The official lost his patience, or rather, he could not be bothered to waste any patience on this woman who had no background and was now being looked at strangely by everyone around her. He raised his right arm and slapped her hard across the face.
A crisp slap sounded! Rosie covered her red cheeks and cried painfully. "Please let me go. I really don't know anything. My daughter is still very young. She will be scared if she waits for me at home alone."
"Even if a little Imperial brat starves to death at home, probably no neighbors will call the police, and no one will be kind enough to enter through the window to take a look."
The official slowly raised his eyebrows and expressed his sympathy with a sigh. As he sighed, it was as if a picture of a sick and weak little girl lying in a damp blanket appeared. In the end, she turned into a withered corpse. The eyes of the short corpse were deeply sunken, and some unknown worm was crawling in and out of them.
Rosie clearly knew that this scene was impossible, but she was still provoked to the brink of insanity by the other party's seemingly sympathetic but incomparably vicious words. Her voice trembled as she muttered, "Impossible, impossible. She can find her own food at seven years old."
A long silence to let the fear fester was a very common and effective interrogation technique. The official calmly looked at the woman who had lost control of her mind. He slowly lowered his head and whispered in her ear like a demon.
"You want to see your lovely daughter? You want to go home and take care of your sick daughter? You want to make a bowl of hot food for her? You need to seriously recall if your husband, He Youyou, met this person a few years ago. "
The printed photo was placed on the table in front of Rosie. The photo was clearly taken by a surveillance camera. It was a bit blurry, but it was still possible to tell that it was from a banquet. The exact date and time were written on the bottom right corner.
In the photo, a certain officer who exuded a sinister aura from head to toe was brushing shoulders with He Youyou, who was wearing a captain's uniform. Their heads were slightly tilted down. Perhaps it was unintentional, but it could also be interpreted as them whispering something.
Rosie stared at the man in the photo, trying hard to recognize him. She noticed that although he was wearing a military uniform, there was no epaulet.
"I … I really don't know this man."
"Think about it carefully."
The official put his arm around her trembling shoulders, smiled slightly, and gently said, "It was the autumn of the 67th year of the Constitutional Calendar, the inauguration banquet of the director of the First Military Region's Electronics Branch. The man who was talking to your husband was working in the branch at that time, and after the banquet, he came to your house and gave you a precious pearl necklace as your wedding gift. Do you remember?"
The waitress, Rosie, could vaguely guess what the officials wanted to do. She was a kind woman, and she felt cold all over. She really did not want to follow the orders of the officials and frame a man she did not know. However, the whole night of interrogation had pushed her to the brink of a mental breakdown. Her longing for her daughter and her greatest fear made it impossible for her to say anything to object. She could only nod dumbly and mumble in a trembling voice, "There is no pearl necklace at home."
"This can naturally be found in your house."
"But … what is this man's name?"
"His name is Li Xiaotong."
The official silently looked at the woman neurotically repeating the name that was so unfamiliar to him just now. He knew that this matter was finally settled, and his mood suddenly relaxed. He smiled and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, and ordered his subordinates, "Arrange for the witness to take a bath, put on some light makeup, and then make a formal statement."
…
…
In the eyes of many colleagues and students, Qian Chengtong was a very outstanding person. He was admitted to Ewha University with the seventh highest score in Li Mingzhou's Joint Examination, and then he became a professional researcher. Because of his excellent grades, he was specially recruited by the principal to be an associate professor, and his future was bright.
However, with the appearance of a post in Ewha University's forum, his excellent reputation was covered with a thick layer of dust. Whether he was looking for information in the campus library's H section, eating in the porridge shop under the girls' dormitory in the plum garden, or even in a daze by the Rose River, he could feel the strange gazes behind him, hear the mocking comments, and even vicious curses.
Because of that post that was pinned to the top, it used unquestionable evidence to expose that when he was in high school, he started receiving funding from the Xiu Shu Foundation.
The Xiu Shu Foundation was a very respected large foundation in the past Federation. However, with the start of the liquidation of the seven great families by the Federation's government, under the deliberate instigation of countless news media, everyone knew that the Xiu Shu Foundation was backed by the Tai family. They confirmed that this foundation waved checks, bribed outstanding people from all walks of life, and infiltrated the government, large enterprises, and even the military. It was a complete and utter conspiracy.
Even Zhou Yu, whom Du Shaoqing admired greatly, was almost quarantined and investigated by the government because he received funding from the Xiu Shu Foundation. Moreover, Qian Chengtong was only an ordinary associate professor in Ewha University. He did not know that the principal could help him deal with the investigation by the government, but he could not prevent many people in the university from treating him as a lackey of the seven great families.
Qian Chengtong had heard a lot of dirty words and seen a lot of different kinds of provocations. He had been silently enduring it alone. Occasionally, he would use his fingertips to push up the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose. He would stare blankly at the other party and then leave with his body bent.
Today, after class, associate professor Qian Chengtong was surrounded by more than ten agitated students. Among them, a seemingly weak male student pushed him violently against the wall and said fiercely, "Qian Chengtong, your attitude is very dishonest. Do you think that by remaining silent, you can make us forget about the filth on your body? Don't forget that you are spending the money of the seven great families, and this money is all from the poor people at the bottom of the Federation! Your degree, your position as associate professor, and even the clothes you are wearing are all stained with blood! "
Qian Chengtong pushed up his glasses and stood silently against the wall. He did not say anything to defend himself, nor did he admit that he had committed any unforgivable crimes.
A more gentle student advised, "Professor Qian, as long as you are willing to participate in the meeting tonight, and use your personal experience to expose the dark secrets of the Xiu Shu Foundation, and tell the students who are still deceived what kind of sinister intentions those big families have, we are willing to accept you back into the right life and admit that you are an excellent lecturer."
Qian Chengtong looked at the honest male student outside the crowd and recognized that he had once taught his engineering principles class. He smiled slightly to express his gratitude and trust, but still did not open his mouth to accept the request of these students.
The silence angered the students, especially a female student who was staring at him stubbornly with her thin lips pursed. She excitedly reprimanded, "Qian Chengtong, don't you know what kind of bastards those big families are? They have been secretly controlling the Federation for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. They also want to control you and me, who are free. They are like demons in the night. "
"What is the Xiu Shu Foundation funding you for? You have to tell us honestly!"
"The big boss behind this evil foundation is the bloody queen of the Tai family. Do you know how many wild horses she has raised in the back mountain of Mochou? How much beef does she eat every day? How many accomplices does she have in the government? How many justice lawyers and prosecutors have been secretly persecuted by her? "
"That woman actually dares to threaten the government with the crystal mine, and even wants to interfere in this just war!"
The agitated female student spoke until her voice was hoarse, blue veins popping out, and even had an inexplicable crying tone. She pursed her thin lips and shouted, "You still don't admit your mistake!"
Qian Chengtong looked at this face that was distorted because of excitement, anger, and grief. He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and smiled.
The agitated female student was called Lin Chaier. She was a famous campus movement leader at the Rose River School, and a fanatical supporter of President Pabre. She was quite pretty, and two years ago, she had written a love letter to him.
But Qian Chengtong did not like her.
It had nothing to do with the relationship between a teacher and a student. It had nothing to do with her delicate appearance. He did not like the overly passionate emotions in her love letter. He did not like the aura between her eyebrows. He did not like her neurotic narcissistic smile from time to time. In short, he just did not like her.
So he rejected her.
After that, Lin Chaier participated in the election for the president of the student council, but failed. She also failed in the election for the president of the department of student council. Until the last year, she became more and more excited at various gatherings on campus. She seemed to have suddenly found a stage for her to shine and shine, and instantly became a so-called influential figure.
Qian Chengtong quietly looked at her fanatical performance and remembered the equally fanatical words in the love letter. He could not help but smile and say, "I won't admit my mistake."
When the students who were besieging him heard him speak, they became a little quieter.
Qian Chengtong pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, looked at the students, and said softly, "I don't know who the Bloody Queen is that Student Lin is talking about. As for those accusations, they should be completed by the judicial authorities, not by newspaper reporters."
After a pause, he continued calmly, "If Student Lin is referring to Lady Tai, I have to say that I have never seen a big shot like Lady Tai. Yes, I did accept funding from the Xiu Shu Foundation, and I signed an agreement promising that after graduation, under the same conditions, I would have priority to work for the foundation. "
The students began to become restless.
Associate Professor Qian Chengtong laughed at himself and said, "Why did you accept funding from the Xiu Shu Foundation? Of course, it's meaningless to say that I don't know the background of the foundation, but even if I knew that it was the foundation of the Tai family when I was in my third year of high school, I would still accept it. "
"Because I was very poor."
"I couldn't get into the free First Military Academy, and the Second and Third Military Academies were not in S1. I was so poor that I couldn't even afford the travel expenses, so I could only apply for Li Hua University."
"The Federation's financial aid conditions for poor students in private schools are very strict. The courses I studied were too heavy, and there was no time for me to work and earn money. Student loans and scholarships? I started to apply for them when I was in my first year of high school, but the loan never came, and the scholarships were taken away by students whose grades were not as good as mine for reasons that I didn't understand. "
Qian Chengtong looked at the snow hanging on the branches like pear blossoms, and calmly said, "I wanted to study, and I had the ability to study well. At that time, only the Xiu Shu Foundation agreed to provide me with a long-term interest-free loan without asking for any reason, just looking at my grades. Only then did I dare to enter Li Hua University."
He retracted his gaze and looked at the students around him and asked, "If it were you guys, what would you choose?"
Lin Chaier was sensitive and saw pity and ridicule in his eyes. She didn't know why, but it was difficult for her to suppress the anger in her chest and abdomen. She screamed, "These are all excuses!"
With a slap, she slapped Qian Chengtong hard in the face.
The sound was like a war drum. Some of the students who didn't know what to do turned the silence in their hearts into shame and anger, and angrily pushed Qian Chengtong to the ground. Someone took out a pot of dye from the classroom and poured it on him.
"Beat to death this unrepentant lackey of the seven great families!"
Snow covered the earth in the late winter. The quiet and beautiful campus of Li Hua University was occupied by chaos and fanaticism, and the students' slogans echoed between the corridors.
"Down with the seven great families!"
"Long live President Pabre!"
…
…
On the last day of the 75th year of the Constitutional Calendar, the northern hemisphere was shrouded in snow.
On this day, the Federation Post revealed the contents of the New Year's speech in the official residence in advance as usual. Mr. President Pabre, who had completed the second year of his term of office, didn't seem to be affected by the Silent March movement. He calmly, gently, and powerfully wrote an article, and once again used many parallelism sentences, successfully arousing the excitement of many Federation citizens.
On this day, the Silent March team led by Tai Zhiyuan was forced to temporarily rest and reorganize in a gymnasium somewhere. This thin and weak young member of parliament stood in the warm office, looking at the road blocked by snow in the distance. He thought about the shocking news he had just received, and his delicate eyebrows were tightly knitted, as if he wanted to see clearly what the next year's Federation would be like.
In his New Year's speech, President Pabre requested all the Federation citizens to endure this period of economic depression in order to survive the several years of continuous space war. He would use unprecedented efforts to reduce the government's budget.
Everyone had to make their own contributions and work together to overcome the difficulties. For the Federation's final victory, no one had the qualifications to enjoy special privileges.
…
…
The Food and Drug Administration of the Federation was a department jointly managed by the government and the Bureau of Proclamation. It wasn't very famous in the Federation, but in fact, it held a lot of power. All food and drug regulations, including synthetic meat, had to be approved by this department.
The former director of the Food and Drug Administration, after struggling for two and a half years because of his close relationship with the Nan Xiang family, was finally stripped of his position by the official residence because of a very inconspicuous mistake.
The new director was Dr. Webb. This doctor was deeply trusted by President Pabre because he was responsible for treating Miss Padella. He also provided a lot of wisdom in the medical reform, so when he took over the position of director of the Food and Drug Administration, he was respected by his subordinates and didn't encounter any resistance at all.
On the last day of the 75th year of the Constitutional Calendar, Director Webb went to Hong Kong to attend an important joint meeting in the snow. It seemed that he was destined to not spend the New Year in his warm home. However, in the back seat of the bulletproof car, there was no unhappiness on his face, and there was a very subtle pride hidden in his calm wrinkles.
The phone rang. After he picked it up, he didn't speak, just smiled.
"Brother, I have entered the board of directors of the Federation Medical Association."
Because of the existence of the Bureau of Proclamation, Director Webb couldn't intervene too deeply in the food industry, but the pharmaceutical industry, with an annual output of trillions of dollars, would provide him with a steady stream of remuneration from today on.
…
…
When President Pabre was at his worst, there were only three staff members in the law firm. In addition to the president and his wife, there was also Descartes, who was expelled from the Faculty of Law of the Capital University.
The young student who was in charge of miscellaneous jobs at that time finally became the most powerful official in the Federation's Ministry of Commerce 20 years later.
On this day, Descartes, the chief assistant of the Federation's Ministry of Commerce, secretly flew to Bermuda. However, the welcoming ceremony at the Bermuda airport was so grand, with beautiful women and flowers lined up to greet him. It was believed that the real secret couldn't be kept.
But Descartes didn't mind. The real secrets of officials were always in places that the public couldn't see.
For example, that night at dinner, he received a huge check, so he forgot that the check was written by the most notorious arms smuggler in Bermuda.
For example, the next morning, he pushed away the naked woman in his arms, opened the window, and saw the beautiful manor that belonged to him. He was so happy and satisfied that he didn't care how many bodies of Bermuda slaves were buried under the blooming roses in the manor.
…
…
Because of the war, the Federation's economy stagnated and even had a hint of depression. Before the war, the experts who said that the war would lead to rapid technological and economic development in the Federation were now all silent.
A worker in S2 Oak State looked at the meager salary in his pay card and could not help but sigh softly. He had joined the three major industrial unions, but he did not join the silent march movement, nor did he join the other faction to support President Pabble. He only wanted to work honestly and diligently, and then earn some deserved rewards, and live a small life that was not rich but warm and fulfilling.
However, with the price of goods rising so much, it seemed that there was no way to live a simple life.
The orphans of East Linnaxi State's Gulou Street had long felt that their lives couldn't continue.
Following the shortage of crystal mines and the lack of new mining disasters, most of the orphans grew up. The number of the youngest orphans was extremely small, so the government very simply and directly cut off the welfare subsidies. But even though the number of orphans was small, those orphans still wanted to live, to live a better life.
Two thirteen-year-old youths stared at the black market beef in a dark stall, continuously swallowing their saliva. They wanted to steal and rob, but the scars on their wrists constantly reminded them that those black market traffickers weren't much more loving than the government officials.
In a certain mechanical farm settlement in S3, a grizzled haired mother looked at the expensive high-quality apples. After hesitating for a long time, she bought a few and then returned home with her body bent over.
A black and white photo hung on the wall of the home. In the photo, a young Federation soldier had a solemn expression, as if he was still alive to protect his hometown and his elderly mother.
The mother placed three beautiful crystal-like apples in front of her son's portrait. Then, trembling, she stood on tiptoe and gently kissed the portrait. Then, she sat back on the shabby sofa, crying silently.
…
…
In the New Year's speech, President Pabre said that the Federation's greatest enemy now was the barbaric and cruel people of the Empire and the families hidden in the shadows. The greatest danger they faced was those sinister ideologies, such as capitulationism, conspiracy theories, and decadent aristocratic hedonism.
In order to defeat those seemingly powerful enemies and achieve true democracy, freedom, and peace in the Federation, the people had to consciously prevent the invasion of these sinister ideologies from the root.
Director Webb, who had just finished a meeting in Harbor City, sat tiredly on the luxurious leather sofa in the luxurious suite. After confirming that all the attendants had left, he took out a Sinafil pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
Turning on the phone, the director changed into a silk pajama smuggled from the Empire. When the drug took effect, he put his hand under the pajama and began to fondle it through the smooth silk. His breath was getting heavier and heavier.
As Mr. President's most trusted subordinate, Director Webb had always been very cautious. He would never let anyone catch him in any way when it came to the relationship between men and women.
The screen on the wall was playing the thrilling female slave porn, which was enough for him to feel excited, because this was something that the Federation absolutely didn't have.
Fortunately, the Empire had it.
After a few seconds, the bureau chief let out a satisfied sigh and reluctantly turned off the television. He couldn't help but feel a little envious of the lives of the empire's aristocrats. Other than silk, they had a lot more. If the Federation's troops were to invade Tianjing Planet, should he ask the president for a chance to become a special governor?
The chief commercial assistant, Descartes, was enjoying a medium-rare steak. The Bermuda smuggler beside him said, "This is specially cooked according to Linyuan's taste. The sauce is excellent."
Descartes pulled a white napkin and elegantly wiped his lips. He smiled and said, "Although our common goal is to destroy Lin Banshan, such artistic enjoyment must be preserved."
…
…
Everything had to be sacrificed for the Federation. However, every time something big happened, the people who were sacrificed were always the most ordinary people who had no right to speak. What were they sacrificing for? Why were they sacrificing?
Everything had to be for the Federation. There were no special privileges. However, before the seven great families were defeated, a new special class had appeared in the Federation government.
Everything had to be for the Federation. There was a need to resist erosion. However, the Federation government led by President Pabre no longer needed erosion. The officials he trusted, or had no choice but to trust, were already corrupted.
The secret investigation department relied on the authority granted by the Bureau of Proclamation, the Patriot Act passed by Parliament Hill, and the restrictions of the judicial system. They relied on their own will to arrest all kinds of suspects in various states and used the most effective methods to carry out cruel interrogations.
The building in the Capital Special District was always brightly lit. The interrogations didn't stop every night. The red little eyes painted outside the iron gate for three years seemed to be shedding tears of blood because of exhaustion.
They were professional, hardworking, and cruel.
In the military camp in the southern suburbs of the Capital Special District, the Iron Seventh Division and the three rapid anti-tank brigades from the garrison area that were called back from the front line canceled their New Year holiday. They were undergoing arduous training in the cold weather and snow.
With riot shields and rubber bullets, as well as the silent steel mechas standing in the distance, the officers and soldiers were topless. They were breathing out hot white steam as they struggled to get up in the cold snow in silence.
They were solemn and brave, but they could also be cruel.
With the arrival of the New Year, hundreds of thousands of Pabre's supporters held grand rallies in various places to show their support for the New Year's speech. The people in the south jumped into the sea happily, swaying their hips and hips enthusiastically. The young students in the north chased each other in the schoolyard while giggling. Round snowballs bloomed on their bodies and walls from time to time, like the New Year's fireworks.
They were innocent and lovely, but they could also be cruel.
…
…
This was the Pabre Doctrine. This was the fast knife that Chen Yijiang respected and supported. But who was holding this knife, and where was it going to cut?
Chasing that faint shadow in the name of democracy, this was today's Federation. A Federation that was completely different from President Pabre's New Year's speech, which made people feel painful and anxious.
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