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

"This time, you once again took advantage of the State Planning Commission, a potential rival, to successfully unify the thinking within the State Economic Commission and efficiently promote the compilation of the catalog, thus achieving your goal. From the perspective of the method itself, it is beyond reproach, and even quite clever."

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and slowly took a couple of steps, as if he were back in the lecture hall of Peking University, facing his students who were eager for knowledge. The afternoon sun cast his thin shadow long on the floor covered with books.

“Tongwei, I want to teach you another principle today.” His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, carrying a penetrating power: “The sharper and more useful a tool is, the more carefully and restrainedly it needs to be used.”

Chapter 50 Li Yiqing's Teachings (Part 2)

Qi Tongwei straightened his back and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

“What I mean is not that I’m worried about ‘being too rigid and easily broken.’ Rather, I mean that when a tool is too sharp, too easy to use, and has an immediate effect, it can easily lead to dependence and even addiction. You will unconsciously choose it first because it saves effort, is efficient, and produces quick results. But in this way, many foundations that really need to be solidified through hard work, joints that need to be straightened out with patience, and deep-seated problems that need to be faced and solved directly may be temporarily covered up or intentionally or unintentionally ignored.”

Li Yiqing turned around and looked at him intently:

"Some time ago, I attended a seminar on international news communication. The seminar discussed how the current international public opinion arena is largely controlled by political groups. They are very adept at using a sophisticated set of propaganda tools, such as 'victim narratives' and 'political correctness,' to manipulate discourse, influence decision-making, and seize profits. Do you think that relying on this kind of 'information warfare' in the long term is a good thing or a bad thing for them?"

Qi Tongwei was stunned. In 2017, before his rebirth, although the global anti-YT Group movement had not yet fully taken off, its initial signs were already emerging, and he naturally knew about some of the subsequent developments.

Before he could answer, Li Yiqing gave his own answer, his tone carrying a calm understanding of the world:

"For YT Group, this weapon is too useful. Problems that would normally require arduous negotiations, exchanges of interests, or even self-reform to solve, and might cost '100 yuan,' can be suppressed, distorted, and manipulated by a powerful media machine for a cost of '1 yuan,' or even less. Therefore, they will continue to use it, repeatedly, and in various ways."

“But,” he emphasized, “the problem hasn’t been truly solved; it’s just been covered up and temporarily suppressed. The next time the same problem erupts, it might cost ‘2 dollars’ to cover it up again. The costs will keep accumulating and increasing.”

“One day, they will find that the cost of using public opinion to cover up problems far exceeds '100 yuan,' and may even be completely uncoverable. By then, when they want to turn back and solve the problems through normal and constructive means, it will often be too late, the problems will be too deeply entrenched, and the cost will be devastating.”

He paused, then gave another, more macro-level example:

"Take the United States for example. It is too easy and too comfortable for it to reap global wealth by relying on its financial hegemony and the dollar cycle. In contrast, developing real industries and upgrading manufacturing has become a tough and arduous task. Therefore, it has a strong impulse to transfer industries, and some real industries have already flowed to Europe, Japan and South Korea. We are actively negotiating to join the WTO. If we can seize the opportunity of this wave of global industrial transfer, it will be the biggest historical window for us to achieve leapfrog development."

Qi Tongwei was shocked. His teacher's judgment on the international situation was so accurate and hit the nail on the head!

“And what about the United States?” Li Yiqing asked with a distant gaze. “Over-reliance on finance, this ‘easy money,’ while neglecting or even abandoning the foundation of the real economy, may bring short-term glory, but in the long run, it will inevitably suffer the backlash of hollowed-out industries, declining innovation capabilities, and a torn social structure. This is almost a historical inevitability.”

He refocused his gaze on Qi Tongwei's face and spoke earnestly:

"This applies to nations and groups, and even more so to individuals."

"You like the history of the Ming Dynasty. The Jiajing Emperor was a master of manipulating power and maintaining balance. In the two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, probably no one could surpass him in terms of imperial strategy and the ability to control his ministers. However, he became obsessed with this, spending most of his energy on maintaining his personal power and factional balance, while neglecting the real problems facing the country and its people. In the end, Hai Rui's memorial on maintaining order, 'Jiajing, Jiajing, every household is clean,' nailed him to the pillar of shame as a foolish emperor. Power manipulation became his greatest reliance and the root cause of his misrule."

“You are good at ‘leveraging’ your strengths, which is your advantage and your agility. But I worry that once you’ve tasted success, you’ll become complacent and make ‘leveraging’ and ‘using tricks’ your only path, neglecting the most fundamental ‘hard work’ and ‘real skills’ required for being an official.”

"Leaving aside Zeng Guofan's character and merits, his method of 'building strongholds and fighting steady battles,' which emphasizes the basics and avoids seeking clever tricks, is worthy of your deep reflection and study. Throughout history, famous generals have certainly achieved unexpected victories and been unpredictable in their military campaigns, but without exception, their military discipline, logistics, and troop training—the most basic 'hard skills'—were all extremely solid. You cannot be afraid of or even give up honing those more time-consuming and laborious 'basic skills' just because you have a 'good and sharp knife.'"

Qi Tongwei listened with a surge of emotion, yet also felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. His teacher's teachings were profound and insightful, pointing directly to hidden dangers deep within him that he might not even be fully aware of. Since his rebirth, he had repeatedly broken through impasses by leveraging his foresight and information asymmetry, which had indeed been too smooth, even leading to a ingrained mindset that "everything can be achieved by borrowing strength."

But at this moment, he was shaken, and his mouth moved faster than his brain, instinctively retorting, "Then... Huo Qubing wouldn't have 'built a stronghold'..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yiqing chuckled and smacked him on the back of the head: "You're just being argumentative!"

He clearly disdained to refute this extreme exception, and continued:

"Given your weak background and firsthand experience of the crushing power of injustice, it's understandable that you feel a sense of urgency and act hastily. However, you cannot skimp on the necessary hard work and foundational work! While 'leveraging influence' is a perfectly legitimate strategy, you absolutely cannot rely on it alone. I fear you'll be blinded by the quick gains from 'leveraging influence' and unwilling to invest the necessary effort in the 'basic skills' of tedious policy research, complex grassroots investigations, and difficult coordination and communication. In the long run, with a weak foundation, even if you temporarily hold a high position of power, you'll merely be a 'bureaucratic strategist' adept at maneuvering among various forces and leveraging their strengths—appearing sophisticated and worldly-wise, but in reality, a rootless tree, incapable of shouldering great responsibilities. Once the storm rises, you're most likely to be defeated and sink. That would be a true loss!"

Bureaucratic strategist...

A tree without roots...

These words struck Qi Tongwei's heart like a heavy hammer. In his previous life, in that corrupting influence of Handong, hadn't he become increasingly reliant on currying favor, siding with others, and making deals? He had drifted further and further away from genuinely "getting things done." Li Dakang relied on "GDP" and "scapegoating," achieving dazzling short-term results but harboring deep long-term dangers; Sha Ruijin relied on absolute authority and high pressure, able to turn the tide in the short term, but what about the aftereffects? And Professor Gao Yuliang, hadn't he also relied too heavily on so-called "political wisdom" and the "Handong clique," ultimately going astray?

The teacher called him in at the height of his success, when he was riding high and perhaps at his most triumphant, not to celebrate, but to calmly analyze his thinking and sound a warning. This clearly showed the teacher had seen a potential crisis and was pruning away any branches that might have gone astray.

This is a true teacher! They not only impart knowledge and answer questions, but also care about guiding and nurturing students!

Qi Tongwei was deeply moved. He stood up abruptly, walked to Li Yiqing, and bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Students...will remember your teachings! We will always reflect on our actions and never forget our roots!"

This bow came from the bottom of my heart.

Li Yiqing accepted the bow calmly, his serious expression softening. He sat back down on the sofa, picked up the slightly cooled Yunwu Maojian tea, and took another sip.

He put down his teacup, a hint of a smile even appearing in his eyes.

“Your eagerness stems from the fact that you feel uneasy because you don’t have any support, and you always want to grasp something to gain a foothold as soon as possible. When your senior brother Han came to see me this time, in addition to talking about work, he also specifically asked about your personal situation.”

He paused, looked at Qi Tongwei, and asked with a smile:

"Tongwei, you're not young anymore. Tell your teacher the truth..."

"Is it time to start dating?"

Chapter 51 Political Successor

Did you come here specifically to ask? Qi Tongwei's mind raced, and he instantly grasped the deeper meaning behind the words.

He and Han Shen are now close, and Han Shen is his direct superior. If he really wants to play matchmaker for him, he can just ask directly. Why does he need to go through Li Yiqing to relay the message?

Seeing his disciple's keen insight, Li Yiqing's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he slowly nodded, saying, "That's right. Your senior brother Han's visit this time is indeed meaningful—he wants to groom you as his political successor."

Political successor.

These five words carry extraordinary weight.

It is far beyond ordinary confidants or protégés; it signifies a deeper level of trust, a more thorough bond, and the full-fledged cultivation.

This is similar to the closed-door disciples in the Peking Opera world who pass down their knowledge orally, or the true inheritors of a martial arts school.

In many professions that value lineage, the true disciple often holds a more important place in the master's heart than even a biological son.

While there are certainly examples of sons inheriting their fathers' businesses, if the son lacks talent or has no interest in the business, forcibly supporting him often leads to the decline of the family and the extinction of the family line.

Politics, on the other hand, is one of the professions that demands the highest levels of talent, temperament, and resilience.

It requires practitioners to have excellent communication and coordination skills, keen judgment of the situation, strong psychological resilience, and a holistic perspective.

One must not have any obvious weaknesses in any aspect of their qualities, and must also have one or two outstanding strengths that surpass those of ordinary people in order to stand out in fierce competition.

What if one's own son is useless? Daughters are of marriageable age in their early twenties, but whether a person has political talent often only becomes truly apparent after the age of thirty, after experiencing practical trials.

Those who can stand out in their twenties are mostly scions carefully cultivated by political families, who have their own connections and resources to inherit.

As for the fantasy of "merging" two political factions through marriage, that's almost laughable. After a merger, who would be in charge? How would the relationship be balanced? How would the benefits be distributed? In a modern political landscape that has long since moved beyond strict personal dependence, how could such a merger possibly win over the masses?

Most importantly, these kinds of alliances often occur between different systems. Once the older generation retires, their influence wanes, and they can no longer exert a lasting and effective influence on another system. The result is often a complete collapse, with the original power being quietly absorbed and digested by other factions within the original system.

So, are there any factions "uniting" within the same system?

There are also.

However, the open merger of two major factions within the same system is highly likely to trigger higher-level vigilance and checks and balances.

For example, after Liang Qunfeng retired, Gao Yuliang led the Liang family's elite forces to serve under Zhao Lichun, which can be seen as an alternative "political marriage" within the same system.

The fate of the Zhao family later became clear to all.

Therefore, so-called alliances between powerful nations are often just symbolic additions to strengthen political alliances, mere supplements.

A married daughter is, in a sense, "water spilled from a cup."

With sons to inherit the family business and no political alliances to form for the time being, it's also common for daughters to freely choose their partners.

Just like the marriage of Hou Liangping and Zhong Xiaoai, placing them in the relatively detached and less prone-to-mistake discipline and procuratorial system both preserved their family ties and did not affect their son's future resource allocation.

Therefore, the order of choosing a political successor is roughly as follows: first, a carefully cultivated and proven capable biological son; second, a son-in-law with shallow roots who is easy to control; and third, a subordinate with a clean background, outstanding abilities, and trustworthiness.

Although it is the last in the order, the third category is often the mainstream.

Liang Qunfeng chose Gao Yuliang, Gao Yuliang once favored Qi Tongwei, and Zhao Lichun vigorously promoted Li Dakang, all of which were in line with this reason.

Why not force mediocre sons into high positions? Because they can't hold onto them.

If the successor lacks the corresponding ability, vision, and status, the network of connections, political favors, and even the enemies and rivals painstakingly built by the previous generation will not only be unable to take over, but may also backfire and be devoured by those eyeing them covetously.

This is similar to the scene in the movie "Hail the Judge" where Stephen Chow's father leaves behind half a cake on his deathbed, saying that the current Vice Minister of Revenue owes him a life-saving favor. When Stephen Chow actually goes to the Vice Minister's house with the cake, the other party repays him with a hundred cakes.

When there is a significant difference in social status, past favors can only be redeemed at a discounted price; this is the law of reality.

On a deeper level, after a lifetime of ups and downs in officialdom and holding power for a long time, how could one bear the loneliness of sudden retirement? Beyond watering flowers and fishing, the desire to continue one's influence, the concern about whether one's political ideals can be passed on, and the worries about posthumous evaluation and the peace of one's family are all real.

Just like Huang Lao in "The Storm," even after retiring to the second line, he still wanted to "cultivate" Gao Qiqiang. They need someone to continuously speak out in the government to maintain the warmth and effectiveness of their political legacy. Otherwise, can they really guarantee everything will be fine just by offering annual courtesy visits?

Some novels say "as long as the old man is alive, the family will not fall," because he can even use a cane to block the door of the current leader.

joke!

Dear readers, you have a bright future ahead of you. If you were the CEO of a company, and a former vice president who had retired many years ago came to your office and asked to appoint his son as the CFO, citing his "meritorious service in the past," would you give him a chance?

The true influence of a retired politician lies precisely in the status of his political successor and the strength of his influence over that successor.

Once he passes away, this influence is often difficult to sustain.

In the world of martial arts, the current leader usually keeps his distance from the son of the former leader. Properly settling him down is a matter of goodwill, but it is extremely difficult to hand over core power.

Knowing that Han Shen only had one son and no daughter, Qi Tongwei asked him about it.

Li Yiqing said, "His son has no interest in this; he's devoted to scientific research. However, his wife has a niece who just graduated from university, and I've heard she's quite beautiful. If you'd like, you might want to meet her."

The teacher paused briefly, then her tone became serious: "If you two truly don't click, then of course we won't force it. But Tongwei, you need to understand that if you decide to walk the path that Han Shen has paved for you and accept his arrangements as a political mentor, then your marriage will hardly be a purely personal matter, and you won't be able to make it entirely your own choice."

Qi Tongwei nodded silently.

He understood the logic behind it: if someone has been heavily cultivated and is about to inherit their political mantle, but then turns around and marries another leader's daughter, anyone would have doubts and wouldn't dare to entrust them with such a task.

He pondered for a moment, then looked up at the teacher with a serious expression:

"Teacher, in your opinion... is Senior Brother Han a good person?"

The question seemed somewhat childish, yet it was unusually serious. After all, you couldn't very well ask directly: Did Han Shen embezzle?

Li Yiqing's expression turned solemn. After a moment's thought, he solemnly replied, "As far as I know, so far, yes."

Qi Tongwei nodded, having made up his mind, and said, "In that case, let's meet first."

Since Senior Brother Han has relayed the message through the teacher, it's only right and proper that we meet. As for the final decision, there's no need to rush it.

Li Yiqing glanced out the window: "Then let's set it for this afternoon. Let's meet at the nearby Sculpting Time Cafe. It's quiet there and suitable for you young people to talk."

He seemed to suddenly remember something and added, "Oh, right, that girl's name is He Qing."

P.S.: The female lead has appeared. Originally, the female lead was supposed to be Gao Xiaoqin's sister, but now that Qi Ting has begun to make a name for himself, it wouldn't be appropriate to wait another 7 years until graduation from university to get married, and getting married during university wouldn't be possible either.

Sigh, I originally made these dumplings for the sake of that vinegar, but now I'm a little reluctant to part with them. My dear readers, do you think I should write a separate side story? I've even thought of a title.

She would say: "Brother-in-law, don't turn on the light, I'm the older sister."