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

Li Dakang didn't say anything, but nodded, gesturing for him to sit down.

Then he looked at Zheng Hong and said in a calm tone, "Mayor Zheng, you are also responsible for the people you recommended. If there are problems with the Guangming Peak project, it's not just Comrade Hongyi's responsibility, you are also responsible."

Zheng Hong's smile faded slightly, but quickly returned: "Secretary Li is right. I will definitely give my full support to Comrade Hongyi's work and ensure the smooth progress of the project."

Li Dakang picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down and looked at the three of them.

“The Guangming Peak project is the lifeblood of Jingzhou.” His voice was deep, each word seemingly forced from his chest. “It’s 28 billion yuan, involving hundreds of thousands of jobs and the development of Jingzhou for the next ten years. This project cannot afford any problems.”

He looked at Zhu Hongyi and said, "Comrade Hongyi, the first thing you should do after taking over is to thoroughly understand the project's details. Go through the funding, progress, procedures, and problems one by one. Report any difficulties to me at any time."

Zhu Hongyi nodded: "Understood, Secretary Li."

Li Dakang then looked at Sun Liancheng: "Comrade Liancheng, you must cooperate well in the handover. Make sure you explain everything that needs to be explained and transfer everything completely. Don't leave any loose ends."

Sun Liancheng nodded: "Okay, Secretary Li."

Li Dakang was silent for a few seconds, then waved his hand: "Alright, that's all. You guys go back to work."

The three people stood up and walked out of the office one by one.

Sun Liancheng returned to Guangming District, but Zheng Hong and Zhu Hongyi left together.

The door closed.

Chapter 159 The Dilemma of Easy Learning

Yi Xuexi sat in the mayor's office, with the April sunshine streaming through the window of the Luzhou Municipal Government compound. On the desk in front of him lay a document, the "Preliminary Plan for the Comprehensive Renovation of Crescent Lake Food City," which had just been delivered by the Development Zone Management Committee.

He read the proposal from beginning to end, then closed it without saying a word.

The people sitting opposite him were all waiting. Ma Mingyuan, director of the Development Zone Management Committee; Chen Guodong, director of the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau; Liu Jianshe, director of the Municipal Housing and Construction Bureau; and Zhang Weidong, director of the Legislative Affairs Office. This was the lineup he had called for a small meeting—all heads of departments directly related to the food court's rectification.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Yi Xuexi looked up at Ma Mingyuan: "Director Ma, I've finished reading this plan. Tell me, according to this plan, how long will it take from its inception to the food court's closure and rectification?"

Ma Mingyuan swallowed hard: "Mayor Yi, this... the plan states that the first step is a preliminary investigation, expected to take one month; the second step is to organize expert evaluation, expected to take two months; the third step is to formulate a rectification plan, expected to take one month; the fourth step is..."

“I’m asking how much time it will take in total,” Yi Xuexi interrupted him.

Ma Mingyuan paused for a moment: "...According to this plan, it will probably take one to two years."

That was two years.

"Two years," Yi Xuexi repeated, his tone flat. "The water in Crescent Lake has turned black, and the local people have been complaining about it for years. You're telling me it will take another two years?"

Ma Mingyuan fell silent.

Yi Xuexi looked at Chen Guodong, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau: "Director Chen, you are an expert. Does the sewage problem of the food court really need to take this long to figure out?"

Chen Guodong hesitated for a moment: "Mayor Yi, this... technically it's not difficult, but the procedures are quite complicated. The food court is a key project of the province, involving many aspects. We must act in accordance with laws and regulations and cannot rush things."

"I don't object to acting in accordance with the law and regulations," Yi Xuexi said. "But acting in accordance with the law and regulations doesn't mean being slow and inefficient. Does your environmental protection bureau have accurate data on the food court's pollution discharge?"

Chen Guodong's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Yes, we have routine monitoring every year."

“Okay,” Yi Xuexi said. “Compile all the monitoring data from the past three years within three days and send it to my office.”

Chen Guodong nodded: "No problem, Mayor Yi."

Yi Xuexi then looked at Liu Jianshe, the director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau: "Director Liu, are there any illegal constructions in the food court? Are they exceeding the planned area?"

Liu Jianshe thought for a moment and said, "Well... we need to check the files."

How long does it take to search the records?

"About a week."

“Three days,” Yi Xuexi said. “Within three days, find out everything about the food court’s building planning and approval status, whether there is any construction exceeding the plan, and whether there are any illegal constructions, and submit a written report to me.”

Liu Jianshe opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Yi Xuexi's eyes, he swallowed his words back: "Okay, three days."

Yi Xuexi finally looked at Zhang Weidong, the director of the Legal Affairs Office: "Director Zhang, could you help me sort out the legal issues? If the food court refuses to rectify the situation, what measures can we take? What procedures do we need to follow? Are there any legal risks?"

Zhang Weidong nodded: "Okay, Mayor Yi, I'll look into it when I get back."

“It’s not research,” Yi Xuexi said. “It’s about giving me a clear answer. A written report within three days.”

Zhang Weidong paused for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

Yi Xuexi leaned back in his chair, looked at the four of them, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him clearly:

"Everyone, the problem with Crescent Lake isn't a technical issue, nor a procedural one; it's an attitude problem. The food court has been discharging sewage there for over a decade, and the local residents have been complaining for just as long. Why can't it be resolved? Because some people don't want to resolve it."

He paused, then continued, “I don’t care what happened before. I’m the mayor now, and I’m going to take charge of this. All of you departments, just do what you’re supposed to do. Don’t try to dodge my questions or talk about difficulties. If anyone holds me back, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

The four men looked at each other, then nodded in unison: "Yes, Mayor Yi."

"Alright, you guys go ahead and get busy."

The four people stood up and filed out of the office.

The door closed, and the office fell silent.

Yi Xuexi leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

He knew they might not listen to what he had just said. But some things had to be said.

Three days later, he began to realize how difficult this matter was.

Knowing that in Lüzhou, even if the municipal party secretary Dong Dingfang remained silent, it wasn't up to him to make the decisions.

He received three big gifts.

---

The first big gift was the Environmental Protection Bureau's "data".

At nine o'clock on the morning of the third day, Chen Guodong, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau, personally delivered a stack of materials, five thick volumes, which were neatly stacked on Yi Xuexi's desk.

"Mayor Yi, here is the monitoring data for the past three years that you requested. It's all compiled." Chen Guodong said with a serious expression. "Our bureau worked overtime to retrieve all the original records."

When you open the top book of Yi Xuexi, you see densely packed numbers, various tables, and professional terminology; it looks very formal.

He glanced at a few pages, then looked up and asked, "What do these data tell us?"

Chen Guodong was prepared and turned to one of the pages: "Look, this is the data from 2015. The COD, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and other indicators are all within the national standards. The data from 2016 is also basically qualified. The data from 2017 is also fine. Judging from this data, the food court's sewage discharge meets the standards."

Yi Xuexi looked at him without saying a word.

Chen Guodong continued, "Of course, we also found that the data for some months were a bit high, but they were all within a reasonable range of fluctuation. So from an environmental perspective, the sewage problem of the food court may not be as serious as the public has complained about."

Yi Xuexi closed the materials and asked, "Director Chen, were these data collected by you or reported by the food court itself?"

Chen Guodong paused for a moment: "Some of them were monitored by us, and some were reported by the companies themselves. But they are all from formal procedures and there are records to check."

Yi Xuexi stared intently at him: "The situation in the food court is visible to the naked eye. How can all the data meet the standards? Did your environmental protection bureau falsify the data?"

Chen Guodong lowered his head: "Mayor Yi, our bureau has already conducted an internal investigation and rectification. There was a temporary worker in the Environmental Management Division who was bribed by the management of the food court. He tipped them off before each inspection, allowing the food court to prepare in advance. We have already handed this temporary worker over to the procuratorate for prosecution."

Yi Xuexi laughed angrily: "Have you conducted any surprise inspections? Have you taken samples outside of normal working hours? Have you bypassed the food court's advance notice and gone directly to the drainage outlet to take samples?"

Chen Guodong's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "Well... we have that too, but those data are irregular and can't be used as a general guideline."

Where is that data?

Chen Guodong hesitated for a moment: "It's...it's in the bureau's archives. We need to look for it."

"Deliver it before tomorrow," Yi Xuexi said.

Chen Guodong nodded and left the office.

The data arrived the next day. However, upon reviewing it, Yi Xuexi discovered that the so-called "surprise monitoring data" only included three instances, all dating back two years. While the three data points were indeed high, the sample size was too small to be conclusive.

He called the Environmental Protection Bureau to ask if there were any more. They said no, that was all.

He put down the phone and remained silent for a long time.

This is what's called a "soft nail"—they give you data, but it's "clean" data; if you ask for "dirty" data, they say they don't have it; you know they do have it, but you can't do anything about it. Because, procedurally, they've made it watertight.

---

The second big gift was a "legal opinion" from the Legislative Affairs Office.

On the afternoon of the third day, Zhang Weidong, director of the Legislative Affairs Office, delivered a "Legal Risk Assessment Report on the Closure and Rectification of Crescent Lake Food City," which was a full twenty pages long, full of references and detailed analysis.

Yi Xuexi opened the report and read it from beginning to end.

The report's core conclusion is that closing down the food court carries significant legal risks.

The reasons are as follows:

First, the food court is a legally registered enterprise with complete operating qualifications and environmental impact assessment procedures. If it is shut down rashly, it may constitute an administrative violation, and the enterprise has the right to file an administrative lawsuit.

Secondly, the food court is a key project recognized by the province and enjoys special policy protection. Closing it requires the consent of multiple departments, including the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Provincial Department of Commerce, which is a complicated procedure.

Third, food courts involve a large number of employees, and their closure could trigger mass incidents, posing a high risk to social stability.

Fourth, the investors of the food court have complex backgrounds, and it cannot be ruled out that they will seek legal recourse. In that case, the municipal government will face lengthy legal proceedings and consume a lot of administrative resources.

The report concludes by recommending: temporarily suspend the shutdown and first conduct negotiations to try to reach a settlement agreement. If negotiations fail, then consider phased rectification, gradually reducing emission quotas and forcing companies to upgrade and transform themselves. The entire process is expected to take one to two years.

Yi Xuexi placed the report on the table and looked at Zhang Weidong: "Director Zhang, does your report mean that we can't touch the food court?"

Zhang Weidong quickly waved his hand: "No, no, Mayor Yi, what I mean is that we must proceed steadily and in accordance with laws and regulations. We cannot be too hasty, otherwise we will be put on the defensive."

"In accordance with the law and regulations," Yi Xuexi repeated. "Then let me ask you, is direct discharge of sewage illegal?"

"Yes, of course it counts."

"What measures can be taken against companies that illegally discharge pollutants according to the Environmental Protection Law?"

Zhang Weidong recited the article: "The authorities may order the cessation of sewage discharge, impose fines, and in serious cases, order the business to cease operations or close down."

"Then why can't we use it?"

Zhang Weidong hesitated for a moment: "Because...because it requires determining 'serious circumstances.' And this determination requires historical data as evidence. The evidence we currently have..."

“The data you gave me all meets the standards,” Yi Xuexi interrupted him. “So you mean that because there’s no evidence, we can’t do anything?”

Zhang Weidong fell silent.

Yi Xuexi looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said, "Director Zhang, your report is very well written. The legal provisions are cited very comprehensively, and the risk analysis is also very thorough. But I have a question for you: If the food court continues to discharge sewage like this, Crescent Lake will never be cleaned up, and the people will always have complaints. Have you considered this risk?"

Zhang Weidong remained silent.