The mbers of the Fleet Leadership Committee of R19 Exploration Fleet had gathered together, and this ti Xu Lanzhou had given up the chief seat and sat at the lower end.
Bai Zhongqi had not arrived yet, and a group of high-ranking fleet officers were now whispering among themselves, discussing the unexpected appearance of the Chancellor that took everyone by surprise and made them both curious and anxious about the future direction of the fleet.
Not everyone held the sa reverence and loyalty towards the Imperial Chancellor as Xu Lanzhou did. Many among the higher echelons, like Xiao Yu, had never considered the term 'Chancellor' to be a realistic one. When the Chancellor actually appeared in front of everyone, they started to beco restless.
After all, although Xu Lanzhou was dominant, she was still green and, with a little maneuvering and united effort, could be overwheld. Each of these high-ranking mbers was battle-hardened from years of political skirmishes and was accustod to this mode of cooperation and conflict. But now, a great mountain had suddenly erged above everyone, stripping them of their ans to manipulate.
Nominally, the United Empire of Iridium Star was a monarchy with the Chancellor as the supre leader of the Empire, but in reality, the Chancellor had never directly ruled the nation. The people of Iridium Star had developed an effective political system internally, with political transactions and competitive lobbying not inferior to the political arenas of Earth nations.
Although politics at the level of the United Empire had moved beyond the primitive stage of corruption, collusions of interests and rent-seeking were still prevalent.
Large nobilities and major interest groups within the United Empire, such as industry associations, financial conglorates, labor unions, and even fan clubs (yes, seriously, the influence of brain-dead fans of certain cultures and idols is terrifying), engaged in politics to sustain their power and grow.
The foundation of politicians' rule was the continuous strengthening of the United Empire and the expanding interests of the people. Because the pie kept getting bigger and faster, regardless of how it was divided, the people benefited, supported by a dynamic equilibrium of social stability within the country.
Iridium Star had hardly experienced any major crises in five thousand years, with even riots being rare. This was also a benefit brought about by the highly developed level of productivity, for if Iridium Star's productivity levels were the sa as Earth's, more issues might have surfaced.
Many of the high-ranking officers present, when placed within the Empire, were about on the level of County Head Level officials on Earth, mostly without any significant background or power. After transitioning, although these individuals were frustrated, they quickly beca excited.
They anticipated rapidly dividing the fleet's power among themselves and leveraging their advantages to evolve into the elite of a new Imperial colony. Although national strategic foundations like Atomic Substance Construction and the military were state-owned, there were always loopholes to exploit.
In their view, Xu Lanzhou had no political acun to speak of and was not a concern; Du Peng, on the other hand, was seen as a pragmatic and astute person worth collaborating with; and Xiao Yu was seen as a standard beneficiary of the status quo, soone in the sa boat as them.
However, the sudden arrival of Bai Zhongqi could potentially disrupt their well-plotted sches, causing them to fall apart.
The Director of the Fleet Engineering Bureau, Rao Bin, said to the committee mbers on either side, "Since the Chancellor ca aboard the Sacred Falcon, our bureau's commands to the engineering ships have been ineffective. No matter how our personnel operate, the engineering ships cannot be dispatched."
The Director of the Industrial Bureau, Xin Peng, also frowned and added, "It's the sa for our Atomic Substance Construction equipnt here. It's not only unresponsive to our commands, but now our employees can't even enter the Atomic Substance Construction plant in Ruyi City; the factory gates have been sealed off."
The Elder of the Scientific Research Institute, Mo, said calmly, "After the Chancellor's visit, the Supre Command has fully taken control of all the fleet's equipnt. This is a natural developnt, so why the panic?"
Rao Bin couldn't help but be astonished and asked Director Mo, "My lord Director, isn't this a major situation? A great portion of the fleet's institutional power has been hollowed out, so now we can only watch hopelessly, unable to do anything."
Xin Peng also said, "It is said that the Supre Command can surpass all other inferior imperial orders, directly affecting any imperial chanical creation. I never imagined this could actually be true. But still, it seems sowhat inappropriate for the Chancellor to do this."
Director Mo, with a stern face, looked down on them both and said, "The United Empire belongs to the Chancellor. You are all officials who have sworn loyalty to him, rely holding a fraction of power on his behalf. Now that the Chancellor has reclaid that power, how can you say he has undercut you? It seems to that it is you guys who truly wish to undercut others."
This statent made both of them rather embarrassed. Director Mo was an academic, and although he held a public office, he was fundantally a researcher, unlike pure bureaucrats like Rao Bin and Xin Peng. He did not lust for power; whether the Chancellor was present or not didn't make much of a difference to him.
What truly interested him were only the Supre Command and the mysteries of this new universe.
Jian Zhengyi, the Director of the Fleet Logistics Support Bureau, was a cheerful, plump man. People with his physique were rare on Iridium Star because the inhabitants had many ways to make themselves look very fit. Those who maintained a plump physique, like those on Earth who kept different hairstyles, did so out of personal choice.
Jian Zhengyi said cheerfully, "My lords, in fact, welcoming back the Chancellor might not necessarily be a bad thing. The Chancellor has trendous powers; perhaps he has a way to send us back to our holands. Even if we can't go back, fundantally, our roles as 'minor officials' haven't changed at all. If you ask , it's even easier than before.
Previously, on any Administrative Star colony where you were stationed, how could you not respectfully report to your superiors and diligently serve the populace below? If a superior was displeased, they'd snatch your position in a snap; if the populace was unhappy, they would complain to the Imperial Censor.
Those censors, eager to make a na for themselves by penetrating into governntal departnts and creating big news, would launch investigations that could end your political career overnight. Now, good riddance—fewer civilians to deal with, no more Imperial Censors, just a supre Chancellor over us. You still know how to flatter and please, right?
As long as you can keep the Chancellor happy, a swift rise is guaranteed. If the Chancellor decides to reestablish Administrative Stars in this universe, you could at least secure a position as a Governor of an Administrative Star, and if you get even closer to the Chancellor, a role as an Imperial Minister wouldn't be out of reach—perhaps even the Pri Minister could be within your grasp."
Jian Zhengyi's words opened their eyes. Indeed, should the Chancellor return to the Empire and reorganize the imperial system in this universe, the officials would need to be appointed afresh.
The likes of Rao Bin and Xin Peng, who would rate as re County Heads within the original United Empire, suddenly had the chance to beco Governors of an Administrative Star or even ministers in the Imperial governnt, far surpassing a re rapid rise.
Director Mo was not fond of these bureaucrats' ways, but he added, "If the Chancellor intends to conquer new territory in this universe, he will only do so faster and with greater force than the old United Empire. You have all experienced the power of the Supre Command— assuredly, the Empire is set to reach a new peak in its developnt."
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