Atlas of Heaven and Man.

Chapter 1374 Seizing the Opportunity to Stir Up Trouble

Tianhui Bridge is a multi-section wooden bridge spanning the inner river of Zhongjing. It is a famous scenic spot in Zhongjing City. Built during the Changchao period, the bridge is divided into nine sections, with varying heights and winding paths.

Each section of the bridge is adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes, with red-lacquered wooden railings extending outwards on both sides. At the end, a beast's head holds a jade bell in its mouth, and when a gentle breeze blows, the jade bells ring out with a clear, melodious sound.

During the daytime, because the waterfall cascading down from Modu Cliff is located near the middle section, the bridge appears like a rainbow soaring through the ravine, piercing through clouds and mist, a truly magnificent sight.

At night, the stone lotus lamps on the railings are adorned with lights, and the river reflects them like a mirror, creating a beautiful and shimmering scene.

Standing on different sections of the bridge and looking out from different angles, one can appreciate most of the medieval scenic spots in Zhongjing City.

The fourth section of the bridge, the Shangtianhui Bridge, is where Fan Zhentong and Chen Chuan agreed to meet. The Ziyang Tower, where the old altar of the Xuanjiao sect once stood, stands beside the bridge.

When Chen Chuan arrived, Fan Zhentong had already arrived and was standing by the bridge railing, gazing into the distance.

He walked up to Fan Zhentong, stood beside him, and greeted the latter.

Fan Zhentong responded, saying, "These past two days, quite a few people have found out that I participated in the delegation with you, Secretary Chen, and that I once supported you. So they came to me hoping I could plead for you to release those people."

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "That's probably useless."

Fan Zhentong said, "They don't understand me, nor do they understand you. They think I would agree to such a thing, and they think I have enough power to persuade you."

He spoke with a hint of disdain, “These scheming scoundrels only know how to writhe and struggle in the web we’ve woven together, but they don’t realize that the reason that fragile web hasn’t broken is because we’ve been holding back and are unwilling to actively destroy it.”

This gives them the illusion that we also fear this net and are naturally bound by it.

They don't understand, Mr. Chen, everything you, and many of us, have done is actually to maintain this network. But if even they themselves are unwilling to follow the rules, then there's no need for us to follow them either.

Chen Chuan looked down and saw rows of orderly cruise ships passing under the bridge. He said, "Just get rid of those who don't want to comply. Only by clearing away the grime and dust can we better face the great collision."

Fan Zhentong nodded and said, "First, we must eliminate internal threats, then we can deal with external enemies."

Manager Chen, I know that your Pure Faction is trying to get the recommendation of the Natural Faction. Now that you have arrested their people, it will be very detrimental to your chance to get the recommendation of the Supreme Advisory Council.

But if you ask me, while you did a great job, some of us think you're very much to their liking, while others are quite dissatisfied with you, thinking you're not 'steady' enough. However, don't worry about those people; whether they're there or not, they're not on our side.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Fan has officially joined the Supreme Advisory Council?"
“Yes,” Fan Zhentong said, “the questioning process has been completed, and he is now a formal member of the advisory group.”

Chen Chuan said, "Congratulations, Mr. Fan."

Fan Zhentong didn't seem to care much. He said, "It just means more responsibility, more worries, and different opponents. Each stage has its own enemies."

He turned to look at Chen Chuan and said, "No matter what, I'm on your side. If you ask for my opinion, I'll vote for you. I also look forward to you becoming my colleague."

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Then I'd like to thank Mr. Fan for his support."

Fan Zhentong said, “It’s nothing. I’ve seen your article, and it’s very well written. We don’t have the idea to write these kinds of articles, not because we don’t, but because we are bound by agreements and cannot write these things in public publications. But you are not bound by such agreements, which is just right.”

Chen Chuan understood that in countries with strong control like Da Shun, fighters are usually not allowed to get involved in public opinion disputes, because this makes them easy to be artificially deified.

Governments are usually too busy hiding the fighters' tracks to give them a chance to be publicly promoted.
This was also a key point in the agreements he signed previously, but that was then; now, it's almost useless.

It seems that the delay in his signing of the agreement is a loophole intentionally left for him by the progressive faction.

In that case, the things I did should be in line with their ideas.

Fan Zhentong said, "Chen Siwu, what you wrote mainly concerns the skyline, which is a different matter from what the old imperial family looked at, but in reality, it is the same thing."

Supporting Skyline means agreeing to a hardline stance on the old imperial family; not supporting it means the opposite. It's that simple. So what we're doing is overthrowing these people, even if it means using force.

He always speaks his mind directly and says what he thinks.

"Without digging out the rotten flesh from our bodies, we can't easily go into battle against foreign enemies. In the process, we can also filter out who stands with us and who is weak. Even if the big bombardment comes, these people are still our enemies. I think it's better to eliminate them in advance."

Chen Chuan said, "I wonder what stage the negotiations with the old imperial family are at now?"

Fan Zhentong said, "We put forward many harsh conditions to the old imperial family, and they actually agreed to them."

Some people in higher positions used this as an excuse, saying that since these things could be obtained without bloodshed, why expend manpower and resources to seize them?

He scoffed, "That's nothing more than the old imperial family cutting off its tail to survive for the time being. If we really do what they want, we may gain immediate benefits, but we will lose what we truly deserve and lose the last chance to integrate and merge the land."

Chen Chuan knew he was right. Even if the old imperial family made significant concessions, the handover of these territories would take time. With delays and additional procedures, half a year could easily pass if they weren't careful. And after some time, a major upheaval might occur. By then, the Da Shun government would likely have no energy left to deal with the old imperial family. This generation could then weather the storm, and it wasn't impossible for them to even reclaim their "lost territories" with the help of external forces, threatening Da Shun from both sides.

But politics is the art of compromise. After the two sides have negotiated, the most likely outcome is that they will adopt a compromise that is not necessarily the optimal solution, but one that is acceptable to both sides. This may be what the conservatives want to achieve.

Fan Zhentong was clearly dissatisfied with this possible outcome, saying, "The most necessary and advantageous thing for us is to seize the time and completely eradicate the old imperial family."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "At this time, we should indeed be more aggressive in our actions."

Fan Zhentong said, "Officer Chen, your words are enough."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chuan could roughly guess that Fan Zhentong's camp was definitely planning something.

Even if they didn't do it themselves, they most likely used their subordinates.

Clearly, with the arrival of the Great Collision, the confrontation between conservatives and progressives is gradually revealing their respective cards.

Fan Zhentong said, "Chen, have you thought about what path you want to take in the future?"

Chen Chuanchuan said, "We've made some progress."

Fan Zhentong said, "If you have any questions, you can come to me. I'm on the same path, and we can discuss things together."

Chen Chuan said, "I will definitely ask Senior Fan for advice when I have the chance." At this moment, he reached into his pocket, took out the lost item that Fan Zhentong had given him earlier, and handed it to him: "Mr. Fan, thank you very much. Without this, I might not have been able to get through the test so easily back then."

Fan Zhentong did not take it. He said, "Keep it. This thing is far more useful to you than to me."

Seeing his reaction, Chen Chuan didn't stand on ceremony, said thank you, and took the things back.

Fan Zhentong turned around, looked at the Ziyang Tower with its eighteen-story eaves, and said:

"I have eaten the whole fish banquet at Ziyang Tower once, and it was very good. There is an eternal rift under Chiqiu, from which countless fish from the fusion land rush into the inland waterway every year. The most delicious dish is 'Golden Pearl Jade Dew Soup' made with eight kinds of fish roe."

"You can eat and work at the same time, Mr. Chen. I invited you out today, so I'll treat you to a meal here. Let's go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and walked towards Ziyang Tower.

Chen Chuan looked up at the magnificent high-rise building, then quickly followed and walked alongside him.

After enjoying a delicious meal at Ziyang Tower, Chen Chuan bid farewell to Fan Zhentong and returned to the Security Affairs Department.

He fed Chaoming first, then sat down at his desk and pondered for a moment.

The camp represented by Fan Zhentong should be the progressive faction. Since they want to do something, he might as well add fuel to the fire.

After thinking it over, he picked up a pen and paper and began writing again.

In his previous article, he clearly supported the expansion of the skyline, but in this one, he directly targets the old imperial family.

In this article, he was quite blunt, directly criticizing the conservatives and pointing out the deep-rooted interests between them and the old imperial family.
These people, through their cooperation with the old imperial family, have extracted huge profits from it every year, and are undoubtedly parasites clinging to the country.

It was they who vehemently opposed the skyline project because they were unwilling to see the collapse of the old imperial dynasty and therefore sought every means to thwart the plan.

Only he can say these things right now, and only he dares to say them.

Without any agreement binding him, as long as he doesn't explicitly stand against the government or recklessly cause damage, he won't be held accountable. Therefore, these people are currently powerless against him; any obstruction or restrictions they can impose haven't shaken him in the slightest.

He used these tactics to stir up the situation and prevent the fire from going out.

After he finished writing it, he asked Hong Fu to polish it, and then sent the article out directly as a member of the Security Affairs Department.

At this moment, many media outlets and publications are still arguing about his previous article, but after several days, both sides have presented their viewpoints, and the heat has subsided somewhat.

But this article, once again, caused a huge stir.

……

……

(End of this chapter)