Chapter 9 Chapter Nine Bill's Betrayal

When I went back, I found Roger and Bill biting their nails in Penfort's sitting room.As soon as I got in, Bill said to me, "Where did you sneak off?" "To the emperor." I replied coldly. "Why so much time?" Instead of answering his question, I said to Roger, "Where's Penny?" "At Copsman's. Tucker and the Doctor are there too." "How is he doing now?" I asked. Roger frowned. "Generally speaking, it seems to be much better now than before, and I'm still awake most of the time." He hesitated. "If you want to see him, you can go in now."

I hesitated longer than he did. "How long does Dr. Capek think it will be before he can be seen in public?" "It's hard to say, it shouldn't be too long!" "How long? Roger, I don't know how this is going to end!" "You know the situation best. As far as possible we will keep you out of the public eye again, but I think it's better to stand aside for the time being and prepare until he fully recovers." I almost blurted out that the emperor wanted to do the same. But I refrained from saying it--I still shudder at the memory of the Emperor knowing that I was not Penfort at all.

This reminds me again of unfinished business. I pulled out the list of deleted cabinets. "This is the list that has been approved for submission to the press. Please note, Bill, one of the names has been changed. Brunn changed it to Dirador." "What did you say?" "This is what the emperor meant." Roger looked very surprised.Bill looked both surprised and annoyed. "Why change? He has no right to ask!" Roger said slowly, "Bill is right. The emperor's approval is just a formality. You shouldn't let him change the list." I really want to give them a big shout out.Just playing Penfolds has given me some coolness.I almost told Roger that if William hadn't been such a good emperor, we'd all be in trouble.But I still resisted the attack.

I replied frowningly: "The overall situation is fixed and cannot be changed." Bill said, "It's useless. You know, I gave the list to the journalists two hours ago. Now you have to go back and fix this." I said, "Be quiet, please! If you want to go to the palace, go, I'm going to take off this anachronistic coat anyway, have a few drinks and sleep. I'm not going anywhere!" "Please wait a moment, Chief." Roger disagreed, "You can broadcast the list of the new cabinet yourself in five minutes." "It is up to you to declare that you are the first deputy prime minister of the new cabinet."

He blinked. "Ok!" "I repeat: it was announced two hours ago," Bill reminded angrily. "Well, Bill! What I'm thinking is, I'm afraid you'll have to reconvene the reporters and say you made a mistake. Anyway, we've got to correct that mistake before NBC announces it." At this moment, Bill's expression reminded me of the embarrassment of the cat when he was dying.He showed a bitter look, shrugged, turned angrily and left. I yelled, "Bill, since you're speaking to reporters, I have another statement for them." "What? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I'm tired of the role. Please tell the reporter that Mr. Penfort has a cold and his doctor wants him to rest. I've had enough. Quit!" Bill snorted. "I think it's better for you to have pneumonia!" "As you like." After Bill left, Roger turned to me and said, "Don't worry about this, Chief. You'll be fine in a few days." "Roger, no, I'm really going to be sick. Announce it on the stereo tonight!" "Don't worry, Chief. I'll tell Bill not to lose his temper with you from now on." "No, Roger. I've made up my mind. I'll stay with you, of course, until Mr. Penfold learns to observe people."

For a while after that I was almost in Lorenzo's true self, eating and drinking in this magnificent mansion in Penfort. If anyone came in, they would think I was a monster.However I only see Penny and Dr. Capek.Except for Tucker who came once, no one else saw it. When Tucker came to see me on the fourth day, I couldn't be happier. "Tuck, any news?" "No news, but..." Then he opened up the purpose of visiting me: it seems that I have to make an appearance, attend the parliament, and get ready to give an impromptu speech.For only a miracle could bring Penfort back to health.

"So you're trying to goad me in a weird way. Honestly, Tucker, do you want me to do this job, or don't you want me to?" "Of course I want you to go! Why don't you think about it, I am so busy and come to see you, am I talking to you because I am bored?" The Speaker of the House of Representatives tapped hard on the fader.The priest said a prayer, and everyone fell silent, there was a hush. The emperor asked for special courtesy three times before he was allowed in.Kaiser Wilhelm wore the uniform of an admiral of the navy, without attendants, and was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Sergeant into the hall.

I tucked my talisman under my arm and rose from my seat in the front row, greeting the Speaker as if I didn't know the Emperor was there.Then I made a statement.What I'm talking about is not Bill's draft speech.His draft, I glanced at it and threw it into the wastebasket.The speech he wrote, according to my understanding of Penforte, is not suitable for this occasion and this moment of Parliament. My speeches were short, and were in fact copied directly from Penfold's collection.It articulates Penfort's policy views and makes a compelling case.In conclusion, I made clear my unwavering support for any policy that benefits the people.

I hope that everyone will love each other and be friendly and united.And the whole speech is like a long lyric poem without rhyme.This speech is just right, neither left nor right. At the end of my speech, I took an oath of eternal loyalty to my sovereign, to obey and observe the Constitution, to defend and enforce the rights and privileges of the House, etc., and when the oath was finished, Xian Lian said softly to me: "You have played very well , Joseph." I don't know if he's talking to me, or to his old friend Penforte--I don't care anymore anyway.At that time, for some reason, I was so excited that tears rolled down my face, and I didn't wipe it off.I will adjourn the meeting after William has gone.My 'cold' has recovered and I have made a public appearance in the House of Commons.It is no longer necessary to pretend to be sick and hide now, and it is impossible to hide.A man who has been appointed Prime Minister hides himself from the public, and there is bound to be criticism.Therefore, I cannot avoid it.

However, the protection work for me is very strict. To see me at the official residence, you must pass five checkpoints—and you must be a known visitor.Only those who are favored can be led by Roger through a small passage, through Penney's office, to my office.In this way, no matter who comes, I can take a look at his archives in advance.In fact, everything was arranged by Roger for me, and everything was handled by him. However, not all is well.The transitional government also has to deal with future general elections.Kwarog hasn't been idle since his downfall.He is traveling on all continents of the earth and constantly appears in front of a large audience through stereoscopic television.So Roger and the others have to keep busy arranging speeches for me. Once, I was preparing a speech.Roger and Tucker walk in. "Chief, this is a list of 'constituencies that are sure to win', do you want to have a look?" I glanced over. "I see Bill's name in there too." "Ah, yes. We all know you and Bill are at odds about this, sir. It's not your fault, it's Bill's fault. But..." I try hard not to lose my temper. "That's none of my business. If it's Penforte's wish, I'm all right." Tucker hesitated. "Roger, tell him!" Roger, said slowly: "It was decided by Tucker and I. Because Mr. Penfort had another stroke four days ago. Now he can't stand this kind of interference." I held my breath and said nothing.After a while, I said, "How long has Bill been with Penfort?" "What? About four years." Obviously, why not get him a state legislator then? "Penfort could have given Bill a state legislature at any time. But he didn't. Instead, the record changed the appointment to 'resignation.' If Penfort really wanted to promote Bill, he could fill it when he got better. " With no expression on his face, Roger picked up the list and said, "Understood, chief." On that day, Bill was kicked out. " A few days later, Roger went to Earth to do important things, and Tucker was not there, but the press conference still had to be held as scheduled.I've been looking forward to Roger coming back to join us for the reception.But I have no reason to say that I can't do it alone. Penny was walking ahead of me that day, the mechanical device in hand, and I heard her panting nervously. Walking into the venue, I saw Bill sitting at the other end of the long table. As usual, I glanced around the room and said, "Good morning, gentlemen." "Good morning, Mr Prime Minister!" Most people replied politely. I continued, "Good morning, Bill. I didn't expect you to be here. Who are you representing?" There was deathly silence in the hall until he answered.As you all know, Bill had a falling out with us and got kicked out.He gave me a wry smile and replied, "Good morning, Mr. Penforte. I represent Cline Syndica." I had expected him to come.So I didn't give him a chance to continue. "Well, what a great organization, I hope they won't treat you badly." Then he turned to Penny and said, "Come on, Penny, do you have any written questions?" I quickly glanced at the questions and answered them one by one. Finally I asked, "There's still time, gentlemen, any questions?" Several other questions were asked, which I answered satisfactorily."No comment" was used only once. When he was about to announce that the reception was over, Bill threw a fit. "Hello, Smythe!" I could hear him clearly, but I stood up and didn't look at him. "I say you! False Penfort--Mr. Smythe!" he cried angrily when I ignored him.The sound is getting louder. This time I stared at him with surprise—I looked like a high-ranking official would behave when he was rudely harassed.Bill blushed, pointed at me and said, "You liar! You're a bad actor, you're a fake!" The London Times reporter stood behind me and asked softly, "Sir, do you want me to call the police?" I said, "No, he didn't mean any harm." Bill laughed. "You say I mean no harm? Just wait and see!" "I think it's time to call the police," the TIME reporter insisted. "No," I snapped on, "that's enough Bill, you'd better go out quietly before you make a fool of yourself." "How much you want me to!" He went on to pour out all the details quickly.He didn't talk about the kidnapping or his part in our deception, but he implied that he had long since disassociated himself from us so as not to be implicated in the deception.The scene only lasted because the real Penfold was bedridden.He also hinted that we were probably drugging Penfolds.In short, it paints a hideous face for us. I patiently listened to him finish.At first, most of the reporters just listened, with an expression on their faces that outsiders did not want to intervene in the internal strife.I found out later that a few journalists started to record hastily and turned on the miniature tape recorders. That's when I interjected, "Bill, are you done yet?" "Isn't that enough?" "You've said enough. I'm sorry, Bill. That's it for now, gentlemen. I'm going back to work." "Wait a minute, Mr Prime Minister!" someone yelled, "Are you going to issue a denial?" Another said, "Are you suing for a charge?" I answered the second question first: "No need, I don't want to sue. No one would sue a mentally ill person:" "What, I'm out of my mind?" Bill exclaimed. "Be quiet, Bill. As for the denial, I don't think it's necessary. However, I see some of you taking notes and tapes. I doubt that your papers will publish such a story. If it does If it is published, let them add a few words after this anecdote. Have you ever heard that a professor took Forty years?" My words earned a burst of gentle laughter.I smiled and turned around.Bill came running towards me around the table and grabbed my arm. "It's useless for you to laugh it off!" At this moment, the "Time" reporter dragged him away forcefully. I said, "Thank you, sir," and I said to Bill, "What's up with you? I'm holding myself back from getting you arrested!" "Go call the guards, you liar! See who's going to jail! You wait, they'll come and take your fingerprints." I sigh. "This is not the time for joking. Gentlemen, I think it's over. Penny, dear, can you get someone to get the fingerprinting equipment?" I know, I'm screwed now--but Damn, even if caught by the Sea Dragon King, you have to stand at attention like a soldier when the ship sinks, and you have to act like a hero even if the villain is dying. Bill didn't stay still, he snatched the glass in front of me.I have picked up that cup several times. "Go to hell! This is enough." "Bill, I told you, don't act wild. Now go away, or I'll have to call the guards!" We go back to Penney's office.She passed out as soon as she entered the office. Neither of us did anything after that day.Penny made an excuse and sent all the guests away. Roger is finally back.I told him the whole sordid process in a low, monotonous tone.He listened, biting his unlit cigar, his face expressionless. Finally, in an almost pleading tone, I said, "I had to get them to get my fingerprints. Roger, I don't know if you understand that it's okay to say no." Unexpectedly, Roger said calmly, "Don't worry." "what?" "Don't worry, I say. You'll be surprised when the fingerprint report comes back from The Hague. But that's a welcome thing - and our former friend Bill will be more surprised than you are." , and it's sure to be unpleasant for him. If he'd taken anyone's bounty beforehand, they'd have told him to spit it out. I hope they'd." I don't get him wrong. "Well, but, Roger, they won't stop there..." "Do you think we are not strict enough? Chief? We have known for a long time that this matter may appear in various ways at any time. Since Tucker started the action plan, we have prepared many preventive measures. And all of this, Bill is not knew."