Chapter 1430 - Ideals
It's a good thing I didn't indulge her on the maid issue, Jiang Shan thought. He felt somewhat weary. True, he came from a privileged background and possessed strong personal qualities. In his heart, he sometimes considered himself a member of the social elite. But he didn't care for the term "upper class," and even felt some aversion to it.
As for deliberately concealing his excellence—yes, that was true. The Council of Elders was a ruling collective, and Jiang Shan understood very well the sense of crisis held by the "soy sauce" Elders—the rank-and-file members. Though their anxiety seemed inexplicable to him, group consciousness was often irrational. Displaying his sharpness too openly would bring no benefit to his career in the new world.
"I don't like labels like 'elite,'" he said. "It's easy to become detached from the masses."
"You ceased to be 'the masses' long ago. You don't have the consciousness of a ruling class at all."
"The masses of the ruling class."
"That's truly ridiculous." She laughed. "You are clearly the most powerful rulers in this time-space, yet you insist on pretending to be hardworking and simple, constantly putting on the face of the working people. It's affected to the point of being incomprehensible. I really don't understand who you're trying to please—the common people, or yourselves? Are you rulers, or the ruled?"
What is she trying to do? Jiang Shan wondered. What is she hinting at with these baffling words? All along, he had considered Cheng Yongxin merely a literary youth who had read a bit of everything, possessed a little insight, and thought highly of herself—he had encountered many such types. But tonight she clearly had some purpose in trying to influence him.
"All right, all right." He smiled faintly. "We are indeed the ruling class. As for whether we have that self-awareness... I'm afraid time will need to prove it. The transformation of identity also requires a long process."
"How is your life secretary?" She changed the subject abruptly. "I think she looks all right. Just a bit thin."
"Very good, very capable at housework. Fairly smart, too. The key is that she cooks very well—she's one of those rare people whose tastes align with mine."
"You know that's not what I'm asking."
"Do you like comparisons?" Jiang Shan laughed. "I don't think men or women enjoy them."
"Just curious." Cheng Yongxin hugged her knees. "Exactly how much better am I than they are? Where am I better? I want to understand what the male Elders really think."
"It's a long story."
"You work in intelligence. Being concise shouldn't be a problem."
"Interests. Conversation. Thought."
"Just as I suspected."
"The current maids are severely lacking in those three areas, aren't they?"
"Not just lacking—severely lacking."
"Then why do the single and thirsty male Elders look down on female Elders? Those single female Elders, apart from that girl in the Exploration Department, don't seem to have boyfriends. Even non-binding lover relationships are rare." She interjected suddenly: "Do you know that Xiao Zishan often spends the night at Li XiaolĂĽ's dorm?"
"That is a personal matter. As for the others—perhaps the timing isn't right."
"You're playing dumb again." She gave a charming smile. "Fine, I can't outplay you in mind games. Aside from some male Elders being useless, it really comes down to the lesson of Liu San and Wu Yunhua."
Jiang Shan shrugged. "A single case proves nothing. Otherwise, Bai Guoshi would be a counterexample."
"No—Bai Guoshi is the outlier. Most male Elders are unwilling to pursue single female Elders. Look at Elder Ge in the Chemical Industry Ministry—is her figure or appearance lacking? Why does no one pursue her? Not because they don't want to, and not because she lacks charm—but because they fear marriage with a female Elder would hinder their pursuit of three wives and four concubines. Isn't that so? The divorce of Wu Yunhua and Liu San—though Liu San came out nearly unscathed and made an almost perfect exit—he still lived in fear for days and fled for months to avoid the limelight. No one wants such trouble. So they'd rather make do with what's simple."
"Your observation and analysis skills are quite good."
"Thank you. So I think I should do something."
"You want to be a matchmaker?"
"I don't have time—Civil Affairs dumped a pile of county yamen archives on me. Besides, I'm an older unmarried woman myself; being a matchmaker would have zero persuasiveness." She paused. "I want to start a magazine for the maids."
"A magazine for maids?"
"Not the kind of training you're imagining. You said it yourself—many Elders complain their life secretaries lack taste, simply put, they don't understand what the Elders are talking about. The Elders would be quite pleased if someone provided a subtle 'education' to their maids, allowing them to make a qualitative leap. I want to start a magazine aimed at life secretaries. Working in the Great Library gives me a natural advantage in resources, and I am a modern woman. Of course, this needs Dingding's approval."
"Very interesting." A look of puzzlement crossed Jiang Shan's eyes.
"Of course, I'm no living Lei Feng. If doing this brought me no benefit whatsoever, wouldn't that be strange?"
"Perhaps you're doing it to maintain the greater good of the Council of Elders."
"Yes, yes—that's not wrong to say." Cheng Yongxin laughed. "Look, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in the Great Library translating ancient texts. The best prospect is becoming director after Yu Eshui retires. By the way, I've clashed with him over professional matters; he might even tell the Organization Department that I'm incompetent..."
"You could come out and work elsewhere. Administrative agencies are short-staffed everywhere. So is the education system."
"My ideal is a bit higher than that."
"You want to be an Executive Committee member?"
"At least at the People's Commissar level. Not now, of course—I'm not arrogant enough to think that, nor do I have the ability. But in ten or twenty years, it should be possible. So I hope to use this opportunity to build some popularity for myself. Staying in the Great Library gives me absolutely no presence—no one knows who I am."
"Why tell me such a grand ideal?"
"To seek your help."
"How can I help?"
"Nothing much. You're like the Buddha—when the time comes, just loosen your hand a little and don't slap me down directly, and this little woman will be endlessly grateful." Cheng Yongxin adopted a pitiful expression. "You know most men in the Council of Elders always have some petty prejudices against women."
"Such a low request?"
"I think it's quite high."
"All right." Jiang Shan nodded. "People with ideals should be respected."
"Wonderful." Cheng Yongxin beamed. "Would you like something to eat? I brought sandwiches."
"No—eating late at night is not a good habit." He stretched. "Wouldn't it be better to do something more interesting?" A faint smile. "The spring night is short."
He could hear the steady breathing of the woman sleeping beside him. Exhaustion after climax made his eyelids heavy, yet he couldn't fall asleep. Lando's report invaded his mind again. He had read it so many times during the day that the text still appeared clearly before him. Using minor characters from Star Wars as codenames for foreign intelligence operations—he didn't know if it was Li Yan's or some other Elder's bad taste. But the reality was, even if the Army and Navy under the Council of Elders were viewed as Clone Troopers, he had no authority to mobilize them to destroy this potential threat; nor did he have Jedi Knights at his disposal. He could only rely on a mercenary whose background he knew to deal with another mercenary about whom he knew nothing.
The Elders attending the joint conference remained undecided: should Lando lead the Special Reconnaissance Team to assassinate Hale? Or ignore it for now and send an expeditionary force to flatten Manila after the first phase of the mainland conquest was complete? Both opinions had supporters. He estimated that once the Haiqi delivered the intelligence photos of the Manila Dahlgren gun, the military-industrial departments would surely be thrown into considerable turmoil...
Jiang Shan woke. The sky was faintly light. A heavy gaze pressed upon him.
The woman was propped on the pillow beside him, watching his face.
"You talked a lot in your sleep," she murmured. "You're under a lot of pressure."
"Did I scream? Or make other strange noises?"
She sighed, studied his forehead cautiously, and stroked it with one finger.
"It's six o'clock. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"No." He sat up. "The driver will be here in an hour."
"Perhaps we shouldn't meet at night. Your sleep time is too short."
"A proper sex life makes one energetic," Jiang Shan said. "I'm getting up."
She slipped out of bed, retrieved her nightgown and draped it casually over her naked body, then walked barefoot to the sofa. She gathered the clothes he had thrown there the night before and handed them to him.
"Thank you," he said.
"Serving the man she loves is a woman's pleasure."
"That pleasure is truly wonderful for a man."
She smiled in silence. "Enjoy it."
Jiang Shan departed Number 3 Lychee Grove at precisely seven o'clock, arriving at his office still carrying a faint scent of carnations.
His secretary brought the latest intelligence compilation and internal publications, still fragrant with ink.
"Coffee, black." He lowered his head and leafed through the pages. "And get me a sandwich."
"Yes, Comrade Director."
The coffee was the special Golden South Sea supply from the General Affairs Office. Just as Jiang Shan liked it: clear black, no sugar, no milk. He took a sip, picked up the sandwich, and chewed while reaching for the telephone.
"Connect me to the Analysis Division Director's office."
Ten seconds later the call connected. Wang Ding was already in.
"There's something—do you know Cheng Yongxin? You do? Good. I want a file on her. Yes, I know accessing an Elder's Organization Department file requires permission from the General Affairs Office. Don't go to Wu Mu—they won't admit to any of this. Try asking around discreetly. Don't write anything down. Come directly to me."
He hung up and silently finished his coffee.
Fine. Let's be prepared and see what game you're playing.