Chapter 383: Deal with it Calmly

Umbridge felt cold sweats coming out of her body when she heard this. She carefully recalled her previous actions and future plans, then she heaved a sigh of relief and said solemnly, "Master, please rest assured that I have not taken any abnormal measures so far. There are indeed some radical actions in the future plans, but fortunately, the master has pointed them out in time. I will definitely make new plans after I return."

Yang Tian then smiled gently: "Very good, I'll leave the Albania matter to you."

Umbridge bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your trust, Master. I will do my best."

After another round of encouragement, Yang Tian looked at old Barty Crouch: "I heard that the internal competition in the Ministry of Magic is very fierce now?"

Old Barty immediately stood up respectfully and said seriously, "The current situation in the Ministry of Magic can no longer be described as competition. Minister Fudge has also gathered a group of confidants and is now openly competing with us for resources. The superficial harmony has long been broken."

Hearing this, Yang Tian's eyes became sharp, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, as if thinking about something.

Old Barty continued, "At present, we control departments including the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and the Department of Magical Transportation, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Department of Mysteries are firmly in the hands of Minister Fudge; of course, most of the Aurors are also in his hands. The rest, including the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Games and Sports, are neutral parties, and the Office for the Prohibition of the Misuse of Magic is also currently neutral..."

Old Batty gave a very detailed introduction, his brows were deeply furrowed, and it was obvious that the current situation was not so optimistic.

"Tell me about the problem you are facing now." Facing the current situation, Yang Tian seemed calm.

"I have encountered three main problems. The first is the large amount of political donations from Minister Fudge that come from unknown sources. There are always people who continue to provide him with financial support. It is also because of the bribery that so many departments have not defected." Old Batty explained the problem in detail: "The second is the swaying of the neutrals. Unlike the absolute neutrals who discuss the matter at hand, they seem to want to achieve a balance. Regardless of whether the proposal is correct or not, regardless of whether the policy is harmful, they want absolute balance of power, so that Fudge and I will continue to waste energy."

Yang Tian's frown deepened, but old Barty continued with a serious look: "The third is the support from the outside. Madam Zabini and some pure-blood families have given me strong support. But every time our plan makes new progress, there will always be other factions that unite to sing against us. Although I have tried to subdue some of these forces and want to defeat them one by one. But after actual contact, I found that no one was willing to really surrender to me. In this way, the two sides kept pulling, and things kept being delayed." At this point, a trace of uneasiness appeared on old Barty's face. After all, this matter really made him feel frustrated.

"Is there any relevant information?" Yang Tian did not rush to express his opinion, but asked seriously.

"Yes." Old Batty immediately distributed the information he had prepared in advance to everyone. For a moment, the entire secret room fell into silence, with only the occasional "rustling" sound of pages turning.

Half an hour later, Yang Tian's voice sounded again: "Sallys, it's time for the Parkinson family to make a statement. If Hector Parkinson continues to waver as always, then I really doubt that the role he played in this matter is not so glorious."

The next moment, Sally stood up straight with fear and trepidation, and said carefully: "Master, the Parkinson family is indeed not doing well now. This is also related to the fact that I have been focusing more on the alliance during this period of time."

However, Yang Tian did not let her off easily. He said sternly, "Sallys, you should understand. I want to hear the result, not the explanation."

Sally's heart tightened, and she replied tremblingly: "Master, I understand. Please give me some time. I promise to resolve the Parkinson family's affairs before Hogwarts starts." After that, Sally lowered her head, not daring to look directly into Yang Tian's eyes.

Yang Tian did not continue to dwell on the Parkinson family's affairs. He nodded slightly, then turned to look at Old Batty and continued to instruct: "Ludo Bagman is such a fool who is really greedy for money, but why can't he see the situation clearly? Start with him, give him some money to encourage him, and collect evidence of his corruption. I really want to know if this man is really stupid or just pretending to be stupid."

Hearing this, Old Barty couldn't help but say, "I've thought about this question, but doing so may intensify the conflict. The current situation in the Ministry of Magic is already very tense. If another scandal breaks out, the public's trust in us will further decline."

"Old Barty, a Ministry whose power and reputation have plummeted, or a Ministry with many internal conflicts and the possibility of internal strife at any time, which one would you choose? Choose the lesser of two evils. Perhaps each family is considering family interests, or perhaps there are other forces trying to secretly interfere... In short, many people hope that this Ministry of Magic will be paralyzed. But we can't wait, who knows if this is a delaying tactic of Sarok? We need more time to prepare for the war. Moreover, if it is handled well, the reputation of the Ministry of Magic may not be completely ruined. Just like Ludo Bagman this time, our goal is not to kill him with one hammer, what we have to do is to lure the snake out of its hole."

"You mean...?" Old Batty was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise: "Yes, Master, I understand."

Seeing that Old Barty had understood his intention, Yang Tian continued, "Find out where Fudge's funds came from. Don't miss any clues, especially the details of his financial transactions with the major pure-blood families... Hehe, it's best to put Lucius as the first suspect. I believe he is not innocent in this matter."

"Is there a connection between the two?" Old Batty said doubtfully, "In the past year, Lucius has provided us with a lot of financial support. Such a large amount of support is rare among many pure-blood families, except for our own people."

"Haha, you gave me money?" Yang Tian's tone was full of coldness. "Look at the information you summarized. Among the many proposals in the past year, Lucius only supported you for 34 items. The remaining more than 100 items all supported Fudge. Can you tell me the reason? How much activity funds did the generous Mr. Lucius give you? I remember the total amount was just over 100,000 gold Galleons, right? Haha, this is not even a fraction of the Malfoy family's cash flow."

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