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

Old Zhang nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He put the list into his briefcase, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“Xiao Zhang,” Zhao Lichun called out to him, “tell the people in Handong that it’s not me who’s causing trouble, it’s Sha Ruijin who’s causing trouble. If he wants to fight corruption, we’ll help him fight it. If he wants to investigate, we’ll help him investigate. If he wants to find out the truth, we’ll help him find out the truth and investigate thoroughly.”

“But he wants to investigate only me, that won’t do.”

Old Zhang nodded, closed the door, and left.

Zhao Lichun was left alone in the study. He sat in a chair, looking out the window. The sky over Shuntian was overcast, with neither the sun nor the clouds visible.

He looked at it for a long time, then picked up the People's Daily and continued reading.

But he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word in the newspaper.

Sha Ruijin didn't understand him. Having worked in Handong for twenty years, his greatest skill wasn't forming cliques, but knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Now, it was time to advance.

Sha Ruijin wanted to fight corruption, so he dug up all the corruption in Handong. He didn't just investigate others, but also his own—every project he handled had to be investigated, examined with a magnifying glass.

If you want to oppose something, then implement it 1000%.

Chapter 212 Expansion (Part 2)

On the same day the National Development and Reform Commission sent the letter, Sha Ruijin realized that Zhao Lichun was not retaliating, but expanding the battlefield.

In the morning, Bai Jingwen rushed into his office, holding a folder in his hand, his face grim. He lacked his usual composure, going directly to Sha Ruijin's desk, putting the folder down, his tone clearly anxious.

"Secretary Sha, something's wrong."

Sha Ruijin put down his pen and looked at him.

Bai Jingwen opened the folder, which contained three documents. The first was a letter from the National Development and Reform Commission—this letter no longer recommended "a re-examination of the following projects," but rather "a systematic assessment of major infrastructure projects in Handong Province over the past twenty years." The scope had expanded from six projects to nearly thirty.

The second document was a letter from the Ministry of Natural Resources. It concerned some historical issues regarding land approval in Handong Province, requiring the Provincial Department of Natural Resources to conduct a self-inspection and submit a report within a specified period.

The third notification was a phone call from the National Audit Office. The special audit of state-owned enterprises in Handong Province, originally scheduled for next month, has been moved up to next week.

After reading the three documents, Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair without saying a word.

Bai Jingwen looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

“This was Zhao Lichun’s doing,” Sha Ruijin said calmly.

“I know. But Secretary Sha, if all these projects are investigated, the province's finances will be under tremendous pressure. The supporting facilities for the Guangming Peak project, the shantytown renovation, and the port expansion all rely on financing from these platform companies. Once the audits tighten, banks will withdraw loans. If banks withdraw loans, the projects will have to stop. If the projects stop, the economy will collapse. If the economy collapses—”

“I know,” Sha Ruijin interrupted him.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Sha Ruijin stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Bai Jingwen. Outside the window, the leaves of the plane trees in the provincial party committee compound had begun to fall, and there were scattered fallen leaves on the ground.

Zhao Lichun's move was brilliant.

The brilliance lies not in the technical aspects, but in the strategic ones. Sha Ruijin wanted to fight corruption, and Zhao Lichun helped him carry it through to the end. It wasn't just about targeting Zhao Lichun's corruption, but the corruption of the entire Handong region. Every project Zhao Lichun handled had historical traces, and every one could potentially be questioned. If Sha Ruijin only investigated Zhao Lichun and not others, that would be selective anti-corruption, a political struggle.

If Sha Ruijin wants to investigate others, he'll have to turn the entire Handong district upside down—those projects, those lands, those enterprises, which one doesn't involve retired provincial officials and leaders? He doesn't know what the Handong bureaucracy will become after the investigation, but Sha Ruijin will definitely cut himself off from the Handong bureaucracy.

As some foreign media outlets have suggested, this could even negate the achievements of Handong's 20 years of reform and opening up.

He turned around and looked at Bai Jingwen.

Why do you think Zhao Lichun did this?

Bai Jingwen thought for a moment and said, "He wants to muddy the waters. Once they're muddy, he can hide in them."

Sha Ruijin shook his head.

"On the contrary, he can no longer hide himself. What he is doing now is making the water clear, so clear that nothing is hidden, everything is in the open and there is nowhere to hide, and then he wants to use the fact that the water is too clear and there are no fish to protect himself."

Bai Jingwen fell silent.

Sha Ruijin walked back behind his desk, sat down, picked up the letter from the National Development and Reform Commission, and read it again.

"Secretary Sha, what should we do?" Bai Jingwen asked.

Sha Ruijin did not answer. He put down the letter, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. The tea had gone cold and had a bitter taste. He put down the teacup and leaned back in his chair.

“No rush,” he said. “These letters are work suggestions from higher authorities, not mandatory orders. We can delay, we can communicate, we can explain. I’ll talk to the National Development and Reform Commission. We’ll have the provincial departments communicate with the Ministry of Natural Resources. And we’ll have the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission cooperate with the National Audit Office.”

Bai Jingwen nodded.

“But Secretary Sha, if all these projects are investigated, what will happen to Handong’s business environment? Investors will definitely wait and see, or they will withdraw their investment. Once they withdraw, it will be difficult to get them back. There is only so much money in the market, and several neighboring provinces are watching.”

Sha Ruijin looked at him and replied, "I know. But now is not the time to think about that. Let's stabilize the situation at hand first, and take it one step at a time as we go."

Bai Jingwen didn't say anything more. He picked up the folder, got up, and went out to carry out the task. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned back, saying:

"Secretary Sha, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"Go ahead."

"Zhao Lichun's move is an attempt to drag everyone down with him. If we don't handle this properly, the economy of Handong will really be in serious trouble. When the higher-ups hold us accountable, it won't just be your problem, it will be the problem of everyone in the Handong Provincial Party Committee."

Sha Ruijin remained silent.

Bai Jingwen continued, "Governor Qi is in charge of the economy, and he can't escape responsibility for the economic downturn. As everyone knows, he has deep connections in the ministries. Could we ask him to mediate?"

Sha Ruijin remained noncommittal and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead and get busy."

Bai Jingwen left.

Sha Ruijin sat alone in his office. He knew all too well that Qi Tongwei had deep connections within the ministry, but asking him to coordinate at this time would inevitably come at a huge cost.

Do you really think it's as simple as Bai Jingwen's idea, that he can't escape responsibility for the economic downturn just by saying, "He's the governor, so he can't escape responsibility either"? Do you really think he can just use up all his connections and favors to clean up Sha Ruijin's mess?

Moreover, this Qi Tongwei is as cunning as a monkey. As soon as Li Dakang was placed under investigation, he publicly expressed his opposition and distanced himself from him. He had only been the governor for a few months, and the title of "acting" had not yet been removed. How much responsibility could he possibly bear?

Everyone knows he has deep connections at higher levels, so why does he have to be used to clean up your mess? Can't he be used to absolve himself of responsibility?

If he were to open his mouth now, he would definitely have to exchange it for the interests of Handong, making concession after concession. In that case, would Handong still be his, Sha Ruijin's, Handong?

Let me think about it some more.

Think again.

-

Qi Tongwei also received these letters.

The letters from the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Natural Resources, the special audit by the National Audit Office—which one of them wasn't aimed at the provincial government? He's the governor; if there are problems with the economy, he's the person primarily responsible.

Liao Qingyuan was also covered in sweat: "Boss, what should we do?"

Qi Tongwei didn't even look up: "Distribute the document to the relevant departments, and do what needs to be done."

Liao Qingyuan said with a bitter expression, "I'm afraid conventional methods won't be able to stop the situation from developing."

Qi Tongwei laughed and said, "Look at you, in such a hurry again!"

"You should learn this from your future father-in-law: stay calm in the face of important matters."

"We're not the ones in the most urgent situation right now."

"Don't be too afraid; allow things to take a slightly worse turn."

Chapter 213 Weightlessness

Zhao Lichun's counterattack was like a pre-announced avalanche.

You know he's coming, but you can't stop him.

It started with just a few snowflakes—a letter from the National Development and Reform Commission, a self-inspection requirement from the Ministry of Natural Resources, and a special audit by the National Audit Office.

But this is just the beginning. The real avalanche is yet to come.

A few days later, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission received another letter from the National Development and Reform Commission, with an attachment of a 40-page "problem list." The list detailed suspicious aspects of the approval procedures for 22 major projects in Handong Province over the past 15 years—from land approval to environmental impact assessment approval, from bidding to fund disbursement, every step was verifiable, and every figure had a source. The letter was written in standard official language: "Please verify this carefully and submit a verification report within three months."

When Zhou, the director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, received the letter, his hands were trembling. He read the letter from beginning to end, then read it again, and then picked up the phone and dialed Qi Tongwei's number.

When the call connected, his voice was almost pleading: "Governor Qi, you have to think of a way. If we investigate these projects one by one, all the work our Provincial Development and Reform Commission has done over the past 10 years will have been for nothing."

Qi Tongwei was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, then said, "Keep calm. Make a copy of the letter and send it to Secretary Sha's office."

Old Zhou wanted to say something, but the call had already ended.

The second wave of materials arrived shortly afterward.

This time, the focus shifted from projects to individuals. The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection received a handwritten, unsigned letter of complaint, but extremely detailed. The complaint targeted a deputy director of the Provincial Department of Finance, surnamed Liu, who had been in charge of funding for several major projects during Zhao Lichun's tenure. The letter listed Deputy Director Liu's "irregularities" in project fund disbursements—the dates, amounts, and approvers were all clearly documented. The letter concluded with: "I recommend a thorough investigation."

When Tian Guofu showed the letter of complaint to Sha Ruijin, Sha Ruijin's expression turned very ugly.

"Should we investigate or not?" Tian Guofu asked.

According to regulations, anonymous reports can be suppressed.

The deputy director-general level is not high, but the Finance Department is in a sensitive position, and given the current situation, Tian Guofu naturally wants to suppress it.

Sha Ruijin remained silent for a long time before saying, "Follow the procedure. Once we receive a report, we must verify it."

Generally, anonymity is used to avoid retaliation, or because the whistleblower has a special or lowly status. But this is clearly not the case now. If the situation is suppressed any further, who knows what might happen.

Tian Guofu nodded without saying anything more. When he walked out of Sha Ruijin's office, his steps were much heavier than usual.

He knew that this whistleblower letter was just the first domino. The rest would fall one by one.

The days that followed were like an endless blizzard.

New material emerges every day. Sometimes it's a letter from a higher authority, sometimes a whistleblower's report from the disciplinary committee, and sometimes an "in-depth report" in the media. Each piece of news is like a chess piece falling precisely onto the most vulnerable spot in Handong, like a chess piece falling from Zhao Lichun's chessboard.

The Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development received a letter requesting an investigation into the use of funds for shantytown renovation projects.

The Provincial Department of Natural Resources received a report requesting an inspection of the approval process for a certain piece of land.

The Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission received a call from the National Audit Office regarding a special audit, requesting that certain materials be prepared in advance.

The Provincial Department of Transportation, the Provincial Department of Water Resources, the Provincial Department of Environmental Protection... no department was spared.

Sha Ruijin is in meetings every day. He meets with the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Finance Department, the Provincial Government, and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. He speaks constantly, issues instructions constantly, and coordinates constantly. But he finds that the busier he is, the more chaotic the situation becomes. It's not because he's not working hard, but because there are just too many problems. So many that he simply doesn't have time to deal with them all.

One afternoon, he had been in meetings all day and didn't get back to his office until almost seven o'clock. Bai Jingwen brought in the day's documents, which were piled up half a foot high.

He flipped to the top document, which was another report from the provincial government, from the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. It said that the verification of a certain project needed to be postponed because there was too much material involved, and it couldn't be sorted out in a short time.

He put down the report, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, the entire officialdom of Handong was like a pot of oil about to boil.