Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

"Yes." Liao Qingyuan nodded.

Gao Yuliang frowned: "I told you it's about handling a crisis?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you communicate with Secretary Sha?"

Liao Qingyuan paused for a moment and said, "No. Before boarding, Secretary Sha called and Governor Qi asked me to refuse."

Gao Yuliang's brows furrowed even more. He didn't speak, leaning back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the cup of tea on the coffee table. The tea had gone cold, without a trace of steam. Only one lamp was on in the study, its orange light illuminating Gao Yuliang's face, highlighting his angular features, and casting deep shadows on his eye sockets and cheekbones.

Liao Qingyuan felt an invisible pressure.

Gao Yuliang was usually very approachable, but at this moment he simply suppressed his smile and remained silent, a silence that was enough to make people extremely nervous.

He held his breath, afraid to make a sound.

Time passed by, minute by minute. The living room was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the wall clock.

Five minutes, ten minutes.

Liao Qingyuan's back was already slightly sweaty.

Finally, Gao Yuliang let out a long sigh. It was a long exhale, as if releasing something from his body. He leaned back on the sofa, shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing regret, emotion, and a subtle weariness).

"I'm getting old, I can't keep up with the young people anymore."

Liao Qingyuan didn't know whether he should respond or not, so he just sat quietly, holding his teacup.

Gao Yuliang turned to look at him, his tone returning to its usual calm, and a smile appeared on his face: "Is there anything you don't understand? Tell me."

Liao Qingyuan put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and tried to make his tone neither humble nor arrogant, but still with a hint of caution.

"Secretary Yuliang, I just don't quite understand Governor Qi's actions lately."

"Why don't you understand?"

Liao Qingyuan took a deep breath and slowly uttered the words he had been preparing for a long time.

“When the higher-level ministry issued the letter a while ago, I was very anxious. I thought that if those projects were investigated, Handong’s economy would definitely be affected. But the governor said at the time, ‘We are not the ones who are most anxious.’ My understanding at the time was that these things were caused by Secretary Sha, so I remained calm and waited to see how Secretary Sha would deal with them before making any plans.”

He paused, glancing at Gao Yuliang's expression. Gao Yuliang nodded slightly, remaining silent, signaling him to continue.

“These days, things have escalated. I’m starting to think that even if Secretary Sha is in the lead, if Handong’s economy really has a major problem, Governor Qi, as the governor, will not escape reprimand. So I think it’s only right that he goes to Beijing to handle it personally—we can’t wait any longer at this point.”

Gao Yuliang nodded again.

Liao Qingyuan paused, lowered his voice, and slowed down his speech.

"But there's one thing I just can't understand. After all, this whole thing was started by Secretary Sha, and Governor Qi was just passively dragged into it. He helped Secretary Sha calm things down, so Secretary Sha should have done something in return. I always thought that Governor Qi had let the incident escalate before, waiting for Secretary Sha to make his offer. But why did he suddenly go to Beijing on his own in the end, without waiting for a deal to be reached before leaving?"

He looked up at Gao Yuliang, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Secretary Sha made that phone call before boarding. It was obvious he wanted to negotiate. Why didn't Governor Qi answer?"

He hesitated for a moment, then voiced his guess: "Could it be that this exchange relies on mutual understanding? Doesn't it need to be confirmed face-to-face?"

After listening, Gao Yuliang did not answer immediately. He picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold from the coffee table, took a sip, and put it down.

"Xiao Liao, your analysis is mostly correct. But there's one thing you misunderstood."

Liao Qingyuan sat up straight.

“Tongwei’s refusal to answer Secretary Sha’s call wasn’t because there was any tacit understanding between them,” Gao Yuliang said softly, but every word seemed carefully chosen. “It’s because he doesn’t want Secretary Sha to pay any price.”

Liao Qingyuan was stunned. He frowned and pondered for a few seconds, then looked up, his eyes filled with even deeper confusion.

"Secretary Yuliang, I don't understand."

Gao Yuliang leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest twice. His eyes were on Liao Qingyuan, but his gaze was slightly unfocused, as if he were looking through Liao Qingyuan at something behind him.

"Xiao Liao, although your position is not high, you have been working closely with Tongwei for a while now, and your horizons have broadened. You have your own understanding of how power is exercised and the personnel structure in Handong. This is a good thing."

He then changed the subject.

"But it is precisely because of this that you fall into a limitation."

Liao Qingyuan looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"This is a common problem for secretaries—the closer they are to the core of power, the less they respect the source of that power. You're with the governor all day, all you see is how power works, and over time you start to think that's all there is to power. Standing committee seats, personnel arrangements, exchanges of benefits—you think that's all there is to power. But have you ever thought about it—where does this power come from?"

Liao Qingyuan opened his mouth, but couldn't answer for a moment.

Gao Yuliang didn't wait for his reply and continued speaking, his voice not loud, but every word was resounding.

"Let me ask you, the 'price that Secretary Sha paid' you just mentioned is nothing more than one or two seats on the Standing Committee, right?"

Liao Qingyuan nodded subconsciously: "Yes."

"If that were to happen, on the surface it would appear that Tongwei was using his connections and resources in the ministries to exchange for a seat on the Standing Committee. But in essence—what is it?"

Liao Qingyuan was slightly dazed, something was churning in his mind, but he couldn't grasp it.

"What is it?" he murmured, repeating.

Gao Yuliang's voice suddenly turned sharp, like a knife cutting through the stifling air in the study:

"He traded the stability and development of Handong Province for it; in many people's eyes, he even coerced Sha Ruijin into making the trade!"

A thunderbolt struck Liao Qingyuan's mind.

Chapter 215 Night Questions (Part 2)

Seeing Liao Qingyuan sitting on the sofa, frowning in thought, a hint of appreciation flashed in Gao Yuliang's eyes.

He was generally satisfied with this prospective son-in-law.

Not impetuous, not ostentatious, knows one's own limitations, and is willing to put in the effort to learn. The worst thing for a secretary is not a lack of ability, but the arrogance of thinking one knows everything.

rare.

Gao Yuliang stood up, picked up the kettle on the coffee table, and poured some hot water into Liao Qingyuan's cup.

Steam rose from the hot water, a wisp of white mist rising under the warm orange light. He didn't pour himself a cup, but instead sat back down on the sofa with the empty one, giving Liao Qingyuan time to think deeply.

Liao Qingyuan held the cup in both hands, his gaze fixed on the ripples on the water's surface, motionless.

After a few minutes, Gao Yuliang saw that his eyes had calmed down, so he asked, "Have you figured it out?"

Liao Qingyuan raised his head, his gaze sincere and frank: "I've figured some things out, but new doubts have arisen."

Gao Yuliang smiled, picked up his empty cup, and slowly twirled it in his hand, his tone encouraging: "What's the problem? Tell me."

Liao Qingyuan considered his words carefully before saying, "Now I understand why Governor Qi didn't want Secretary Sha's concessions. But why let things escalate? Wouldn't it have been less costly to go directly to Beijing to mediate from the beginning and take action sooner?"

Gao Yuliang didn't answer directly, but instead threw the question back at him: "What are your thoughts?"

Liao Qingyuan thought for a moment and said, "Is it because—the best warriors don't achieve great feats?"

Gao Yuliang's lips curled up slightly. The fact that Liao Qingyuan could think of this meant that he was indeed pondering it carefully.

"continue."

Liao Qingyuan said earnestly, “This sentence in Sun Tzu’s Art of War means that a person who is truly good at fighting will not wait until the battle starts to put out the fire, but will eliminate the hidden dangers before the battle. But Governor Qi’s approach seems to be the opposite—he did not stop the fire beforehand, but let the fire burn and then tried to put it out.”

Gao Yuliang nodded and then asked, "There's another story with a similar meaning: King Wen of Wei asked Bian Que, do you know it?"

Liao Qingyuan nodded.

This is a story about King Wen of Wei asking Bian Que, "Your three brothers are all skilled in medicine. Whose medical skills are the best?"

Bian Que replied, "My eldest brother is the best, my second brother is next, and I am the worst."

King Wen of Wei was puzzled: "Then why are you the most famous?"

Bian Que explained:

"My elder brother treats illnesses by teaching people how to take care of themselves and prevent them before the illness even manifests. The patients recover before they even realize they are sick, so his reputation doesn't spread beyond our family."

My second brother cures illnesses when they are in their early stages and the symptoms are mild, so patients only feel that they have a minor illness, and his reputation does not spread throughout the village.

I treat illnesses when they are severe, painful, and critical, using acupuncture, surgery, and potent medicine to save lives. Patients witness firsthand how I bring them back from the brink of death, and thus my reputation spread throughout the various states.

Liao Qingyuan continued, "Does Governor Qi think that by intervening before the fire even starts, he'll be like Bian Que's elder brother, failing to demonstrate his abilities?"

Gao Yuliang looked at Liao Qingyuan with a new layer of scrutiny in his eyes.

"Your idea isn't entirely unreasonable. So why are you having doubts?"

Liao Qingyuan hesitated for a moment before voicing his deeper unease: "But aren't these petty schemes perfectly clear to the higher-ups? Won't they backfire? And if things continue to escalate, won't the price we pay to quell them be even higher? Isn't Governor Qi's approach counterproductive?"

Gao Yuliang's eyes showed a hint of approval as he said:

“It’s good that you can think this far. Being able to think about how your superiors will view it shows that you’re already considering the issue from a higher level. But—” he changed the subject, “you’ve made the same mistake as before. Your understanding of power is too one-sided.”

Liao Qingyuan leaned forward slightly, adopting a listening posture.

“When you were the deputy county head, you were in charge of the implementation level. You did whatever the higher-ups said. But when you got to the provincial level, you became Tongwei’s secretary. You were at a much higher level, dealing with the major policies of the provincial party committee and government every day, and seeing the leaders making decisions, holding meetings, and signing documents in their offices. So what you think of as power is nothing more than a few offices, a few meeting rooms, and a few official documents.”

He paused, his tone turning serious.

But is that really the case?

Liao Qingyuan frowned and remained silent.

“Power doesn’t just flow from top to bottom; it also flows from bottom to top.” Gao Yuliang said, emphasizing each word. “Your analysis just now only considered how the higher-ups viewed Tong Wei. But have you considered—what do the people below think?”

Liao Qingyuan was taken aback.

"If Tongwei wants to get things done and succeed, does he think that as long as he has a good idea, sends a document in the office, talks to the relevant project manager, and holds a few symbolic meetings, things will naturally succeed?"

Gao Yuliang's voice was not loud, but every word carried an undeniable weight, as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Your understanding of how power works is too superficial. Throughout history, both in China and abroad, there are countless examples of how, even if the people in power have good intentions, things are often handled terribly by those in power, resulting in the opposite of what is expected."

"You're reading the History of Ming now. Wasn't Zhang Juzheng's Single Whip Law originally intended to reduce the burden on the people? Why did it become a tool for exploiting the people when it reached the local level? Similarly, Wang Anshi's Green Sprouts Law was also a reform. Wasn't its original intention good? But didn't its implementation also result in chaos?"

He paused for a moment, allowing Liao Qingyuan to process what he had said.

"As long as Tongwei can control the situation, his actions this time will be minor flaws in the eyes of his superiors. No one will demand saintly standards from a politician. Once this matter is over, his image of prioritizing the overall situation and understanding the big picture will be remembered by his superiors. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the next provincial party secretary of Handong."

Liao Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "Provincial Party Secretary." He instinctively wanted to say something, opened his mouth, and then swallowed it back.

Gao Yuliang didn't wait for him to react before continuing.

"But have you thought about it—after Tongwei becomes the top leader, what will he do if he wants to advance further?"