Darkstone Code-Chapter 804 - 802: Why Is It Me Again?
Lynch was in a different room while the President was giving his speech. The Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee and the former President were also watching the speech.
The people in the room did not appear ostentatious; they wore mid-to-high-end clothing without any luxurious or expensive jewelry, looking, at most, like well-off middle class individuals.
If a political enthusiast were present, they would surely scream in excitement at the gentlemen gathered in this room!
The Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee, the Vice Chairman, the Conservative Party Leader, the Party Whip, the highest-ranking officer in the Conservative Party Development Office...
Together with the former President, who was impeached and lost his position, it can be said that this small room gathered some of the most important and high-status individuals of the Conservative Party.
Some were sitting, others were standing, all attentively focused on the President’s speech on television.
When he talked about not avoiding history and the past, a faint smile appeared on the face of the Conservative Party Committee Chairman.
The seriousness on everyone’s face eased to some extent.
"People aren’t opposed to this kind of rhetoric; you can tell from their expressions," the Conservative Party Leader pointed to the President’s fans on TV, who were quiet when they needed to be and fervent when they needed to be.
In the past, when the former President had just been impeached, if anyone called for not avoiding the past and history, that person would surely have been criticized as a "staunch escapist lackey."
At that time, the anger ingrained in people’s bones, their hatred for their own weakness, and the public’s aversion to their own shortsightedness all prevailed in a terrifying wave of public opinion.
Defeating escapism had become the only correct political route of the time, and anyone daring to challenge this bottom line was going against the people of the entire Federation.
Fortunately, it only took two years for these issues to start fading.
The forgetfulness of the people allowed them to calm down, the improvement in the economy, and the slow rise in employment rates made the public more forgiving.
Only when life is good can people act like human beings.
When life is not good enough, when they can hardly get enough to eat, humans can turn into anything.
Escapism had been nearly associated with the Conservative Party over the years, which was a very bad phenomenon. Once it was confirmed that the Conservative Party equaled escapism, this concept would make it very difficult for the Conservative Party to govern again in the future.
Because it gave people that impression — escaping everything, even if they didn’t really want to do so.
So now, given the chance, they must find a way to slightly clear their name, even if they can’t make the public forget "escapism," at least make "escapism" a personal synonym of the former President, not the entire Conservative Party.
"Who wrote the script?" the Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee asked, "It’s well-written, and we might give him more work later."
"Next, we need to continue leveraging our power to reverse the current situation. I want you all to remember, we are not the Party of Escapism nor its dogma; we are just cautious in facing the world, and this concept is very important."
In the Federation, whether it’s the Conservative Party or the Progressive Party, the real "leaders" are not the party leaders, even though from the current federal political system and the party’s rules, the party leader is the highest leader of a party.
But in reality, it isn’t so; party leaders are not irreplaceable. Every so often, or in every era — twenty or thirty years, there will be a change of party leaders.
After all, the times are advancing, and it’s impossible for people from the old era to always be the leader of a party, the guide; the party also needs progress and evolution.
However, it is not the same with the Committee Chairman; as long as he is not too old to work, there is a great chance that the Committee Chairman will not be easily replaced, and the role of Party Committee Chairman has a certain inheritability.
When the old Party Committee Chairman must retire due to age, they will nominate someone to succeed them, and then the whole committee will vote on it, mostly without resistance to the nominee.
At the same time, the Party Committee’s power actually surpasses that of the party leader; many committee members are themselves Members of Parliament or political figures, and the party leader cannot control the committee, but the committee can propose a vote of no confidence against the party leader.
If one must say who is the true ruler of this country, after removing the capitalists, then it’s the Chairman of the Grand Party Committee; they are the ones behind the scenes, the true holders of power.
At this point, the former President couldn’t help but laugh, "Is it my turn to take the stage again?"
The Committee Chairman nodded, "You need to take some hits for us. I’ve discussed it with Fei Qi, and you might have to disappear from the public eye for a while."
The "Fei Qi" mentioned by the Conservative Party Committee Chairman referred to Mr. Fei Qi, the Progressive Party Committee Chairman, an elderly man barely over 160 centimeters, seemingly without any power. Yet, this elderly gentleman is the true ruler in this nation’s political arena.
The former President was silent for a while, "Do I have to go to jail?"
The Conservative Party Committee Chairman nodded casually; he saw this as the best outcome.
If not for the series of deals and compromises between him and Chairman Fei Qi, the former President in the room currently under investigation might have been preparing to spend his life in prison.
"Your son has already become the third-ranking Minister in the Department of State, he’s so young, and his future might still bring him to where you once stood."
"We will also thank you for your contributions to the Conservative Party, though we do indeed realize you shouldn’t bear all the responsibility."
"Of course, you can also refuse, this is not a demand, just a discussion."
The tone of the Committee Chairman was gentle, not intense at all, speaking slowly enough to calm a person and have them patiently listen to what he had to say.
But the content he spoke of was nonetheless difficult for anyone to bear.
Serving a few years in prison sounded as easy as hiding at home for a few days, but no matter how the arrangements were inside the prison, it meant that the former President would lose his freedom!
Everyone longs for freedom; the Federation is even a world that blossoms for freedom. There once was a statistic that in last year’s suicide cases in the Federation, nearly twenty percent of the suicides resulted from losing or facing the loss of freedom.
Letting a President spend a few years in prison is not a good idea.
Yet the former President had no choice but to accept this request, just as the Committee Chairman had said, while he may lose some things, his child was still striving, and his political life had been extended through his child.
If nothing unexpected happens, his child would at least become the first Minister in the State Department in the future and might have a chance to become a President in a term.
Using the freedom of an old man without much value to exchange for a bright future and resolving some threats on the side, this deal wasn’t a loss.
The President quickly came to terms with it, "What should I do?"
When he uttered this sentence, the eyes of the Committee Chairman slightly shifted, looking toward others in the room, and someone sensing his gaze, returned the look. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
The Party Whip lightly coughed, "You won’t need to do anything about this; we will handle it."
"When the time comes to court, you just need to plead guilty, and leave everything else to us."
The former President pulled the corners of his mouth, "How many years am I... going away for?"
He couldn’t help but sigh, "I need to make some preparations first."
"It won’t be more than five years, and these five years won’t be grueling, trust us..."
The President on the television screen was still speaking, reminiscing on the past, envisioning the future, and the gentlemen in the room were watching the President elegantly continuing his speech.
Meanwhile, the thoughts of the Committee Chairman drifted far away.
Last weekend, he and Mr. Fei Qi, the Progressive Party Committee Chairman, played a round of golf, discussing the upcoming political landscape.
It seems that the Progressive Party and the Conservative Party stand on completely opposing stances, and even during election years, supporters from both parties often clash, sometimes with bloodshed.
However, at the upper levels, the relationship between leaders on both sides was very harmonious, with excellent personal relations; scheduling a game together was just the most usual activity, even going sea fishing together when it’s hot.
This phenomenon is actually quite normal because apart from left, there is only right; very few stand in the middle indeed.
When societal development requires the governing body to move left, those on the left will step forward.
When societal development requires the governing body to move right, those on the right will step forward.
Who governs is indeed, as people say and think, decided by the Federation’s people.
However, this time there was a bit of an exception due to the governing issues of the former President causing some incidents; if these issues were not handled well, there might be opportunities for the Socialist Party to find a footing.
Two choices are enough for people; there should not be a third choice!
Returning home that night, the former President locked himself in his study, as the investigation against him persisted, allowing him to maintain his freedom until a final court ruling was made.
This was normal, minor issues weren’t enough to imprison him, significant charges lacked evidence, coupled with "protection" administered under the guise of "investigation," his impeachment journey wasn’t as miserable as people imagined.
But now, for the benefit of the Conservative Party and his child’s future, he had to make a choice.
He thought he wouldn’t be frightened; when he won the presidential election, before that, and later, he had said similar words to others — "The Conservative Party’s interests surpass all."
But now it was his turn, and he still found it difficult to adapt.
Why... is it me?!
