After entering the study, Sheng Lan Kui carefully locked the door and drew the curtains. After repeatedly checking to confirm no one was around, he finally looked at Lin Yu and spoke.

"How did you know?"

The same question and phrasing—Lin Yu had just heard someone ask it.

So, his answer remained unchanged.

"Could my connections in the outer city possibly be worse than you Peerage Nobles?"

Sheng Lan Kui nodded thoughtfully. "It seems my disguise still isn't perfect enough..."

"I thought no one would even imagine that a Peerage Noble would sneak out and personally take on commissions to go on adventures."

Hearing Sheng Lan Kui's words, Lin Yu was somewhat surprised. "Does the Sheng Lan Family really not know what you're doing out there?"

"They don't," Sheng Lan Kui said proudly. "They just think I'm going to the outer city for fun and pleasure... which isn't wrong, but they probably don't know my method of 'finding fun' is taking on commissions."

Then, he started boasting again. "This is where I'm stronger than Sheng Lan Lai, and even most Peerage Nobles—I'm no hothouse flower. I've genuinely taken on those commissions and struggled in the outer city!"

"In all of Sleepless City, no noble understands the city's actual situation better than I do."

"Therefore, of course I'm more suitable than Sheng Lan Lai to take charge of the Sheng Lan Family..."

"Our Sheng Lan Family has always been different from the other four families. Throughout the generations, the head of the Sheng Lan Family must preside over the Council, formulate laws, confer titles of nobility... the Chief Justice, the Council Speaker, all must pass our Sheng Lan Family's review... So, we need to understand the lives of Sleepless City's people better than those who base themselves on corporations. After all, we need to formulate laws that convince all residents of Sleepless City and implement policies beneficial to the city's development and stability."

Hearing Sheng Lan Kui speak so arrogantly, Lin Yu looked at him and spoke, unexpectedly.

"Is that so? Then, esteemed Your Excellency Sheng Lan Kui, what do you think is the biggest problem facing Sleepless City right now?"

"Of course, it's the wealth gap and the increasingly difficult upward mobility channels," Sheng Lan Kui said without hesitation. "Outer city fringes, outer city, inner city... The Citizen Grade evaluation system was originally implemented with good intentions... but now it's been completely corrupted in its execution."

"People in the outer city are getting poorer, people in the inner city are getting richer. It's almost impossible for outer city people to get into the big corporations or settle in the inner city, so they can only take on dangerous jobs."

Listening to Sheng Lan Kui counting off points so seriously on his fingers, Lin Yu's opinion of him changed somewhat for a moment.

To think this guy from a Peerage Noble background could actually see and think about this level... truly not easy.

For that brief moment, Lin Yu even considered genuinely supporting Sheng Lan Kui—after all, he wasn't truly bound to Sleepless Sky Huole, and he wasn't familiar with Sheng Lan Lai at all.

Since it didn't matter to Lin Yu who took power in the Sheng Lan Family, why not choose someone who would actually benefit Sleepless City?

Lin Yu looked at Sheng Lan Kui and asked again. "Then where do you think the crux of the problem lies, and how do you plan to improve it?"

"The crux of the problem," Sheng Lan Kui pondered for a moment before speaking, "is of course that those lower-class people aren't working hard enough!"

"Of course, we can't completely blame them for not working hard. Ultimately, it's the fault of the other four families and the Three Major Corporations for enacting that 'Sleepless City Production Human Rights Act,' which prohibits those bottom-tier people from excessive overtime—now they can only work a maximum of 60 hours a week, that's simply outrageous!"

"Of course, I definitely won't directly abolish this act, but I will loosen the restrictions—first, the work hours for the lower three grades will be extended to 90 hours per week, the middle three grades to 75 hours... and the upper three grades will remain unchanged at 60 hours."

"This is killing two birds with one stone. It both renders this evil 'Act' ineffective and revitalizes the corrupted Citizen Grade system."

Speaking to this point, Sheng Lan Kui became even more pleased with himself. "Additionally, I heard about the 'social welfare' system from you 'Otherworldly Visitors'—such a good thing, I must emulate it later!"

"As the head of the Sheng Lan Family, I can have the Council distribute substantial subsidies directly into the hands of every resident. This way, everyone's asset level rises, their willingness to consume increases, and Sleepless City will inevitably flourish and prosper!"

Lin Yu looked at Sheng Lan Kui. "Where will the money for the subsidies come from?"

"Just print it. Do you think the Three Major Corporations would refuse to give me face if I said to print money?" Sheng Lan Kui slapped his thigh and said. "We can even directly issue asset points—saving even the printing costs!"

Sheng Lan Kui, not yet satisfied, continued. "Furthermore, I've also noticed that the crime rate in the outer city is actually very high, with the number of violent crimes and unnatural deaths climbing year after year... Even accounting for inner city people and nobles propping up gangs, it's undeniable that these lower-class people are always harming each other. Some gangs and societies don't even have nobles behind them, yet they organize spontaneously... This fully demonstrates their inherently combative, inferior nature... I suspect those people might have been living in the outer city for too long and picked up the habits of the Great Wasteland people."

"Therefore, we must station more Security Officers in the outer city, increase the number of 'Security Posts,' and govern the outer city people with outer city people—select a large number of outer city residents to participate in security management as auxiliary members."

"Of course, supporting laws and regulations must also be perfected... I think perhaps we could trial more severe public security penalty regulations in the outer city and grant Security Officers greater authority. Let them carry weapons freely, allow them to detain and investigate suspicious individuals before releasing them. We might even try policies like 'curfews' or 'alcohol bans.'"

Hearing Sheng Lan Kui's enthusiastic proposals, Lin Yu fell silent.

He felt ashamed for having entertained even that sliver of hope about Sheng Lan Kui moments ago.

"I should never have held any illusions about these Peerage Nobles."

If these three sets of policies Sheng Lan Kui proposed were actually implemented, the lives of Sleepless City's lower-class residents would become even more miserable.

However, this also indirectly reflected that Sheng Lan Kui probably possessed extraordinary talent in political struggles and other aristocratic affairs.

Otherwise, how did someone like this become one of the two hot candidates for heir?

It couldn't possibly be based on his "thorough understanding" of the lower-class populace, could it?

But regardless...

Lin Yu now rather hoped Sheng Lan Lai could win the internal family competition against Sheng Lan Kui—this guy absolutely must not become the leader of the Sheng Lan Family.

Of course, Lin Yu also learned a lesson this time.

"I'll ask Sleepless Sky Huole later what kind of person Sheng Lan Lai really is..."

Judging from the current sample, not a single Peerage Noble is normal.

So, even though Sheng Lan Kui is already ridiculous...

It's quite possible that Sheng Lan Lai is even more of a heavyweight!