Chapter 429: The Sugar-Coated Bullet

So, Elder Lu is a man with ideas. Yu E’shui thought to himself. Although he had never held a regular job, he was a bona fide ancient history major. So-called history is just constant repetition. For someone who has read thousands of years of political history, this line of thinking was not difficult to follow. What Lu Xuan proposed was, to put it bluntly, system building, which has always been the core policy of any regime. No wonder you looked down on being a local official. You were holding back, waiting for an opportunity to pick the fruits at the center.

Yu E’shui nodded repeatedly. “Your idea is good. I think it’s worth discussing in depth. This is our job, after all. Very good! Very good!”

He said “very good” several times, then added, “I think this matter is indeed very important. If you’re interested, you should get it done in the next few days.”

Seeing Yu E’shui’s support, Lu Xuan nodded eagerly and said, “Please rest assured, Director. I will not bring shame to our library. I will show that group from the Law Society that people from the Great Library can do anything…”

“Of course, the people of our Great Library know everything, hehehe.”

“Then I’ll go prepare the materials first.”

Watching Lu Xuan close the door and leave, Yu E’shui shook his head.

What Yu E’shui didn’t see was the look of contempt on Lu Xuan’s face behind the door.

Lu Xuan’s ultimate goal in lobbying Yu E’shui was not just to ask him to package the proposal he was about to submit into the form of an “internal reference” under the guise of the Great Library’s “policy research” and send it directly to the Executive Committee. Obviously, a proposal published in the name of an individual Elder and a “policy research” submitted in the name of the Great Library would not carry the same weight with the Executive Committee. But Lu Xuan believed that once he revealed the trump card of his proposal, Yu E’shui would definitely see the huge benefits hidden within, and he, Yu E’shui, would not be able to resist.

Playing the fool can only be done for a while, not for a lifetime—otherwise, you really become a fool. The problem was that he had overdone it in the past, giving the impression of being unambitious, only caring about his own little plot of land. Now, to suddenly propose a systemic reform, even Director Yu, who had never had a regular job and was a “newbie” in terms of worldly wisdom, would surely find it surprising. Now that he proposed to submit the material in the name of the Great Library, Yu E’shui could also share some of the benefits, and his wariness of him would be much less.

He thought silently. After returning from Maqiao, the changes in the debate surrounding the terrorist case in the Senate could be described as unpredictable to the average person. Now, the two hottest proposals on the BBS were: one for systemic reform, and the other for the establishment of a Youth League. Especially in the last two days, the attention on systemic reform had been declining, and it was even surpassed by the proposal to establish a Youth League by a few percentage points. Thanks to the good habit of analyzing online public opinion that Lu Xuan had deliberately cultivated since the transmigration, he had sorted out the clues in a short time. He believed he had basically seen through the political deal hidden behind this change in proposals—the Executive Committee, which prioritized stability and unity above all else, was using this almost traceless transfer of power to appease its main opponents and divert attention when faced with a surging and irresistible call for reform.

There was no doubt that the North Americans had slowly adapted to the “national conditions” of the Senate. Their methods of struggle were becoming more and more skilled. This not only increased Lu Xuan’s pressure but also allowed him to see an opportunity—in Lu Xuan’s view, whether it was the Executive Committee’s appeasement or differentiation, no matter how subtle and clever Wen and Ma’s methods were, this forced action was a compromise and a concession.

“Perhaps they are also looking forward to such assistance now?” Lu Xuan looked at the file in his hand and couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

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In the living room of the Flying Cloud, Qian Shuiting chewed on his cigar, looking out at the sea with a frown, not even noticing that the cigar had gone out.

On the table, on the sofa, newspapers and documents were scattered in a mess. Qian Shuixie, who had just returned from out of town, was also there, drinking the locally produced High Mountain Ridge rice beer.

Zhou Weisen frowned, flipping through the newspaper. After a long while, he said, “Something’s not right here. On the one hand, they’re proposing the establishment of a youth organization, and on the other, they’re praising Duoduo to the skies. They’re just short of saying that Duoduo is about to become the youth leader…”

“They’re building up the authority of the ‘deputy commander of the forest,’” Qian Shuiting sneered. “They’re roasting us over the fire!”

Zhou Weisen nodded silently. “Praise the young, suppress the old. What should we do? I looked at the BBS. Not only has the hot topic shifted, but the wind is also starting to turn against us. Many people think we’re overreaching! The Youth League has nothing to do with us! This is simply ruining our reputation!”

“Yes!” Qian Shuiting nodded. “That’s their goal—to create public opinion.” He threw the cigar into the ashtray. “And we have nothing to say. At most, we can tell the Propaganda Department that they’re over-reporting on Duoduo. But promoting the Elders, establishing the authority and role models of the Elders is politically correct. We can only advise against it, we can’t demand a complete ban.” He sighed heavily. “A soft knife kills without drawing blood!”

“Why don’t we just eat the sugar-coated bullet and shoot the cannonball back!” Qian Shuixie, who had been silent, interjected. “The price they’re offering is nothing more than a spot for a youth leader. Let’s not mention Duoduo, let’s propose a younger Elder from the Otaku Party, and continue to press them on other matters. Let’s see what else they can do!”

“My dear brother, you are too naive,” Qian Shuiting said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. “When did the Executive Committee say they were making a deal with us? Did the newspapers and journals mention a single word about Duoduo becoming the youth leader? If we really do that, we’ll be putting the shit bucket on our own heads.”

Qian Shuixie took a sip of beer, his eyes blinking. He obviously hadn’t figured it out yet.

Zhou Weisen explained, “The current situation is that the Elders all think the Youth League is an inside deal between the Executive Committee and us. If we really propose someone to be the youth leader, won’t that just confirm it?”

“Exactly. So, we absolutely cannot accept the personnel arrangement for the Youth League,” Qian Shuiting said with a bitter smile. “Not only can we not accept it, but we also have to try our best to distance ourselves from it. Otherwise, the reputation of our Otaku Party will be ruined.”

“In fact, it’s already ruined!” Zhou Weisen sighed. “The Executive Committee didn’t plan to give us anything. Whether we eat it or not, their goal has been achieved—the public opinion has changed!”

“What I find most difficult now is that in the end, we may have to eat it!” Qian Shuiting shook his head. “Once the Youth League is on the agenda, the young Elders who are now thirteen or fourteen will definitely occupy a leading position in it. Can we say that Duoduo can’t join the Youth League? That would be cutting ourselves off from the Senate!”

The few of them fell silent. The Youth League was practically tailor-made for the young Elders to secure their positions. To say that their own children wouldn’t join would be to openly despise the Senate and its system.

“Unless we veto the proposal to establish the league… How about reminding the Elders of the Hitler Youth?” Qian Shuixie suggested. “Even in our country, ‘faction’ is not a good word.”

“You’re courting death!” Zhou Weisen was horrified. “Don’t you forget what political leanings most of the Elders have…”

“Yes, they are essentially keen on totalitarian totems,” Qian Shuiting nodded. “Besides, they can use the Boy Scouts to argue—we can’t win a majority on this point.”

“That Cheng…”

“Unless the investigation committee can find some bombshell material in the Political Security Bureau, she won’t be of much use. The problem is, there’s still nothing substantial.” Qian Shuiting slapped his forehead. “Duoduo, oh Duoduo, why is your luck so good…”

The atmosphere in the living room lightened a little. Qian Shuixie smiled. “Big brother, don’t be so troubled. Actually, our family hasn’t lost anything in this matter. Duoduo’s political capital is so thick now, other young Elders can’t even compare. In the future, she’ll be the undisputed choice for the Executive Committee. In my opinion, joining the Youth League is not a bad thing. Not only can she accumulate political capital in advance, but she can also cultivate her own faction.”

Qian Shuiting nodded heavily. “But if we don’t get rid of the Executive Committee system, I always feel uneasy. If this goes on, how will the ordinary Elders get by in the future? Do we still want democracy within the Senate?”

“Come on, big brother!” Qian Shuixie said nonchalantly. “What did we brothers and our master give up everything in America to come here for? Was it to spread democracy and freedom in the 17th century? Now, you’re already on the Executive Committee, and the rest of our family is not doing badly either. Except for sister-in-law Mendoza, none of us are ‘soy sauce’—and in the future, with you helping us from the top, we won’t be at a disadvantage. Our family has many people and many votes. Duoduo herself is an Elder. A little gilding in the Youth League, and her future will be limitless. You see, in the future, we’ll be a political dynasty. What are the Bush family and the Kennedy family? I don’t think the Executive Committee is so bad after all.”

“You can’t say that,” Qian Shuiting said. “We rely on the ‘soy sauce’ Elders. Without them, how could I have been elected Speaker? It seems they will soon launch the mainland campaign to divert internal conflicts. Once the mainland campaign starts and the cake gets bigger, the ‘soy sauce’ Elders will all become powerful. Who will remember us then? If we don’t lay the groundwork first, things will be even more difficult in the future.”

“Then what do we do now?” Zhou Weisen asked.

“First, propose not to over-publicize Duoduo’s deeds and personal story. I’ve already notified the General Office and the Propaganda Department about this. I’ll bring it up again at the next weekly Executive Committee meeting. Second, our original plan remains unchanged. We’ll continue to pursue accountability and the establishment of several new committees. Third, regarding the Youth League, we can express limited support. By the way, wasn’t Mendoza a Boy Scout instructor? Let her write a few articles, and master, you can help her translate them into Chinese—we must also take the lead in system building.”