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

Beneath the surface calm lies a surging fear and anger.

Those who were first to feel uneasy were the cadres who had risen through the ranks during Zhao Lichun's era. They weren't necessarily Zhao Lichun's people, but they were all promoted during his tenure. Every step of their advancement bore the mark of that era. Now that Zhao Lichun was in trouble, they were also dragged down as "legacy issues."

Chen, a deputy secretary-general of the provincial council, was Zhao Lichun's last secretary during his tenure. He served under Zhao Lichun for a short period but was not deeply involved. After Zhao Lichun left Handong, he was assigned to a sinecure and never reassigned.

He thought he was far from the eye of the storm, but the letter from the National Development and Reform Commission made him realize that the storm would not spare anyone.

Although he knew that it was inappropriate to have a gathering at this critical juncture, he still invited a few old colleagues to his home for drinks to vent his emotions.

After a few rounds of drinks, he became more talkative.

"Secretary Sha has been here for almost a year, and he's done a lot, but what has he actually done? It's always investigating this or cracking down on that. What about the economy? What about development? What about the lives of ordinary people?"

The person next to him quickly tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to keep his voice down.

Deputy Secretary-General Chen, his eyes red, shook off the man's hand and raised his voice even louder: "What do I have to be afraid to say? I haven't broken the law! I just can't stand it! A provincial party secretary, instead of focusing on the economy, is always engaged in infighting, turning Handong into a mess. Now look what's happened, the higher-ups are coming to investigate, to check the projects, to audit. Who's proud of this?"

No one at the table responded. Everyone kept their heads down, picking at their food and drinking, pretending not to hear.

But everyone was thinking to themselves that what Deputy Secretary-General Chen said wasn't without merit.

Similar discussions circulated in various banquets, teahouses, and private garages in Jingzhou. No one dared to speak openly, but privately, more and more people began to express their dissatisfaction with Sha Ruijin.

Some say Sha Ruijin was "too hasty," some say he "lacked political awareness," and some say he "treated Handong as his own testing ground." Opinions vary, but the core message is the same—Sha Ruijin has thrown Handong into chaos.

This dissatisfaction didn't form overnight; it accumulated over time.

From the very first day Sha Ruijin took office, he began to "rectify" the political landscape. He rectified personnel, cadres, and the political environment. He froze cadre appointments, reshuffled the leadership team, and investigated a number of people. He thought he was "cleaning up historical issues," but to those cadres who had grown up in that "historical legacy," he was denying their past, their work, and their value.

Zhao Donglai also overheard these discussions at a dinner party.

He didn't often attend dinner parties, but that night, an old subordinate invited him to dinner. He initially wanted to decline, but after careful consideration, he agreed.

With morale low and people feeling uneasy, he needs to find a way to calm them down, otherwise it will be difficult to lead the team.

There were seven or eight people sitting at the table, all from the public security system, some from the municipal bureau and some from the district bureau, all of whom were his staunch supporters.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation naturally turned to the recent situation.

The head of a branch office, surnamed Sun, drank half a jin of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor), his face turned bright red, and he started talking recklessly.

“Director Zhao, tell me, what exactly did we do wrong? We worked for Secretary Li for several years, and we weren’t embezzling or taking bribes; we were just doing our jobs normally. Now that Secretary Li has fallen, we’ve become ‘Li Dakang’s men’? We’ve become ‘problematic’ people? What are they going to investigate? Are they going to investigate us for being too diligent in handling cases?”

Zhao Donglai held his wine glass but remained silent.

Director Sun continued, “I’m not speaking for Secretary Li. The organization is investigating Secretary Li’s case. But we people have worked diligently for so many years, and in the end, we’ve become the targets that ‘need to be cleaned up.’ I can’t swallow this.”

The people next to him quickly advised, "Old Sun, you've had too much to drink, say less."

Director Sun waved his hand: "I'm not drunk. I just can't stand it. Secretary Sha has been here for almost a year, what has he done? He's been harassing people. He's harassed this one and that one. Now look what's happened, the higher-ups are coming to investigate, to check the projects. Investigate, investigate, just arrest everyone."

Zhao Donglai put down his wine glass, glanced at Director Sun, and said calmly, "Old Sun, you've had too much to drink."

Deputy Director Sun looked at him, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. He picked up his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, then lowered his head and remained silent.

The dinner table was silent for a few seconds.

Zhao Donglai looked at the people present and said in a calm tone, "What you said today, forget about it once you leave this room. If anyone spreads this around, don't blame me for turning against you."

Those present nodded quickly, and one by one patted their chests to assure them.

Zhao Donglai picked up a glass of baijiu, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then said, "The higher-ups won't let Handong continue to be in such chaos. You can focus on your work. I'm not down yet, what are you afraid of!"

The group felt a little relieved, and then it was time for the familiar drinking contest within the public security system. After just a few rounds, everyone was drunk.

I don't know if I'm truly drunk, or if I just want to get drunk.

-

In the provincial party secretary's office, Sha Ruijin put down the phone, his face grim.

He had just spoken with his former leader in the faction, hoping to seek help from higher levels, but was flatly and decisively rejected.

Let him figure it out himself.

To say he was abandoned would be an understatement; a provincial champion wouldn't be easily abandoned. But if it's a matter of disappointment, then there was certainly some disappointment.

He does indeed bear primary responsibility for the situation in Handong developing to this extent.

The higher authorities will no longer invest more resources in him. The current situation involves too many departments: reform, natural resources, auditing, land, and state-owned assets. It will take considerable resources to quell the unrest.

If there's really no other way out, the higher-ups might reluctantly make concessions, but there's still one way out now!

The so-called "let him figure it out himself" was actually forcing him to exchange resources with Qi Tongwei, since everyone knew that Qi Tongwei had deep connections with higher-ups.

But what can Sha Ruijin offer? What else can he offer?

In order to settle scores with the Zhao family, he had already ceded a lot of interests. Now, Gao, Lin, and Dong are all Qi Tongwei's people in the Standing Committee. In addition, there is also the Vice Governor (non-staff member) who will definitely be inclined to Qi Tongwei in the future. He already has nearly 5 sure votes on his side.

If we make further concessions, who will preside over the Standing Committee?

How did it come to this?

Sha Ruijin looked out the window, pacing back and forth, thinking over and over again.

In the end, he made up his mind and dialed Qi Tongwei's number directly.

—Gao Yuliang is about to retire, so Qi Tongwei will have one less vote, and there will still be room for negotiation.

But the current difficulties are right here; if we don't overcome them, there will be no future.

After a few busy tones, the call was connected.

The other end of the phone wasn't quiet at night; instead, there was the sound of howling wind.

A voice rang out, but it wasn't the cunning opponent Qi Tongwei who was expected to reap the benefits. Instead, it was a young voice: "Hello, Secretary Sha, I am Liao Qingyuan, the secretary of Governor Qi. I just brought Governor Qi to the airport."

"Governor Qi has just boarded a plane and is rushing to Beijing to handle the crisis. He didn't bring his work phone with him and left it with me. He has entrusted Vice Governor Lin to handle matters at the provincial government. If you have any urgent matters, you can call Governor Qi's personal phone."

After a long silence on the other end of the phone, Sha Ruijin hung up.

"No need, it's fine."

On the other end of the phone, Qi Tongwei had not already boarded the plane as Liao Qingyuan had said. Instead, he was at the bottom of the airplane's staircase, preparing to climb up.

Liao Qingyuan put away his phone and asked, "Boss, don't you need me to go with you?"

Qi Tongwei patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's inconvenient this time, so you stay and watch the house."

Liao Qingyuan looked puzzled, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Qi Tongwei laughed heartily: "If there's anything you don't understand, go ask Secretary Yuliang. Although Teacher Gao has abundant political resources, his political skills and vision are the real treasures. You still have a lot to learn!"

After saying that, he turned around and, with steady steps, boarded the plane amidst the salutes of the crew.

P.S.: There will be one more chapter during the day.

Chapter 214 Night Questions (Part 1)

After Qi Tongwei left, Liao Qingyuan got back into the car.

He drove himself to the airport tonight, without a driver. The vibration of the idling engine transmitted through the steering wheel, subtle and continuous, like a silent urging. He gripped the steering wheel, but didn't start driving immediately. Instead, he leaned back in his seat, watching the lights gradually dim in the direction of the terminal.

Qi Tongwei's flight has already taken off. Heading to Beijing. To deal with the increasingly out-of-control situation.

Liao Qingyuan had too many doubts in his mind.

During this time, he had been watching every move Governor Qi made. While watching, he felt he understood, but after Governor Qi left, sitting here alone, he felt he understood nothing at all. He wanted to ask Gao Yuliang for advice, but he was afraid of disturbing his rest.

He hesitated for a long time.

The questions that kept swirling in his mind were: Why didn't Governor Qi answer Secretary Sha's call? Why didn't he wait for Secretary Sha to offer his terms before going to Beijing alone? What would he have gained by answering that call? And what did it mean by not answering?

After much deliberation, he picked up his phone and decided to send a message to test the waters first.

He opened the notepad interface and started typing.

Here's a little trick: if you type directly in the text message interface, you might accidentally send it directly.

I typed and deleted, deleted and typed again, carefully considering my words. I wanted to write in a more subtle way, not wanting to seem too rash, but as I wrote, I felt that all those roundabout things were meaningless in front of Gao Yuliang.

"Hello, Secretary Gao. This is Xiao Liao. Governor Qi just flew to Beijing to handle the crisis, and I am staying in Jingzhou as he ordered. I have some questions about my work recently, and I wonder if you have time to ask you in person."

He spent nearly ten minutes writing less than a hundred words.

He checked it three times, making sure there were no typos and the tone was appropriate—straight to the point, simple and direct. He hesitated for a second, copied the text to a message, and pressed the send button.

He shouldn't have revealed Qi Tongwei's itinerary. But from what Qi Tongwei said before leaving, it was clear that he didn't mind if Qi Tongwei went to see Gao Yuliang.

Now that the governor has given his approval, there's no need for him to hide anything.

The message has been sent.

He didn't start the car immediately, but leaned back in his seat, deciding to wait half an hour. He could respond immediately if Gao Yuliang replied; continuing to drive would only cause delays.

He figured there wouldn't be a reply tonight. It was past ten o'clock; Secretary Gao was probably already asleep.

But to my surprise, less than five minutes later, my phone rang. It wasn't a text message, it was a phone call. The screen displayed Gao Yuliang's number.

Liao Qingyuan quickly answered the call and said respectfully, "Secretary Yuliang, I'm sorry to bother you so late."

On the other end of the phone, Gao Yuliang's voice was deep and serious. Without any pleasantries, he asked directly, "Xiao Liao, where are you now?"

"I'm at the airport."

"Come to my house now."

Liao Qingyuan was slightly taken aback: "Now... okay, I'll be right there."

The call ended. Liao Qingyuan didn't dare delay, started the car, and drove out of the parking lot.

Traffic was light in Jingzhou at night. The drive from the airport to the provincial party committee compound, which usually takes more than forty minutes, took less than half an hour tonight. Liao Qingyuan was driving Qi Tongwei's car. The gatekeeper recognized the license plate and didn't stop him; the gate simply opened.

He parked his car in front of Villa No. 2 and walked quickly toward Villa No. 3.

The door was already open. Warm yellow light shone from the foyer, illuminating the steps.

Gao Yuliang and Wu Huifen were both wearing coats, clearly having gone to bed and then gotten up again. Wu Huifen's hair was a little messy, but she seemed to be in good spirits. She sat with Liao Qingyuan for a while, poured him a glass of water, and then went upstairs to rest.

Liao Qingyuan accepted the water glass with both hands, bowing slightly in a gesture of flattery.

Only two people remained in the living room. Gao Yuliang sat on the sofa, wearing a dark bathrobe with a black overcoat draped over it. His hair was neatly combed, but the weariness on his face was undeniable. He gestured to the sofa opposite him, indicating that Liao Qingyuan should sit down.

Liao Qingyuan, holding his teacup, sat down again with a restrained expression.

Gao Yuliang didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Did Tongwei go to Beijing?"