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

As he spoke, Tian Guofu picked up a piece of braised pork and handed it to Xiao Changjun, placing it directly into his bowl.

"Secretary Xiao, have a piece of braised pork. It's soft and tender, unlike beef which is tough and chewy. Eating tough beef can upset your stomach!"

Xiao Changjun and the others in Zhongjiang were all dumbfounded. Xiao Changjun looked at the smiling Tian Guofu and cursed inwardly, thinking that this was a blatant sarcastic remark to his face!

But the other party meant well, so he had no choice but to eat it.

"Thank you very much, Director Tian!"

Looking at the lump of braised pork that was all fat, Xiao Changjun trembled as he swallowed it in one gulp; only he knew the taste of it.

This wasn't the end of it; Tian Guofu picked up another piece of stir-fried beef tendon and put it into Wang Zheng's bowl.

"Comrade Wang Zheng, Minister Chen said you are very bold. This beef tendon is a perfect match for you. You need good teeth to chew it properly. I believe you think you have good teeth, Comrade Wang Zheng!"

Wang Zheng was completely stunned, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but he dared not refuse.

He quickly put down his chopsticks and thanked Tian Guofu, saying, "Thank you, Director Tian!"

After saying that, Wang Zhengcai picked up his chopsticks again and started eating.

Fortunately, the beef tendon wasn't actually inedible; it was crunchy. However, since Tian Guofu said it was inedible, it was inedible. Wang Zheng chewed it for more than ten seconds before daring to swallow it.

Chapter 463 Dignity or Indecency?

Chen Luo observed Tian Guofu's yin-yang behavior but did not interfere, instead continuing to eat on his own.

He had no burden; he would finish his task of giving the cadres in Zhongjiang a good talking-to in the afternoon.

The banquet was eaten very quietly. The cadres from Zhongjiang were very restrained and made very little noise. As far as Chen Luo's table was concerned, only Chen Luo and his two companions dared to turn the dishes on the table.

Everyone else just took whatever was in front of them...

The welcome banquet had barely ended when the inspection team immediately began its work. Tian Guofu would be talking to cadres in Zhongjiang from top to bottom for the next few days.

Whether there are problems or not, this is a routine matter.

However, there were limits; the Party Secretary was excluded.

Before they knew it, it was afternoon. The anti-corruption lecture was still well attended, and everyone sat respectfully in their seats, having already witnessed Chen Luo's formidable power.

The meeting was chaired by Chen Luo and Tian Guofu.

In Zhongjiang, everyone was present except for Party Secretary Xiao Changjun.

After another spiritual cleansing, Chen Luo got into a car and headed to the airport in the evening.

He did not get involved in Zhongjiang's specific investigation.

At 9 p.m., in the study of Secretary No. 1's residence in the Zhongjiang Provincial Party Committee compound, Xiao Changjun sighed repeatedly.

Holding a newspaper in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, he paced back and forth in the study, his face full of hesitation.

Just then, the phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Wang Zheng.

"Hey, Comrade Wang Zheng!"

"Secretary Xiao, I'm sorry to bother you so late!"

"It's alright. Has Director Tian finished talking to you?"

"Yes, Secretary Xiao, the conversation is over, but there's something I need to explain to you."

"Go ahead and speak, Comrade Wang Zheng."

"It's like this, Secretary Xiao. During the conversation, Director Tian paid a lot of attention to my experience working in Lvteng City, and even said some rather speculative things."

They claimed to know everything about Green Vine City, and then asked me for my opinion on the Xue Mei incident...

They also asked me about my relationship with Gao Mingyuan of Changteng Capital, and my views on Changteng Capital.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changjun frowned.

He was not completely unaware of the affair between Wang Zheng and Gao Mingyuan; he knew that the two had a good relationship and frequent contact.

"Comrade Wang Zheng, I've never asked you this before, but is Gao Mingyuan clean?"

The question left Wang Zheng somewhat stunned.

However, he reacted quickly.

"Secretary Xiao, objectively speaking, in the past ten years of development, no company dares to say that it is absolutely clean. Therefore, I cannot guarantee that all of Changteng Capital's industries are clean. However, Changteng Capital pays its taxes in full every year, and the jobs it creates are real."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changjun pondered for a moment before replying, "Since it's clean, you don't need to be afraid. Although the inspection team represents the higher-ups, they won't arrest people arbitrarily without solid evidence."

You need to take charge of the provincial government's work. The new governor hasn't been decided yet, so you have a great opportunity!

"Okay, thank you, Secretary Xiao. If it weren't for you getting me out of that predicament today, I wouldn't know how to face Minister Chen. This Minister Chen is just too domineering!"

Wang Zheng was really rubbing salt in the wound. Xiao Changjun's lips twitched slightly. He had completely lost face today.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Changjun calmly said, "Comrade Wang Zheng, let's stop here for now. I still have work to do."

After saying that, Xiao Changjun hung up the phone.

Xiao Changjun placed the phone on the table, carelessly tossed the newspaper into the trash can, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, but choked a little because he was in such a hurry.

"Cough cough!"

This made Xiao Changjun frown.

Am I really getting old?

He began to question himself, but quickly swept that feeling away!

"No, it's not my fault. These people are going too far, especially this Chen Luo. He's so young, doesn't he know how to blend in with the world? Why did he have to force me into this awkward situation?"

The more Xiao Changjun thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted to continue shifting the blame when the phone on the table rang again.

Frowning, he assumed it was Wang Zheng calling again, but when he picked it up, he was dumbfounded.

This is a phone call from the former secretary of Zhongjiang, who has now risen to the position of vice chairman of the CPPCC!

"Hey, old Party Secretary!"

Xiao Changjun's tone carried a hint of flattery.

"Comrade Changjun, I heard that you no longer have the people in your heart, only that official hat. I wonder if it's true or not!"

The other party silenced Xiao Changjun with just one sentence.

"Old Secretary, who told you that? This is just a baseless rumor! How could I, Xiao Changjun, not have the people in my heart? Is it that Chen Luo who is spreading these rumors!"

"Shut up!"

You still have the nerve to mention Comrade Chen Luo? He's already been very accommodating, only making you feel embarrassed and embarrassed. If you ask me, with your work attitude, you should be dismissed immediately!

"Secretary, I'm innocent! What did I do? I... I'm being reprimanded like this..."

"You're wronged? You're not wronged at all! Don't you know what kind of person Wang Zheng is? What did I tell you when I left Zhongjiang? That such a person cannot be given important responsibilities!"

But you, in just eight years, not only did you promote Wang Zheng from Mayor of Lvteng to Party Secretary, but you also got him into the Standing Committee, and a few years ago you were even promoted to Executive Vice President!

I heard you recently recommended Wang Zheng to Zhongyang for the position of provincial governor? With his limited abilities and cunning, do you think he's qualified? Guess why there hasn't been a response to your recommendation from above?

You're really brave!

You don't think that because you're about to retire, the higher-ups will turn a blind eye, do you?

Let me tell you! The higher-ups are furious! You've turned a perfectly good place like Zhongjiang into a complete mess!

"Old Party Secretary, I..."

"You? You're not going to say you have no responsibility, are you? You're the provincial party secretary, you're in charge of the overall situation, I can tell you very clearly that Zhongjiang is going to undergo a major reshuffle this time."

You'll most likely have to step down early as secretary. You'd better not have any corruption issues, otherwise…

"Old Party Secretary, I assure you that's not true!"

“I don’t believe your promises! What did you promise before I left? You said you would govern Zhongjiang well and bring benefits and development to the people of Zhongjiang.”

But what have you done now?

In recent years, only Zhongjiang has had both the anti-gang crime supervision team and the inspection team go down together!

You don't really think they're just here to take a look and go through the motions, do you? This time, it's impossible to avoid some bloodshed!

You'd better put away your little schemes and cooperate properly with the supervisory and inspection teams, otherwise... the higher-ups will only make things difficult for you!

These are Secretary Li's original words!

You'd better watch yourself!

Chapter 464: The Scene from the Novel Unfolds

Upon hearing this, Xiao Changjun froze on the spot, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

"Old Party Secretary...I..."

beep...

Xiao Changjun tried to explain, but the other party had no intention of listening. Regardless of whether Xiao Changjun knew the truth or not, he was a provincial party secretary and could not escape some responsibilities.

Instead of explaining, it would have been better to let the higher-ups see their determination to set things right. Unfortunately, they didn't. They even dared to confront Chen Luo, who represented the will of the higher-ups. The outcome was already decided.

Slowly putting down the phone, Xiao Changjun trembled as he pulled a cigarette from the pack, held it tightly in his mouth, and struggled several times with the lighter before finally lighting it and bringing it to his lips. He took a deep drag, and the choking smoke rushed into his lungs, making his already pale face look even more strained.

After standing like this for an hour or two, Xiao Changjun's pupils became bloodshot.

His body was stiff and he staggered and fell onto the sofa.

That night, Xiao Changjun pondered for a long time...

He didn't leave the study until dawn, dragging his weary body.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard house in Beijing, Chen Luo also got up early. Unlike Xiao Changjun, he was full of energy.

Chen Luo had just gotten up and finished washing up when he saw Chen Zhengxi standing in front of the fish tank in the yard with a bitter face.

The fish tank is not a modern glass product, but rather a large vat used in ancient times to store water for firefighting.

There are two such water vats, one on the left and one on the right, in Chen Luo's yard, both of which are quite old.