Gao Village Family, main village.
Gao Yiye was quickly packing her luggage, her movements brisk and efficient, her hands moving without pause as she folded clothes and stuffed them neatly into her bag, showing none of the hesitation or delay one might expect from someone preparing for a long journey.
Although she held the lofty status of a Saintess, she had no servants or maids attending to her daily needs, and even the former Four Secretaries did not involve themselves in such trivial matters of life, as their responsibilities were strictly limited to handling formal work and official affairs, never extending into personal service.
More importantly, Gao Yiye herself did not enjoy being served.
Just as she finished stuffing the last piece of clothing into her bundle, a voice rose from below the watchtower, loud and familiar, carrying the tone of an old man who had long since grown used to speaking his mind without restraint.
"Yiye! Yiye! Still not ready yet? Young girls really are troublesome, taking forever just to prepare for a trip."
Only the Old Village Chief dared to tease the Saintess like this, while no one else in the village would ever risk speaking to her in such a casual and irreverent manner.
Gao Yiye leaned out from the balcony, smiling as she replied, "Grandpa Village Chief, I'm already very fast, alright? Stop rushing me, I'll be right down."
The Old Village Chief chuckled cheerfully, clearly enjoying himself. "Hurry up and come down."
Gao Yiye quickly ran downstairs, only to find that a large group had already gathered and completed their preparations, waiting for departure with everything in order.
Shan Shier, Tan Liwen, Fang Wushang, Xu Dafu, and many others were present, and it seemed that nearly the entire village committee had mobilized, leaving behind only a small number of people to maintain the basic operations of the village.
Of course, the Old Village Chief himself did not hold any official position within the committee, so his purpose for joining the trip was simply to watch the excitement unfold.
Additionally, there were several unexpected figures in the group, such as Luo Tuimao, who had now become the director of the papermaking factory, Shi Laosì, the author of Gao Piao, and Teng Yifeng, a contractor from Chengcheng County.
"Let's go," Shan Shier said with a grin, glancing around at the assembled crowd before continuing, "Everyone's here, so we can head to the capital now, this is what you call getting the carriage ready and setting out properly."
"To the capital!"
Among the group, the most cautious person was naturally Xu Dafu, the head of the firearms bureau, who could not help but ask in a careful tone, "Speaking of which, I can understand why the village committee is going to the capital to handle official matters, but why are people like Luo Tuimao, Shi Laosì, and Teng Yifeng coming along as well, what exactly are they supposed to do there?"
Gao Yiye smiled and answered patiently, "Director Xu, this trip to the capital is not only about handling practical affairs, we are also going to attend a meeting."
"A meeting?" Xu Dafu blinked in confusion. "What kind of meeting?"
"A People's Representatives Assembly," Gao Yiye replied calmly.
Seeing the confusion on his face, she pointed toward Luo Tuimao, Shi Laosì, Teng Yifeng, and the others, explaining in a clear and steady voice, "They are going as representatives of different trades and professions, chosen to speak on behalf of ordinary people."
Xu Dafu frowned slightly. "I've been stuck in the firearms bureau all day and haven't paid attention to these things, so what exactly does this assembly do?"
Gao Yiye continued, "It's quite simple in principle, each trade selects people who can represent them, these representatives gather opinions from the people, bring them to the meeting, discuss them together, and then decide whether they should be implemented."
Xu Dafu nodded slowly, then asked again, "Then what does Luo Tuimao represent?"
"The workers," Gao Yiye answered.
"And Shi Laosì?"
"Cultural workers."
Xu Dafu thought for a moment before saying, "Then Teng Yifeng represents private enterprises."
Gao Yiye nodded. "Exactly."
Xu Dafu lowered his voice and muttered, "This may work fine here, since these people are reliable, but in other places, wouldn't the representatives just end up being local gentry and landlords?"
"That's correct," Shan Shier interjected with a sigh, his expression turning slightly serious as he continued, "In most regions, the so-called representatives are not truly ordinary people, but rather local elites."
Xu Dafu shook his head. "Then I don't quite understand the meaning of this assembly, ordinary people still don't really have a voice."
Gao Yiye smiled faintly. "You're not the only one who doesn't understand, most people don't fully grasp it either, but regardless of whether we understand it or not, Dao Xuan Tianzun insists that it must be done, even if it is criticized as mere formality, the form itself must still exist."
Xu Dafu looked even more puzzled.
Shan Shier let out a soft sigh before explaining further, "In today's world, those who possess knowledge are still a minority, nine out of ten people are illiterate, and under such conditions, it is unrealistic to expect ordinary people to directly participate in governance, because if you pick a representative from a group of illiterate people, that person will likely have nothing meaningful to say."
The group fell silent.
"But," Shan Shier continued, "Dao Xuan Tianzun advocates collective governance, and its ultimate goal is that the rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone, even the common man, and although the common people lack the ability now, that will not always be the case, so we must first establish the framework, to prepare for the future, this is what you call preparing in advance."
Only then did Xu Dafu begin to understand a little.
Gao Yiye laughed lightly. "It's just like me, I used to understand nothing, if people had chosen me to manage affairs back then, I wouldn't have been able to do anything at all, but now things are different, if I were to take charge…"
The Old Village Chief burst out laughing before she could finish. "You would still just sneak off to steal cotton."
"Hahaha!"
The older villagers all laughed together, completely unrestrained.
Meanwhile, the newer villagers looked horrified, unable to believe that anyone would dare to joke about the Saintess like this.
Gao Yiye puffed her cheeks slightly. "What do you mean, I can handle a lot of things now, Grandpa Village Chief, you're terrible."
The Old Village Chief only stroked his beard and laughed even harder.
Gao Yiye paused and thought seriously about her own abilities before finally admitting defeat. "Alright, maybe I still don't understand much, but among the younger generation of Gao Village Family, there are already people with real knowledge, like Uncle Laba's son, Gao Shan, who runs the bookstore in the new village, he truly has some learning."
"That's right," Shan Shier said with a smile, "he was also elected as a representative, though not by Gao Village Family, but by the scholars and students of Yan'an Prefecture, he's heading to the capital by a different route, and you'll meet him there, this is what you call meeting an old acquaintance far from home."
"Stop butchering idioms," the others complained.
"Does that even matter?" Shan Shier laughed.
"Hey, the train's here!"
"Get on, get on!"
The group boarded the large train in a rush, only to discover that many familiar faces were already on board, including a large number of representatives coming from Xi'an, among whom was Bin Sheng, a model worker chosen by the laborers of the Chang'an factory.
It was not unusual for a model worker to be selected as a representative, as such individuals naturally earned the trust of the people.
However, Bin Sheng had another identity.
He was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Yes, that S.H.I.E.L.D., the kind you might imagine, a mysterious organization that sounded extremely powerful and secretive, clearly carrying a slightly tongue in cheek flavor as if it had been borrowed straight from some other world.
Which made the situation rather awkward.
Shan Shier gave him a strange look.
Bin Sheng leaned closer, returning an embarrassed smile as he lowered his voice and said, "This really isn't my fault, I didn't want to be elected, but the workers insisted on choosing me, and I couldn't exactly tell them that I'm actually a secret agent, could I?"
Shan Shier could not help but laugh. "Fair enough."