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

The position of Executive Chief Prosecutor of the Procuratorate is currently vacant, but Comrade Renli is, after all, from the Discipline Inspection and Supervision system.

Will I find it difficult to adapt?

Fortunately, the position of Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Handong Province is still vacant.

"Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission? Deputy Secretary?"

"Yes, Comrade Jia is the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection!"

"Comrade Chen Luo, isn't this putting you in a difficult position? After all, it involves crossing provincial borders..."

"No, no, it mainly depends on what kind of work Comrade Renli likes to do!"

"Thank you so much, Comrade Chen Luo. I'll ask my Renli later and give you an answer tomorrow. That way, I won't disturb your rest tonight."

"Alright, Comrade Jia, you should get some rest too!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Luo was still in a daze. He really didn't mean to make demands; no, he didn't make any demands at all. It was Old Jia who insisted on giving him… cough cough…

Meanwhile, in a traditional courtyard house in Beijing, Jia Fugui, sitting in a grand chair, was smiling and squinting as he made a phone call to his son, Xiao Jia.

"Hey, Renli, are you asleep yet?"

"Dad, not yet. I've been busy dealing with the case of that primary school principal these past few days. You wouldn't believe it, but a primary school principal actually embezzled 180 million yuan. And I've also discovered a very serious situation: the funds allocated by the government for school lunches for primary and secondary school students have been seriously misappropriated!"

In some cases, the provincial government would transfer half of the funds first, and then local governments would divert the other half through layers of bureaucracy, leaving less than one-fifth actually reaching the grassroots schools. This doesn't even account for the embezzlement by school principals once the funds reached the grassroots level.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

These words left Lao Jia speechless. No matter how popular someone is, you can't treat them like this!

"Renli, do you still remember what I said?"

"I remember, Dad, you taught me from a young age to be upright, kind, selfless, and..."

"Stop! Not that sentence!"

"Which line is it?"

"Leave room for maneuver in everything, so you can meet again in the future... Don't push things to the brink unless absolutely necessary..."

"Dad, is there really such a saying?"

Old Jia's smile vanished, replaced by deep helplessness and a sigh. What could he do with his own son?

Don't be angry, don't be angry...

"Renli, forget about whether that saying exists or not. I'm asking you, what kind of work do you want to do after you get to Handong?"

"Dad, weren't we told we couldn't go?"

Jia Renli clearly hadn't grasped the situation.

"Nonsense, if your father takes action, would I not arrange it for you?"

"Dad, how are you any different from those corrupt officials? Playing power games?"

"Hey! You brat, you're lecturing me now? There's a big difference between you and me, let me tell you. Remember the story of Zhang Taiyue?"

"Of course I remember! A renowned minister who revitalized the Ming Dynasty!"

"Do you know that Zhang Juzheng was also a powerful minister? How can you stand up for the people without power? You are using my resources now not so that you can act arrogantly, but so that you can move to a higher position and serve the people better."

Is that clear?

"You're using a fallacy to confuse the issue..."

Upon hearing this, Old Jia immediately began coughing incessantly.

"Alright, alright, I'm not going to argue with you about these things. The Handong Provincial Procuratorate has a vacancy for the Executive Procurator-General, and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has a vacancy for the Deputy Secretary. Where do you want to go?"

Jia Renli wasn't the type to overthink things; after a moment's thought, he made his decision.

"Dad, can I still go to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

"Won't you reconsider?"

Old Jia didn't really want his son to do those jobs that offended people anymore, but... he didn't want to control his son either, so he asked the questions very cautiously.

"Dad, I want to fight on the front lines..."

"Sigh! Okay, your old man agrees. We've built up connections over decades, aren't we? That's what we're here to use. But there's one thing: once we get to Handong, listen to Secretary Chen's opinions and don't go against him."

"Huh? Dad, didn't we say we'd listen to Jianjun..."

"Things have changed! Your father promised Chen Luo a very generous deal, so don't you dare mess around!"

"What conditions?"

Jia Renli was a little curious, and Old Jia didn't hide anything from him.

"A candidate for the position of Deputy Secretary of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee!"

"Huh? Dad! Are you getting senile?!"

"Pah! I've put up with you for too long! Jia Renli, I'm your father, don't push your luck!"

“Dad, I mean you’ve lost money. It’s fine for me to stay in Guizhou Province. You didn’t need to pay this price…”

Old Jia rolled his eyes upon hearing this.

"You know nothing! I'm already ninety-five. Although I'm in good health, how many more years can I live?"

I'm finding you a backer in advance, you understand? Chen Luo is a young man worth investing in.

Everyone says your dad is kind and generous, and I won't argue with that. But while I'm kind and generous, I also know how to bet and invest!

"Following this young man Chen Luo, your future safety won't be a problem. Son, you've always been a bit slow-witted and single-minded. I don't want you to be bullied when I pass away. Listen to me, don't go against Chen Luo. Always listen to him; he's a smart man."

Even the stubborn Jia Renli felt his father's heartache and sincerity, and nodded emphatically.

"Dad, I promise you, I'll listen to Secretary Chen Luo!"

"Okay, you better remember this well, and don't forget it again, understand?"

"I will never forget it, I will remember it for the rest of my life, truly!"

You should also take care to rest at home and not worry too much about me. Now that I'm in Handong, you don't need to worry about me as Secretary Chen Luo is in charge. Go play chess and take a walk with your uncles and elders, do you hear me?

"Okay, okay, you still have some conscience. That's all, I'm hanging up."

After hanging up the phone, Lao Jia let out a long sigh, his eyes already red and moist.

Parents all over the world have the same heart, and Lao Jia is no exception. He is not a saint, and besides, Comrade Xiao Jia is indeed very upright!

The next morning at 9:30, Chen Luo received another call from Comrade Jia. Chen Luo was still somewhat surprised by Jia Renli's choice. The position of deputy secretary of the provincial discipline inspection commission was a position that could offend people, but it was also a position with real power.

However, based on Chen Luo's speculation, it is highly likely that Comrade Jia will not agree to let Jia Renli continue to stay in the disciplinary committee system.

As it turned out, Xiao Jia was so determined that, even though they had never met, Chen Luo couldn't help but think more highly of him.

Chapter 325 Conversation with Tian Guofu: Successes and Failures

"Comrade Jia, rest assured, I will definitely give Comrade Renli a good mentor after he arrives in Handong!"

"Well, thank you so much, Comrade Chen Luo!"

"You're too kind!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Luo shook his head. Actually, it was a good thing that Jia Renli came to Handong. Tian Guofu's work at the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection could not be said to be bad; it was just that he lacked courage, was afraid of offending people, and dared not touch those deeper issues.

Chen Luo could understand Tian Guofu's concerns.

You can't fight city hall. If Handong takes action, will other provinces follow suit? If Handong investigates, will other provinces investigate?

Without immense courage and determination, who would dare to gamble their future?

If Chen Luo hadn't concurrently served as the deputy secretary of Handong, it wouldn't have mattered. But since he did, he had to consider the issue from the perspective of the entire province. Should he continue to stick to the old ways and pretend to be deaf and blind, or should he take big steps to reform the corrupt practices? For Chen Luo, this was never a dilemma, but a must-choose option!

At 10 a.m., in the office of the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Liu Mingyu was making tea for Chen Luo.

"Secretary Chen, Secretary Tian from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection said he would be here at 11:30. You should rest for a bit. You haven't rested since 8:30 this morning and have been processing documents the whole time."

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo put down the documents in his hand, looked up at Liu Mingyu, and calmly asked, "Mingyu, you and Comrade Lu Yike have been married for a while now, and there can't be any more news. You need to hurry up, understand?"

Seeing this, Liu Mingyu just stood there chuckling.

"Secretary Chen, I forgot to tell you, Director Lu found out she was pregnant a while ago."

"Oh? Not bad, keep it up!"

"What do you mean by 'keep up the good work'?"

Just then, Tian Guofu walked in calmly through the door, without any awkwardness. He plopped down on the sofa without Chen Luo having to say anything, and then looked at Liu Mingyu.

"Mingyu, pour me a cup of tea too. It's getting hotter and hotter. Could you turn the air conditioning down a bit while you're at it?"

Liu Mingyu acted quickly, first pouring Tian Guofu a cup of tea, then lowering the temperature of the air conditioner, and finally slowly leaving the office and gently closing the door behind him.

While sipping his tea, Tian Guofu asked with a smile.

"Secretary Chen, is there something you need from me?"

"Are they going to go down below to arrest people again this time?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo shook his head. "I would like to discuss the issue of personnel appointments with Secretary Guo Fu."

"Cadre appointment?"

Tian Guofu was stunned, but he remained calm and asked, "Whose appointment is it?"

"Jia Renli from Guizhou Province!"

Chen Luo didn't mince words and went straight to the point.

"Jia Renli? Secretary Chen, this Jia Renli didn't get elected as the chief prosecutor of the provincial procuratorate, does that mean he still wants to come to Handong? But Handong currently doesn't have any vacant deputy provincial-level positions, and there are only two or three vacant full-department-level positions."

"It's a transfer from the main hall."

After finishing his sentence, Chen Luo took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued, "Do you know who Jia Renli's father, Secretary Guo Fu, is?"

"Father? Does that mean he has connections? Someone surnamed Jia... uh, there aren't any current ministerial-level or higher officials with the surname Jia, are there?"

"Jia Renli's father retired thirty years ago. His name was Jia Fugui. Have you heard of him, Secretary Guofu?"

"Hiss! It's him! If it's this old Jia, then this is interesting."