FrostNova's first appearance in "Yes, Prime Minister" / "Yes, Prime Minister": a portrait of local officials

A day later, the Emperor of Yan, residing in Yan, also learned of the news about Kazimierz. However, upon hearing Chen Qi's sharp critique in "Yes, Prime Minister," Yan Emperor's lips twitched, and he asked Chongyue:

"General Chongyue, is this what you meant by being harmless and wholeheartedly benevolent?"

"... Your Majesty, please forgive my intrusion, but although I am not a merchant, I am aware that bribery and tax evasion are serious crimes, and under the laws of the Great Yan, financial offenses can be punished with the death penalty, even execution."

"Director Chen Qi dared to be the first to expose this veil of hypocrisy, knowing it was impossible yet still doing it. What else could this be but a great act of kindness?"

Chongyue's answer was neither humble nor arrogant. During this time, he had been arguing with the Yan Emperor in the palace, hoping that the Yan Emperor could give Chen Qi a chance to film a play in Great Yan, so as to show that he would never be used by his two sisters or other brothers and sisters.

All it takes is one scene; any subject matter, as long as it's positive, is fine. Chongyue was still giving the emperor, who was extremely wary of Sui's actions, psychological counseling, Chen Qi's commotion suddenly escalated.

To be honest, Chongyue was shocked to see Kazimierz on the verge of collapse due to a series of chain reactions—it wasn't impossible. If it really came down to destroying Kazimierz, "Sui" could have done it back then, but causing a country's credit to collapse is, in some ways, even more difficult than destroying a country.

But Chen Qi, in just one episode, transformed Kazimierz into this state through a chain reaction alone... Chongyue had to admit that the emperor's wariness and fear of Chen Qi's talent was not without reason. Who knew when Chen Qi's actions might spread to the Yan?

Even so, Chongyue insisted on his position and continued, "The crisis in Kazimierz is due to their rampant corruption, not just what was revealed in 'Yes, Prime Minister.' Because of their collusion, how many wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice have been committed? The number of people who have died unnatural deaths has only increased, it's just been suppressed all along."

"The current situation only shows that all the hidden dangers concealed by the collusion of Kazimierz in the past have finally erupted. Just as satirized in 'Yes, Prime Minister,' things that seem to be resolved without escalating will only breed more hidden dangers in the future."

"This is something our Yan should learn from, Your Majesty. We must not allow problems to accumulate until they erupt."

Chongyue also defended Chen Qi's position, and in front of Chongyue, the Emperor of Yan also thought it over carefully and felt that what Chongyue said made sense.

However, the emperor did not make a decision immediately. After so many days of nagging from Chongyue and the Grand Tutor, he had come to acknowledge Chen Qi's talent to some extent and was beginning to consider where to give Chen Qi room to develop his abilities.

He had even already figured out what the reward would be. The Emperor of Yan knew that Chen Qi was currently uninterested in money or inhibitors; only rare and precious treasures could motivate Chen Qi to act.

However, coincidentally, the Yan is not lacking in rare and precious treasures.

"Let's take a look first. I'll decide what to do after I've watched these two episodes."

"Phew..." Chongyue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He felt that he was close to success, and His Majesty the Emperor was just one step away from agreeing.

Chongyue now only hopes that Chen Qi's two episodes of "Yes, Prime Minister" will be a little lighter this time, and that he won't pull any more big stunts... It's really a pity that he, as the eldest brother, has been talking himself hoarse in the palace trying to keep the emperor from thinking that his two younger sisters are planning a rebellion.

Thinking this, Chongyue turned his gaze back to the screen. The Grand Tutor watched silently beside him. Everyone was waiting to see what noteworthy points today's two episodes would bring.

Nowadays, apart from ordinary citizens, most people no longer regard "Yes, Prime Minister" simply as a political satire comedy, but as a "mirror of truth." Almost everything mentioned or satirized in it can be traced back to the top echelons of Terra, and upon investigation, most of them can indeed be found to have some problems.

Even the Yan, with its different political system, can find many problems by copying the same pattern. Now, the emperor can be said to have a love-hate relationship with this drama.

As the familiar opening music played, the familiar actors took the stage once again. Theresis and Manfred immediately began to address the main issue of this episode.

"These despicable local government political committees are all run by a bunch of corrupt, petty idiots!"

The opening remarks were exceptionally sharp. "Yes, Prime Minister" rarely features such direct attacks, but the words of Hacker, played by Theresis, clearly establish the escalating conflict between the local and central governments right from the start.

"Aren't these committee members all democratically elected?" Manfred's character, Bernard, offered this reassuring reply. However, Theresis simply smiled wryly and answered directly:

"That depends on how you define 'democracy'."

"Only about 25% of people voted in the local elections (for committee members), and the vote was only used as a support poll for the central government to refer to."

"But those local committee members are still representatives of the people, aren't they?" Manfred asked.

"--Who do they represent?" However, Theresis, who was very clear about the problem, immediately asked Manfred this question in return, saying matter-of-factly, "The people don't even know who their (local) commissioners are."

Do you know who your (local) committee member is?

"I don't know," Manfred answered honestly, and Theresis, of course, knew this would be the answer, saying:

"Of course you wouldn't know—those (local) committee members knew too, which is why they acted recklessly for four years, using public funds to seek fame and fortune."

"They disrupted the inner city, ruined schools, demoralized the police, and undermined the authority of the law, and then they blame me."

However, as soon as Theresis said this, the Grand Tutor, the Emperor, and Chongyue gradually understood the meaning of the local government and local officials mentioned here. These probably correspond to the local officials in various regions of Yan.

Is this episode about the problems of these local officials?

This... is a big problem.

For a moment, the emperor and the Grand Tutor's eyes became much more solemn, because they both knew very well that the most important thing in governing a country was to control these local officials. They were the officials who were closest to the people, and how they solved the people's problems largely represented how the Yan solved problems in the hearts of its people.

This was a rather pointed question. Upon hearing it, even Chongyue's heart, which had been as resilient as steel after years of martial arts training, couldn't help but twitch slightly.

"Xi-mei, Nian-mei... what are you doing? Director Chen Qi is going to film such a dangerous subject, why didn't you stop him?"

"Your eldest brother has been trying so hard to persuade His Majesty, he's practically worn his lips out. You should at least have some understanding of his situation..."

Chongyue was truly speechless with bitterness. However, he was unaware that at this very moment, thousands of miles away in Londinium, Nian and Xi were enjoying potato chips and drinks, watching the premiere of "Yes, Prime Minister" with great interest. They had no idea that their elder brother was busy in the palace trying to resolve the trouble they had caused.

"Chen Qi, would you like some potato chips? Spicy flavor."

"Ah, thank you."

Chen Qi was sitting in the middle of the sofa, while Nian and Talulah were lying on their sides with their legs on his thighs, looking completely relaxed.

Chen Qi, who was acting as a human cushion, also cast strange glances at Nian and Xi, who seemed indifferent to the situation. He felt that he, as the director, had brought a few lazy, good-for-nothing old ladies into the crew.

The only use of this guy is that he has thighs to look at, and you don't even dare to touch them.

Therefore, Chen Qi's only course of action was... to vigorously grope Talulah's two thighs that he could touch.

At least, this kind of life isn't bad. There are thighs to touch, potato chips to eat, and TV dramas to watch. It seems... pretty enjoyable.

Chapter 143: FrostNova's First Appearance in "Yes, Prime Minister"

"Discussing the conflict between local and central governments... It must be said that Director Chen Qi's courage is truly rare; no one has ever dared to speak so boldly on this issue."

Having finished their performances, Theresis, the Bloodborne Archon, and Manfred gathered together to rewatch "Yes, Prime Minister." This time, Theresia was unusual; she wasn't with Chen Qi but instead watched the two episodes with the three of them.

The main reason the three accompanied her this time was to let Theresia see Chen Qi's work and see if there were any signs of her soul recovering—after all, during the time Theresis arranged for her sister to interact with Chen Qi, he felt that his sister was obviously more talkative.

This time, Theresis accompanied Theresia to watch her own performance, and Theresia did not disappoint him. Sure enough, while watching "Yes, Prime Minister," Theresia, who only possessed the "collective consciousness of the Sarkaz," also had more to say.

"So, Your Highness, do you think the Sarkaz race will need this knowledge in the future?" Manfred asked, showing considerable respect for Theresia.

"... If the Sarkaz are able to rebuild their homeland in the future, then the problems with the central and local governments will inevitably arise."

In response, Theresia, who was very experienced in governing, simply replied according to her own thoughts, "Kazdel's territory is vast. In the future, the central government will inevitably be unable to personally govern every region. It is inevitable that local governments will govern separately."

"And the hidden dangers within this are precisely what we need to be aware of. With Kazdel's repeated destruction, much of our knowledge about governing a nation has been lost. The Banshee Protection the last 'Library,' and now it's time for us to rediscover it."

"Everyone, let's continue watching. Director Chen Qi's knowledge is of extraordinary significance to us."

"--Yes, Your Highness."

Neither Manfred nor the Bloodborne Archon dared to disobey Theresia's words. Even though they had already performed it once, the feeling of performing it once and watching it again as an observer was completely different. They both hoped to gain more insights and explore the essence of "Yes, Prime Minister".

Meanwhile, in the show, Prime Minister Hacker, played by Theresis, is also troubled by a matter concerning the local government: a woman named Agnes Moorhouse from a district is giving him a major headache.

"They threatened to withhold funds allocated to the police and ban them from using government properties!"

"She can't do that. Article 5 of the Police Act stipulates that 'the district government must provide police force in a sufficient and high-quality manner.'" Manfred was very capable; he could talk about these key laws without even looking at the documents.

"--She said that unless at least 50% of the police force are Infected, neither quality nor quantity can be guaranteed." Theresis, also extremely troubled by this issue, said with great frustration:

"Unfortunately, the police force under her jurisdiction ranked last in the country in both quality and quantity. Everyone was worried that if they went to court, she could prove her innocence."

However, the phenomena depicted in the show caught the attention of the high-ranking officials of various countries in Terra, who almost instinctively frowned. They all sensed a huge threat from this radical proposal and instinctively disagreed with it.

The issue of Infected is a major concern in every country on the Terra, as Infected mostly represent the true bottom rungs of the nation. Most of them are engaged in Originium and related Originium, working extremely hard while receiving meager wages and compensation.

Once Infected, their already difficult lives are completely plunged into the bottom of society, their struggle shifting from "living" to "surviving." While the number of Infected is small compared to non- Infected, it is still a significant group.

There have been calls to "treat the Infected kindly" before. However, this call exists in almost every country, but it has always remained only among non-governmental organizations. The reason is... because there is a race in this land that is almost entirely Infected, called the "Sarkaz".

Whenever the question "Isn't the Sarkaz life?" is raised, all those who call for "great unity" fall silent. This is why such lofty ideals have always remained the domain of grassroots organizations, and even Laterano, which has always advocated for an end to conflict, cannot support them.

"Sounds like a good person, Dr. Kal'tsit, what do you think?"

Meanwhile, in Rhodes Island, Amiya, who also watches "Yes, Prime Minister" on TV every week and has gradually come to regard the show as a textbook for learning, also expressed her naive opinions at this moment.

Because Rhodes Island is such an ideal sanctuary that "does not care about race and Infected issues," and Amiya, as the leader of Rhodes Island, was quite supportive when she heard that the district chairperson named "Agnes" seemed to be planning something to promote unity between Infected and non- Infected.

However, this time, Kal'tsit noticed something amiss and frowned slightly as she said:

"No, Amiya, she's a very dangerous woman; she has huge political ambitions."

"Huh?" Amiya seemed a little confused, looking blankly at Kal'tsit shook her head and said:

"The problem of Infected is very difficult to solve. If she really has such a lofty ideal, she should proceed gradually, first gaining the support of non- Infected. Only with sufficient support can she have the means to implement it."

"For example, if 50% of the police force were Infected, such a proposal would never pass. No non- Infected would be willing to accept Infected as a law enforcement officer. Such a class leap is too great and completely unrealistic."

"Then why did Ms. Agnes even bring up this proposal?" Amiya, somewhat puzzled. Kal'tsit, however, saw everything clearly and coldly replied:

"--She's using vulnerable groups like those Infected as a shield. She doesn't genuinely care about Infected. If she did, her first priority would be establishing shelters for Infected and supporting Infected implementation of basic welfare policies, not doing this pointless thing."

"Be careful, Amiya. There are many people like this on this land. They use the guise of the vulnerable to suck the last drop of blood from these vulnerable groups. They are far more despicable than those who are high and mighty."

Kal'tsit's words carried an unusual hint of anger; clearly, she had seen through the intentions of "Agnes," the woman who had made the proposal. However, for Rhodes Island, someone who sacrificed so many innocent and vulnerable people for their own future was undoubtedly despicable.

In the story, this "Agnes" is naturally quite difficult to deal with. She is not only proficient in law, but also has excellent eloquence and a strong personality. Theresis is very troubled, wondering who she should send to suppress her.

"It can't be political confrontation; it must be administrative personnel. It must be someone in charge of security."

However, as they talked, Theresis's gaze involuntarily fell upon the Bloodborne Archon. The Blood Bloodborne Archon was still considering his choice when he suddenly noticed the Prime Minister's thoughtful gaze, and he immediately reacted violently.

"No, no, no! Prime Minister! No! She's a Feranmut!"

"This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the National Police Agency, the Ministry of the Interior, the Security Bureau... I mean the Secret Service... Military Intelligence... the Supreme Court, the Ministry of the Environment— "

"--White Cod Management Bureau?"

"White cod... no, no, no!"

This was the first time the Bloodborne Archon had ever been so panicked, and his performance of such panic brought laughter and joy to many people. After all, the Bloodborne Archon's character, "Humphrey," rarely suffered setbacks, but every time he did, it was always accompanied by such a praising performance.

Now, in response to the Bloodborne Archon's repeated refusals, Theresis has even begun to use the "White Cod Management Bureau" to blackmail him. Clearly, the Bloodborne Archon is aware that if he does not comply, the "White Cod Management Bureau" may become his next office.

"Isn't the security department under your jurisdiction? Or should we find someone else to take charge?"

Theresis's next words were even more threatening, yet the Bloodborne Archon still didn't immediately agree.

"Go talk to her privately and reach a 'The Gentleman's agreement'."

"But she's not the Gentleman! She doesn't even qualify as a 'lady'!"

In the end, however, the Bloodborne Archon had no choice but to agree. And a woman even elites like the Bloodborne Archon didn't want to face—that's how troublesome and difficult she must be to deal with.

What kind of extraordinary woman was she? Almost all the viewers were curious, and then the scene changed, and everyone saw a girl from Cautus with long white ears.

"Look, I've made my entrance."

On Chen Qi's side, FrostNova and Xi sat on opposite sides. When the character she was playing appeared, the cool-faced girl revealed a hint of pride.

Yes, Chen Qi cast FrostNova as Agnes. Although the character wasn't very likable, Chen Qi felt that FrostNova's strong personality, along with her scar on her nose and her beautiful yet unapproachable face when she was cold, made her very suitable for the role.

FrostNova wasn't angry about being given a less-than-likable role; on the contrary, she was quite dedicated. Her powerful, strong-woman aura was immediately apparent upon her appearance, and almost every viewer's first reaction upon seeing FrostNova was that this woman was not to be trifled with.

For a time, in the drama, the Bloodborne Archon, whose strength could easily defeat a hundred FrostNova, cowered like a cat in front of FrostNova. As a long-lived being, the Bloodborne Archon could control his aura at will, while FrostNova, who appeared strong, was actually far inferior to the Bloodborne Archon in terms of cultivation level.

In the scene, after an awkward introduction, the Bloodborne Archon immediately began talking to FrostNova, trying to reach a consensus with a local government representative like FrostNova, saying:

"Clearly, you have your own methods for governing a country, but I think we both agree that fundamentally, order and government authority must be guaranteed."

"--You're half right." However, FrostNova responded coldly, prompting the Bloodborne Archon to ask in bewilderment, "Half?"

You agree, I disagree.

Then, before the Bloodborne Archon could even say anything, FrostNova forcefully seized the initiative, stating decisively, "Clearly, you've used the existing system to legislate in an attempt to use government authority to protect your privileges."

FrostNova exposed the thoughts of the Bloodborne Archon, an elite civil servant, with almost a single sentence, showing no mercy whatsoever. The next moment, she said:

"But what about the homeless, the unemployed, the poor, and those Infected?"

They've started, they've put on a shield! They're using the vulnerable as a shield to occupy the moral high ground!

However, FrostNova's remarks immediately alerted all the high-ranking officials watching on Terra. Almost as soon as FrostNova opened her mouth, the leaders of various countries realized that this self-proclaimed righteous woman was actually quite hypocritical. Her seemingly reasonable statements were in fact all about protecting her own interests and increasing her own influence.

Unfortunately, those people she was talking about were exactly susceptible to this kind of behavior.

This is truly a troublesome woman... Kal'tsit thought to herself at that moment, while Amiya, standing beside Kal'tsit, seemed oblivious to the danger, nodding repeatedly in agreement, as if she thought FrostNova was right.

Chapter 144: A microcosm of local officials in "Yes, Prime Minister"

"Yes, she is indeed a difficult woman. She knows very well how to disguise herself and how to make herself a part of the people who support her."

Meanwhile, in Lungmen, Wei Yenwu, who also regularly watches "Yes, Prime Minister," watched it at his residence with younger colleagues like Chen Huijie. This time, after seeing FrostNova's portrayal of "Agnes," the seasoned politician Wei Yenwu sensed the woman's difficult nature from a single, simple remark.

"He's very ambitious, uses extreme methods, is uncompromising, and employs risky schemes; he's definitely a problem."

"Wei Yenwu? What are you saying? I think what this white rabbit said makes a lot of sense!"