Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

"We Communists still need to adhere to dialectics," Gao Yuliang said calmly, with the composure of a university professor. "The term 'political resources' is relative. Our superiors are the political resources of our subordinates, and aren't our subordinates also the political resources of our superiors?"

He paused, looked around, and said, "Just like when I appointed Yi Xuexi in Luzhou, wasn't that also using Yi Xuexi as a political resource for me?"

Gao Yuliang's move was very skillful.

He used his familiar rhetoric to try to steer the negative connotations of terms like "backer" and "powerful backer" toward the neutral connotations of "political resources."

Sha Ruijin remained calm and composed, saying indifferently, "What you said makes some sense."

Gao Yuliang, having received a response, continued, "So, in personnel arrangements, it's understandable that supervisors appoint some familiar faces. They know their backgrounds, their character, their abilities—they have a general idea, and they feel more comfortable using them, right?"

Li Dakang immediately responded.

He didn't want Gao Yuliang to bear the brunt of the firepower alone; at times like this, he had to distract him.

"Secretary Yu Liang's words make sense," Li Dakang said. "Because the top leader holds a high position and wields great power, the pressure is also immense. If a problem arises, he will be directly held accountable by those above. Therefore, he must appoint familiar people as his subordinates. This is a common problem."

Li Dakang seized every opportunity to exonerate himself.

His team has repeatedly made mistakes on issues related to promoting integrity, which is exactly why they need this kind of "excusable" reason.

But Qian Wenzhao wouldn't let them get away so easily.

"According to you, we know all our extended family members, how can this be used? Can we trust it?" Qian Wenzhao's tone was sharp.

This is another form of misrepresentation.

They replaced "familiar cadres" with "distant relatives," and transformed working relationships into nepotism.

Gao Yuliang looked at Qian Wenzhao, a smile on his face, but his eyes were cold: "You're just arguing for the sake of arguing, Lao Qian. Secretary Dakang and I didn't mean that."

He and Qian Wenzhao had worked together in Lüzhou and were quite familiar with each other.

But calling him "Old Qian" at this time is not a sign of friendliness, but a sign of contempt—what right do you, a retired director-level official, have to point fingers here?

Qian Wenzhao naturally understood this meaning.

He waved his hand: "Okay, okay, I won't argue."

Then, changing the subject abruptly, she went straight to the point: "Secretary Gao, you're familiar with Yi Xuexi, aren't you? When you were the municipal party secretary, he became a political asset for you. Why didn't you recommend him for promotion?"

This is like being a pawn, relentlessly pursuing and attacking.

Qian Wenzhao pressed his face close and said bluntly, "So in our Handong Province, factionalism and cliques still exist. You have to admit that, right?"

Gao Yuliang's face darkened.

"Don't jump to conclusions," his tone hardened. "Where do all these 'mountainous' claims come from? Our province is a plain. Besides, not all good cadres need to be promoted to high-ranking positions..."

Just as Gao Yuliang was about to spout his classic theory, "I'm a government official, you're a latrine cleaner, we're both serving the people," to express his view that no profession is inherently superior or inferior—

Qi Tongwei spoke up.

He had been observing.

Gao Yuliang was engaged in a heated debate with the group of scholars, and at this point, he was so emotional that he had lost his composure.

This is the Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Committee, the de facto highest authority in the province, not a university debate. Making such sophistry here is pointless; it only invites ridicule for "professorial fallacies" and adds to the absurdity of the situation.

He must be interrupted.

"Secretary-General Qian," Qi Tongwei's voice was calm, "you mentioned factionalism, which is unavoidable. As a great man once said, 'Without the Party outside the Party, there is no imperial mentality; without factions within the Party, there is a myriad of strange things.' This is a fact that is subjectively absent but objectively unavoidable."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Because of our work, it's inevitable that we leading cadres have closer relationships with some cadres, which is why we are often misunderstood. Most people don't understand, but Secretary-General Qian, you've also been a top leader; you shouldn't have any misunderstandings."

Qian Wenzhao was taken aback.

He didn't expect Qi Tongwei to speak up at this time, especially to defend "factionalism".

He instinctively retorted, "How can these be the same?"

Qi Tongwei smiled, a gentle smile: "What's different? Secretary-General Qian, tell us, what factions are there in Handong? Let us know. Which of the Standing Committee members here is in which faction? And which is in which group?"

That's a very powerful statement.

Factionalism is something everyone knows, but no one can say it outright.

If Qian Wenzhao were to speak out, it would be like openly breaking with convention at the Standing Committee meeting and offending everyone.

Qian Wenzhao dared not utter a word: "This..."

He stammered, unable to speak.

Gao Yuliang's mood calmed down at this point.

He opened his thermos, took a sip of water, and calmed his thoughts.

He knew he was in a bad mood just now, and if Qi Tongwei hadn't interrupted him, he might have said something he shouldn't have.

He sat there quietly, watching this complex confrontation.

Qi Tongwei, his disciple, did help him at a crucial moment.

Although Qi Tongwei is drifting further and further away from him now, at least on matters of principle, he still stands by his side.

Seeing that Qian Wenzhao was stumped by Qi Tongwei's question, Tian Guofu immediately spoke up, steer the conversation back on track: "Let's put aside factionalism for now; we're discussing what problems have arisen in cadre personnel appointments. Why haven't cadres like Yi Xuexi been given important positions?"

Qian Wenzhao also came to his senses.

He dared not continue arguing with Qi Tongwei, and instead turned the topic to Gao Yuliang: "Yes, someone like Yi Xuexi, with rich experience in regional leadership, has remained in the same position for over twenty years. Meanwhile, Secretary Yuliang's protégé, Xiao Gangyu, has been recommended to the provincial party committee several times for a vice-provincial level position. Can this be convincing?"

Tian Guofu added, "Comrade Xiao Gangyu has drawn strong criticism from the public, and opinions from various quarters are divided. Therefore, I believe he cannot be appointed as a deputy provincial-level cadre."

Gao Yuliang calmed down and stopped worrying about his own logic.

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and then said calmly, "There's a reason I recommended Xiao Gangyu for vice-provincial level. It's common practice for the head of the Public Security Bureau to also serve as a vice-governor across the country. Only our Handong Province is different."

He paused for a moment: "When the Public Security Bureau conducts joint activities or holds meetings with other provinces, it's always inconvenient and difficult to carry out the work because we're a level below them."

"Furthermore," Gao Yuliang continued, his tone becoming more weighty, "Xiao Gangyu was appointed as the Director of the Public Security Bureau with the approval of the Ministry of Public Security. We in Handong have been blocking him from being promoted to the vice-provincial level; the Ministry even thought we in Handong had objections to the Ministry's appointment!"

After that statement, no one else knew how to respond.

The Ministry of Public Security is a powerful department, and its minister is a big shot. That's a statement that's hard to refute.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment.

Qi Tongwei broke the silence with a smile: "Secretary Yuliang is the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission; it's his duty. It's natural for him to pay more attention to personnel arrangements within the political and legal system; it's simply part of his job."

That's a very clever way of putting it.

This gave Gao Yuliang a way out, while defining the nature of the issue as "his job" rather than "cultivating influence."

But Qian Wenzhao immediately seized on this topic.

He may lack political acumen, but he certainly has the courage to charge into battle as a vanguard.

"Secretary Gao is still the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee," Qian Wenzhao said, "Why doesn't he pay attention to Yi Xuexi?"

Tian Guofu sensed something was wrong.

Why do you jump into a pit as soon as someone sets one? No wonder you couldn't get promoted to the level of a department director for the past twenty years.

He was about to interrupt, but Qi Tongwei didn't give him the chance.

Qi Tongwei said calmly, "Secretary-General Qian is right; this is indeed Secretary Yuliang's dereliction of duty."

He took the initiative to shoulder this responsibility for Gao Yuliang.

But neither Sha Ruijin nor Tian Guofu present were happy.

This is not the outcome they wanted.

What they wanted was for Gao Yuliang to be isolated and criticized, not for Qi Tongwei to take the blame for him.

Sha Ruijin immediately interjected, "No, no, this is hardly Comrade Yuliang's responsibility!"

Who is Gao Yuliang? How could he not understand Qi Tongwei's meaning?

Qi Tongwei was helping him out of a predicament, but at the same time, he was giving him an opportunity—an opportunity to turn the tables on him.

Gao Yuliang immediately spoke up: "No, it is indeed my fault. Someone like Yi Xuexi, who worked under me, failed to discover his talent; it is truly my dereliction of duty. I will submit a self-criticism to the Provincial Party Committee later."

He paused for a moment, then changed the subject: "Minister Chunlin, you just said that people like Yi Xuexi who are overlooked are not isolated cases, but a widespread phenomenon. This is indeed a big problem. Who else is shining brightly but being overlooked? Why don't we bring this up together at this Standing Committee meeting, so everyone can see who else has worked under me, and I can make a self-criticism then."

That's a really hurtful thing to say.

Wu Chunlin stammered, "This..."

It's not that Wu Chunlin didn't have a list.

Since he dared to say before that easy learning was not an isolated phenomenon, he must have known what he was doing and wasn't afraid of being asked.

But at this moment, how could he dare to say it?

Which of the Standing Committee members present didn't rise through the ranks from local government? Those hardworking, diligent individuals like Yi Xuexi probably all worked under these people.

Gao Yuliang took on the responsibility of burying Yi Xuexi. If he had submitted the list, which of the Standing Committee members present would not have been held responsible?

Isn't this going to offend a lot of people?

Moreover, as the Minister of Organization, he is bound to bear the greatest responsibility.

That's why when Tian Guofu and others attacked Gao Yuliang, they only used seemingly allegorical things like factionalism and personnel systems, never using specific events as a basis for their attacks.

Once you get to a specific event, it becomes much easier to solve.

When Qian Wenzhao first brought up Xiao Gangyu, no one immediately realized what was going on.

But when Qi Tongwei brought up "the duties of the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission," astute people immediately realized what was going on.

When Qian Wenzhao jumped into the pit and took the initiative to blame Gao Yuliang for Yi Xuexi's stagnation, Gao Yuliang immediately broadened the scope, leaving Sha Ruijin and Tian Guofu in an awkward and uncomfortable position.

After all, the law does not punish the masses.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat awkward.

Seeing this, Li Dakang immediately stepped in to defuse the situation: "I also need to apologize to the Provincial Party Committee. Yi Xuexi was my class monitor and even took the blame for me, yet I didn't actively recommend him to the organization. This is my dereliction of duty."

Sha Ruijin naturally took the opportunity to back down.

He first downplayed Li Dakang's responsibility: "Comrade Dakang, your problem is that you're too protective of your reputation. You've done a good job, but you haven't been proactive enough in recommending cadres."

Li Dakang nodded in agreement.

Sha Ruijin continued, "We are holding this Standing Committee meeting today to discuss personnel appointments, not to hold any individual accountable. Comrade Yuliang and Comrade Dakang, neither of you needs to make a self-criticism."

He paused, looked around, and said, "What we need to solve is a systemic problem, a problem of the political environment."