Post-war National People's Congress
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, China.
After the organization's list of heroes was published in the newspaper, some were happy while others were sad. Some were glad that their heroes had finally seen the light of day again, while others were terrified that the families of the martyrs would be devastated.
At No. 401 Huanhua Lane, Ji Ruqiong was discussing some important matters with Ji Yuxing. Seeing her anxious expression, Ji Yuxing didn't interrupt her, but simply listened quietly as she spoke each word at a rapid pace.
“I have nothing more to add,” Ji Ruqiong said, watching Ji Yuxing finish writing the last word in his notebook. “Do you have any other questions?”
Ji Yuxing quickly went through what he had written in his notebook and shook his head: "That's all."
Ji Ruqiong nodded upon hearing his words and got up to leave, but Ji Yuxing called out to her, "Wait!"
Ji Ruqiong turned to look at him, her face blank: "Is there anything else?"
"Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?" Ji Yuxing frowned. "I haven't heard of anything particularly urgent happening recently."
“The list of heroes of the War of Resistance Against Japan has been released,” Ji Ruqiong said, her face and tone revealing obvious anxiety. “The news of Brother Lin’s sacrifice has been kept secret for so long, I’m afraid Fengyue might not be able to handle it.”
Ji Yuxing's heart skipped a beat. Still immersed in the joy that Zhang Chenglin would finally be remembered as a hero of the War of Resistance, Ji Yuxing forgot that he had kept this matter a secret from Fengyue from beginning to end.
Eight years have passed since 1937. If there is anyone who has been most unfairly treated in this matter, it would only be Feng Yue.
Eight years have passed, and many things have changed under the urging of time. But for eight years, someone has been waiting as always, waiting for her hero to return to her side in glory.
Ji Yuxing dared not imagine that after waiting eight years with high hopes, this was the end. What would become of Feng Yue?
"Go ahead, be careful on the road." Ji Yuxing finally nodded, and after speaking, he didn't forget to remind him: "The post-war People's Congress is about to convene, don't forget to come back on time to attend."
"Understood." Ji Ruqiong didn't hesitate for a moment, picked up her briefcase from the chair next to her, turned around and quickly walked out.
——
A week later, the Post-War People's Congress officially convened in Shanghai, and Ji Ruqiong rushed back to Shanghai before the meeting.
In the waiting room before the meeting, Ji Yuxing met her and first asked, "How was the romance?"
"It's alright, there wasn't any extreme reaction, I'm quite calm." Ji Ruqiong said, her expression not particularly high.
“That’s her style. If she were to cry and make a scene, that wouldn’t be her,” Ji Yuxing sighed.
“The more she acts like this, the more worried I become. If she really throws a tantrum and cries, I'll actually feel less guilty.” Ji Ruqiong frowned, her fingers tracing the Party emblem printed on the notebook. “I’m so worried about her.”
"Don't worry," Ji Yuxing looked at her worried face, but suddenly smiled: "She won't have any extreme thoughts. After all, she still has Qi Zhong by her side."
Ji Ruqiong simply nodded upon hearing this, without any particular reaction.
"By the way, a few days ago... when you went to Shandong, Xin Jie submitted his resignation to the organization, and I approved it."
Since Sheng Dongsheng was admitted to the hospital, based on Sheng Dongsheng's recommendation and the unanimous decision of the Party organization, Ji Yuxing has temporarily taken over as the person in charge of the East China region, and is responsible for all management affairs related to the East China region that Sheng Dongsheng was in charge of.
Xin Jie had always been by Zhang Chenglin's side, and his resignation application should have been reviewed by Zhang Chenglin first before being submitted to higher authorities.
However, Zhang Chenglin is no longer with us, so he is now directly under the jurisdiction of the East China region, and therefore Ji Yuxing has the direct authority to approve his application.
“I saw him in Shandong,” Ji Ruqiong said without hiding it from Ji Yuxing. “He found a job in Zaozhuang, not far from Brother Lin’s home.”
Ji Yuxing nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
——
The agenda of the postwar People's Congress was simple: first, to discuss the postwar reconstruction of the jurisdiction; second, to readjust the leaders of each region; and third, to commend and mourn the heroes and martyrs who were brave and fearless in the war.
When the National People's Congress was held, Ji Yuxing and Zhang Chenglin both sat in the back row of the auditorium.
This time, Ji Yuxing took on the role of acting head of the East China region, and his position was arranged in the second row below the rostrum, along with the heads of the Northeast, North China, and Southwest regions.
Upon entering the venue, Ji Yuxing's first sights were of the General Secretary and Dai Zining, who were sitting on the dais, followed by Zhuang Yanbin, Jiang Rusu, and others in the audience.
During the extremely arduous eight years of the War of Resistance against Japan, he only met Zhuang Yanbin and Jiang Rusu twice.
One instance was in October 1939 when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated to defend Shanghai.
One instance was in July 1942 when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party cooperated to defend Chongqing.
Ji Yuxing was genuinely impressed by the bravery and decisiveness shown by Zhuang Yanbin and Jiang Rusu during the war. They were people who had struggled through hardships and dangers and never cared about fine clothes and delicacies. Therefore, they had their own principles and bottom line and never bowed their heads to the Japanese.
They are infinitely better than those who betrayed their country for petty gains during wartime.
The first agenda item took a day to plan, meticulously arranging every task for each region and assigning corresponding responsible persons to supervise and report progress to the Party Central Committee regularly.
The second agenda item was held on the morning of the second day. After the party members from each region and the Central Presidium confirmed that the list of adjusted leaders submitted by each region was correct and that more than two-thirds of the members agreed to approve it, Comrade Qi Ziyang, the vice chairman of the party, read out the latest adjustment of leaders in each region at the conference.
"First, the regional heads have been reassigned."
"Comrade Zou Yechun, the former head of the Northeast region, was transferred to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Central Committee, and Comrade Xue Jincheng, the former head of Liaoning, was appointed as the head of the Northeast region."
"Xu Xuanming will be in charge of the North China region, Ji Yuxing will be in charge of the East China region, Huo Shangzhi will be in charge of the Southwest region, and Tan Dexing will be in charge of the Northwest region. There will be no changes to the heads of other regions."
"Secondly, the heads of each provincial-level administrative region are as follows: Comrade Gong Jingyi is the head of the Beiping region, Comrade Lu Mingqian is the head of the Shandong region, Comrade Ruan Jin is the head of the Shaanxi region, and Comrade He Zhonghua is the head of the Shanghai region..."
"The adjustments to regional and provincial-level leaders are as described above. The adjustments to leaders below the provincial level will be issued to the provincial governments along with the provincial-level leader adjustment order after the conference."
The central government's orders were issued one after another like snowflakes, making people's hearts tremble, but some people always felt that they deserved it.
More than two-thirds of the comrades who were promoted were people who made great contributions to the country, the people and the organization during the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japan. No one would feel that the medals they earned with guns and blood were undeserved.
After the meeting concluded on the second day, Ji Ruqiong and Ji Yuxing went out for dinner together.
During the meal, Ji Ruqiong suddenly sighed and said, "I really didn't expect He Zhonghua to become the person in charge of Shanghai. When the proposal for the public election was submitted, He Zhonghua and Jiang Qingju received the same number of votes. I thought the organization would favor Jiang Qingju more..."
As Ji Ruqiong spoke, she suddenly glanced at Ji Yuxing, her expression unreadable.
Ji Yuxing knew what she was thinking as soon as he saw her look in her eyes. He tapped her head with his chopsticks and said with a look of disappointment, "Do you think your brother is that kind of person?!"
Before the conference, Ji Yuxing temporarily took over as the head of the East China region. Although it was only temporary, he still had absolute say. Given his relationship with He Zhonghua, it was a trivial matter for him to say a few words on his behalf.
"After the proposal was submitted, Qi Ziyang spoke privately with He Zhonghua and Jiang Qingju. The Jiang family's power in Shanghai and even throughout China was awe-inspiring. Appropriate retreat or reckless advances could, to a certain extent, determine the rise and fall of the Jiang family. Jiang Qingju understood the stakes involved, so he took a step back first."
Ji Ruqiong nodded thoughtfully after hearing Ji Yuxing's words.
"But regardless of whether the new head of Shanghai is He Zhonghua or Jiang Qingju, it is undeniable that during the years of the War of Resistance, Jiang Qingju and He Zhonghua made contributions to Shanghai and the country. They gave their all and showed their unwavering loyalty, which brought about the prosperity and peace in Shanghai today."
"That's why, during the popular elections, the people of Shanghai remembered their good deeds and cast their votes for them without hesitation. Because the people of Shanghai believed that no matter who governed Shanghai, they would bring a better era and a brighter future to the city."
"Heroes emerge in times of chaos." Ji Ruqiong said this with a smile after hearing this.
"Are you talking about me?" Ji Ruqiong had barely finished speaking when a very familiar voice came from behind her. Then someone walked around her seat and sat down next to Ji Yuxing.
“Sure, Mr. Ji,” He Zhonghua said, still the same as before, with a sly smile between his brows when he spoke to people, making him seem unreliable: “Congratulations.”
Ji Yuxing sighed helplessly, "Stop it, what's there to congratulate me about?"
"I..." He Zhonghua had just started to speak when Ji Ruqiong interrupted him, "What are you doing here?"
"How dare you ask that?!"
Upon hearing Ji Ruqiong's words, He Zhonghua suddenly exploded in anger: "You two siblings sneaked out of the meeting to have a private chat, and you didn't even take me with you!"
"Ji Yuxing, Ji Yuxing, do you still remember who stayed with you in the cold wind late at night when you were doing your research at Cambridge?" He Zhonghua looked resentful, like a young wife who had been betrayed by a heartless man.
Ji Yuxing noticed that many eyes were on them and reminded them in a low voice, "...Speak properly."
“Okay, Mr. Ji.” He Zhonghua’s smile vanished instantly, and he sat there stiffly, looking stern to everyone.
Would he dare to be disobedient? No matter what, Ji Yuxing is now his superior, and a direct one at that. How could he dare to be presumptuous in front of him?
What are the plans after the conference?
After finishing the meal, He Zhonghua suddenly asked Ji Yuxing a question.
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