Rebirth of Corrupt Officials

The political situation in Chengzhou had recently been turbulent. It initially deteriorated a few weeks ago but started to stabilize before facing significant issues with Chengzhou’s investment promotion projects in recent days.

Qian Qiming and Zhou Qian had previously rejected Lisson Group’s entry but allocated the quota to Warwick Group, which was made public. However, the person in charge of Warwick Group, who received the quota, had now fled away, and his current whereabouts were unknown, with reports suggesting he escaped to the United States.

Jiang Xiaochuan believed that Qian Qiming’s reaction was not good, as everyone involved in attracting foreign investment was likely terrified. The funds approved for Warwick Group amounted to 300 million, a significant amount even for Chengzhou’s robust financial situation.

This was just an initial payment, and there were still hundreds of billions in follow-up cooperation projects. Those who handle Warwick Group’s money were on edge, and Jiang Xiaochuan was thankful they only approved 300 million initially, as the potential losses could have been immense.

Jiang Xiaochuan, troubled by the situation, couldn’t sleep all night. His phone remained active, inundated with calls, and he didn’t find time to discuss matters until the early morning.

Even Rong Shaobai called him last night, focusing on the incident preceding Uncle Qiu’s car accident. Rong Shaobai, a proud man, was investigating the matter, feeling uneasy about being blackmailed for no reason. Additionally, the incident involving Uncle Qiu’s son, Qiu Yi, occurred in Rong Family’s club, negatively impacting the Rong family’s public image.

When Rong Shaobai assumed control of the entire Rong family, he aimed to find a new means of livelihood for the family, which was gradually falling into trouble. His intention was to initiate a cleanup within the Rong family.

Despite the current murky circumstances, he remained confident in his ability to persevere. He believed that with each successive leader’s hard work, the Rong family would eventually break free from precarious livelihoods.

While Rong Shaobai lacked the authority to abandon many hazardous ventures due to his father’s connections, he progressively reduced their involvement. Apart from essential orders, he refrained from taking on jobs casually.

Qiu Yi witnessed things he shouldn’t have and heard things he shouldn’t have, making his death inevitable in Rong Shaobai’s view. Accustomed to operating beyond legal boundaries, Rong Shaobai considered Qiu Yi’s fate unsurprising. Unexpectedly, Uncle Qiu’s unwavering resolve disrupted his plans, leading to an unexpected tragedy—the building jump incident.

Post-incident, he reconsidered his tough stance, opting to use a scapegoat to pacify the situation. However, Uncle Qiu’s death thwarted his intentions.

Rong Shaobai was no fool, he saw no reason to jeopardize his plan midway. Someone with ulterior motives lurked behind, aiming at him, Jiang Xiaochuan, or the figures involved in the Rong family case.

Uncle Qiu’s death yielded two outcomes: renewed public scrutiny, intensified pressure on Jiang Xiaochuan, and further questioning of the Rong family’s involvement. The incident itself prompted Jiang Xiaochuan to escalate the investigation, unveiling the transactions behind the Rong family.

The person behind Uncle Qiu’s death appeared either as Jiang Xiaochuan’s political rival or a competitor to the Rong family. The second outcome suggested noble intentions tainted by dirty methods, possibly orchestrated by individuals closely tied to the Rong family’s affairs with conflicting interests.

Given the limited knowledge about the situation, even those behind the Rong family remained unaware, making it nearly impossible to doubt the involvement of these unidentified individuals and their adversaries.

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Jiang Xiaochuan absorbed all of Rong Shaobai’s statements that day, later discovering that Xue Yan was indeed investigating the Rong case. Logically, a disciplinary inspector like Xue Yan shouldn’t be involved in criminal cases unrelated to disciplinary inspection. Despite the apparent disconnect, Xue Yan managed to pursue and gain approval, indicating a deeper significance.

Conspiracies and calculations were unfolding rapidly, leaving Jiang Xiaochuan breathless within the intricate network of the municipal government.

As he entered the city hall that day, a somber atmosphere prevailed. Discussions on Zhou Qian’s resignation were conspicuously absent, replaced by an air of seriousness as everyone focused on their tasks, immersed in files and computer screens.

When Wei Lai contacted him the previous night, Jiang Xiaochuan had anticipated this atmosphere today.

The city government functioned as a cohesive unit, but recent events, particularly the Warwick Group incident, suggested more profound implications. A prevailing sense of impending turmoil had enveloped everyone. Aware of Chengzhou’s political landscape, they hoped this was an isolated incident, starting with Zhou Qian and concluding with Warwick. However, they dared not console themselves; if this was merely the beginning, Chengzhou faced significant challenges.

Spotting Dai Xu, the Rongyuan Heavy Industry boss, whom he had met at a previous welcome party, Jiang Xiaochuan couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. Dai Xu, still wearing his elegant gold-rimmed glasses, appeared in good spirits.

Jiang Xiaochuan sensed the irony once again.

During meetings with foreign companies interested in settling in Chengzhou, Dai Xu had worn a gloomy expression. Suddenly, with the Warwick Group incident, Dai Xu’s mood had shifted dramatically. Jiang Xiaochuan understood the reasoning behind this: Warwick’s downfall would alleviate pressure on Rongyuan Heavy Industry and offer breathing space for state-owned enterprise to reforms. Dai Xu, never a fan of Warwick, now reveled in its apparent demise.

Dai Xu greeted him, “Mayor Jiang, good morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Dai,” Jiang Xiaochuan knew why Dai Xu was there today—to review and approve the loan project. He came in person to avoid omissions, similar to Warwick’s, showing Dai Xu’s thoughtfulness.

After exchanging greetings, the two parted ways.

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Upon entering, Wei Lai presented today’s itinerary, and Jiang Xiaochuan frowned when he saw it.

There was a meeting at the municipal party committee this afternoon.

The municipal committee, overseeing all party members in the city, controlled Jiang Xiaochuan, a party member and municipal official. He must attend this emergency meeting addressing a significant issue in Chengzhou City.

Despite disagreements between Li Dakai and Fu Peng, they now needed to collaborate to overcome the difficulties. When the Warwick project was approved, both Li Dakai and Fu Peng agreed. Given Li Dakai’s financial power, as the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, he held a prominent position in the city.

In an emergency, Li Dakai had to take the lead in convening a meeting.

Fu Peng, not inclined to challenge Li Dakai anymore, held an emergency meeting to make his stance clear.

While the municipal party committee conducted its meeting, the municipal government was also active. However, the prevailing panic affected everyone’s work enthusiasm.

The person with the best mood in the municipal government was probably Environment Minister Wei Dong. A few days ago, he quarreled with Zhou Qian and others at the municipal work meeting. Now, witnessing Zhou Qian’s downfall, Wei Dong felt a sense of joyful schadenfreude, evident in his eyes.

There was another thing Wei Dong forgotten, although Zhou Qian fell, Qian Qiming still stood strong.

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He took the official car to the municipal party committee. Wei Lai sat in the passenger seat and sorted out the information in his hands. This meeting would definitely be quite serious. It was hard to say whether it would be explosive.

It seemed that the whole thing had nothing to do with Jiang Xiaochuan. After all, Jiang Xiaochuan almost never get involved in economic matters, so it was relatively safe.

But just in case, Wei Lai prepared some speech scripts and commentary materials for this incident. Jiang Xiaochuan only needed these things. Many things require on-site reaction ability.

Even if he prepared a speech script in advance, he might not be able to completely It was in line with the atmosphere and environment at the time, so the best thing to do was to act by ear. What he needed was materials – Wei Lai’s preparations were completely correct.

Jiang Xiaochuan muted his cell phone and checked it before entering the venue. There were no missed calls or unread text messages. He took a deep breath, then followed Lin Shanyi into the venue and sat down where his nameplate was.

There were nine deputy mayors in Chengzhou City: Jiang Xiaochuan, Zhou Qian, Qian Qiming, Qin Yu, Lin Shanyi, Li Qiusheng, Zhang Jinghui, Fan Quanwei, and Xu Weiguo.

There were only six people who had arrived at the venue now. They must not have been able to come weeks ago.

Qin Yu and Li Qiusheng were not their party members. Those who could not participate did not attend. The people who committed the crime this time were all members of the party, and they were outside the party. It didn’t matter. Both of them were people who protect themselves wisely.

Anyway, the highest position that non-party people could sit was basically theirs. It was almost impossible to get any higher, so they didn’t wade into this muddy water.

Just after sitting down, Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at several name tags on the rostrum, and his scalp suddenly went numb. Provincial Party Committee Secretary Zheng Liangyou, Provincial Party Committee Deputy Secretary Qu Zhendong, Governor Yan Xueming, Municipal Party Committee Secretary Li Dakai, Mayor Fu Peng, and— —Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Lian Cheng!