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

Hou Liangping and Ji Changming both smiled ingratiatingly.

Sha Ruijin's smile gradually faded, and his tone became solemn: "At this time, the Supreme People's Procuratorate has sent you here. Comrade Liangping, this is a timely help. On behalf of the Handong Provincial Committee, I extend my sincere welcome to your arrival."

Hou Liangping felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and a smug smile appeared on his face: "Secretary Sha, thank you for the trust of the Handong Provincial Party Committee and you."

Sha Ruijin nodded, leaned forward slightly, and his gaze sharpened: "Comrade Liangping, Comrade Changming, our Provincial Party Committee has several requirements for your procuratorate's anti-corruption work."

Ji Changming and Hou Liangping sat up straight at the same time, their expressions solemn, and both took out their notebooks to start taking notes.

“First,” Sha Ruijin said, raising a finger, his voice steady and powerful, “the anti-corruption work in Handong Province will, starting today, have no upper limit. No matter who we find, no matter what level of official they are, we will investigate to the end and show no leniency.”

"Secondly," Sha Ruijin held up another finger, "there's no guarantee of a minimum. We'll fight tigers, and we'll swat flies too..."

Listen to the sound.

There is no upper limit, and no lower limit.

Both sentences are important, but for Sha Ruijin, they carry different weight.

For the provincial anti-corruption bureau, the significance is also different.

Corruption among bureau chiefs and town mayors in lower-level districts and counties is a matter for the anti-corruption bureaus at the next level or even the level after that.

If the provincial anti-corruption bureau spends all its time arresting section-level cadres, what kind of provincial anti-corruption bureau is it?

It's not that corruption among low-ranking officials is unimportant, but rather that if Sha Ruijin wanted to emphasize this aspect of the work, he should have approached Gao Yuliang and then conveyed the provincial party committee's instructions at the provincial political and legal system work conference.

The two sentences he called Hou Liangping and Ji Changming together today, and spoke to them separately, had only one real point—

Not capped.

Something big is about to happen.

Hou Liangping felt a surge of excitement.

Ji Changming's feelings, however, were much more complicated.

Secretary Sha issued this instruction immediately after returning from his research trip, which suggests that the Discipline Inspection Commission has likely already taken action.

These are turbulent times.

Sha Ruijin continued, "Furthermore, we must focus on catching those who are currently committing crimes. For example, those like Ding Yizhen, who did not stop their crimes after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, must be resolutely apprehended."

He paused, then emphasized, "At the same time, we must not overlook historical issues. Those corrupt officials, if the evidence is conclusive, must be dealt with according to the law. There is no such thing as a safe landing. We don't care which gang or faction they belong to."

Ji Changming felt a chill run down his spine.

Gangs, factions, historical issues, and no safe landing.

The meaning is quite clear when these words are put together.

This is a "counterattack and retribution."

Moreover, it was almost explicitly stated that the goal was to address the historical issues left over from those gangs and factions.

Who is the largest gang in Handong Province? Who holds the highest position?

Ji Changming calmly took a sip of tea, concealing the turmoil in his eyes.

Hou Liangping was also pondering this in secret.

He vaguely understood something, but he wasn't sure; it was as if he understood.

Write it down and ask Xiao Ai when I get back.

After saying this, Sha Ruijin stood up and dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes: "Alright, that's enough for today. I have to go to a meeting."

Ji Changming quickly stood up and said a series of platitudes about "definitely implementing the instructions of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary Sha".

Sha Ruijin nodded with a smile and shook hands with the two of them one by one.

When it was Hou Liangping's turn, he deliberately shook hands for two extra seconds, looked at him intently, and lowered his voice slightly: "Comrade Liangping, if you encounter any problems or difficulties, you can come directly to me."

Hou Liangping was startled and quickly replied, "Understood, Secretary Sha."

Sha Ruijin released his hand, nodded, and turned to leave.

Bai Jingwen followed closely behind, quietly reporting the agenda for the Standing Committee meeting later.

As Sha Ruijin walked, he listened and nodded slightly, but his mind was still on the conversation he had just had.

Hou Liangping is a simple, direct, and energetic person, but he is not very shrewd.

To put it nicely, it's called a childlike heart; to put it bluntly, it's called a hothead.

But this is for the best. This is exactly the kind of knife he needs.

A knife just needs to be sharp; it doesn't need to be so clever.

He sighed slightly: If only all those old foxes on the Standing Committee were as easy to deal with as this hothead.

Only Ji Changming and Hou Liangping remained in the room.

The two watched Sha Ruijin leave, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ji Changming watched Sha Ruijin's retreating figure and sighed silently in his heart.

A storm is brewing.

He had worked his entire life in the procuratorial system, always walking on thin ice and trembling with fear. Just as he was about to retire, he never expected to be caught up in such a dramatic turn of events.

Will he be able to safely reach the other side?

Hou Liangping's thoughts were completely different.

He savored every word and every look Sha Ruijin had just given him, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

"If you have any difficulties, you can come to me directly"—this sentence carries a lot of weight.

This gives him the authority to report to a level above his own!

This shows that Sha Ruijin is very satisfied with him, trusts him, and supports him.

He must have done well in today's conversation, right?

The two men, each with their own thoughts, were preparing to leave the provincial party committee and return to work at the procuratorate when they encountered Qi Tongwei, who had come to attend a standing committee meeting.

Qi Tongwei took the initiative to greet him: "Chief Prosecutor Ji, Liangping."

The two quickly suppressed their thoughts and stepped forward to greet him: "Governor Qi." "Hello, Governor Qi."

Qi Tongwei glanced in the direction they came from and said, "From Secretary Sha's place?"

Ji Changming smiled and said, "Yes, Secretary Sha specifically requested to meet with the newly arrived Anti-Corruption Bureau Chief, Comrade Hou Liangping."

Secretary Huang Qiaosong, who was following behind, reminded him, "Governor, the meeting is about to start."

Qi Tongwei nodded, then turned to Hou Liangping with a smile and said, "Liangping, you haven't visited Teacher Gao's house yet since you came to Handong, have you? I'll tell him later that you shouldn't leave after get off work today, I'll pick you up and we can go to his house for a meal together."

Chapter 127 Meeting (Part 1)

Meetings are a concentrated manifestation of political conflict and also the climax of most literary and artistic works about officialdom.

This was the first Standing Committee meeting convened by Sha Ruijin after taking office in Handong.

A new broom sweeps clean, and the first one should naturally be as blazing as possible.

The Standing Committee meeting room is located on the fifth floor of the Provincial Party Committee building.

The conference room wasn't very large, but it was decorated in a solemn and dignified manner.

A deep red carpet, a dark brown oval conference table, on which are neatly arranged teacups, folders and nameplates.

The national emblem hangs on the wall directly opposite the door, with the national flag and the party flag on either side.

At this moment, the Standing Committee members arrived one after another, standing in twos and threes exchanging pleasantries.

The atmosphere in the meeting room seemed relaxed, but undercurrents were actually running deep.

Li Dakang's face was gloomy as he spoke to Gao Yuliang in a low voice.

Both of them had serious expressions, clearly not chatting casually.

“Secretary Yuliang,” Li Dakang’s voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of accusation, “did you and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission give any instructions to the procuratorate?”

Outside the conference room, officers from the Provincial Public Security Bureau and the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau were in a standoff with personnel from the Provincial Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Both sides wanted to take Cai Chenggong away, and neither was willing to give in.

On the surface, this was a dispute over the right to handle cases, but in reality, it involved Ouyang Jing—Li Dakang's wife.

Gao Yuliang held his teacup, a faint smile on his face, and said calmly, "Secretary Dakang, the procuratorate has its own working system. They exercise their prosecutorial power in accordance with the law. How can the provincial party committee and I interfere arbitrarily?"

It was clearly a matter for the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, but Gao Yuliang said that he and the Provincial Party Committee could not interfere arbitrarily. This was an attempt to pressure him by using his position as Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

Li Dakang's expression became even more serious: "Secretary Yuliang."

Gao Yuliang didn't respond, but smiled and said, "Let's not talk about it now, let's have a meeting. Let's go."

After saying that, he reached out to help Li Dakang's arm.

Li Dakang shook off his hand, his face grim.

Gao Yuliang wasn't annoyed and calmly said, "Secretary Dakang, don't get agitated."

Li Dakang glared at him: "Am I excited?"

Just then, footsteps came from the doorway.

Sha Ruijin walked in with Bai Jingwen, just in time to hear this, and interjected with a smile, "Who's getting excited? Is everyone here? Let's start the meeting."

The provincial party committee secretary-general hurriedly stepped forward: "Secretary Sha, Vice Governor Qi has not yet arrived."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Tongwei appeared at the door and said, "I'm sorry, Secretary Sha, I'm late. I ran into an old classmate at the provincial party committee gate, said hello, and that's why I was delayed."

Sha Ruijin's smile remained unchanged: "It's alright, it's not time for the meeting yet. Everyone, please take your seats, let's begin the meeting."

Generally, the top leader is the last to arrive.

Aside from a few officials who are obsessed with their personal authority, they will send people to the site to observe, and will not allow anyone to enter until everyone has arrived.

Most people follow the established rules: general attendees arrive 10 to 20 minutes early, important attendees arrive 5 minutes early, and the top leader usually arrives on time, or at their own discretion.

The more important the meeting, the earlier everyone should arrive. This was the first Standing Committee meeting chaired by Sha Ruijin, so everyone naturally attached great importance to it and arrived quite early.

Qi Tongwei was not actually late; there were still six or seven minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin.