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

He went out and closed the door behind him.

Qi Tongwei sat alone in his office, rubbing his temples. He was getting older; his energy wasn't what it used to be. When he was younger, he could stay up all night without a problem, but now he felt sleepy by midnight.

He had already been to the site during the day, and he knew that he couldn't just keep going like this, so he picked up his coat and prepared to go home first.

The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty space. He walked to the elevator, pressed the button, and the elevator doors opened to the fifth floor, revealing a person standing outside—Lin Long'an.

Lin Long'an was slightly taken aback when he saw Qi Tongwei, then stepped aside and walked in: "Governor Qi, you're still here so late?"

Qi Tongwei nodded and said, "I'm worried about the Willow Bay situation. What about you?"

“Me too.” Lin Long’an’s tone was calm, but there was a hint of weariness in his eyes. “I just spoke with the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau. They moved in this afternoon. I told them to keep you updated on the progress.”

Qi Tongwei nodded. The elevator reached the first floor, the doors opened, and the two men stepped out one after the other.

"Comrade Long'an," Qi Tongwei suddenly spoke up, "what do you think should be done about the Willow Bay incident?"

Lin Long'an thought for a moment and said, "Save people first, then investigate, then hold those responsible accountable. The procedure cannot be disordered."

"Where will they hold them accountable? Who will be held accountable?"

Lin Long'an paused for a moment, then said, "According to the rules, the mayor is the person primarily responsible. As for Comrade Zheng Hong, I'm afraid—"

He didn't continue.

"Don't rush to think about assigning blame," Qi Tongwei said. "First, save lives and handle the situation properly. We can talk about assigning blame after the investigation results are out."

Lin Long'an nodded: "I understand."

The two got into their respective cars and drove out of the provincial government compound.

Qi Tongwei's car drove through the night, passing through the streets of Jingzhou. There were few pedestrians left on the streets; only the late-night snack shops and convenience stores were still lit up. He leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and his mind was still racing with thoughts of Willow Bay.

He had a premonition that this accident would become a turning point in the political situation in Handong.

It wasn't because he knew anything, but because he understood Sha Ruijin.

What Sha Ruijin needs most now is a "reasonable and legal" reason. Qi Tongwei doesn't know why the relationship between Sha and Li broke down, but Zhang Shuli's arrest and Yi Xuexi's rise to power have already demonstrated this fact.

Sha Ruijin also moved a provincial party committee member without any reason. This was a cadre under the management of the central government, and he needed a "pretext".

The incident at Willow Bay was triggered by this.

Seven lives lost in a major safety accident. As the municipal party secretary, Li Dakang bears leadership responsibility. This responsibility can be light or heavy. A light one would result in a public reprimand and a warning talk; a heavy one would lead to suspension from duty for investigation and reassignment.

Sha Ruijin will definitely choose the heavier one.

For him, this choice was not just about assigning blame, but also a political purge. Removing Li Dakang from Jingzhou would allow him to place his own people there, letting Yi Xuexi operate freely in Jingzhou to uncover clues about the Zhao family. Without Li Dakang as an "obstacle," Yi Xuexi's investigation would proceed much more smoothly.

Qi Tongwei opened his eyes and looked at the night outside the window.

But he also knew he couldn't stop him. Not that he couldn't stop him, but that it wasn't worth stopping him. Li Dakang wasn't one of his men, and his departure or stay wouldn't have any real impact on Qi Tongwei. In fact, Li Dakang's departure might even be beneficial to Qi Tongwei—the position of Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee would become vacant, allowing him to place his own people there.

For example, Zheng Hong?

But he didn't want to make a fuss about it at this time.

Seven lives were lost, and the body has not yet been laid to rest. His current focus should be on how to save lives, how to handle the aftermath properly, and how to give the deceased and their families an explanation.

As for other things, we'll talk about them after this period has passed.

---

The following morning, Sha Ruijin convened a meeting of the Party Secretary's office.

There weren't many attendees—Sha Ruijin, Qi Tongwei, Gao Yuliang, Tian Guofu, and Wu Chunlin. The five of them sat around a round table in a small conference room on the third floor of the provincial party committee building. The curtains were half-drawn, making the room somewhat dim, and the hum of the air conditioner was particularly clear in the quiet room.

Sha Ruijin got straight to the point.

"I called everyone here today for one thing—how to handle the incident at Willow Bay."

He first gave a brief overview of the situation, then looked at the people present.

"Seven lives lost. Eleven people were seriously injured, five of whom are still in the ICU. The provincial investigation team arrived in Jingzhou yesterday, and the detailed investigation results will take a few more days. But one thing is clear—this was a responsibility accident. The gas company's violation of regulations was the direct cause, but the Jingzhou municipal government had obvious loopholes in its safety supervision, and the Jingzhou municipal party committee also bears leadership responsibility in cadre management and work implementation."

"Moreover, the gas company has admitted that the pressure from the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee on the completion schedule was one of the important reasons for this accident."

The words “municipal party committee” are stressed.

Sha Ruijin paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces.

"My opinion is that Comrade Li Dakang should be suspended from his duties for investigation. During his suspension, Comrade Zheng Hong should preside over the work of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Gao Yuliang pushed up his glasses and was the first to speak. His tone was flat, revealing no particular inclination.

"Secretary Sha, suspending him from his duties for investigation is a legally permissible action according to procedure. However, I have a question—the accident investigation results are not yet available, and the responsibility has not been clearly determined. Is there sufficient grounds to recommend suspension at this time?"

Sha Ruijin glanced at him and said, "It's not unprecedented to suspend the main leaders who bear leadership responsibility after a major safety accident. This is not the final punishment, but a temporary organizational measure. Its purpose is to ensure the smooth progress of the investigation and to prevent the parties involved from interfering with the investigation. Comrade Yuliang, you have worked in the Political and Legal Affairs Commission for many years, you should have seen this kind of thing before."

Gao Yuliang nodded and said nothing more.

Qi Tongwei leaned back in his chair, twirled the pen between his fingers, and then put it down.

“I agree with Secretary Sha’s opinion.” His voice was not loud, but it was very clear. “The incident at Liushuwang has a huge social impact. If we don’t take decisive measures, what will the people think? They will think that we officials are protecting each other, and that no one will take responsibility for the deaths. This political impact is more serious than the accident itself.”

He paused.

"However, I have a suggestion—while suspending him from his duties for investigation, we must clearly tell Comrade Li Dakang that this is not the final determination. He should cooperate with the investigation and handle the aftermath properly. He should bear the responsibilities that he should bear, and the organization will not wrong him for things that he should not bear."

Sha Ruijin nodded: "Comrade Tongwei's suggestion is very good. The suspension is for investigation, not for conviction. This attitude should be conveyed to Comrade Li Dakang at the appropriate time."

Tian Guofu and Wu Chunlin also expressed their agreement.

Sha Ruijin closed the folder in front of him and said, "Then it's settled. In the name of the Provincial Party Committee, we will submit a 'Request for Instructions on Suspending Comrade Li Dakang from His Post' to the higher authorities. Before the higher authorities approve it, the Provincial Party Committee will first suggest that Comrade Li Dakang voluntarily suspend his duties as Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, and that Comrade Zheng Hong temporarily preside over the work of the Municipal Party Committee. At the same time, we suggest that Comrade Li Dakang cooperate with the work of the Provincial Investigation Team and truthfully explain the situation."

At 7 p.m. that evening, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee convened an emergency meeting.

The meeting had only one topic—the handling of the Liushuwang incident. Li Dakang, as a party involved, did not attend in accordance with the principle of recusal. Eleven people sat in the meeting room, one less than usual, but the atmosphere was more somber than ever before.

Sha Ruijin relayed the opinions from the afternoon's secretary's office meeting and then asked the standing committee members to express their views. No one raised any objections—not because there were no objections, but because raising objections at this time would be tantamount to standing against seven lives and more than a dozen seriously injured people, and no one was willing to take that political risk.

The vote was swift. Twelve votes in favor, zero votes against, and zero abstentions.

The meeting produced a "Decision on Recommending the Suspension of Comrade Li Dakang from His Post," which was submitted to the higher-level organization department.

The instructions from higher authorities haven't been issued yet, so no official document will be created, but the minutes of the Standing Committee meeting have already been sent to the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakang is still in his office.

He flipped through the documents on the table again and again—the initial draft of the accident investigation report, the list of the deceased's families, and the medical reports of the seriously injured. He was looking at the list, seven names, ages, and family situations. The youngest was twenty-one, a recent college graduate who rented a room in the shantytown. The oldest was sixty-three, a retired worker who had lived in that shantytown for forty years.

Xiao Jin knocked on the door and came in, holding a document in his hand, his face looking very unpleasant.

"Secretary Li, this is a notice from the Provincial Party Committee."

Li Dakang looked up, took the document, and glanced at it. His expression remained unchanged; he simply placed the document on the table and said, "Understood."

Xiao Jin stood there, unsure of what to say.

Li Dakang looked at him and said in a calm tone, "Go back. I'll give you a break."

Xiao Jin opened his mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent. He nodded, turned, and left. At the door, he paused, glancing back at Li Dakang. Li Dakang had already lowered his head, continuing to look at the list.

The door closed.

---

At the same time, Yi Xuexi was working overtime in the Discipline Inspection Commission's office.

He had already read through the materials Qian Feng had brought and circled several areas that needed follow-up. He wrote a few lines in his notebook—the agenda for next week's Discipline Inspection Commission Standing Committee meeting, several clues that needed close attention recently, and the ideological state of the cadre team. After finishing, he closed the notebook and prepared to pack his things to go back to his dormitory.

His phone rang. The caller ID immediately piqued his interest—it was Bai Jingwen's number.

He answered the call.

"Secretary Yi, this is Bai Jingwen."

Yi Xuexi's fingers paused slightly. Bai Jingwen was Sha Ruijin's personal secretary; a call at this time was no ordinary matter.

"Director Bai, hello. What can I do for you?"

Bai Jingwen's voice was polite, but his speech was a little faster than usual, revealing a sense of urgency: "Secretary Yi, Secretary Sha asked me to convey a message—Comrade Li Dakang has been suspended from his post. In Jingzhou, we hope you can seize this time to speed up the progress of some projects that need to be investigated and produce solid evidence. Secretary Sha said that this period is the best window of opportunity because there are no interferences."

Yi Xuexi tapped his finger lightly on the table.

"Director Bai, what exactly did Secretary Sha mean by 'some projects that should be investigated'?"

Bai Jingwen's tone remained polite, but the meaning was clear: "You know what's going on. You already have some materials for the Guangming Peak project and some other projects related to the Shanshui Group, right? Secretary Sha's point is that we should push things forward as soon as possible and not wait. Once the higher-ups give their approval, some things might become more difficult."

Yi Xuexi remained silent for a few seconds.

He knew what Sha Ruijin meant by "approval from higher authorities"—Li Dakang was no longer in office. Whether Li Dakang was reinstated or a new municipal party secretary was in place, there was a window of opportunity, and Zheng Hong was temporarily in charge of Jingzhou's work. Zheng Hong was the mayor, and now he was in charge of two separate affairs, so his control over the discipline inspection commission was weak.

They probably don't want to impose restrictions.

This is exactly the window of opportunity that Sha Ruijin wanted.

During this period, Yi Xuexi can freely investigate projects that were previously difficult to investigate, without worrying about anyone making requests, pleading for favors, or putting pressure on them.

“Director Bai,” Yi Xuexi said, “I understand. Please tell Secretary Sha that I will expedite the work on the Discipline Inspection Commission side. I will report to the Provincial Party Committee as soon as there is progress.”

"Okay, Secretary Yi. Secretary Sha also said that if you have any difficulties, please feel free to contact him."

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Yi Xuexi put his phone on the table and looked out the window.

It was pitch black outside the window; I couldn't see anything.

Chapter 202 Exchange

The day after receiving Bai Jingwen's call, Yi Xuexi officially launched an investigation into the clues related to the Guangmingfeng project.

The so-called "official launch" was actually just a small-scale meeting within the Discipline Inspection Commission, where tasks were assigned to Qian Feng and the directors of two other discipline inspection and supervision offices.

He didn't specify what he was investigating, only that he needed to "examine the contracts and fund flows of companies affiliated with the Shanshui Group involved in the Guangmingfeng project." When Qian Feng accepted the task, he remained calm and asked about the "timeframe." Yi Xuexi replied, "The sooner the better."

The three people left, leaving only Yi Xuexi in the office.

He knew he didn't have enough information. The Guangming Peak project was Jingzhou's top priority, with an investment of 28 billion yuan and a very wide scope. Shanshui Group and its affiliated companies were just minor players—they undertook several supporting projects, and apart from the Dafeng plant, the total amount was estimated to be less than 500 million yuan.

This is the result of Li Dakang's deliberate control.