132. Sophisticated
"Before coming here, I was actually thinking about whether you would support us. But now, I am completely relieved." Francis replied with a smile.
But at this moment, his heart was filled with gloom.
Palpatine blocked almost all of his right to speak as soon as he opened his mouth, allowing him to completely control the negotiation.
As for that promise, Francis didn't take it seriously, it was just a sentence anyway.
"Very good, is there anything else?" Palpatine asked again.
"No more." Francis smiled, but did not say what he wanted to say because he already understood what Palpatine meant. He took out a box of tea and sent it over and said, "This is a unique drink from our Dawn Star Planet - tea. I hope you like it."
"Logically speaking, I shouldn't accept such a gift. But I am full of yearning for Dawn Star Planet, a beautiful planet that is constantly striving for self-improvement, so I have no choice but to be disrespectful." Palpatine accepted this small gift.
Coming out of Galactic Senate, Francis got on his Speeder, and his staff Douglas-Stamp were waiting in the car.
"Palpatine will not support us entering Galactic Senate." Francis tugged on his tie, and then unbuttoned the collar of his shirt.
"He clearly refused?" Douglas asked.
"No, he didn't say anything. But he didn't give me a chance to speak. In that case, if I spoke, the situation would become embarrassing." Francis propped up his chin and pondered.
"Although he can't be said to be in the spotlight now, he is still a popular person among Galactic Senate. Maybe he doesn't like our request to stand in line now?" Douglas frowned.
"For a politician, there must be no disdain for such an idea. In my expectation, he should not refuse... unless..." Francis stopped mid-sentence. After a while, he continued, "Let Claire prepare, we may take the next step."
However, the very next day, when Francis-Underwood turned on the TV, they saw a piece of news!
[Here is Republic News Network reporting for you. Just yesterday, the member of Parliament from Naboo, Mr. Sheev-Palpatine, suddenly proposed a motion, hoping to allow Dawn Star Planet to enter the parliament of Galactic Republic and have a formal seat. Our frontline reporter has contacted Mr. Palpatine.]
"Mr. Palpatine, what are your considerations in proposing to allow Dawn Star Planet, a small colony with a population of less than 100,000, to enter Galactic Senate?"
Palpatine on the TV was wearing Chinese clothes, with a calm demeanor and a warm smile. He replied, "Dawn Star Planet is a vibrant colony. They are refugees from the war, but they were not knocked down by fate. They chose to resist fate! They chose to rebuild their own Homeworld with their own hands. Not only that..."
Palpatine waved his hand, and figures of Claire-Underwood speaking appeared next to him, "Ms. Claire from Dawn Star Planet are also actively involved in politics, running around to advocate for the backward planets in Outer Rim. They do not just hide in Homeworld and feel sorry for themselves, but set their sights on a longer-term place. This is what I admire about them."
"Is that why you proposed this motion?"
"That's right. I hope this motion can express my attitude, which is to pay attention to the Outer Rim Territories planets. This is also a good opportunity to let the Outer Rim planets make their own voices heard." Palpatine clenched his fists and waved in the air with great enthusiasm.
"Fuck!!" Francis-Underwood cursed and wanted to turn off the TV but held back. But as the interview progressed, his face became increasingly gloomy.
Claire-Underwood came over with two glasses of wine, put one in front of him and asked, "What's wrong? Palpatine now has strong political influence, wouldn't it be good to let him help us enter the parliament?"
"It's not just bad! He should be very clear about what I meant when I went to see him yesterday, but today he proposed this motion. His intention was not to show favor to us, but to tell me that there is no way to do this!" Francis took a big sip of wine and said through gritted teeth.
"I don't quite understand."
Francis put down the glass and asked, "What do you think the chances of this bill being passed are?"
Claire frowned, "Although we cannot say that we are familiar with all the members of Galactic Senate, judging from the current situation, the chance of passing is no more than 20%."
"It's not 20%, it's zero. Palpatine will secretly use his connections to prevent the passage of this bill." Francis said.
"What does this mean to him?"
"For a real fool, you will only be grateful for his actions and become his tool in a very low profile. But for smart people like us, this means a warning and a test. Moreover, didn't you find that his action successfully transferred part of the topic you created before to himself, and made his political image more glorious?" Francis said.
Claire looked a little pale, "You mean, he killed three birds with one stone?"
"My manager told me before that this is the most powerful enemy in my life. Now I believe it." Francis drank the wine in one gulp. "In a head-on confrontation, we have almost no chance. We will only be eaten up by him."
Claire gritted his teeth, "Then, why don't we carry it..."
"No..." Francis interrupted Claire, "Remember, never say this word out. It will never exist. Some are just standing in line and position, do you understand?"
He stood up and walked to the bar, poured himself another glass of wine, and took a sip, "But after today's contact, I am certain."
"What?"
"It is absolutely impossible for me to stand on Palpatine's side." Francis turned to look at Claire and said seriously, "And now we have two advantages. First, there is no need to distinguish between us and Palpatine. What I want is mutual utilization. Second, I think what the manager said about the future is probably true."
"Then what should we do?"
"Play another card."
"You mean..."
A smile appeared at the corner of Francis's mouth, "Yes, Trade Federation. It's time for them to take action... but this may make you work harder."
"I'm fine, Frank." Claire smiled confidently.
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