Chương 26: is about the mayor.

"At the heart of this is Humphrey. This executive served in City Hall for over twenty years, through several mayors, and was intimately familiar with all the rules, unspoken rules, and survival strategies of the bureaucracy."

"His highest responsibility, in his own view, was not to realize the mayor's ideals, but to maintain the smooth operation of the city hall."

"That is, to change the status quo as little as possible and avoid any rash actions that may cause chaos or offend vested interests."

"Every well-intentioned reform plan of Mayor Hack would encounter a polite but unbreakable bureaucratic logic when it reached Humphrey's executive director."

"The executive director will never directly say 'no.' He'll say, 'Yes, Mayor, that's a brilliant idea, but...'"

"Then they started listing countless 'technical challenges,' 'needs for further research,' 'stakeholder coordination,' 'legacy issues,' 'potential risks,' and 'potential chain reactions.'"

"He would suggest setting up a committee to study the feasibility of setting up another committee, he would bring out dusty regulations to prove the obstacles to reform, and he would skillfully mobilize officials from other departments to express 'reasonable concerns'."

Ultimately, the mayor's grand ambitions are often diluted, delayed, modified beyond recognition, or simply shelved indefinitely.

Isabella couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

"This... sounds so true. My father used to work in the municipal works department, and he often said that the fastest way to get things done is to find the right 'channel,' and the most common way to refuse is to say, 'It takes time to study according to procedure.'"

"And what about the young secretary? What is his role?"

Arthur explained, "We created him as a reader's avatar, allowing him to comment and ask questions, which can help readers understand complex plot points."

Isabella smiled sweetly.

"That sounds great. But Arthur, this kind of serialization requires many chapters. Can you guarantee that every single one will be well-written? And writing every day will be very stressful."

Arthur said very seriously:

"I can't guarantee that every piece will be a masterpiece, but I can guarantee that every piece will be informative."

"Each story will have a specific plot. For example, the mayor wants to cut the budget of a certain department, only to find that the department does not even exist, but its budget keeps increasing every year."

"Or the mayor wants to appoint a capable person, only to find that the position has already been promised to three different people."

"Or the mayor wants to implement a reform, only to find that the reform was already implemented ten years ago, just with a different name."

Isabella pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself.

"Okay. I believe you. What's the name of this series?"

Arthur thought for a moment, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Let's call it 'Yes, Mayor'."

"Yes, Mayor?"

"Yes. Think about it, every time those officials talk to the mayor, they start with 'Yes, Mayor' and end with 'Yes, Mayor'."

"But the whole middle section is explaining why the mayor's ideas won't work. On the surface, it's about obeying, but in reality, it's about opposing. That's the essence of the bureaucratic system."

Isabella laughed.

"This name is brilliant. It sounds respectful, but it's actually full of irony."

"So, when do you plan to start, or how many posts do you plan to update per week? This kind of column requires strong continuity and consistent quality."

"The day after tomorrow," Arthur said decisively.

"I will conceive and complete the first chapter, 'Open Government,' tonight. It will officially begin serialization in the Vanguard newspaper the day after tomorrow, Tuesday, with three chapters a week."

"We must seize this window of opportunity presented by the current public attention on 'honest people' and quickly launch new, sustainable content products. Time is not on our side."

Isabella stood up and paced a couple of steps in the limited space of the office.

She looked out the window at the lights of New York City gradually lighting up, then turned back to look at the stack of orders representing hope on the editorial desk.

"Arthur, to be honest, I'm a little scared, but mostly excited. It's like we're using a pen to challenge a giant all by ourselves."

"Hearst owns a newspaper empire, Walker wields municipal power. And we, we only have this small office, a loyal but small group of colleagues, and of course... your pen."

She turned around and looked directly at Arthur.

"Do you believe we can really win? Not just a temporary surge in sales, but winning this war for control of public opinion?"

Arthur also stood up, his figure appearing resolute in the dim light.

"I believe in the power of truth, the power of humor, and even more so, the judgment of the readers."

He walked toward the door, picked up the old coat draped over the back of the chair, and talked to Isabella as he went.

"As for winning, there are many definitions. We may never reach the circulation of The New York Times."

"But if 'Yes, Mayor' can become a topic of conversation among New Yorkers, and can provide a voice in this city that is different from Jimmy Walker and Hearst, then in a sense, we have already won."

Isabella escorted him to the entrance of the editorial department.

"I will inform the typesetting and printing departments to reserve a fixed space at the bottom of the front page every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Starting the day after tomorrow, 'Yes, Mayor' will be the focus of our newspaper."

"Okay." Arthur nodded, pushed open the door, and the dim light in the hallway flooded in.

"Arthur, thank you."

Isabella called out behind him, with a seriousness she hadn't shown before.

"It's not just thanking you for writing for the newspaper. It's thanking you for bringing a different possibility."

Arthur paused at the doorway, didn't turn around, and waved with his back to Isabella, his voice carrying clearly back.

"I should be thanking you for taking this risk. Without your support, I wouldn't be able to do what I wanted to do so quickly. Get some rest, goodnight, Isabella. See you tomorrow."

Isabella stood alone in the quiet editorial office, praying sincerely in her heart: Father, brother, please bless Arthur, bless us, and bless our newspaper in heaven so that it may win this battle.

I believe this is what you want to see.