In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

"So how have you made a living these past few years?"

"Farmers won't starve if they farm, but I feel sorry for my granddaughter. She's almost in sixth grade, and junior high will cost money. I really can't afford to send her to school..."

"What about the local government? What about the village? Did they not care? Didn't they even give you a poverty alleviation quota?"

Secretary Yuechi continued to press for answers, but the old woman shook her head blankly and said, "The village secretary said we don't meet the requirements. He has a lot of influence, and I have nowhere to reason with him."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Yuechi's face instantly turned grim, while Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi, standing beside him, turned even paler. If the situation was true, then it was the responsibility of their local officials!

As expected, Secretary Yuechi's face had turned ashen.

"Sister, did your village's Party Secretary really say that?"

"Grandpa, the Party Secretary is so mean! A few days ago he said that the hen Grandma raised was very authentic and he wanted to buy it for ten yuan. When Grandma refused to sell, the Party Secretary just threw down ten yuan, grabbed the hen, and left."

If the old lady's words only angered Yue Chi, then what the little girl Lin Xiaojun said was like adding fuel to the fire.

Once again, they've been humiliated in front of officials from other provinces. Secretary Yuechi is so angry he could kill someone!

He turned and gave Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi a cold look, then ordered, "What are you two standing there for? Bring that village secretary here. I want to ask him myself how he dared to do this! This is outrageous!"

Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi felt a jolt, then ran out of the house with two staff members to find the village party secretary.

After Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi left, the old lady was clearly frightened and said tremblingly, "Brother, why don't you just forget about it? The Party Secretary has a lot of influence, and the deputy mayor of the town is his brother-in-law. Don't get yourself into trouble."

Upon hearing this, Yue Chi suppressed his anger and smiled, "Big sister, don't be afraid. To tell you the truth, I'm a very high-ranking official. Even if I were a deputy town mayor, or even a deputy provincial governor, he would have to behave himself before me!"

Upon hearing this, the old lady rolled her eyes.

"Brother, we don't brag. Although I don't know many words, I do know a thing or two about how high a position a vice governor is. They're like the God of Literature descended from heaven!"

Chen Luo then joked, "Secretary Yue, it seems the old man doesn't trust us. Old man, have you ever heard of the Provincial Party Secretary?"

"I've heard of him! He's the head of a province!"

"That's right! Secretary Yue is the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of your Beiyue Province, um, the third leader of Beiyue Province!"

It was obvious that the old lady didn't know what a deputy secretary was, but from what Chen Luo said, she knew that the other party was a very high-ranking official!

Secretary Yuechi glared at Chen Luo. Who describes someone like that? He's not a bandit, yet he calls himself a leader…

"Sister, I do hold a high-ranking position, but this young man next to me is no ordinary person either. He'll only rise higher and higher in the future; even the vice governor won't have as much power as him!"

Chen Luo smiled and nodded; that was the truth.

The conversation veered off course, but that was fine, as it eased the old lady's anxiety.

Ten minutes later, Lin Xiaojun sat next to Chen Luo, and he was teasing the little girl.

"Girl, do you want to go to junior high, high school, or even university?"

"I want to! But Uncle, my family doesn't have any money..."

Lin Xiaojun's gaze gradually dimmed. She wasn't a two or three-year-old child anymore; she knew the importance of money.

Chapter 277 In just a few days, everything has changed?

"Hey, that's easy, isn't it?"

You may not have money, but your uncle does!

"As long as you can get into high school, then university, and even later into graduate school and a doctorate, your uncle will support your tuition and living expenses, okay?"

No sooner had Chen Luo finished speaking than Secretary Yuechi objected.

Everything else is negotiable, but wouldn't it be a real slap in the face to the Beiyue Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China to ask Chen Luo to support the little girl's schooling?

“Comrade Chen Luo, we in Beiyue haven’t reached that point yet. The Beiyue government can afford the girl’s tuition and living expenses. It’s just that some corrupt officials have been deceiving us. Once we get rid of these corrupt officials, there will be no problem with her going to school.”

That's not entirely untrue, but Chen Luo felt a connection with the little girl and still wanted to lend a hand.

“Secretary Yue, Beiyue is Beiyue and I am me. There is no conflict. Over the years, my wife and I have sponsored at least 80,000 to 100,000 students. One more little girl is nothing.”

"That's true. I heard that Dongsheng Investment Company belongs to you and your husband?"

Secretary Yuechi also became interested.

"Yes, it is jointly owned by the husband and wife, and they report it to the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Supervisory Commission every year."

"I didn't say there was a problem. You explained it so clearly. Sigh, it's true that comparisons are the thief of joy. You're so young and already a deputy provincial-level cadre, with both a son and a daughter, and a harmonious marriage. To be honest, I'm a little envious of you."

The two chatted casually when Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi finally returned with the village secretary.

Upon entering the courtyard, the village party secretary was dumbfounded by the demeanor of the accompanying staff. He knew he was probably doomed. After all, with the county party secretary and county head personally coming to "invite" him, it was no wonder he was in trouble!

"Director Tang, we've brought the person. Should you ask Secretary Yue for instructions?"

Mei Xiaoge and Ai Xianzhi did not dare to barge into the house at will. Instead, they reported to Secretary Tang. Secretary Tang did not say anything, but just nodded and went into the house to inform Secretary Yuechi and Chen Luo of the news.

A minute later, Secretary Yuechi took the lead and walked out of the house, with Chen Luo following behind at a leisurely pace.

After all, it was a family matter in Beiyue Province, so Chen Luo remained calm throughout, even though he was quite angry inside.

"Are you the village party secretary of Daling Village?"

The pressure from Secretary Yuechi was still too strong. The village party secretary, who was around forty years old, kept his head down and dared not look up, for fear of making eye contact with Secretary Yuechi.

"Boss, I am..."

"Tell me, how did you allocate the quotas for registered impoverished households in the village? And how did you force this old lady to buy and sell her chickens for ten yuan a few days ago?"

If things are clear, then we'll hand it over to the Discipline Inspection Commission for processing according to normal procedures. If they're unclear, or if there's any concealment, your outcome won't be good! I am Yue Chi, the Deputy Secretary of Beiyue Province. You should understand the weight of my words!

This was a blatant threat, made without any attempt at concealment. It was precisely this attitude that completely broke down the village party secretary's psychological defenses. What did he do to deserve being personally interrogated by the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee?

Once the psychological defenses crumble, the truth becomes clear.

In no time, the village party secretary confessed everything: how he got the position through his brother-in-law, the deputy mayor, how he profited, how he exploited the villagers, and how he embezzled and misappropriated a total of four million yuan over seven years!

Secretary Yuechi looked very solemn upon hearing this result. The farmers were already poor, yet this village party secretary still managed to squeeze money out of them. In the end, it was the ordinary people who suffered.

......................................................

On the way back, Secretary Yuechi was very silent. This trip to Guangming County had left him with mixed feelings. He had been away from the grassroots for too long, so long that he no longer knew what kind of life the people there were living.

Chen Luo remained silent, wondering if similar situations existed in Handong, where village secretaries and party secretaries were corrupt and deceiving their superiors. Even one such example would be a disaster for the entire village.

In silence, the car returned to Guangming County.

A day later, Chen Luo boarded a plane back to Handong. At the airport boarding gate, Yue Chi held Chen Luo's hand for a long time.

"Chen Luo, thank you!"

Chen Luo shook his head.

“Secretary Yue, we are cadres, cadres who serve the people. Whether they are the people of Handong or the people of Beiyue, they are all our service recipients, aren’t they?”

"I don't like to say polite words. These days are very important for our Beiyue Province. As long as we are determined to solve the problems, it is not too late. By the way, Ma Guangqun, the mayor of Xinzhou City, was placed under investigation by the Beiyue Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection this morning."

There are also some grassroots cadres and staff members being investigated. Comrade Chen Luo, next time you come to Beiyue, I believe you will see a different Beiyue!

"Then we'll wait and see next time!"

Goodbye, Secretary Yue, thank you for these past few days!

After saying goodbye, Chen Luo finally boarded the plane.

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Chen Luo returned to Handong, and the plane landed at Jingzhou International Airport.

Upon arriving back at the Provincial Party Committee building, Chen Luo was stopped by Gao Yuliang as soon as he entered the building.

"Comrade Chen Luo, you've returned from your inspection tour of Beiyue Province?"

Chen Luo smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

"Yes, this trip was very fruitful! There are some problems that we in Handong may also have."

"Oh? Then I wonder if Comrade Chen Luo could talk to me about what the problem is?"

Chen Luo was somewhat taken aback by Gao Yuliang's invitation, but he did not refuse.

"Secretary Yuliang, shall we go to your office?"

"Row!"

Five minutes later, in the deputy secretary's office, Chen Luo and Gao Yuliang sat on the sofa on either side of each other.

"Comrade Chen Luo, why don't you tell us what you've learned from this trip?"

Gao Yuliang wasn't in a hurry either; he also wanted to hear what Chen Luo had gained.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Luo began to speak.

After listening for a while, Gao Yuliang sighed softly.

"To be honest, this situation definitely exists in Handong, and the number is not small. The situation at the grassroots level is very complicated, especially in the villages. Those village party secretaries and village cadres deceive their superiors and subordinates, and the ordinary people who do not understand have no idea what rights they have."

Even reporting it to higher authorities yielded no results; not all local governments are responsible.

"Yes! Secretary Yuliang, in this situation, our provincial party committee should play an even greater role. We must strike at tigers and swat at flies. Only by maintaining high pressure and a firm anti-corruption stance can we ensure that lower-level cadres dare not and do not want to be corrupt!"

"That's a good suggestion!"

"However, Comrade Chen Luo, I'm afraid you won't have time recently. Handong has been quite turbulent these past few days while you were gone."

I heard that yesterday afternoon, Comrade Zhao Dagong directly refuted the proposal of the Governor for building an army at the provincial government meeting, which caused a very tense situation.

In the end, even the provincial governor was so angry that his blood pressure spiked. If he hadn't been rushed to the hospital, things could have been dangerous!

Gao Yuliang smiled with narrowed eyes, while Chen Luo was somewhat bewildered. No one had told him such explosive news!

Could it be that Chen Luo could be sidelined?

Seeing this, Gao Yuliang explained: "This news is being kept very secret. Only a few members of the provincial government's party group know about it. It seems that Governor Jianjun issued a gag order, and Comrade Dagong and the others seem to be cooperating and haven't revealed it."

"Don't even mention you're not in Handong anymore. Even if you were, only Secretary Sha and I know anything about it. Comrade Guofu and Comrade Chunlin don't know anything either!"

Chapter 278 Interesting Handong, Tian Guofu's Advance

Hearing this, Chen Luo breathed a slight sigh of relief, but he still couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"Ahem, Secretary Yuliang, in theory, although Governor Jianjun has a long-standing problem with high blood pressure, this kind of thing shouldn't happen unless there's a very strong stimulus. Secretary Yuliang, could you tell me the specifics?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuliang revealed an expression of "I knew it," knowing that Chen Luo wanted to hear this gossip.