Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 718

Chapter 716, Sister and Brother

Sister. “Sister, brother-in-law.”

Arno Chenko entered, laden with gifts.

He was greeted by the hostess and hostess of the house, Union Prime Minister Ossena Chenko, and her husband, Zhu Ye.

Arno carefully examined his sister. She

still looked youthful, though her features showed the faintest traces of aging, something even life-extending surgery couldn’t completely prevent.

But she was undoubtedly still in the prime of her life. Her beauty had never been her most prominent attribute.

She was one of the most powerful figures in the Union, having served Governor Gu from humble beginnings. At the Union’s inception, she became Prime Minister at the tender age of thirty, a position she held for thirty years.

Governor Gu himself was undoubtedly the most crucial leader in the Union’s development. However, Ossena’s role was equally crucial.

It’s true that without Gu Hang, there would be no Union; without Ossena, perhaps a more capable Prime Minister could have managed the entire Union.

However, for the past thirty years, that person has been Ossena, and no one else; and for the foreseeable next five to ten years, it will continue to be her.

This is also related to her and the Alliance’s own political environment.

While there is internal political strife within the Alliance, it’s certainly mild. The main reason is that Gu Hang himself hates internal strife, and with his strong suppression, the political strife is manageable.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that the Alliance has always been in a state of development and expansion.

Development itself is the best remedy for many problems. The Alliance has always been expanding, and whether it’s government agencies or military units, or even business opportunities, factory technicians, or agricultural workers… there’s enormous room for advancement.

With so many colonized planets, there’s a need for managers, entrepreneurs, engineers, farmers… a vast array of positions available. With even a little skill, or even no skill at all, and a willingness to change one’s destiny, one can easily achieve promotion and wealth.

In this environment, internal strife isn’t a serious issue. Work hard and do your job well, and promotions, raises, and transfers to desirable positions will naturally follow.

Development and expansion are the themes of the Alliance; involution and competition are not.

Even for someone like Ossena, who has long held the position of Prime Minister, a position she held for decades, the progress is substantial. In

fact, it’s greater than anyone else’s. Although she’s always been Prime Minister, in the beginning, she didn’t even have full control of a single planet. Later, she gained control of multiple planets, an entire star region, half a star field, and now five star fields, plus the entire occupied territories of the Spider Web Universe…

While the title remains the same, how much more powerful has her power grown?

And Ossena, too, has always been diligent and dedicated.

This is also reflected in her marriage.

Ossena remained unmarried for a long time. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to or looked down on others, but mainly because she was too busy and simply didn’t have the time.

Sometimes she was so busy she barely had time to eat or sleep, so how could she have time for a relationship?

Moreover, compared to the great cause she was involved in, her personal life, love, marriage, and childbearing… were practically insignificant.

Yet, her marriage was also necessary.

The Alliance, from top to bottom, had always maintained policies encouraging childbirth and prioritizing education. As Chancellor of the Alliance, Ossena naturally needed to set an example, a political statement.

However, her marriage presented its own challenges. Not only were there many men in the Empire worthy of her, but the more seemingly well-matched they were, the less suitable they seemed.

She had always been the head of the Alliance government, and this would likely remain the case for the long term. Finding a high-ranking official, a wealthy businessman, a general… in short, someone with considerable political influence as a partner—didn’t that resemble a political marriage?

Ossena wanted to find such a person, like a political marriage, to establish a seemingly powerful political family… what was she trying to do?

Gu Hang had never mentioned or stated this, and the Alliance had no explicit regulations on the subject. However, it was impossible for Ossena, after all her years as Chancellor of the Alliance, to be completely politically savvy.

A few years ago, Ossena got married.

Her husband, Zhu Ye, is a senior engineer and associate professor at a university.

While his position is respectable, it’s a purely technical one, with virtually no political influence.

He mentors students and debugs equipment in the factory—nothing more than that.

There’s nothing to worry about.

Their wedding was a low-key affair; even many of Zhu Ye’s colleagues were unaware that his wife is the head of the Alliance government!

This year, they also had a son, who is almost a year old.

Even when giving birth, Ossena only took a break two or three days before her due date, then returned to work a few days afterward.

In total, she never took more than seven days off.

Arno deeply sympathized with his sister.

He recognized the importance of risking one’s life for the Alliance, and he himself had done so. As a senior agent, he had repeatedly ventured behind enemy lines, facing life and death.

However, this was his own choice, not forced or compelled by circumstances.

However, his sister’s marriage did seem forced by circumstances.

He also believed that work should be work, mission should be mission, and it shouldn’t conflict with personal life.

My sister didn’t have much of a personal life to begin with, and she was marrying someone she didn’t love…

This had been Arno’s thoughts ever since

he learned of his sister’s marriage. But in reality, this was his first time meeting Zhu Ye in person. He hadn’t even attended his sister’s wedding. At the time, he was still traveling between the planets in the northern Spider Web Universe, conducting intelligence work.

They had a meal together, cooked by his brother-in-law, and as they chatted with each other, he was surprised to find him quite kind.

He could even see a hint of affection between them,

which comforted him greatly.

After

dinner and after seeing the baby, while the nanny cleaned up the dining room and my brother-in-law soothed the baby, Arno and Oceana went to the study, where they had a private chat.

Arno wanted to ask his sister about her recent life, but he didn’t know how to start for a moment. Finally, he said, “What I saw in the Love Star Region is that the situation is pretty good. The Alliance’s army has entered. Although each planet may only be allocated a few divisions, it is enough to establish a stable base on the surface. The most important thing is the various arms and materials from the Alliance, which can help local residents rely on their own strength to arm themselves in the base and resume production.”

Ossena nodded slightly, then smiled and said, “I’ve seen all this in the report. Your CIA is not bad. However, shouldn’t this kind of intelligence be handled by the Foreign Intelligence Agency? Your CIA has quite a long reach.”

Arno smiled shyly and said, “Then the Prime Minister should go to Chief Justice Lambert and ask him to take charge of our Director Isaacson. I’m just a working soldier. I do whatever tasks are given to me.”

The two had this conversation because the three major external intelligence agencies of the Alliance actually have slightly different responsibilities. Among these foreign intelligence efforts, the primary unit responsible for economic and political intelligence gathering should be the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Central Intelligence Agency, under the Alliance Legal Affairs Center, is primarily responsible for detecting potential crimes, espionage, and infringements against the Alliance. Of course, when necessary, they can also carry out activities such as political subversion, inciting unrest, and recruiting key individuals.

However, with war and economic reconstruction currently the main priorities, combating criminal activity is relatively less important. Naturally, the CIA wouldn’t neglect its most important work.

While there’s a certain skepticism about overreaching, the intelligence is centrally organized and categorized, and all necessary resources are delivered. As for what the leaders say to each other, as Arno said, it has nothing to do with someone like him who’s doing the work.

Oceana stared at Arno for a long moment, her face furious.

Arno was a little uneasy.

His sister had been controlling him since he was young. Although he was a bit rebellious, the suppression of his bloodline had always been there. Furthermore, Ossena had held a high position for many years, and had long since cultivated an air of superiority. All these factors combined made Arno somewhat uneasy.

But the next moment, Ossena chuckled, and the previously tense atmosphere suddenly dissipated.

She touched Arno’s face and said, “It’s been a long time since we last met. Are we going to talk about work right away?”

“Uh…” Arno looked a little embarrassed.

Indeed, he had been thinking about his sister’s life. Why, after finally having some private time, was she talking about this?

But… he sighed. “You’re busy, but nothing compares to the great cause of the Alliance. You can find a husband and have children at will. I’m in the same boat. One day I’m on this planet, and the next I don’t know where I’ll be. I’m constantly in the dark, facing threats from both sides. One misstep could lead to ruin…”

“For people like us, besides eating and sleeping, we’re just working on our jobs. So what else can we talk about besides work?”

Arno said with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Ossena was a little dissatisfied: “I didn’t just find my husband casually, and I didn’t just give birth to my child casually.”

“Oh? How many times did you and your brother-in-law meet before you got married?”

Ossena said frankly: “Not many indeed. He may not know me well enough, but I know him well enough.”

Having said this, she smiled, made a cup of tea herself and gave it to her brother: “My marriage is a big event for the alliance. The Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Security, and the Anti-Corruption Agency have collected a lot of intelligence and found many candidates, allowing me to choose slowly. I have thoroughly read every resume of Zhu Ye from birth to the present, and read countless words of intelligence analysis before I chose him.”

“Hehe.” Arno still felt uncomfortable.

“He is the right person for me. I think I will fall in love with him, even though my love may be… different from that of ordinary people. I also think that he will fall in love with me, even though I spend most of my time at work. However, the analysis report shows that he does not have much emotional needs and will be a dedicated person in family life, and can accept a wife like me.” Ossena said, “Facts have proved that the intelligence analysis is not wrong, and my judgment is not wrong.”

Arno became even angrier. He said sarcastically, “I didn’t expect that my profession and my colleagues in charge of internal intelligence would use their professional abilities to help the Prime Minister fall in love and get married.”

Ossena rolled her eyes at him: “What else? You don’t have to worry so much. Don’t I know whether I am living a good life or not? Zhu Ye is a great guy. He never talks nonsense outside. Even his colleagues don’t know who I am. He keeps his house in perfect order and takes good care of his children. He also has his own career, which he’s passionate about. We can be great soulmates. I’m already very satisfied to be together for life.”

She stopped her brother from talking and teased him, “You, however, aren’t as honest as you say. Who are the people who flirt with so many planets in the Spider Web Universe?”

Arno’s face was slightly embarrassed. “How do you know… Well, there’s nothing I can do. In my line of work, sometimes I have to make sacrifices. I don’t want to do things I can’t help.”

He said this, but inwardly he cursed his colleague.

Why does everything have to be compiled into intelligence and sent to the Prime Minister’s desk?

I don’t care about my reputation?

But at this point, the atmosphere between the siblings finally relaxed.

Arno also believed that his sister was an extremely strong and rational person.

Compared to himself, Ossena must know what she wants.

With her power and ability, there is no question of whether she is happy or unhappy – can that brother-in-law Zhu Ye really bully her own sister?

Thinking of this, Orno just advised: “Then you should pay more attention to rest and spend more time with my nephew.”

“The Governor also told me so.” Ossena sighed and continued, “But…how can I rest? There are too many things.”

“You are active in the Spider Web Universe by yourself, and you can see many things more clearly.”

“Two years, 800 billion; ten years, 10 trillion. This is the total tax amount of the alliance.”

“Including other regions in the Spider Web Universe, it is another 5 trillion.”

“With so much money on my shoulders, how dare I relax?”

Hearing this, Arno asked in surprise: “So much? The tax amounts for other parts of the Spider Web Universe have been determined?”

“Almost. Ambassador Salihovic has made his last effort. However, the signing of the specific contract still has to wait for the Governor to personally go to Holy Terra.”

————

4k

No more today.

I wanted to write another chapter to make up for yesterday’s. But my sleep schedule has been so bad in the past week that I can’t bear to write anymore. I have to make some adjustments. Please forgive me…

(End of this chapter)