let them designate some spices and commodities for the exclusive use of the royal family or the royal family.
This greatly increased the value of some goods in the international market. People said that the feudal rule was backward, but everyone wanted to make themselves more noble and let their lives be filled with a noble atmosphere.
Therefore, there was no doubt that using the exclusive products of the royal family or the royal family was the simplest, most direct, and most effective way.
However, these people might not know that the royal family or the royal family they looked up to might not have more power than their mayor.
Some small countries had a population that was less than the population of an international metropolis. One could imagine the status of the royal family or the royal family. It was said that there were even kings who farmed their own land!
The semi-monopoly business had brought Mr. Simon a lot of wealth, but now he had encountered some dangers that endangered his business.
He didn't show what he was thinking on his face. Every businessman and politician was the best actor. They always showed the most appropriate expression at the most appropriate time.
"Mr. Lynch, do you know the Preston Trading Company?"