0067 76 Watching the Fire from Across the River (Part 1)
76 Watching the Fire from Across the River (Part 1)
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the streets and alleys were bustling with people. There were tourists from other parts of the country who had come to Beijing, and people rushing to various temples to burn incense and pray to Buddha. The flow of people was endless.
Zhou Xiye sat in the car, looking at the bustling and peaceful scene outside. A warm feeling welled up inside her. The weather in Beijing was also lovely—blue skies, warm sunshine, reflecting the candied hawthorns being sold along the roadside, conveying a sense of peaceful and contentment.
"Director Zhou, you see the road is a bit congested. We'll take the other way around in a bit, quick."
Zhou Xiye turned around, and Ye Lifeng's secretary, who was sitting in the passenger seat, said something to her, turning his head to look at her, "If you like this view, we can walk up it."
Zhou Xiye smiled at the old Beijing accent and said, "Do whatever is convenient for you."
The secretary nodded. "Okay."
The secretary who came to pick her up was someone she had only heard of before, but never met. His name was Xue Cheng, and he was only fourth in Ye Lifeng's secretaries. He didn't handle any core business; his job was just to receive guests and manage interpersonal relationships. But it was a lucrative position. For example, he would write down what gifts someone had given him, noting the price and meaning of each gift, and then return the favor at the appropriate time. Or, he would weigh whether to report any important official's message to Ye Lifeng.
In short, the position of Fourth Secretary is about studying interpersonal relationships. From a political perspective, it can be described as a culmination of the arts of winning people over, understanding their intentions, and persuading them. Zhou Xiye sized up Xue Cheng. He was young, with a handsome appearance, and at most forty years old. To have reached this position, he must have extraordinary abilities.
Putting everything else aside, in just those few minutes, Xue Cheng was able to guess her thoughts. She wasn't afraid of being seen through, but it was this feeling of being observed that made her uncomfortable. However, it was true that Xue Cheng's interpersonal skills were more refined than any secretary she had ever met before.
After passing through a busy section of road, the intersection became deserted, and Xue Cheng instructed the driver to use the underpass. Zhou Xiye leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed, pondering the purpose of Ye Lifeng's meeting this time. The car wasn't heading towards his home; it was definitely a gathering—either to discuss important matters or to have fun together.
Ordinary people can find half a drinking buddy in their glass, let alone politicians who are truly bloodthirsty and ruthless.
This party with the ladies was probably not very enjoyable.
Zhou Xiye opened his eyes, looked at the lights in the tunnel, and suddenly felt something was wrong. "Secretary Xue, there's no one on the streets, why are we going underground?"
Xue Cheng smiled, revealing the lines at the corners of his eyes, and turned to Zhou Xiye, saying, "Director Zhou, we're heading to the Central Villa District. We'll run into many acquaintances on the way to places like Yonghe Temple, Baiyun Temple, or other places to burn incense and pray... The minister doesn't mind, do you?"
Zhou Xiye understood and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your guidance."
Xue Cheng waved his hand, not minding at all. After a while, the car drove out, and the central villa complex came into view. The car turned into a rather elegant and retro villa. Xue Cheng got out of the car and opened the door for Zhou Xiye.
"Please come with me."
Once inside the gate, Zhou Xiye realized that there were always people more capable than himself, and that there was always something beyond his understanding. The villa's interior was exquisitely designed, with carved railings, painted beams, red walls, and green tiles, making it feel as if he had stepped back into the Ming and Qing dynasties, without a trace of modernity.
Following Xue Cheng up the steps, the interior revealed a completely different world, where modern, simple design blended seamlessly with antique architecture. After turning a few more corners, the two stopped. "Director Zhou, please come in."
She went inside and found no one there; she was the first one there.
"Please wait a moment, the minister and the others will be here shortly. There is tea here."
Zhou Xiye nodded to him to express his gratitude. Based on the time it took to arrive, Zhou Xiye knew that he was the least important person, and seeing that there were only chairs in the room, it was probably not as simple as just seeking pleasure.
A moment later, two people came in. They were taken aback when they saw Zhou Xiye. "You are...?"
Zhou Xiye stood up. She had met the two men here before at the meeting of the intellectuals. “Chairman Zhang, Secretary Li, hello, I am Zhou Xiye. I am Xiao Zhou, whom Minister Ye brought last time. We met once in Xishan.”
Chairman Zhang paused for a moment when he looked at Zhou Xiye, as if he remembered her. He then grasped Zhou Xiye's outstretched hand and said, "Oh, hello, hello... I think I've seen you before. You're young and promising." After saying that, he let go of Zhou Xiye's hand.
Zhou Xiye then turned to Secretary Li, who didn't shake hands. Looking at Zhou Xiye's face, Secretary Li thought for a long time, "I only remember you being a beautiful woman, but I can't recall where I've seen you before. Tell me, Old Zhang, my memory is terrible..."
Chairman Zhang, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "You don't mean you can't remember, you just mean you've seen too many beautiful women!"
Zhou Xiye stood by, smiling obsequiously.
Secretary Li turned his head, put on an embarrassed expression as if he didn't remember, opened his arms, and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He then hugged Zhou Xiye, patted her on the back, and after letting go, held Zhou Xiye's shoulders, "Oh, I really don't remember... Little Zhou, don't blame me."
"..."
At this moment, Ye Lifeng's loud voice came from behind, "Secretary Li, you must have a bad memory. This is my subordinate, Zhou Xiye, Xiao Zhou, the one who explained charisma to you last time." He then walked up to Secretary Li.
Secretary Li looked like he suddenly realized something, patted Zhou Xiye on the shoulder, then put his hand down and muttered, "I knew it. Today is such a serious meeting, it's not appropriate for you to bring a woman."
"Teacher Hua is a woman too, so why is she inappropriate? Secretary Li, Chairman Mao said that women hold up half the sky, have you forgotten?"
Secretary Li chuckled twice and sat down next to Chairman Zhang.
Ye Lifeng glanced at Zhou Xiye, then went straight to his seat and sat down. Zhou Xiye also sat back down in his seat.
A moment later, two more people arrived, but Zhou Xiye didn't have a chance to greet them; the three seats next to each person were already taken, and Zhou Xiye followed behind with a forced smile. To Zhou Xiye's surprise, Yi Shuyuan came. Upon seeing Zhou Xiye, he nodded rather calmly.
Zhou Xiye responded with a smile; after all, he had an affair with the man's son, and he could afford to offend the son but not the father. After Yi Shuyuan entered, two cabinet members walked in: Li Yingchun and Zhu Ming.
Finally, Hua Chunyang arrived. She sat in the main seat, wearing a piece of emerald green jade around her neck.
"Is everyone here? Then let me explain the purpose of this gathering... The Two Sessions are about to begin, and our negotiations with them are nearing their end. The condition for this exchange is that we need at least three of the seven seats in the cabinet to counterbalance them. Currently, Elder Zhao is already sixty-eight and will definitely step down. At the same time, there's a pre-arranged system of one person entering and one leaving. We're confident we can retain our two seats, but..."
Hua Chunyang hesitated for a moment before saying, "There is one piece we can't keep. I think you've all seen it. A key person is missing today."
Zhou Xiye didn't move his head, but his mind was racing. The person who hadn't come was a veteran member of the cabinet. Could it be that something had happened to him?
Hua Chunyang continued, "He called me yesterday, asking me to save him, but it's no use. His mistake was too big, and keeping him alive would be a problem for us." He then looked at Ye Lifeng, "So I didn't save him. I estimate that he will be arrested in the next day or two, so you don't need to be surprised. The person who will replace him is Zhou Xiye, whom you know well. He is Lu Daiyuan, the Emperor's trusted subordinate."
Zhou Xiye heard his own heartbeat, "thump-thump-thump-thump-thump."
The person they replaced is their weakness, which is tantamount to handing a knife to Ling Qingyun and his group. Getting rid of them now is the wisest choice.
"After Zhao Lao stepped down, I advocated that our person should be placed in this position, but the Premier and the Cabinet should be chosen. They gave us the initiative and let us choose first. The advantage of being first to act came with an additional condition, which was that the position of Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee of City A, who is known for his strictness, must be retained. At his age, if he is in this position, and with their support, it is hard to say that he is not their chosen successor."
"What about Ling Qingyun? Is he willing to trade his own future for his son's future? If his son is still in this position, then he is even less likely to enter the cabinet."
Secretary Li suddenly spoke, but Hua Chunyang raised his hand to interrupt him, "Minister Ye was also present when we negotiated with them that day. We two don't understand now whether they want to use Ling Xingzhi as a shield or if they really want to groom him as the crown prince... But none of that matters. What I'm less confident about now is, if we only have two seats in the cabinet, what will our status be in the future?"
"There's still Wu Fengxiang in the cabinet. If she's willing, we can try to win her over," Chairman Zhang said.
Hua Chunyang shook his head, "This old woman has been a loner her whole life, arrogant and disdainful of others, and no one can stop her."
“It’s best not to. Wu Fengxiang’s presence can be seen as a balance point for coordinating our two forces,” Yi Shuyuan said at this moment. He looked at the two cabinet members, “We don’t necessarily need to win by having more cabinet members. The National People’s Congress is also a must-win place for us. If Minister Ye becomes the Premier, then we will have more say in the State Council’s affairs, and we can achieve a stalemate with them. Having two of the three is a great advantage.”
Hua Chunyang had no objection to this statement; she thought so too. However, the lessons of the past, the every step of the River Sect's destruction, were still vivid in her mind.
“We all witnessed how the River Faction declined. On one hand, we underestimated them, and on the other hand… we were foolish not to help them and watched them being cornered,” Hua Chunyang said with a helpless smile. “One wrong step leads to another,” she said, looking at Zhou Xiye.
"Xiao Zhou, do you remember when Minister Ye asked you how to defeat Ling Qingyun and Ling Xingzhi, the father and son of the Ling family, one by one and sow discord? What did you say?"
Zhou Xiye nodded; of course she remembered her own words.
"We were too narrow-minded and lacked perspective. If they had targeted us back then, the River Faction would not have stood idly by and would have definitely stepped in to help. Their cleverness lay in knowing our weaknesses and understanding our nature. When they attacked the River Faction, we remained indifferent and helped our enemy."
Zhou Xiye remained silent, quietly watching Hua Chunyang.
"So, given this precedent, I'm very scared... Should we try to get the other seat? If it's worth trading the premiership for it?"
Whether it's the separation of powers or the checks and balances among the Prime Minister, the Emperor, and the National People's Congress, power must always have boundaries.
Is it worth it?
“The power of two people in the cabinet is different from that of three. Wu Fengxiang is a reasonable person, and we can persuade her with reason on some matters. But if we become two people, our power is only three people, which is not enough to compete with their four. Moreover, if Wu Fengxiang sides with them, our strength will be even weaker,” Li Yingchun said.
“If I get the position of Prime Minister, then… we can use greater power to check and balance them. As I said before, if we cultivate the strength of the State Council, it will be a force to be reckoned with,” Ye Lifeng finally spoke up. “We must get this position. If we can’t retain the cabinet and lose the State Council, then haven’t we been working for nothing all these decades?”
These words startled everyone.
Everyone is eyeing the lucrative cabinet, forgetting that the cost of losing it would be far more devastating.
"But... even if the Emperor doesn't intend to compete for the position of Prime Minister, Ling Qingyun himself won't give in."
Ye Lifeng laughed when he heard this, and turned to look at Zhou Xiye, "Then let's find a way to get him to agree."
Zhou Xiye nodded, but she felt strange. If Ling Xingzhi could keep his position as secretary, would Ling Qingyun still be a minister? Since Ling Xingzhi could be exceptionally promoted to secretary, could Ling Qingyun also be exceptionally promoted to cabinet?
Logically speaking, it's impossible. Even if Ling Xingzhi wasn't a Party Secretary, he couldn't simply step into the Cabinet. After all, the State Council, the Cabinet, the National People's Congress, and the Central Military Commission are under different jurisdictions. To enter the Cabinet, one must be a Party Secretary of a province or municipality; ministers are promoted through a completely different mechanism, which doesn't overlap with the Cabinet.
However, Ling Xingzhi's existence made Zhou Xiye doubt the possibility of Ling Qingyun taking over the cabinet.
She felt a vague sense of unease.
"Um... after Elder Zhao retires, who will take his place?"
Hua Chunyang smiled proudly, "They must be people who are easy for both sides to control. How could they possibly raise all their people at once?"
"This is the old rule."
————
There will be another update later.
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