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

"Secretary Li, now Guo Fu and I are practically the two villains, and when we go to local areas, everyone is afraid of us."

This is bad for our reputation...

What I mean is, should this kind of work be handed over to other comrades in the Discipline Inspection Commission in the future?

After all, there are quite a few deputy secretaries at the ministerial level in the Discipline Inspection Commission.

"After all that talk, you just want to slack off. The more you try to slack off, the less we'll let you have your way."

The situation in Yunnan Province has been quite complicated recently. The position of mayor of Chunshi City has seen four consecutive mayors fall from power.

Yunnan Province is a border region. Once you return from Haixi Province, we will transfer your inspection team to Yunnan Province.

"Secretary Li...you..."

"What am I?"

Sweet dreams...

After saying that, Chen Luo hung up the phone immediately.

Tian Guofu, who was standing nearby, heard everything. His eyes widened in disbelief. Sure enough, the treatment of the family heir and the branch family members was worlds apart.

If he dared to hang up on Secretary Li like that, and speak to Secretary Li in that tone, he'd probably be sweeping the streets the next day.

Chen Luo... not only was he completely unharmed, but he also grew closer to his superiors during this process.

Comparing yourself to others can be incredibly frustrating.

Chen Luo ignored the hint of envy that flashed in Tian Guofu's eyes, and instead looked at Tong Daochi and said, "Now you don't have to bear it all by yourself anymore. Your old secretary has been secretly detained by the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Supervisory Commission overnight."

There's no point in continuing to hold on. We're giving you a chance to cooperate with our work.

Confess to the problems of Liu Xintai of the Hainan Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Zhang Qi, the Party Secretary of Haikou City.

Maybe once you get to Whale City, you'll be able to see your parents before you're sentenced to prison.

Of course, you can refuse...

Chen Luo spoke casually, but Tong Daochi was inwardly in turmoil. Could a ministerial-level cadre really be disciplined so easily?

However, after staring at Chen Luo for a few seconds, Chen Luo seemed to have no reason to deceive him.

"Minister Chen...I..."

"Say what you want to say, stop being so effeminate!"

"Minister Chen, I've confessed everything!"

In the end, Tong Daochi chose to confess.

After spending another three days in Hai Province, the inspection team concluded its investigation.

The investigation took a total of seven days, during which eleven provincial-level officials were investigated and punished, and sixty-eight officials at the division level were also implicated. This was just the result of the investigation led by Tong Daochi.

There will be more to come when Zhang Qi and Liu Xintai are dealt with, but that's a story for another time. In Secretary Li's words, we can just keep track of the situation in Hai Province.

I can't do all the work for Shen Xiaotian; I'll leave the rest of the finishing touches to him.

The provincial party secretary wasn't there to be idle; Shen Xiaotian, though regretful, could only accept it.

The plane was ready for departure. At a military airport in Qinghai Province, Chen Luo, Tian Guofu, and the inspection team members had already boarded the plane.

After waving to Shen Xiaotian and other members of the Standing Committee of Hainan Province below, the cabin doors were closed.

The plane headed north...

Chapter 533 Before the Wheel of Time, All Living Beings Are Insignificant

The plane arrived in Whale City at 3 p.m.

Chen Luo first went to the Discipline Inspection Commission with Tian Guofu to report on the results of this inspection, and then returned to the Central Propaganda Department.

By the time I arrived at the Central Propaganda Department, it was almost time to leave work.

Instead of returning to his own office, Chen Luo went straight to Minister He's office next door.

As they approached the door, Minister He's secretary was about to greet him when Chen Luo raised his hand to stop her.

"Minister Chen...you?"

"Is Minister He inside?"

Chen Luo asked directly.

"Yes, Minister He has been handling all the work in the ministry these past few days, and the workload is very heavy!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo smiled awkwardly and touched his nose. He realized that he, as the deputy minister in charge of daily operations, often acted as a hands-off manager, leaving all the work to Minister He.

However, Chen Luo quickly came to terms with it.

He didn't want to run around, but his superiors insisted... so he had no choice but to comply.

"Knock, knock, knock," Chen Luo knocked on the door.

In the office, Minister He, who was carefully reviewing the documents, mistook her for his secretary and didn't even look up.

"Come in."

With permission granted, Chen Luo smiled and pushed open the door to enter.

Minister He's secretary, being very tactful, gently closed the door and quietly left.

Upon entering the room, Chen Luo glanced at the empty teacup on the desk, skillfully took out tea leaves from the desk, brewed some, and then carried the teapot toward Minister He.

Minister He's attention was focused on the documents in his hands the entire time, until Chen Luo poured tea into his cup from three feet away.

"Hey! Chen Luo!"

"Minister He, you take this too seriously. I need to learn from you in this respect."

Upon hearing this, Minister He rolled his eyes.

He said indignantly, "I didn't want to be this serious either. I've been handling all the work in the department these past few days."

There are mountains of documents, I work more than ten hours a day, and I also have to hold all kinds of meetings.

"Look at my back, I'm over sixty, and I've had medicated plasters on it for the past few days."

"Ahem, Minister He, what you're saying... I'm indignant on your behalf. Your body isn't made of iron, how can you work such an overloaded workload every day?"

Upon hearing this, Minister He pursed his lips and stared at Chen Luo without moving.

"Don't try to defend me. Half of the work I'm handling right now is actually your responsibility..."

“Um… Minister He, what are you saying? Why are we making such a distinction between you and me? You are the minister, and I am the deputy. You are the leader in charge of the overall situation.”

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me."

"I'm back tomorrow and I'll sort out my work; these old bones of mine can't take it anymore."

Chen Luo did not refuse; he couldn't keep taking advantage of the older comrades.

"Is the work in Hai Province finished?"

When Haikou Province was mentioned, Chen Luo shook his head.

"The situation in Hainan Province is somewhat complicated. Currently, only the Party Secretary of Sanya City has been placed under investigation, while Luo Baolin, the former Party Secretary of Hainan Province, has also been placed under investigation in Whale City."

Minister He sighed upon hearing this.

"They're still too greedy... Some people, when they're about to retire, always think about making a quick buck and enjoying the feeling of having great power. They forget their original intentions, and it's no wonder they're wrong."

Chen Luo remained quite indifferent to this phenomenon.

"Human nature is selfish; there will always be another one."

"Indeed. By the way, Chen Luo, you won't be leaving Whale City for a while after you come back this time, right?"

Chen Luo scratched his head at the question.

"Minister He, I also want to stay in Whale City, but the problem isn't up to me. Could you help me refuse when Secretary Li of the Discipline Inspection Commission gives me instructions next time?"

Minister He sighed softly upon hearing this.

"Never mind, I'm just destined to be a hard worker..."

It was already 8 p.m. when Chen Luo returned home from the Central Propaganda Department. After resting for a night, he went to the Cyberspace Administration of China early the next morning.

He has to juggle both the work of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the work of the Cyberspace Administration of China, which is no easy task.

However, these peaceful days did not last long.

Only half a month later, Chen Luo was assigned to another job.

At the Party School, in the advanced training class for centrally-administered cadres, Chen Luo stood on the three-foot-high platform, his hands resting on the table, surveying the crowd below.

The entire classroom fell silent, and the students dared not utter a sound as they looked at Chen Luo on the podium.

"Why are you all staring at me like that? Your faces are full of fear. Am I that scary?"

Chen Luo was speechless.

The trainees below also found it difficult to remain calm. Among the officials at the vice-provincial level and above who were recently reported by the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Supervisory Commission for violations of discipline and law, Chen Luo was directly involved in the investigation of more than half of them.

Even if Chen Luo himself didn't have any major problems, people still didn't want to confront him easily.

"Minister Chen...you're not scary, it's just that we haven't adjusted to the environment yet and haven't been resting well these past few days..."

"Alright, since you're already here, I'll be teaching you the Economic Development and Social Governance course for the next few months. I hope you'll cherish this learning opportunity."

Strengthen your own Party principles; I don't want to lecture you now only to catch you in a few months when I'm in the local area.

This is a very direct statement, but it is often the straightforward words that leave a lasting impression.

Chen Luo doesn't have many classes, about three a week. For him, they're all work, and he can handle it.

The cadres who come for further training are all people valued by the higher-ups, and of course, some of them are acquaintances. There are two such people in Handong.

One is Qiao Mai, the other is Jiang Kang, and there are others in Guangdong Province as well. However, Chen Luo treats everyone equally and does not discriminate against them. In private conversations, Chen Luo is the first to leave after class.

These days were relatively peaceful; at least Chen Luo didn't actually have to make a trip to Yunnan Province when Secretary Li mentioned the issue there last time in Hai Province.

Three months can feel fast or slow, but Chen Luo's work pace was very tight during those three months.

Just as Chen Luo stepped out of the school gate after finishing his last lecture at the Party School, his phone rang.