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

He didn't ask how to help, to what extent, what the risks were, or what the path would be.

He picked up the document again, lowered his head, and continued reading.

"Then go ahead and do it."

The voice was flat and indifferent, as if saying, "Go and organize those meeting materials."

That's the sentence.

Xiao Gangyu paused on the sofa for a second or two, confirming that he had finished speaking and there would be no follow-up, then stood up and said, "Okay, Governor Liu, I'll make the arrangements."

Xiao Gangyu got into his official car and prepared to return to the Public Security Bureau. His secretary did not come with him, and the driver discreetly drove quietly.

The car was driven extremely steadily, allowing Xiao Gangyu to think without any distractions:

On Gao Yuliang's side—I had thought there would be a door with a crack, but it was closed tightly, and I couldn't get in or push it open.

On the other hand, the door that Liu Changsheng had been keeping tightly shut opened a crack, just as he had hoped.

However, he still had doubts.

Everything went too smoothly.

Why would such a cunning old fox make such a quick and subtle statement?

Is the Qingshan gas field really that problematic? Are there undiscovered pitfalls hidden inside?

No, I need to go back and check again.

Chapter 184 Respect

Late June in Jingzhou marks the beginning of a difficult period.

It has been half a month since Zhao Lichun came to Handong for research.

Logically speaking, no matter how the climate changes, it shouldn't affect Sha Ruijin, but Sha Ruijin has indeed felt a bit hot recently.

This is psychological distress, originating from within.

No matter how hard the air conditioner in the provincial party committee building worked, it couldn't solve the problem.

It all started with a perfectly normal piece of writing.

That was a special fund allocation for the construction of smart healthcare infrastructure across the province.

This project was personally approved by Sha Ruijin. The background was that when he conducted research in several remote cities in Handong, he found that the informatization construction of medical institutions below the county level was lagging behind, and a considerable part of the problem of difficulty in seeing a doctor at the grassroots level was stuck in hardware and data integration.

The plan submitted by the Provincial Health Commission was already very mature. The Provincial Development and Reform Commission signed it, and the Provincial Department of Finance also issued supporting opinions. The entire document went through all the necessary procedures, and the vice governor in charge approved it. Finally, it was sent to Liu Changsheng for signature.

As is customary, projects that have undergone thorough evaluation and have been approved by the provincial party committee's top leaders are usually approved by the provincial government through a simple procedural step.

But three days later, the materials were returned to the National Health Commission.

The reason for the rejection was written on a note in the handwriting of Liu Changsheng's secretary, Fang Qing. The note read: "After reviewing the proposal, Governor Liu believes that the information system access plan for some county-level medical institutions in the third phase of the construction plan has compatibility issues with the current provincial medical data standards. He suggests that the Provincial Health Commission, together with the Provincial Big Data Bureau, re-verify the proposal and submit a supplementary demonstration report for approval."

The leaders of the National Health Commission handed this note to Bai Jingwen.

Sha Ruijin flipped over the attached note and looked at it once, then turned to the third phase of the plan in the document itself and carefully read the marked pages.

There are technical doubts, but they are very subtle and professional, and not the kind of doubts that can be seen at a glance.

In other words, this was a well-prepared event.

To put it bluntly, they are just nitpicking.

He put down the materials, called Bai Jingwen over, and told him to have the Health Commission supplement the materials according to the returned opinions and resubmit them.

Bai Jingwen went out.

Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair, putting the matter aside for a moment before making a judgment.

One event can be accidental; two events, however, are a signal.

The second thing happened sooner than he expected.

This is a site selection project for a new energy storage base, spearheaded by the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. Sha Ruijin personally investigated and finalized the direction of this project after seeing Qi Tongwei's Jingzhou New Energy Industrial Park. It's considered a supporting facility and involves the allocation of land quotas in two surrounding cities, requiring joint approval from the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Provincial Government.

The Provincial Department of Natural Resources has issued its preliminary review opinion, concluding that the land quota allocation meets the requirements and can be approved.

The materials were sent to the provincial government, but then it got stuck again.

This time it wasn't a technical issue, but a problem with the determination of land use – the provincial government's land management office requested a review of the land use conversion procedures for one of the plots, believing that the previous review process was incomplete and that the materials needed to be supplemented.

This procedure is not complicated to complete, but it takes time.

Once all the materials are complete, the process will be repeated, which will take at least half a month.

Then comes the third thing.

One of the cadres that Sha Ruijin had his eye on was Qiu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and the Minister of Publicity of a prefecture-level city in Handong. He was 43 years old this year. When Sha Ruijin went down to conduct research, he spoke with a clear attitude and had a pragmatic style. Sha Ruijin had a special talk with him during his research trip and had a very good impression of him. He had privately mentioned to Wu Chunlin that he wanted to arrange a position for him in the provincial publicity system as a reserve.

This intention has not yet been formalized into any official document; it is merely a verbal direction.

As a result, less than two weeks after Sha Ruijingang shared this idea with Wu Chunlin, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's Petition Office received a letter of complaint signed by a retired cadre from the city where Qiu Moumou lived. The complaint alleged that Qiu Moumou, during his tenure as county party secretary, was suspected of illegally approving land for a real estate company and accepting bribes from the company.

The letter was very detailed, including the time, location, amount, and several photos. It was the kind of whistleblower letter that, just by looking at the format, you would think, "This has been carefully investigated."

Tian Guofu delivered the letter. Sha Ruijin read two pages, placed it on the table, and remained silent for a long time.

The fourth thing is the provincial daily newspaper.

The Handong Daily is the official newspaper of the provincial Party committee. After Sha Ruijin arrived, the editorial staff was replaced, and the overall editorial team aligned with the provincial Party committee's propaganda line. However, in the past two or three weeks, several articles have appeared in the supplement and commentary sections, all under pseudonyms. While the content ostensibly discusses reform, development, and local governance, there are some subtly critical points hidden within the writing.

An article titled "Seeking Progress While Maintaining Stability: Where Does Progress Lie?" contains the following passage: "The key to reform lies in stability. Stability does not mean stagnation, but rather advancing on a solid foundation. Some hasty approaches, while seemingly swift and decisive, are actually based on an unstable foundation. In the end, haste makes waste, leaving behind a mess for the successor to clean up..."

Another article, titled "Looking at Political Achievements, We Must Also Look at the Aftermath," discusses a case in which a certain place caused debt risks due to its aggressive promotion of infrastructure construction. The tone carries a long sigh, implying a reminder of a certain "aggressive style."

Bai Jingwen printed out these articles, clipped them together, and placed them on Sha Ruijin's desk without saying anything, and Sha Ruijin didn't ask any questions either.

He read through the papers one by one and put the stack of papers aside.

The supplement of the provincial daily newspaper has always been one of the places where the officialdom of Handong County waged its underhanded battles. Everyone who has been in this place for many years can understand who is behind those pen names, what they write, and what they want to convey.

Sha Ruijin hasn't been here long enough. He can sense the direction of those articles, but it will take time to confirm the specific connections behind those pen names.

But the direction is already very clear.

Just after these matters were settled, before Sha Ruijin could take any action, Fang Qing from the provincial government called, saying that Governor Liu wanted to meet with Secretary Sha to discuss work.

Sha Ruijin pressed down the printed articles on the table and told him to come over in the afternoon.

Liu Changsheng arrived at 4:30 pm.

He came alone, without his secretary.

Sha Ruijin noticed this detail.

Bai Jingwen led him in, made tea, and then left, closing the door behind him.

The two sat down on the sofa, each took a sip of tea, and did not speak immediately.

Outside the window, the afternoon sun slanted in, cutting a line between light and shadow in the room. Liu Changsheng sat on the darker side, his face blocked from the sunlight by the curtains, so his expression was not very clear. However, you could see his features from the side, which were his usual calm and unpredictable look.

She was still smiling.

Finally, Liu Changsheng spoke first, his tone casual, as if two colleagues were having a casual chat: "Comrade Ruijin, you've really worked hard these past two months."

Sha Ruijin put down his teacup and looked at him: "Comrade Changsheng is not having an easy time either."

"It's alright," Liu Changsheng said, with a hint of self-deprecation in his tone. "At my age, I've become more easygoing. Once you think things through, they're no longer a big deal."

He paused, picked up his teacup, turned it gently, and put it down: "But to be honest, there are some things I've handled recently that I might not have been... thorough enough, causing you trouble at work."

This statement was made casually, but Sha Ruijin heard it very clearly—the smart healthcare project, the land procedures for the energy storage base, and all the materials that were returned for redoing all boiled down to these four words: not thorough enough.

He spoke up voluntarily, which meant he was loosening his grip and also probing Sha Ruijin's hand.

Sha Ruijin did not accept this offer of leniency, but calmly said, "It is your duty to oversee the work of the provincial government in detail."

Liu Changsheng smiled, a slightly bitter smile, not much, but enough for Sha Ruijin to see: "Speaking of oversight, to be honest, I'm not so relaxed. I've seen you in Handong for the past six months, and Comrade Ruijin is a man who truly wants to get things done. I support you."

"Thank you for your support, Comrade Changsheng."

“However,” Liu Changsheng paused, leaving the “however” hanging in the air for two seconds, before continuing, “different people have different paces and methods when doing things, and sometimes there may be some… clashes. I don’t mean anything by it, I just hope that we can discuss things more and have fewer unexpected events.”

Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said in his usual calm tone, "Comrade Changsheng, I always welcome discussions on this matter."

“That’s good,” Liu Changsheng said. “That’s what I meant too.”

The two looked at each other but neither spoke.

In that silence, there was an unspoken understanding, like two chess players mentally reviewing the board before making their moves, neither uttering a word.

Sha Ruijin changed his approach: "Comrade Changsheng, you've been in Handong for so many years, you have deep roots and are very familiar with the situation. I'd like to hear your opinion—what is the most pressing problem that Handong needs to solve next?"

Liu Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll say it—the problem in Handong right now is not whether it can develop, but whether it can remain stable. Only if it remains stable can it develop; if it doesn't, everything else is in vain."

“Of course,” Sha Ruijin said, “Maintaining stability is of paramount importance, but some stability is achieved proactively, while other stability is achieved passively. Proactive stability means clarifying potential problems in advance; passive stability means hiding problems and letting them fester.”

Liu Changsheng's smile remained unchanged, but Sha Ruijin could sense a slight tightening in his expression.

“Comrade Ruijin is right,” he said, “We should take the initiative to seek stability.”

“Then let’s talk about the proactive kind,” Sha Ruijin said, his tone unchanged, but with a hint of something in his eyes. “Comrade Changsheng, are there any historical issues that you’ve been wanting to resolve, but haven’t taken action on because you feel the time isn’t right?”

Liu Changsheng glanced at him, a fleeting glint in his eyes.

He did not answer the question directly, but said, "Some things are left to the successor. Everyone can only do so much while in office. After doing this, you have to let go of that. That's normal."

“Of course,” Sha Ruijin said, “but some things are not impossible to do, but some people don’t want them to be done.”

"for example?"

“For example,” Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup, but didn’t drink it; he just held it in his hand, his tone still calm, “there are some historical issues that involve certain projects and certain people. Ignoring these issues is a hidden danger. But if someone who was present back then could stand up and explain things clearly, these issues would be much easier to resolve.”

Liu Changsheng lowered his head, looking at the tea in his teacup. After two or three seconds, he raised his head, his expression revealing a knowing understanding.

“Comrade Ruijin,” he said, “if there is solid evidence to investigate those historical issues you mentioned, I fully support it.”

“There are many ways to offer support,” Sha Ruijin said. “Some are by speaking out; others are by providing information…”

Liu Changsheng's lips twitched, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Sometimes, not opposing is also a form of support."

Sha Ruijin shook his head slightly, about to say something.

Liu Changsheng interrupted, asking, "For example, the Qingshan Gas Field project?"