The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

"It's really a misunderstanding!"

Yang Xingguo, his face flushed with anxiety, argued, "Director Qi, I only checked the amount and quantity when I signed. The supply department said it was from a designated manufacturer. I didn't know it was substandard. There are so many reports; I can't possibly check them all!"

"This is the most shameless sophistry I've ever heard. You're the factory manager; it's your responsibility to check everything one by one."

Qi Heng was so angry he laughed. He slammed the purchase order on the table with a loud bang, which startled Yang Xingguo.

"The national standard stipulates that the lifespan of bearings is 24 months. The small agricultural machinery factory in Baoding that you chose only produced products that were scrapped after 11 months, yet their prices were the same as the original parts from the Shenyang machine tool factory. You never raised any objections in the 17 batches of purchases. Is this a misunderstanding?"

Zhong Chunli narrowed her eyes and began to deliver the final blow, trying to absolve the finance department of any responsibility.

"Director Yang, the invoice number for the second batch of eighty sets of bearings in February 1960 does not match the tax filing. Section Chief Jin asked me to submit a written report. You instructed me to record it in the accounts first and correct it later. There is a clear record in the remarks column."

Yang Xingguo's eyes darted around: "Is that so? I don't remember..."

"Of course you can't remember, but the finance department does."

Zhong Chunli continued, "After Secretary Lu took office, Section Chief Jin implemented the dual filing system for special materials as required by the Party Committee, and all vouchers were clearly marked."

"In May 1960, Section Chief Jin reported to Secretary Lu about suspicious points in the funding, including the supplier's qualifications and abnormal scrapping cycles. Secretary Lu instructed us to be strict in our checks, preserve evidence, and report in a timely manner, which we have always done."

As Zhong Chunli spoke, she took out the filing list and management rules and handed them to Lu Su.

"Secretary Lu, these are our work records. We have checked all the documents, contracts and invoices signed by Director Yang. After discovering the abnormalities, we communicated with him in person three times, asking him to provide supplementary documents and change the manufacturer, but he made excuses each time."

Zhong Chunli sighed and said helplessly, "We're the implementing department. The factory director signs off, and since we haven't received any objections from the Party Committee, we can only proceed with the accounting according to the procedures. All irregularities are recorded, and no one in the finance department is involved in his affairs!"

Lu Su glanced at the list and handed it to Qi Heng.

"Director Qi, I am familiar with the Finance Department's procedures and reporting records. They have fulfilled their supervisory responsibilities. The responsibility does not lie with the department, but as the Party Secretary, I bear inescapable responsibility."

The office fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Liu Hao sighed inwardly, realizing that Secretary Lu, who usually had a low profile, was quite the old fox.

Taking the initiative to assume responsibility and advancing is the most correct approach.

Qi Heng looked at Lu Su with a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he didn't find it strange.

"Secretary Lu, what makes you say that?"

Lu Su glared at Yang Xingguo, his tone heavy, every word filled with self-reproach.

"As the Party Secretary of the factory, I was in charge of ideological construction and supervision, but I failed to discover Yang Xingguo's shady dealings in the procurement process in time. The finance department had already brought up the suspicions to me long ago. I only emphasized preserving evidence and reporting it in a timely manner, but I did not take the initiative to lead the Party Committee to conduct an in-depth investigation and nip this hidden danger in the bud. This is my dereliction of duty."

He paused, then smiled wryly, "In recent years, the factory has had tight production schedules and steel supply has been rushed to meet deadlines. I've focused too much on increasing output and ensuring delivery, and I've neglected to supervise the key aspects of material procurement and fund usage."

"Yang Xingguo exploited this loophole, which is why he dared to line his own pockets so brazenly!"

Zhong Chunli immediately defended Lu Su, saying, "Secretary Lu, you repeatedly emphasized at factory meetings that procurement must be compliant and follow open bidding procedures. Yang Xingguo used the excuse of tight deadlines and special handling to get around it, and you also..."

"That's not how you say it."

Lu Su gave Zhong Chunli a grateful look, waved his hand to interrupt her, and said firmly.

"Party committee supervision is not enough to hold a few meetings and say a few words. If you find suspicious points but do not investigate them thoroughly and fail to establish a regular supervision and verification mechanism, then you are derelict in your duties."

"I acknowledge this responsibility and will make a thorough self-criticism to my superiors."

Qi Heng knew that Lu Su was a good-natured person, so he said, "Secretary Lu, we need to clarify the responsibilities. Yang Xingguo is the top administrative official, and it is his power to approve and sign off on procurement. Embezzlement, bribery, designating unqualified suppliers, and suppressing the abnormal reports from the finance department are all his personal acts of corruption. He cannot shirk this direct responsibility."

"Your responsibility as the Party Secretary is a leadership responsibility for the lack of supervision, which is completely different in nature from Yang Xingguo's responsibility for corruption."

After Qi Heng finished speaking, he added, "Next, you will lead the Party Committee, cooperate with the working group to conduct a thorough investigation, improve the factory's procurement supervision system, and plug the loopholes. That will be the best way to make amends."

Lu Su nodded and said in a deep voice, "I understand. Once the working group arrives, I will be the first to submit a self-criticism, and I will immediately organize the Party Committee to review all rules and regulations, especially the key aspects of procurement approval and the use of funds. These must be subject to collective review by the Party Committee. We must not give anyone another chance to exploit loopholes!"

Yang Xingguo's face turned ashen, cold sweat poured down his back, and the glimmer of hope in his eyes vanished completely.

He knew he was finished. His original plan to muddy the waters and drag others down with him had completely failed.

At this moment, three inspectors walked in, accompanied by Wei Chenggong, head of the supply section, and Wen Zhengxi, head of the equipment section.

The two men's hearts skipped a beat when they saw Yang Xingguo slumped on the ground.

"Director Qi, these are Wei Chenggong, head of the supply section, and Wen Zhengxi, head of the equipment section."

Qi Heng looked at Wei Chenggong and said seriously, "Section Chief Wei, what did Director Yang say to you when he designated Baoding Xingwang Agricultural Machinery Repair Shop?"

Wei Chenggong's face turned pale: "Factory Director Yang said that this factory's products are reliable and that we can directly contact them without going through the public bidding process."

"No need to go through the bidding process?"

Wei Chenggong lowered his head: "He is the factory director, we dare not disobey him, and he said he would take responsibility if there were any problems, so we did as he asked."

Wen Zhengxi, head of the equipment department, quickly added: "After the bearings arrived, we only did a visual inspection. Factory Director Yang said he needed them urgently and told us to put them in the warehouse first, and then verify the quality later. But he never mentioned it again."

"When it was scrapped, the workshop reported that it was normal wear and tear. We saw that it had Factory Director Yang's signature, so we recorded it according to the procedure."

"Normal wear and tear?"

Lu Su took over the conversation and said sternly, "The national standard lifespan is twenty-four months, but the scrapping periods you reported are all between eleven and fourteen months. Is this normal wear and tear? Why didn't you report this to me? Or apply for testing?"

Wen Zhengxi felt a chill run down his spine and stammered, "We...we thought it was due to improper use and didn't dare to ask any further questions."

"Don't you dare ask any more questions?"

Lu Su's face turned ashen; there was clearly something fishy going on.

"As the head of the department, failing to report obvious abnormalities and only following the factory manager's orders is dereliction of duty!"

When Yang Xingguo saw that the two men were shifting all the blame onto him, he shouted anxiously, "It wasn't me! They took bribes from the supplier and deliberately concealed the quality problems. I was kept in the dark!"

"You were kept in the dark?"

Qi Heng said coldly, "Whether it's true or not, we'll only know after we investigate."

Yang Xingguo's anxiety finally subsided; this matter couldn't withstand investigation, and it would be proven true once it was investigated.

With over 300,000 yuan, plus other issues, it comes to around 500,000 yuan, enough for him to get shot.

Something's not right. The inspection team didn't give any prior notice or notification for the surprise inspection; it seems they came specifically to investigate this matter!

When Yang Xingguo thought of this possibility, his mind went blank, and he turned to look at Liu Hao with bloodshot eyes.

It's him, it's him, it's him!

It must have been Liu Hao who discovered the problem, told Li Huaide, and then Li Huaide went to his father-in-law, Vice Minister Chen, who sent an inspection team.

Yang Xingguo is quite clever; he figured out the cause and effect in an instant, and his logic was complete.

Regretful, Yang Xingguo regretted that he should not have offended Liu Hao. He had a dirty past, yet he dared to offend Liu Hao, an accountant with excellent mental arithmetic skills.

What's even more infuriating is that he can't control Liu Hao!

But if I die, Li Huaide won't have an easy time either.

Enraged, Yang Xingguo roared maniacally, "I'm reporting that Li Huaide is also guilty of embezzlement and bribery..."

Li Huaide?