The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

The next day at work, Chen Shi called Li Hong and told him about recommending him to be the Party Secretary of Zhongshan Subdistrict Office. Li Hong thanked him repeatedly and came to Chunyang County that same day to invite Chen Shi to dinner.

The two chatted animatedly in a private room in the courtyard.

Chen Shi initially wanted to criticize Tian Guangming, but then thought it unnecessary and would only make him seem petty. Tian Guangming's overall work was quite commendable; he worked in the village and didn't want to offend anyone, which was understandable.

If you offend too many villagers, it will be difficult to carry out your work.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Hong went out and brought back two bottles of fine wine from his car. He placed them in front of Chen Shi with a big smile: "Director Chen, take these two bottles of fine wine with you. They taste very good."

Chen Shi hadn't expected Li Hong to send him a gift. If it were wine, he would have accepted it without question. But it probably wasn't wine; it was something else entirely.

If Li Hong is recommended to be the head of the Zhongshan Subdistrict Office, the nature of the matter would change if he accepts money.

Chen Shi wasn't very interested in money; enough was enough. More wasn't necessarily his. Many corrupt officials embezzled tens of millions, but kept it at home, only to look at it and not spend it. When their crimes were exposed and they were imprisoned, all the embezzled money was turned over to the national treasury. What was the point of that?

Chen Shi's expression was grave: "Li Zhen, is there really wine in here?"

Seeing Chen Shi's serious expression, Li Hong said with a relaxed tone, "Director Chen, there really is alcohol inside."

Chen Shi reached out and picked up two bottles of wine, which clearly contained money instead of wine. His face darkened. "This wine is too expensive. I don't like drinking expensive wine. If Li Zhen really wants to give me a gift, he could give me two cheap bottles. I would be happy to accept that."

Chen Shi glanced at the time: "Li Zhen, it's getting late, go back and get some rest."

Chen Shi stood up and walked out of the private room, followed by Li Hong carrying two bottles of fine wine, looking embarrassed.

He jogged forward and opened the car door for Chen Shi: "Director Chen, take care."

Watching Chen Shi leave, Li Hong realized that Chen Shi was so young and had a bright future ahead of him. He wouldn't be interested in money; what he wanted was power. Li Hong hadn't thought things through.

Many unscrupulous corrupt officials have no hope of promotion and can only rely on taking money to make up for the disappointment in their hearts.

When Chen Shi returned home, he gave himself a strict order: he must not open the door to accepting money, no matter who gives it to him. Once he did, it would be uncontrollable, and he would eventually be ruined by it.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

On the morning of the tenth day of the lunar month, Chen Ai and Zhang Gao drove to Chunyang County. When they arrived at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau, they were stopped by the security guards.

Seeing the unfamiliar license plate, the security guard called out, "Didn't you see the plate? Outside vehicles are not allowed to enter the police station."

Zhang Gao rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and offered a cigarette: "Brother, let's go inside and find someone, please make an exception."

"You can't drive in to find someone, that's the rule. Park your car in the parking lot next door, go to the security office to register, and call the person you're looking for so they can come and pick you up."

Chen Ai rolled down the car window and stuck her head out: "Brother, we're looking for Chen Shi, the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau. He's my younger brother, and I'm her older sister."

The security guard immediately greeted them with a smile: "So you're Director Chen's sister. Drive in and stop on the left. I'll take you to Director Chen's office."

Zhang Gao smiled and said, "Thank you."

Zhang Gao stopped the car, and the two followed the security guard to the door of Chen Shi's office.

The security guard said quietly, "Wait at the door for a moment. You need to see Director Chen and report to him."

The security guard knocked gently on the door, and a voice came from inside: "Come in."

The security guard cautiously pushed open the door, his face beaming: "Director Chen, someone's looking for you. They say she's your sister."

Chen Shi received a call from his eldest sister, Chen Ai, last night, saying she was coming to the county town today. He immediately stood up and said, "Quickly, let them in."

The security guard then called Chen Ai and Zhang Gao into the office, confirmed that they were Chen Shi's sisters, and then left.

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Sister, brother-in-law, please sit down."

The two sat down, and Chen Ai looked around the office: "This office is huge, it must be seventy or eighty square meters."

Chen Shi didn't notice this detail, nor did he know the exact size, and poured two cups of tea for the two of them.

"Sister, what brings you up here?"

When Zhang Gao saw Chen Shi asking, he gave Chen Ai a look, as if to say, "You should tell him, this is your own brother."

Chen Ai put down her teacup: "Xiao Shi, your brother-in-law and I have made some money in business over the years. Now that the coal market is good, we want to buy a coal mine and expand our business."

In Laoyan Town, a private coal mine that we often did business with had no license. A mining accident occurred, one person died, and the coal bureau shut it down and fined it more than two million yuan.

Before the Lunar New Year, your brother-in-law and I passed by there. They invited us to dinner, and during our conversation, they mentioned they wanted to sell the coal mine.

Your brother-in-law and I know this coal mine quite well; the coal seams inside are huge, enough to mine at least several hundred thousand tons of coal.

Many people want to buy this coal mine, but after the accident, getting the permits is quite troublesome. Since you're a leader in the county, you're familiar with the relevant officials at the Coal Bureau. Could you help us contact them and get the permits issued? We'll pay for it ourselves.

This was the first time Chen Ai had asked Chen Shi for help, and Chen Shi couldn't refuse. He asked, "When opening a coal mine, don't rely on your gut feeling. You need to hire a professional team to survey how many coal seams are left. Don't buy them; otherwise, the coal will be gone in less than a year, resulting in huge losses."

Zhang Gao chimed in: "What Xiao Shi said is true. I had someone survey it before. The coal seams inside are at least a million tons, enough to mine for several years."

The main reason was that after the accident, the coal mine owner was short of money and didn't have the necessary permits, so he had to sell the mine.

Chen Ai said, "As long as we can get the permits for this coal mine, we're guaranteed to make a profit."

Chen Shi asked, "How much is the coal mine owner selling for?"

Zhang Gao whispered, "One million. If there hadn't been an accident, it would have been at least five million."

"Do you have that much money? Getting a certificate costs around a million these days."

Zhang Gao replied, "We have over a million yuan on us. We can get a loan of one or two million yuan by mortgaging it at the bank. Once the permits are issued, we can use the coal mine as collateral to get another few million yuan. Funding shouldn't be a problem."

Chen Shi had never been in the coal business before and didn't understand the ins and outs of it. However, he trusted Zhang Gao, his brother-in-law, who was reliable, shrewd, and had been in the coal business for about ten years. He was experienced and had made a lot of money.

"Let me ask for you," Chen Shi said, picking up his phone, going to his computer, opening his contacts, finding the number of the director of the Coal Bureau, and dialing it.

Chen Shi had met Zhao Qinglin, the director of the Coal Bureau, a few times, but was not familiar with him. The call was quickly connected.

"Director Zhao, this is Chen Shi."

Director Chen

"I'd like to ask you something. How much does it cost to get a permit to open a coal mine these days?"

"Director Chen wants to open a coal mine?"

"Director Zhao is joking. Cadres are not allowed to engage in business. It's not that I want to open a coal mine, it's that my sister is preparing to open one."

"To open a coal mine, you need to obtain a mining license, a safety production license, etc., which can cost at least several hundred thousand yuan, depending on the size of the mine."

Chen Shi smiled and said, "Director Zhao, are you free tonight? I'd like to invite you for a couple of drinks and give you some pointers."

Zhao Qinglin didn't hesitate: "Director Chen is a favorite of Secretary Liu. I can't refuse your invitation."

"Director Zhao, let's meet at the courtyard house at seven o'clock tonight."