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

Chen Yanshi, who had been staying at the First People's Hospital of Jingzhou City for nearly ten days, finally decided to be discharged. After all, he had just escaped death. Chen Yanshi silently told himself that he must remain calm and composed in the future when encountering problems.

Chen Hai and Wang Fuzhen came to pick him up from the hospital.

Of course, there was another person Chen Yanshi didn't want to see: Huang Weimin!

The moment Chen Yanshi saw Huang Weimin, all the mental preparation he had made vanished completely.

His gaze was fixed on Huang Weimin and Wang Fuzhen. At first, he only suspected that the two had a relationship, but recently Wang Fuzhen's attitude towards him had become increasingly cold, especially the slap Wang Fuzhen gave him that night, which Chen Yanshi could not forget.

"What are you doing here! You're not welcome in our home!"

Huang Weimin wasn't angry at Chen Yanshi's stubborn look. He was already over eighty years old; who knew how many more years he could live?

His children all work in Beijing, and he doesn't want to trouble them by going to Beijing. Isn't it nice to stay in Handong, chat occasionally with his childhood friend Wang Fuzhen, and play chess with some retired cadres?

"Old Chen, you're still as stubborn as ever. Let me tell you, the doctor said that if you have another cerebral hemorrhage, even a miracle won't save you. We're both old, and it's not worth it to be so hot-tempered."

Besides, I'm here to support Fu-zhen; just pretend I don't exist.

Chen Yanshi felt his blood pressure rising. After letting out a long sigh, he turned his head away from Huang Weimin.

Let them come; just pretend they don't exist.

After being discharged from the hospital and getting into the car, Huang Weimin began to talk at length.

"Old Chen, a lot of big things have happened in Handong while you were in the hospital. Qi Tongwei from the Provincial Public Security Bureau was attacked by terrorists during a drug bust in Dongshan and is still in the intensive care unit. I heard he was shot three times!"

I thought Qi Tongwei was a good match for your Yangyang back then, but you, being an old stubborn person, disliked his rural background and that's why you broke up the relationship.

"Regret it now, huh?"

"Hmph! What do you know! If Qi Tongwei hadn't become Liang Qunfeng's son-in-law, would he have risen to his current position as the Director of the Public Security Bureau? I was right to tell Yangyang to break up with him!"

"Tsk, you stubborn old mule, you think you're so great? You brag every day about carrying explosives on the battlefield. You were only a teenager back then, how could you possibly be a hero?"

Heroes and cowards are only revealed on the battlefield!

Qi Tongwei survived being shot six times and braving mountains of knives and seas of fire. No matter what you think, he deserves the title of hero. As for you... calling you "old comrade" is enough, hahahahaha..."

"Alright, alright, Dad, Uncle Huang, you two stop arguing. Uncle Huang has some truth to what he said. Dad, after this, don't worry about anything else. Just rest and recuperate, plant some flowers, play with the birds, play chess, and drink some tea. That's the kind of life you should be living."

Hearing that even his son was siding with outsiders, Chen Yanshi couldn't help but say sarcastically, "Forget it, my flowers and birds have already been taken away by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, what chance do I have left?"

Chen Hai's lips twitched.

"Oh, Dad, these are all small things. I'll buy you some later."

"Buy? Does your money grow on trees? With your meager monthly salary, and having to support your son's education, where do you get the spare money?"

"But you still have a retirement pension, don't you..."

Chen Hai instinctively retorted.

"What does my retirement pension have to do with you! Are you going to use my retirement pension to buy flowers and birds as a way of showing my respect?"

Chen Hai immediately fell silent.

We arrived home amidst all the noise and commotion.

On Friday, Chen Luo returned to Jingzhou from Lüzhou.

There was no Standing Committee meeting this Friday, but Chen Luo needed to handle some documents from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In addition, Huang Ming, the president of the High Court, was coming to Handong today to take office.

Huang Ming was brought to Handong this morning by an ordinary deputy minister from the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to take up his post. It's only noon now, so the organizational appointment process should have been completed.

According to the time Huang Ming had contacted Liu Mingyu in advance, Huang Ming would come to the Political and Legal Affairs Commission at 2:30 pm to report on his work.

Of course, saying he had just arrived in Handong to report for work was just an excuse; in reality, he was just getting acquainted with the locals and making connections...

2:10 PM.

Huang Ming arrived at the provincial party committee building ahead of time, and Liu Mingyu picked him up and they went inside.

At 2:20, Huang Ming and Liu Mingyu were chatting in the reception room. The agreed time was 2:30, so Liu Mingyu would not disturb Chen Luo beforehand.

It wasn't until 2:27 that Liu Mingyu brought Huang Ming to Chen Luo's office and gently knocked on the door.

"Secretary Chen, Dean Huang has arrived."

"Come in."

After receiving permission, Liu Mingyu gently pushed open the door, and Huang Ming nodded his thanks to Liu Mingyu before entering the office.

Looking at the energetic Huang Ming, Chen Luo smiled. Sure enough, promotion is the elixir of youth for men; Huang Ming looked several years younger.

"Secretary Chen!"

"Huang Ming, sit down."

Instead of calling him Dean Huang or Comrade Huang Ming, Chen Luo addressed him by his given name. This made Huang Ming's heart burn with excitement. Normally, calling someone by their given name would be considered distant, but Chen Luo calling him by his given name... Huang Ming couldn't be happier!

"Thank you, Secretary Chen!"

After Huang Ming sat down, Chen Luo took a paper cup from his desk, poured Huang Ming a cup of tea, and pushed it towards him, saying, "Have a cup of tea first. The Political and Legal Affairs Commission isn't busy. You've just arrived in Handong, so there's no need to rush."

Huang Ming took the teacup with both hands and took a small sip.

"Secretary Chen, this tea smells wonderful!"

Chen Luo smiled upon hearing this.

"Does it smell good? This was recommended to Secretary Sha by the wife of Yi Xuexi, the current vice mayor of Jingzhou and secretary of the Guangming District Committee, when he inspected work in Luzhou a few months ago. After Secretary Sha brought it back to the provincial party committee, he sent some to me."

I usually drink the tea I bring from home, but since I've moved to Luzhou for a short stay, I'm out of tea at home, so I'll have to make do with this. It was just brewed, and I haven't even tasted it yet.

Upon hearing this, Huang Ming immediately began to cough.

Chen Luo laughed again.

After the joke was over, Huang Ming's initial nervousness dissipated. Now that he was in a good mood, it was time to talk about his future work direction in Handong.

Chapter 139 Recognizing and Judging People: Chen Hai in Action

"Huang Ming, now that you've come to Handong, the work of the court will be handed over to you. Do you have confidence?"

Chen Luo tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, while Huang Ming immediately straightened his back and said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Secretary Chen, I will definitely do my job well in the court!"

Chen Luo nodded.

"After you've become familiar with the work of the court, I will recommend you to the provincial party committee to serve concurrently as the deputy secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. In the future, I may be busy with work in Luzhou, so the daily work of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission will be handled by you."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ming immediately stood up.

"Secretary Chen, I..."

Chen Luo raised his hand to stop him, saying, "You are Elder Xu's full-time secretary, and you have been familiar with political and legal work over the years. Even without Elder Xu's recommendation, based on your work ability, I would still recommend you to the Provincial Party Committee."

You don't need to say thank you. I only have the following requests!

"Secretary Chen, please tell me, I'll write it down!"

Huang Ming looked serious as he took out a small notebook and a ballpoint pen from his pocket and stood up to take notes.

"First, although former High Court President Bai Song has retired, the determination and extent of the court system's self-reform are unsatisfactory. Compared with the public security system, the court system is like a sneeze in the rain. When you arrive at the High Court, you must resolutely crack down on those who are lazy and negligent in their duties, and make judgments that violate discipline and regulations, and open up the last mile of the rule of law to the countryside!"

"Second, once you assume the position of Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, you must strictly exercise the Commission's supervisory function over the public security, procuratorate, court, and judicial departments. In particular, the current Director of the Supervision Office, Comrade Lu Yike, has a rather special status. You can appropriately delegate some investigations to Comrade Lu Yike to ensure that the public security, procuratorate, court, and judicial departments operate smoothly, efficiently, fairly, and in accordance with the law."

"If there's a problem, investigate and resolve it; if there's a problem with a person, remove them. The political and legal system is different from other systems; it doesn't allow and absolutely cannot tolerate any corruption or violations of discipline!"

"Third, you don't need to write this down in your notebook, just keep it in your mind."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ming looked up. Although puzzled, he nodded and put his pen away.

"Third, I am very relieved to entrust you with the daily work of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. You have a heavy burden and pressure, especially the two points I just mentioned. Now that Qi Tongwei's work as the Director of the Public Security Bureau is over, it will be difficult for you to not allow any corrupt elements in the political and legal system in Handong in the future."

You're bound to offend people quite a bit. If you feel too much pressure, take a couple of days off before returning to work. If someone puts pressure on you, don't try to bear it alone. You have me, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, behind you. Do you understand?

"Secretary Chen, I understand!"

Huang Ming's eyes reddened slightly. He now understood why his former boss had told him to listen to Chen Luo after arriving in Handong. Such a leader was worth his hard work!

"Good that you understand. Come on, let's continue drinking tea. I heard that this tea is not cheap. Secretary Sha gave it away for free, while some businessmen have to spend tens of thousands to buy it."

"Huh? Secretary Chen, is that so?"

Chen Luo replied with a smile, "There are plenty of bizarre things happening in Handong. This is nothing compared to what's to come. Take Qi Tongwei for example, what do you think of him?"

"Director Qi...I'm not very familiar with him."

But to be able to withstand three bullet wounds, kill ten terrorists, and dismantle a drug trafficking ring like the one in Tazhai Village, one must possess exceptional abilities and strong party principles.

Chen Luo did not directly deny it.

"It's not difficult for a person to be cautious for a day without making a mistake, but it takes some effort to be cautious for a year without making a mistake. To be cautious for ten or twenty years without making a mistake is definitely not the work of an ordinary person."

Similarly, Qi Tongwei may seem like a good comrade now, but before I took office in Handong, he had quite a few problems.

A police chief treats a geisha who's been used by a businessman like a treasure, granting her every request.

"By bringing in those illiterate aunts and uncles into the public security system, do you think there's a big difference between this Qi Tongwei and the Qi Tongwei you know?"

Huang Ming fell silent.

"Alright, that's enough said. Go and think about it yourself. Working in a different place is not like working under Old Xu. You need to see for yourself whether the people there are good or bad."

Go and get busy.

Goodbye, Secretary Chen!

Huang Ming bowed deeply and then slowly left Chen Luo's office, deeply moved by his conversation with Chen Luo.

After leaving Chen Luo's office, Huang Ming went straight back to the High Court, as he needed to take control of the situation there as soon as possible.

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

Public Security Bureau of Guangming District, Jingzhou City.

With the issues with Dafeng Factory and Shanshui Group temporarily resolved, Chen Hai is now able to free up time to deal with Hou Liangping.

They were all college classmates who knew each other well, and Chen Hai was aware of the relationship between Hou Liangping and Cai Chenggong.

"District Chief Chen, Cai Chenggong is being held inside. Do you need me to accompany you during the interrogation?"

Cheng Du followed behind Chen Hai, while Chen Hai shook his head.

"No need, Director Cheng, I can ask by myself."