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

He was already used to his wife's increasingly frequent irritability and nagging in recent years. Hearing this, he just sighed and gently comforted her while stirring the vegetables in the pot: "Why are you in such a hurry? Didn't his sister say that she's arranging for him to meet a new colleague from her workplace this weekend? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. There's no use in worrying too much."

"I'm useless? Is it wrong for me to worry?" Wang Hong, like a lit firecracker, continued her tirade after her husband, "Look at this family, inside and out, what isn't something I worry about? You..."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was somber.

After dinner, Liu Ya suggested going for a walk to aid digestion.

Walking along the slightly worn tree-lined path in the neighborhood, with a cool evening breeze, Wang Hong's mood seemed to calm down a bit, and the conversation naturally turned to her work during the day.

Liu Ya stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her: "You rejected Secretary Qi's first move after taking office?"

“How can you call it a rejection?” Wang Hong immediately retorted, “He only suggested adding someone, he didn’t directly nominate Luo Xiangdong. As the head of the organization department, it is reasonable and compliant for me to raise a different opinion from the perspective of promoting younger cadres.”

Liu Ya frowned: "Everyone knows that Luo Xiangdong is Qi Tongwei's candidate. What's the point of you playing this wording loophole?"

“When Secretary Yi was here, he would always consult with me beforehand about these kinds of things.” Wang Hong’s tone was tinged with dissatisfaction. “He just comes to the Standing Committee meeting as soon as he arrives, without any intention of discussing anything. What is this? Is he launching a surprise attack? Why can’t I express my opinion?”

“You!” Liu Ya shook his head, his tone becoming more serious. “Can Secretary Yi be compared to Secretary Qi? Secretary Yi has no connections above him and prefers to play it safe, there’s nothing he can do about it! Even so, once he sets the tone, you still have to carry it out, right? This Qi Tongwei, he has connections all over the place! Even Li Duohai was imprisoned without a second thought, why are you arguing with him?”

"So what if I have connections?" Wang Hong's voice suddenly became sharp, bursting forth with anger that had been suppressed all day and a kind of inexplicable stubbornness. "My cousin is the vice governor! Am I afraid of him? I don't embezzle or take anything, and I don't want to climb any higher. I just want to retire peacefully when I reach retirement age. What can he do to me? Can he remove me from my post?"

“Secretary Qi is a leader after all. If you offend him like this, it will be difficult for you to do your job in the future,” Liu Ya advised.

The two got angry as they talked.

"You're just being stubborn! You're going through menopause, I'm not arguing with you!"

"Who are you calling menopausal? Who's not thinking straight?" Wang Hong retorted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Liu Ya! You're just a low-level director in a state-owned enterprise, not even a section chief, and you think you can teach me how to do things?"

That night, the couple slept in separate beds.

The next morning, Wang Hong arrived at the office with slightly swollen eyelids and a gloomy expression.

Not long after I sat down, I learned that the executive vice minister had been called in for a talk by Qi Tongwei.

She knew she couldn't confront the county party secretary directly, so her speech at yesterday's meeting was partly out of dissatisfaction with Qi Tongwei's "unconventional approach" and resentment towards him for affecting her brother's promotion.

The other half is someone who has been spoiled by Yi Xuexi's "respect" for a long time, and it is also her family background that gives her confidence.

Her original plan was that Qi Tongwei would definitely talk to her afterward. As long as he gave her a way out and communicated the necessity of Luo Xiangdong—such as emphasizing a stable transition and familiarity with the situation—she would naturally "go with the flow" and recommend Luo Xiangdong at the next meeting.

However, she had a big fight with her husband last night and was feeling resentful. This morning, Qi Tongwei not only didn't look for her, but instead summoned her deputy directly. This was clearly a warning to her, and he was even starting to plot to sideline her!

I had no appetite at lunchtime.

In the afternoon, the County Party Committee Office notified the Secretary of an office meeting.

The atmosphere in the small meeting room was even more somber than during the Standing Committee meeting.

After outlining several key tasks for the near future, Qi Tongwei changed the subject and explicitly instructed Jiang Fei, the deputy secretary of the county party committee, to assist him in paying more attention to and coordinating personnel matters. He also requested the secretary of the discipline inspection commission to conduct a thorough review of the discipline and conduct of cadres throughout the county.

Just as the meeting was about to end, Wang Hong took a deep breath and said:

"Secretary Qi, regarding the matter of adding Standing Committee members mentioned at yesterday's Standing Committee meeting, I have given it careful consideration after returning home, and I have some thoughts I would like to report to you."

Qi Tongwei looked at her calmly and nodded slightly.

Is this a sliding kneeling pose? At least they know how to be pragmatic.

Wang Hong avoided his gaze, looked at the table, and said quickly, "I think that Deputy County Head Shi Yueping is young and promising, with good performance and reputation. Deputy County Head Lin, who was transferred before, was a member of the Standing Committee and concurrently served as Deputy County Head. Having Comrade Shi Yueping take over the Standing Committee would not only optimize the age structure of the team, but also strengthen the government's workforce. It is a more appropriate choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.

Qi Tongwei's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes instantly turned cold and sharp, like an ancient well with a cold pool, as he slowly turned his gaze to Xu Hongbin, the county magistrate sitting to the side.

Shi Yueping was Xu Hongbin's right-hand man and one of his men.

Wang Hong nominated Shi Yueping? Is this... a joint effort by the county head and the organization minister to give the new secretary a "baptism of fire"? Are they plotting a rebellion to seize control of personnel matters?

Could they even seize control of the Standing Committee?

Qi Tongwei instantly became alert, his mind racing with thoughts: Who was behind them? What was their purpose? Did they have a backup plan?

Xu Hongbin was visibly taken aback when he heard Wang Hong nominate him, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

When he felt Qi Tongwei's icy gaze sweep over him, his heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

What a joke!

The Secretary Qi in front of me has an unfathomable background and his methods have long been rumored. Only a madman would challenge the other party's authority, especially in personnel arrangements that are clearly the secretary's "private domain"!

“Minister Wang’s suggestion…I don’t think it’s quite appropriate.” Xu Hongbin spoke immediately, his tone firm, even with a hint of urgency as if he was eager to distance himself. “Comrade Shi Yueping is indeed good, but he is still young and inexperienced. The purpose of adding members to the Standing Committee is to improve the team and carry out the work better. Director Luo Xiangdong is experienced, familiar with the county’s situation, and has strong coordination skills. I think he is the more suitable candidate.”

Wang Hong felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, instantly chilling her to the bone.

Looking at Xu Hongbin's eagerness to express his opinion, and feeling Qi Tongwei's cold gaze, she felt the frustration from last night's argument, the anger from being reprimanded this morning, and the emotional outburst caused by menopausal hormones...

All the irrational factors receded like the tide, leaving only chilling fear and a clear realization—she had made an extremely foolish mistake! She overestimated her own importance, misjudged Xu Hongbin's attitude, and severely underestimated Qi Tongwei's authority!

“Secretary Qi…” Wang Hong’s voice was a little dry. She tried to force a smile, but it looked worse than crying. “County Chief Xu is right. I didn’t think it through. Director Luo Xiangdong… is indeed more suitable.”

Qi Tongwei withdrew his gaze and stopped looking at her, as if that brief, murderous stare had never happened.

He nodded, his tone calm and even: "Since everyone has reached a preliminary consensus, let's wait for the Organization Department to complete the investigation materials according to procedures, and then discuss it again at the next Standing Committee meeting. Meeting adjourned."

He was the first to get up and leave.

Wang Hong sat blankly in the chair, feeling cold all over.

She knew she had missed her last chance; no, perhaps she had never truly had a "chance" in the first place.

Faced with absolute power, her background, qualifications, and stubbornness were utterly insignificant.

Qi Tongwei returned to his office, having already made up his mind.

Wang Hong's abilities are not particularly outstanding; she got to where she is today mainly through family connections and gender balance policies.

In retrospect, not only were his abilities limited, but his political acumen and emotional management were also problematic.

Today, she can make such an unwise provocation because of personal grudges and emotions. Tomorrow, she may cause an even bigger mess on more critical organizational and personnel issues for some other inexplicable reason.

Often, the most ingenious schemes of a bad person are no match for the quick thinking of a fool.

Organization and personnel matters are the core of the county party secretary's power. Even if she has now yielded and surrendered, she must not hand them over to such an unstable and uncontrollable person.

He picked up the red internal phone and dialed the number for the office of Gao Yuliang, the municipal party secretary.

Three days later, the transfer order from the Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department was issued to the Daokou County Party Committee:

"After deliberation by the Municipal Party Committee, it was decided that Comrade Wang Hong would no longer serve as a member of the Standing Committee of the Daokou County Party Committee and Minister of the Organization Department, and would be transferred to the Luzhou Meteorological Bureau as Deputy Director."

Chapter 89 Meeting

In Qi Tongwei's eyes, Wang Hong's incident was just a minor episode that quickly passed during the early stages of his tenure. He didn't dwell on it and simply put it aside.

The Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department acted swiftly, quickly dispatching Guo Wanqiu, a female deputy district head, to take over as the head of the United Front Work Department. Liu Xingwang, the original head of the United Front Work Department, naturally became the head of the Organization Department.

Guo Wanqiu's transfer was clearly a consideration of balancing the gender structure of the leadership team. For her personally, it was a "bargain" to enter the core of the county party committee.

The newly appointed Organization Minister Liu Xingwang took a clear stance, and at the subsequent Standing Committee meeting, he took the initiative to propose and push for the addition of Luo Xiangdong as a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee. The proposal was unanimously passed without any suspense.

With this, Qi Tongwei had essentially completed his first step in the political arena of Daokou County: gaining initial control of the Standing Committee.

Of the eleven Standing Committee members, Zhou Qiang, the political commissar of the People's Armed Forces Department, naturally aligns himself with the secretary; Luo Xiangdong is a staunch ally; Deputy Secretary Jiang Fei has already expressed his intention to defect; Organization Minister Liu Xingwang's transfer benefited from this adjustment, so he naturally wants to align himself with the secretary; the newly appointed United Front Work Minister Guo Wanqiu has received favors and also needs to make a gesture; Standing Committee members from the Party Committee system, such as the Discipline Inspection Commission, the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and the Propaganda Department, usually tend to coordinate their positions with the secretary under the current system.

Most importantly, County Head Xu Hongbin has not shown any signs of challenging the Party Secretary's authority or vying for control so far.

But in Qi Tongwei's view, it's not important whether Xu Hongbin has this "intention" or not; what's important is that he doesn't have the ability to do so.

Just like in ancient times, when merits overshadowed the emperor, it didn't matter whether one had the intention to rebel or not; as long as one had the power to rebel, that was the original sin of a meritorious official.

Taking initial control of the Standing Committee only provides institutional guarantees for governance; the real test lies in whether it can quickly establish a working situation and produce tangible achievements that can be recognized by both superiors and subordinates.

Daokou County has a weak foundation and almost no industrial base. Although it can quickly boost GDP figures by forcing a few large projects from the State Economic Commission, this kind of obviously "blood transfusion" style of political achievement is seen by discerning people as too much of a stretch and lacking in substance.

In agriculture, the cycle is long, the results are slow, the risks are high, and it is greatly constrained by natural conditions, making it difficult to demonstrate its governance capabilities in the short term.

Therefore, promoting large-scale industrial and agricultural development is not his current priority.

These two areas are not ignored, but rather steadily advanced along the conventional path, and are not used as the main focus for establishing personal authority and core political achievements.

His work focuses clearly on two aspects: Party building and the tertiary industry.

First and foremost is Party building.

This is by no means the formalism of "holding meetings, shouting slogans, and issuing documents" that many people imagine.

In the responsibilities of a county party secretary, Party building encompasses the party's political, ideological, organizational, style, disciplinary, and institutional development. It is a fundamental task that oversees the overall situation, unites people's hearts, and safeguards the direction.

Strengthening Party building is not only a powerful testament to his ability to "understand grassroots politics" in his previous internal report, but also a prerequisite and foundation for optimizing the business environment and reshaping the political ecology.

One of the thorny legacy issues currently facing Daokou County is the vicious cycle caused by lax Party building and a lack of discipline.

In the final days of his administration, Lee Da-hae, in an effort to seize the last chance for promotion, recklessly pursued large-scale projects without regard for reality. Although he himself was soon brought down, many of the hastily launched projects have become sunk costs.

Although Yi Xuexi, the successor, was diligent, he was never good at economics.

Over the past three years, projects such as hotels and paper mills have either failed to materialize or gone bankrupt. Not only have they failed to generate profits, but they have also burdened various bureaus, offices, and townships in the county with heavy debts.

Yi Xuexi was, to some extent, a scapegoat for Li Duohai, but as the top leader, the project did indeed fail during his tenure, and coupled with the lack of support from above, he was eventually transferred.

The heavy debts of various levels of government have directly led to the frequent delays or reductions in the payment of salaries for civil servants and employees of public institutions.

During this period, civil servants' salaries were already low and not guaranteed, so the practice of "extortion, bribery, and shirking responsibility," as well as passive resistance to work and even using their power to seek petty gains, quietly emerged and spread.

The people face difficulties in getting things done, have many complaints, and petitions are frequent, leading to strained relations between officials and the public.

This is the "first step" that Qi Tongwei wants to take – using Party building as a starting point to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, boost morale, and rebuild order and trust.

He convened another meeting of secretaries, and in addition to the five-person group, he also specially invited Jiang Chaokun, the propaganda minister.

At the start of the meeting, Qi Tongwei got straight to the point:

"The first issue is that the government should pay all the back wages owed to civil servants as soon as possible and ensure that they are paid on time and in full in the future."

He knew that it was unrealistic to expect a horse to run fast without feeding it grass.

If salaries cannot be paid in full, forcibly implementing anti-corruption discipline will only provoke widespread resistance and passive opposition at the grassroots level, and work efficiency will inevitably be greatly reduced. This is unacceptable to Qi Tongwei, who wants to get things done.

County Head Xu Hongbin looked troubled: "Secretary Qi, I also want to pay salaries. The wages have been delayed for so long, and the people below are very unhappy about it. It's a headache for me too. But the county's finances are really tight right now. The deficit over the years is not small, tax revenue is growing slowly, but fixed expenditures are still not reduced at all."

Qi Tongwei pressed further: "If all the back wages are paid in one lump sum and then guaranteed to be paid in full, how many months can the county's current financial resources sustain this?"

Xu Hongbin quickly calculated in his mind and cautiously replied, "If we squeeze it out, we can maintain full payment for about six months after the back payment. But the problem is that the next round of tax revenue collection will take about eight months, and... the county needs to keep some reserve funds to deal with emergencies, and necessary operating expenses and expenditures on people's livelihoods cannot be completely suspended."

He listed several major areas of fiscal expenditure.