"Your own way?"
"Yes," Yang Ming shook his head, "I need to maintain this influence and then give up the real power in my hands. This power can be obtained through multiple means whenever I want, but the prestige I've painstakingly built in the Empire's grassroots will be lost if damaged. I cannot become the enemy of the people, nor can I become a true privileged class. I must maintain my image as the foundation of the struggle for justice and for defending the people's right to survive."
Atro was momentarily speechless.
He looked at Yang Ming with complex emotions: "This is a very dangerous idea, you know...you know, when I came, what my third uncle instructed me?"
"Uh-huh?"
"My third uncle said, I should best keep my distance from you, not get too close; you are very likely to become an enemy of the Empire! You now have to make a choice, whether to assimilate with the power center of the Empire, or be excluded by them and then stand in opposition to them."
