Chapter 418: Give and Take

His asking price was this: 1. He could agree to keep the Political Security Bureau’s current structure unchanged, with its director appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by the Senate, but its jurisdiction must be clearly defined to combating organized crime and monitoring dissidents and individuals who pose a threat to the Elders. It must not overstep its authority. 2. Establish a Senate Budget Committee to tighten control over the finances of all departments, ensure financial transparency, and eliminate secret expenditures like “intelligence funds” and “special fees.” 3. Form a Senate Security Committee to place powerful agencies like the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, the Political Security Bureau, and the National Police under its supervision. The heads of the various subordinate departments would be nominated by the director but must be approved by the Senate Security Committee before taking office. 4. Create a Senate Secret Service to provide security for the Elders and other important individuals, subordinate to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“…And through the appointment of the Secret Service director, we can bring Salina over to our side,” Zhou Weisen said. “In the old security establishment, she’s merely a consultant, with no real influence. Besides, there’s that incident—”

The attempted rape of Salina, though never spoken of by the Senate’s upper echelon and never mentioned by Salina herself, was something the Qian brothers and Zhou Weisen believed had left deep psychological scars. They reasoned that, whether the assault was successful or not, the trauma would instinctively make her wary of most Elders. The “North American Gang,” with their shared language and cultural background, would naturally gain her trust. The fact that Salina had become very close with the Flying Cloud Club over the past few years seemed to confirm their theory.

If Salina could be made head of the Secret Service, the Otaku Party would gain significant influence over the Elders’ internal security system, both officially (through the Senate Security Committee) and unofficially (through Salina).

“You’re absolutely right. Besides, who says the Secret Service can only handle VIP protection?” Qian Shuiting said meaningfully. “The Secret Service’s original primary duty was law enforcement for the Treasury Department. Many agencies need their own enforcement teams now. The Cheka, the Tax Bureau, they’re all eyeing the idea. Once we have our own team, the Secret Service can slowly expand its business—we have to avoid the waste of redundant agencies, after all.”

Zhou Weisen said, “I estimate that we can achieve our goals for points 1, 3, and 4 through this case. After all, the establishment of the Security Committee also gives the passive Elders an outlet—a platform within the Senate to exert their influence, without having to grovel before the Organization Department. This way, we can gradually dismantle the Executive Committee-controlled Organization Department and seize control of personnel matters. Point 2 is more troublesome, but it must be accomplished before the Guangdong campaign, or the Executive Committee will become too powerful to control. The resistance to our plan to overthrow the Executive Committee and establish a cabinet system will only grow.”

“No, the second point isn’t critical. It would be best if it passes, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t. Our focus isn’t there,” Qian Shuiting shook his head. “Under the Executive Committee system, the so-called General Treasury is just an accounting office. It’s often constrained by the Executive Committee and the Planning院, especially the Planning院. If we can’t take down the Planning院, a mere Finance Committee won’t be of much use.”

“You mean use it as a bargaining chip?”

“Exactly. Financial power isn’t very meaningful to us right now, but it’s very useful to the Executive Committee. They will certainly fight to protect it, but they lack the grounds to refuse supervision. We can concede on this point in exchange for the establishment of the Security Committee.” Qian Shuiting raised his glass, staring at the rich, amber liquid. “Of our four points, the first and fourth should pass without much trouble. They are logical necessities. The main resistance will be on the third point.”

“But the budget is a crucial area. If we can take this opportunity to set up the framework for the key committees—Finance, Security, Intelligence, Personnel—in the Standing Committee, it will make future reforms much easier.”

“Let’s take it slow. Haste makes waste.” Qian Shuiting gazed at the sea. “Political ideologies have inertia. The Elders are all living in the political inertia of their past environments. They are accustomed to the old system. We can only proceed step by step. There will be opportunities in the future to propose these committees again. The beginning is always the hardest. Once we have a start, the rest will be easier.”

Zhou Weisen poured himself a fresh whiskey. “Who do you think would be a suitable chairman for this Security Committee? What about Shan Liang?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But Shan Liang isn’t suitable. He’s a firebrand, he’s offended too many people. Making him a committee chairman would be counterproductive. But we can’t be too obvious by appointing one of our own people either. I think it would be best to find a passive Elder who is friendly to the Otaku Party as a candidate.” Qian Shuiting thought for a moment. “We’ll get more of our people onto the committee itself.”

“I’ll go arrange the election matters right away,” Zhou Weisen said. “It’s a pity I’m with the Special Reconnaissance Team; I don’t have enough time. And once my detachment is reassigned, I won’t be able to help you.”

“Don’t worry. After the Secret Service is established, I’ll find a way to request the transfer of some Special Reconnaissance Team members to the new agency. Then you can be transferred back under the guise of being a training instructor,” Qian Shuiting said, downing his drink in one gulp.

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Zhou Weisen didn’t stay long after dinner. He had to return to the Special Reconnaissance Team immediately to arrange his work. He also needed to actively engage in the upcoming political struggle in the Senate to achieve their goals.

Qian Shuiting sat alone on the club’s veranda for a long time. Seeing that it was almost ten o’clock, he was about to return to his boat to sleep when Qian Xuanhuang announced another visitor: Shan Liang had arrived.

“Show him to the terrace,” Qian Shuiting said.

“Old Qian, you’re really living the life!” Shan Liang greeted him loudly, his footsteps echoing on the wooden floorboards. He was wearing blue work clothes, and though they were washed, the stains were still visible.

“Have a seat. Have you eaten?” Qian Shuiting stood up to greet him. “Bring the ‘First Clear’ edition cigars—”

“Ate long ago. You still have the ‘First Clear’ edition? Speaker Qian is truly generous!”

“It’s a small stash from last year. There’s a humidor on the boat, so they’ve kept well.”

Shan Liang plopped down, took a cigar, and instead of using the cutter on the tray, he sliced off the end with his own Swiss Army knife, lit it with a Zippo lighter, and took a deep drag.

Qian Shuiting lit his own cigar with a match from the tray. “Just got back to Lingao? Busy with work, I imagine.”

“Our telecommunications company is a labor camp. We’re worse off than Wen Zong’s or Dugong’s naturalized secretaries. It’s nothing like the comfort you have here, Speaker Qian,” Shan Liang said without pleasantries. “What did you want to see me about?”

Shan Liang had previously refused Cheng Yongxin’s invitation to get involved in the maid case. While he despised the “livestock” on the Executive Committee, he disliked Cheng Yongxin’s aggressive, superior attitude. Besides, the maid case didn’t appeal to him. Shan Liang cared little for the rights of the naturalized citizens and even less for feminism. He felt it was beneath him to make a big fuss over it.

The most crucial point was that Cheng Yongxin had offered him no benefits, and he couldn’t see how she could offer him any in the future.

True, joining the maid case could have boosted his profile and raised his visibility. But beyond that, there was nothing in it for him. Her promise of “the power of the media” was, in Shan Liang’s view, completely empty. She didn’t truly control the media; she could only exert some influence. The more she embellished, the more unreliable Shan Liang found her.

In politics, you’re not afraid to sell yourself, but you have to get a price for it.

Shan Liang had played along with Cheng Yongxin, posting a few threads on the internal forum to maintain his presence, but he hadn’t opened fire in the Senate or written any lengthy articles for the newspapers. Then, he had returned to the construction site.

Not long after returning to Lingao this time, the attack happened. Shan Liang instinctively realized that a golden opportunity had arrived.

Compared to the maid case, which most Elders didn’t care about, this incident had clearly shaken the Senate to its core. Shan Liang knew that someone would soon come looking for him to be their gun.

“It’s about the terrorist attack, of course,” Qian Shuiting said. “What are your thoughts?”

“The Executive Committee disregards the Elder masses, the cadres at all levels are bureaucratic, and the administrative bodies are bloated and incompetent,” Shan Liang said nonchalantly. “It’s just the usual stuff.”

“You’re right, those are all problems. But the Executive Committee is immune to that now, and the masses are getting used to these injustices. Bringing them up again probably won’t do much to improve their work.”

Shan Liang thought: This is it! Old Qian must have some heavy inside information. He’s planning to leak it through me.

“Old Qian, you have inside information?”

“Yes, I do.” Qian Shuiting stopped beating around the bush. “Did you know the Political Security Bureau is collecting black material on the Elders?”

“Is that true?!” Shan Liang’s eyes widened. He had heard whispers of this before, but it was all unsubstantiated gossip from the rumor mill. No one could produce a shred of evidence. Now, hearing it from Qian Shuiting’s mouth, the matter was entirely different—he was an Executive Committee member!

“I can confirm it’s true,” Qian Shuiting nodded. “From all indications…”

Shan Liang’s hope immediately deflated. “So, you don’t have any direct evidence?”

“Of course not. How could I have direct evidence? The Political Security Bureau is a black hole. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out. It’s like an iron bucket.”

“That’s as good as saying nothing,” Shan Liang said, leaning back in his chair and blowing a smoke ring. “I’ve heard they were compiling black material for a long time. But what’s the use? Without evidence, who’s going to believe it? And we can’t get in to investigate.”

“Now is the perfect opportunity. The terrorist incident caused such a stir. What is the Political Security Bureau good for? They are undeniably the primary responsible party. There must be an investigation, a thorough investigation,” Qian Shuiting said, then chuckled.

“Kick ‘em while they’re down!” Shan Liang understood Qian Shuiting’s meaning. “You’re saying, we use this opportunity to lift their black veil?”