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

"Old Party Secretary".

Zhao Lichun's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something ordinary: "Have you heard about what happened in Luzhou?"

"I've heard about it."

What do you think?

Gao Yuliang remained silent for a few seconds.

"Old Party Secretary, this matter is not easy to handle."

Zhao Lichun remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Whether Ruilong arranged the driver or not is no longer important," Gao Yuliang said. "What's important is that everyone thinks so now. Yi Xuexi's wife was hit, and she said she heard 'Young Master Zhao.' The driver denies it, but who believes him? Do ordinary people believe her or the driver?"

Zhao Lichun remained silent.

"Now that Dong Dingfang is stepping in to stop the promotion, what does that mean? It means that a consensus has been reached in Luzhou," Gao Yuliang said. "At this point, if we forcibly intervene, it will only make things worse. Even if it's not already a mess, it will still be a mess."

Zhao Lichun remained silent for a long time.

You mean, we don't care?

“What I mean is, we can’t just interfere,” Gao Yuliang said. “If you, the old secretary, were to personally intervene, it would be even more troublesome. Sha Ruijin has been keeping a close eye on things and is just waiting for an opportunity. If you make a move, he will definitely take action.”

Zhao Lichun fell silent again.

After a long while, he said, "I understand."

The phone hangs up.

Gao Yuliang put down the phone, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

He knew what Zhao Lichun would do.

He also knew that this was just the beginning.

Sure enough, Xiao Gangyu received a call from Zhao Lichun that evening.

The voice on the other end of the phone was very calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.

“Call Ruilong and tell him that the food court project has been approved.”

Xiao Gangyu was stunned for a moment.

"Old Zhao..."

“He conceded.” Zhao Lichun interrupted him, his voice completely flat. “He’s been fighting for so long, what has he gotten out of it? He conceded. The chessboard is still big, there are plenty of opportunities.”

The phone hangs up.

Xiao Gangyu held the phone, stunned for a long time.

Then he contacted Zhao Ruilong, who was at the Public Security Bureau.

"General Manager Zhao, the former Party Secretary asked me to pass on a message to you."

-

Zhao Ruilong was sitting in the interrogation room of the Luzhou City Public Security Bureau, with Yi Xuexi sitting in front of him.

The two looked at each other, neither of them speaking.

There seemed to be a taut string in the air.

Zhao Ruilong was "invited" in. There were no handcuffs or coercive measures, but someone was guarding the door, so he couldn't leave.

Yi Xuexi sat opposite him, his gaze heavy, as if weighed down by a massive stone.

“Mayor Yi,” Zhao Ruilong began, his tone laced with sarcasm, “you peasants really will stop at nothing to achieve your goals.”

Yi Xuexi stared at him without saying a word.

Zhao Ruilong said righteously, "You've done such a thing—lying and framing me. I can't bear the shame of this. I admit defeat."

Yi Xuexi remained expressionless.

Zhao Ruilong slumped back in his chair, his tone becoming indifferent: "You win. I don't want the food court anymore. Tear it down if you want."

Yi Xuexi nodded and went outside.

A moment later, a deputy director came in and said, "Mayor Yi's wife just called, saying she misremembered. The driver didn't say 'Young Master Zhao,' she said 'salary increase.' She was nervous and misheard. Mr. Zhao, you're cleared. You can leave now."

Zhao Ruilong was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "Damn it!"

-

Jingzhou, Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Looking at the turmoil in Luzhou, Hou Liangping suddenly remembered his original purpose for coming to Handong: "Wasn't Ding Yizhen also in an accidental car accident?"

Chapter 173 The Inspection Team Leaves

Time flies like water, and it's already the end of April.

Even the most explosive news has its time limit, and the retaliation against the family members of a department-level official is no exception. Right now, the biggest news in all of Handong is that the inspection team is leaving.

Three months.

For nearly three months, the inspection team was stationed in Handong. They conducted audits, interviews, visits, and undercover investigations, turning the officialdom of Handong upside down. During those three months, countless people lost sleep, countless phones were ringing off the hook, and countless documents were destroyed overnight.

Now, it's finally time to leave.

But before leaving, there was one last hurdle—the feedback meeting on the inspection findings.

This is a standard procedure in inspection work: the inspection team reports its findings to the provincial party committee and proposes rectification measures, to which the provincial party committee agrees to accept all suggestions and implement immediate rectification. Once the procedure is completed, the inspection team leaves, and rectification begins.

Everyone knew this meeting would not be easy.

The feedback meeting was held in the first conference room of the provincial party committee.

By 9:00 AM, the conference room was already packed. All members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee were present, along with members of the Party groups of the Provincial People's Congress, the Provincial Government, and the Provincial Political Consultative Conference. Municipal Party Secretaries and heads of key provincial departments were also in attendance. The conference room, though packed with over a hundred people, was as quiet as an examination hall.

Six people sat on the platform. In the very center was Zhang Jiguo, the head of the inspection team, a man in his early sixties with graying hair, a thin face, and wearing reading glasses, holding a thick stack of documents. To his left sat Sun Lan, the deputy head of the team, a female cadre in her fifties with a serious expression and sharp eyes. To his right was Sha Ruijin. On either side were the heads of the other three leading bodies of Handong Province.

Zhang Jiguo was a veteran discipline inspector in the Discipline Inspection Commission, having worked for thirty years and handled countless major cases. He had a nickname, "Zhang Qingtian" (Zhang the Upright Official), not because he was honest—although he was indeed honest—but because of his eyes, which were said to be able to see through people's hearts.

At this moment, those eyes are scanning the venue.

"Comrades," Zhang Jiguo's voice was not loud, but very clear, "According to the unified deployment of the higher authorities, our inspection team entered Handong in February, and it has been three months since then. In the past three months, with the strong support of the Handong Provincial Party Committee, we have completed all the inspection tasks. Today, in accordance with procedures, we will report the inspection findings to the Handong Provincial Party Committee."

He opened the documents in front of him and paused for a moment.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

Zhang Jiguo raised his head, glanced at the meeting room, and said calmly, "Let's start with the overall evaluation."

Many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Overall, the Handong Provincial Party Committee has earnestly studied and implemented the spirit of the Central Committee, and has done a great deal of work and achieved certain results in promoting economic and social development, maintaining social stability, and strengthening Party building. In particular, the Provincial Party Committee, led by Comrade Sha Ruijin, has taken a clear political stance, dared to take responsibility, and acted proactively since taking office, promoting new progress in various aspects of Handong's work."

This is the standard wording, but Zhang Jiguo spoke very sincerely, it didn't seem like he was just going through the motions.

Sha Ruijin nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

“However,” Zhang Jiguo changed the subject, “the inspection also uncovered some prominent problems.”

These two words were like a knife, cutting through the thin layer of calm in the conference room.

Zhang Jiguo looked down at the materials, his voice still steady, but every word seemed to be driven into the ears of everyone present.

"The first question is about the political environment."

The temperature in the conference room seemed to have dropped a few degrees.

"The political environment in Handong has some prominent problems," Zhang Jiguo said. "A few leading cadres have formed cliques and favoritism, turning normal comradeship into relationships of interest and dependence. In some places and units, there are signs and tendencies of 'circle culture' and 'localism culture.' Although these problems have not yet become widespread, they must be taken very seriously."

This passage is short, but it carries immense weight.

The phrases "clique culture" and "dock culture" appearing in the inspection team's feedback clearly imply what everyone present understood.

Gao Yuliang sat in the first row below the stage, his expression calm and unreadable. His notebook was open, and he held a pen in his hand, as if he were taking notes diligently.

Zhang Jiguo continued, "The second question concerns the selection and appointment of personnel."

"The inspection revealed that Handong had problems with irregular procedures and lax standards in the selection and appointment of cadres. Some cadres, with mediocre abilities and average public reputation, were repeatedly promoted; some cadres worked in the same place and system for a long time, forming a complex network of relationships. These problems reflect weaknesses in the provincial party committee's cadre management."

Wu Chunlin's expression changed slightly. As the organization minister, the selection and appointment of personnel was his primary responsibility. However, he quickly regained his composure and lowered his head to write something in his notebook.

"The third question concerns corruption risks in some key areas."

Zhang Jiguo's tone became more serious.

"Construction projects, land transfers, and mineral resource development are hotspots for corruption. The inspection revealed numerous problems in these areas in Handong. Some projects involved irregularities and backroom deals; some leading cadres abused their power to seek personal gain for relatives and friends; and in some places, the relationship between government and business was unclear, posing a risk of illicit transfer of benefits."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"For example, the food city project in Lüzhou."

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear the air conditioner humming.

"This project had obvious problems during the approval process. Although it seemed to be compliant in terms of procedures, the underlying interests were complex, and the public had strong complaints. More importantly, the long-standing pollution problem caused by this project has not been effectively resolved. This reflects that some of our leaders did not give enough consideration to the interests of the people and did not adequately anticipate the long-term impact when making decisions."

Gao Yuliang's pen remained still on the paper.

His expression remained calm, but the fingers holding the pen turned slightly white.

Zhang Jiguo didn't name names, but everyone knew who he was talking about.

“The fourth question,” Zhang Jiguo turned a page, “is about the conduct of some leading cadres.”

"The inspection revealed that some leading cadres in Handong had problems with formalism and bureaucracy. Some cadres did not do their work thoroughly and were keen on putting on a show; some cadres shirked responsibility and dared not take charge when faced with contradictions and problems; and some cadres had a weak sense of the masses and were indifferent to the demands of the masses."

He paused, seemingly considering his words.

"In particular, some family members of leading cadres have been found to be using the influence of these cadres to seek improper benefits. The inspection team has received some reports on this matter and has transferred them to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection for handling in accordance with procedures."

This sentence is like a pebble thrown into a calm pond, creating ripples.

Li Dakang frowned slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

He knew that this sentence contained his own thoughts.

Ouyang Jing's affair will be brought up sooner or later.

Zhang Jiguo continued, "The fifth question concerns the disciplinary committee's fulfillment of its supervisory responsibilities."