At eleven o'clock in the evening, after participating in the celebration, Zhang Hao took his wife to the East Lake Villa, planning to rest there for the night and go back tomorrow morning.
As for the inauguration ceremony, it will be held three days later.
On the way back, Fang Zhigang took the initiative to raise the issue of whether to stay or leave his job: "Director Zhang, thank you for the invitation, but I am old, and my physical fitness and reaction speed are not as good as before. The security of the Archon is of the highest standard.
, I really have more than enough ambition but not enough power.”
Just last week, Zhang Hao took the initiative to talk to Captain Fang and proposed the idea of taking him into the consul's mansion with him.
On the one hand, we have been friends for many years and are used to it;
On the other hand, I also want to place a few of my own people in the Federal Guard Bureau to provide double insurance.
"Don't you want to think about it again? If you go, you don't have to be a bodyguard yourself. In fact, it's the same with logistics." Zhang Hao couldn't help but persuade.
"No need." Fang Zhigang waved his hand quickly, and then changed the subject: "However, Xiao Ma is happy to go, she is more suitable than me."
Zhang Hao nodded: "Okay, since you don't want to, then continue to stay in Haotian Group!"
"Thank you for your understanding."
Fang Zhigang couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief.
When they arrived at the villa, Zhang Hao and Yang Huaqing simply washed up and then went to bed.
Maybe they were too excited, so the couple couldn't sleep, so they just leaned on the bed and started chatting.
"Honey, there is something I want to discuss with you."
"What's going on?"
Zhang Hao quickly explained: "After I take office, I will first go to various regions to conduct condolences and inspections. The entire trip will take about two years..."
"So long? Can't we not go?"
Yang Huaqing suddenly became nervous.
"I'm afraid not." Zhang Hao shook his head and did not explain much, "I am hesitant now whether to take you with me or not."
"Of course you have to take me with you. I am the first lady. How can any consul go on a visit without taking his wife with him?"
Yang Huaqing quickly fell into his role.
Zhang Hao sighed deeply: "Don't forget, we still have Guoguo. She is only one year old and is too young. She can't live without her mother for the time being."
"Ah? This?"
Yang Huaqing was in a dilemma for a while.
She wanted to be with her husband, but she couldn't let go of her daughter.
"Listen to me, or don't go!"
Zhang Hao gritted his teeth and said.
The world is huge, and their little cotton-padded jacket is the biggest.
Yang Huaqing's face was filled with confusion, and finally she came up with a solution that was not a solution:
"Husband, I thought of a good idea. Guoguo is still young now. I will stay and take care of her for a year. When this time next year, I will go over to you and accompany you for the rest of the trip. What do you think?
?”
"Hey, this is a good idea." The more Zhang Hao thought about it, the more reliable he felt. He patted the quilt happily: "Well, for this global expedition, I will start from the other side first, and then go to the African continent and the Middle East.
region, and then we will meet in Europa."
This also has the advantage of allowing the wife to avoid dangerous and chaotic areas as much as possible, and is more secure in terms of safety.
"Then it's settled."
Yang Huaqing suddenly beamed with joy.
Zhang Hao smiled and nodded, then reached out and took his wife into his arms: "One more thing, according to past practice, every first lady will have a virtual position. She can join official departments such as the Women's Federation and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, or she can go to charity
Organization, where do you want to go?”
"Then I'll go to the Women's Federation!"
Yang Huaqing had already thought of where to go.
There are a lot of tricks in public welfare organizations, and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles requires relevant business experience and professionalism, which is not the most suitable choice for her.
"It's good, the Women's Federation has less affairs, so it can be quieter at ordinary times." Zhang Hao agreed casually.
Yang Huaqing took the opportunity to ask a question: "Husband, I have something to ask you for help."
"It's okay to ask for nothing. We are husband and wife, so we don't need to be so open-minded."
"Then I told you...my mother came to see me last week and wanted me to help Haoxuan find a job."
"Isn't my brother-in-law working as a counselor in the university? He quits?" Zhang Hao was a little surprised.
"I didn't make it clear. What my mother meant was that she wanted him to change his job."
Yang Huaqing paused, then got straight to the point:
"Forget it, I'll just say it. My mother wants you, a good son-in-law, to help take care of Haoxuan. Haoxuan is not young anymore this year. He spends all day hanging out on campus and doesn't even want to find a girlfriend."
"Brother-in-law wants to join politics?" Zhang Hao asked tentatively.
Yang Huaqing shook his head: "I asked my mother, and neither she nor my father had this idea. They mainly wanted my brother to change his environment, go out to see the world more, and maybe bring a girlfriend back."
"Okay, then let him join my staff! He doesn't have any important work at ordinary times. He basically just runs errands, does odd jobs, and is responsible for some logistics support work." Zhang Hao agreed immediately.
"Husband, thank you!"
Yang Huaqing buried her head in Zhang Hao's chest.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao immediately turned over and pressed his wife under him, and said with a low voice and a bad smile:
"Tell me, how do you want to thank me?"
Yang Huaqing's face turned red, she closed her eyes gently, and looked like she was ready to take whatever you wanted.
This night, the "squeaking" sound was heard for most of the night.
…
Capital time, March 28, 1999 in the Federation.
The inauguration ceremony of the 18th Consul of the Federation has officially begun. Since we are still in a state of emergency, all procedures will be simplified.
At 8:30 in the morning, due to the unfavorable weather, a huge sandstorm started blowing since yesterday afternoon. Zhang Hao, his wife and children got on the greeting convoy an hour in advance and prepared to go to the Capitol.
At about ten o'clock, the convoy finally arrived at its destination.
Before getting off the bus, Yang Huaqing reminded his sons to wear masks. As for Guoguo, he is a little baby and is not afraid of exposure at all, so there is no need to bother.
Besides, it’s not safe for babies to wear masks.
The staff helped open the car door. Zhang Hao took a deep breath to calm down his nervousness, then held his youngest son's hand and walked out of the car calmly.
Yang Huaqing followed behind with her little daughter in her arms.
The three brothers Zhang Guoji, Zhang Guoxuan and Zhang Guodong gathered around their mother.
"Pa bang bang..."
The front door of the Capitol was filled with officials at all levels, media reporters, and representatives from all walks of life.
A large group of relatives and friends, including Zhang Chongxin, were also among them. They arrived at seven o'clock in the morning.
Zhang Hao raised his hand and waved to the crowd, and warm cheers rang out again.
Next, the family walked slowly along the red carpet into the Capitol Building.
When passing by their grandparents and grandparents, An An and Kang Kang blinked desperately at the four elders. Faced with this situation, Zhang Chongxin and Li Dajuan could not help but burst into tears.
Zhang Chongxin, in particular, was so excited that his whole body was trembling. He never expected, really never expected, that their old Zhang family would actually be where they are today. There is no doubt that Zhang Hao has achieved the ultimate in both politics and business.
His greatest achievement in this life is not starting a family from scratch, but having such an outstanding son.
Seeing this, Zhang Jiahui hurriedly supported the old man: "Dad, take a deep breath. Don't get excited."
"Boss, your father and I never dreamed that your brother would be able to reach this stage today." Zhang Chongxin said sincerely, "I think back then..."
"Dad, Xiaohao is just a blockbuster." Zhang Jiahui admired her little brother from the bottom of her heart.
"Yes! Lao Zhang, you gave birth to a good son!" Yang Dengbang on the side quickly agreed, "Of course, this is also inseparable from the education of Lao Zhang and the good foundation you laid for him."
Zhang Chongxin waved his hand with a smile and said modestly: "To be honest, there is not much I can do to help him, and sometimes it will hold him back. His current achievements are all due to his own hard work."
"Well, if our Haoxuan could have one-tenth of Zhang Hao's ability, I would laugh out of my dreams."
Kuang Wenhui couldn't help but admire Dao.
Li Dajuan grabbed the other person's hand and patted the back of it gently: "My mother-in-law said that a son-in-law is half a son. Zhang Hao is also your son."
"That's right." Kuang Wenhui nodded repeatedly, "I remember when they were on a blind date, I fell in love with Zhang Hao at first sight. No one could persuade him, but now it has been proven that I was right."
Seeing that her mother and others were chatting endlessly, Zhang Jiaqi quickly reminded: "Dad, Mom, Xiaohao and the others have already gone in, let's go in quickly too!"
"Let's go, catch up quickly."
Zhang Chongxin took the lead and walked inside.
Followed by a large group of relatives and seven or eight village representatives from Shawei Village.
…
At 10:30 in the morning, the most important oath-taking ceremony began. Zhang Hao placed his left hand on the constitution and his right hand on his chest, his face solemn.
"I, Zhang Hao, have been appointed as the federal governor, and I hereby solemnly swear:
I will faithfully perform my duties as a consul and do my best to do so without fear or selfishness. I will rule to the core without any party or selfishness. I will be firmly loyal to the Federation and uphold, protect and defend the Federal Constitution."
The oath was very short and was finished quickly.
"Pa bang bang..."
The audience burst into warm applause and lasted for more than three minutes.
Zhang Hao bowed to everyone present, then took the pen from the staff and solemnly signed his name on the affidavit.
This marked that Zhang Hao officially became the 18th Consul of the Federation.
Subsequently, the deputy consul and the executive president took the oath in turn.
After the oath-taking ceremony, the military band played the traditional song "Salute to the Consul". Almost at the same time, an 18-gun salute came from outside.
This was followed by the new consul's inaugural speech.
Due to the sandstorm today, the speech was arranged indoors. At the same time, outdoor mass gatherings and celebrations were temporarily canceled.
Zhang Hao opened the speech script in front of him and read directly according to the script for half an hour. Fortunately, he had practiced it several times before and made no mistakes.
As for the content of the speech, it was still about "saving the nation from extinction". Originally, he wanted to add content about "socialized upbringing," but because Archon Ji did not give a formal reply, he had no choice but to delete it.
At the end of the inauguration ceremony, more than thirty singers and celebrities sang the federal national anthem.
It should be noted here that the federal national anthem is fifteen minutes long and uses more than thirty languages. It would take the average person several months to fully learn it.
Amid the passionate national anthem, the inauguration ceremony officially came to an end.
After the ceremony, it was almost time for lunch, and next was the Congressional Luncheon.
Since it was a difficult time, the luncheon could be described as shabby. There were only two dishes and one soup, one was cabbage and tofu, the other was stewed radish, the soup was tomato soup, and the staple food was multigrain rice.
Moreover, everyone does not eat for free, they need to pay for food stamps themselves.
Under Zhang Hao's persuasion, his parents and others left without eating. The old man was not in good health and these meals were not easy to digest, so it would be safer to eat them at home.
In the afternoon, Zhang Hao brought his family to the consul's residence. Consul Ji had already returned early.
After the two families greeted each other, Consul Ji's wife took Yang Huaqing and the children to visit the consul's residence, while Zhang Hao followed Consul Ji to the consul's office.
The Archon's office has been tidied up, and Archon Ji's personal belongings have long been taken away.
Consul Ji patted the seat: "Old Zhang, this position belongs to you, come and feel it."
"Then I won't be polite to you."
Zhang Hao didn't refuse and sat directly on the chair. I don't know if it was an illusion, but this chair was the most comfortable chair he had ever sat on.
"How do you feel?" Archon Ji asked with a smile.
Zhang Hao nodded: "Not bad."
Consul Ji smiled proudly, then tapped the table with his fingers and introduced casually: "This table, including the chair under your butt, was moved from the other side. It has not been changed since the first consul.
."
"Really? It stands to reason that the other side of the river has ceased to exist in name only, and even the capital has been changed. I'm curious, why don't you just change it here?"
Zhang Hao showed a hint of curiosity.
"It's not necessary." Consul Ji shook his head, and then explained: "It makes no sense to engage in such small tricks, and it will also irritate the sensitivity of Westerners and is not conducive to unity. I hope you can keep this."
"I understand, don't worry, I won't change."
Zhang Hao nodded solemnly.
Archon Ji smiled, then pointed to a dent on the table and asked casually:
"Do you know where this hole came from?"
Zhang Hao shook his head: "I don't know."
Consul Ji sighed and explained on the spot: "This is the bullet hole left when the seventh consul, Mr. Marcio, was assassinated. All previous consuls have not repaired it. They have only one purpose, and that is to give themselves a warning.
No matter what you do, you can’t be careless.”
"I see!"
Zhang Hao touched the bullet hole calmly.
He didn't understand what the other person meant by saying this, maybe it was a warning, maybe it was just a casual remark.
After some small talk, Consul Ji reached out and opened a drawer and took out a military laptop, a very thick one.
"Uncle Ji, what is this?" Zhang Hao looked curious.
"You might as well take a guess?"
Zhang Hao thought of the plot in the movie and almost blurted out: "Is this the nuclear weapon launch code?"