570: Lü family

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Lü Zheng, and I come from the Lü Clan."

The Male Laureate smiled slightly, his tone easygoing, as if greeting an acquaintance.

"Lü Xia."

The woman beside him also spoke softly, her voice cool and without a hint of emotion.

As their voices fell, the layer of "mosaic" around them, which seemed to intentionally hide their identities, quietly dissipated, like a layer of mist being gently wiped away.

The previously blurred outlines quickly became clear, revealing their true appearances.

Lü Zheng was tall with handsome features, carrying a hint of sunshine and cheerfulness. His smile was clean, giving off a feeling of being easy to get along with.

Lü Xia, on the other hand, was completely different. She had a beautiful face and a cold, elegant temperament. Her expression was as calm as water, as if nothing could stir a ripple in her heart.

Standing together, the two were like a pair of twin stars with vastly different styles but equal brilliance.

"Li Yang."

Li Yang also gave his name, stepping forward at the same time to lightly shake Lü Zheng's outstretched hand.

This handshake marked their formal acquaintance.

"I wonder why you two are looking for me..."

Li Yang got straight to the point. His gaze swept over the two briefly before settling on Lü Zheng's face. His tone was calm yet remained vigilant.

After all, the two in front of him were genuine aristocrats.

Although he wasn't sure what level the Lü Clan occupied within the vast aristocratic system, it was clearly not something ordinary people could come into contact with.

The higher the position, the more intertwined the world became, where a single move could affect everything. He didn't want to be dragged into any trouble unknowingly.

"Rest assured, we have no ill intentions."

Lü Zheng seemed to see through his concerns and smiled slightly, taking the initiative to ease the atmosphere.

"It's like this: because we occasionally hear our grandfather mention you, we decided to come and get to know you out of curiosity."

Lü Zheng's tone was composed, as if he were stating the most ordinary matter.

Li Yang was stunned for a moment, his brow furrowing deeper unconsciously.

Their grandfather would mention him?

One must know that the two in front of him were aristocrats, so their grandfather must also be an aristocrat, and his status within the Family was definitely not low.

Why would such a prominent figure standing at the top of the pyramid occasionally mention a young man like himself?

"Your grandfather?"

Li Yang couldn't help but ask, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.

Seeing this, Lü Zheng quickly waved his hand and explained.

"Oh, our grandfather currently serves as the Prime Minister of the Xili Empire Supreme Political Council."

Saying this, his tone inevitably carried a trace of pride.

"Prime Minister of the Supreme Political Council..."

Li Yang repeated the title in his mind, and his gaze clearly changed.

Even if his understanding of the Empire's A-rank bureaucratic system wasn't particularly thorough, he knew that the Supreme Political Council was definitely one of the Empire's core power centers.

This department controlled the appointment and dispatch of almost all political officials, as well as the issuance of most policies, amendments to laws, and so on. Its status was certainly among the top tier of A-rank officials.

More importantly, his own appointment letters were all issued directly by the Supreme Political Council.

Thinking of this, Li Yang felt a slight shock in his heart.

No wonder... No wonder every one of his promotions had been so "smooth," not only skipping many tedious intermediate steps but also always managing to be placed in key positions.

In the past, he only thought it was good luck or someone helping him in secret, but he never imagined that such a titan might be standing behind him.

"Could it be... that I was targeted or even appreciated by such a major figure from the very beginning?"

This thought flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.

If that were the case, then everything made sense.

Why he could be promoted consecutively in a short period, why his appointment letters were always issued directly by the Supreme Political Council, and why every transfer happened to be to those positions that seemed dangerous but were the easiest to earn merit in.

Li Yang's gaze slowly swept between Lü Zheng and Lü Xia. The wariness in his heart quietly diminished a bit, replaced by an indescribable sense of complexity.

It turned out that the "luck" he had always believed in might have such a massive figure standing behind it.

Of course, this was only Li Yang's own deduction.

He didn't know that his appointments hadn't gone through the State Council at all initially, but were decided directly by higher authorities and issued bypassing all departments in a manner akin to a "special approval."

Later, although the opinions of the State Council and the Military Department were included in the process, it was merely a formality, mostly to complete the procedures and balance various relationships. The actual decision-making power was never in their hands.

While he was lost in thought, Lü Zheng suddenly took out a small black box.

The box was exquisitely crafted, with dark gold patterns outlined at the corners. It looked understated yet possessed a quality that was hard to ignore.

"Comrade Li Yang, I'll be blunt."

Lü Zheng placed the small box on his palm, his gaze sincere.

"Because of my grandfather, I know some things that others don't have access to. I can see that you are no ordinary person."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words, then smiled softly.

"So, I hope to make friends with you. Consider this a small gift for our first meeting."

With those words, he handed the small box to Li Yang. The gesture was neither humble nor arrogant, yet carried a just-right sense of closeness.

Li Yang suddenly snapped out of it. His gaze moved from the box to Lü Zheng's face, then glanced at the nearby Lü Ning, who remained silent with a smile. His heart instantly understood.

How was this simply "making friends"? To put it bluntly, it was an investment.

What they valued was his future potential, the momentum of being favored by the higher-ups and pushed forward by fate.

What was being handed over now wasn't just a box, but an invisible "contract of friendship," an olive branch extended before he had truly reached the center of power.

Li Yang smiled inwardly, but he had to admit that this frankness gave him a bit of a good impression.

At least Lü Zheng didn't hide behind empty words like "appreciation" or "admiration," but spoke directly, and it wasn't just some verbal promise, but a tangible gift.

He just didn't know what the gift inside the box was... "Imperial aristocrat... the grandson of the Prime Minister of the Political Council..."

Li Yang repeated it silently in his mind, his lips curling into a self-deprecating arc unconsciously.

In terms of status, he was just a "newcomer" who had climbed up from the grassroots. Before these truly established aristocrats, his seniority and background seemed somewhat thin.

To put it bluntly, with the other party willing to take the initiative to extend an olive branch, not only was he not losing out, but it was also somewhat of a "social climb."