Right path to power

Gong Lei had been observing the situation at that table. Seeing how polite Liang Weiwang was to Lin Xiao's father-in-law, and how Lou Changyang treated him like family, he finally remembered who it was.

It turns out to be Minister Song—Minister of Finance Song Guoqiang.

Hearing Gong Lei mutter something in a low voice, Chu Mingjing leaned closer and asked, "Secretary, did you remember something?"

Gong Lei said: "Last month, we organized a study session on the spirit of the National Fiscal Work Conference, and Minister Song delivered the keynote report."

"What? National financial work...?"

Chu Mingjing was momentarily stunned, looking at Song Guoqiang with some confusion. Several news reports about the National Fiscal Work Conference flashed through his mind, and he froze.

"this......"

"Really?"

"No wonder it looked so familiar."

"Lin Xiao has done a really good job keeping this a secret."

After Gong Lei's reminder, everyone remembered who Song Guoqiang was and exclaimed in surprise and shock.

I've really broadened my horizons today.

Everyone knew Lin Xiao had connections, but no one expected that Lin Xiao had planted his antennae in the Song family of Beicheng.

It seems I really need to deepen my relationship with him in the future.

"Minister Song, the Song family of Beicheng..."

Zhu Lishu muttered to herself, looking at Lin Xiao chatting and laughing, she felt even more regretful—if she had known earlier that Lin Xiao had such a powerful background, she would never have thought of suppressing Lin Xiao, even if she had ten thousand times the courage.

At the time, she simply wanted everyone in the county to know who was in charge.

As a result, Lin Xiao slapped him in the face.

Later, she began to plan how to differentiate them one by one.

Now it seems that all of this was in vain.

Even her further hopes could be dashed by a single sentence from Lin Xiao, because Lin Xiao not only has Teacher Liang in the provincial party committee, but also Uncle Lou.

In comparison, how much influence does a provincial party committee's organization department executive deputy minister have to help her achieve her hopes?

"Forget it, a wise person knows when to yield, and cooperation leads to mutual benefit. If he achieves political success, I can also benefit from it..."

Juliet felt a mix of emotions, but she made up her mind to cooperate well with Lin Xiao in the future, to work together with him, and to try her best to find common ground and avoid disagreements as much as possible.

As the wedding progressed, she gradually calmed down.

As the officiant, Wang Yuanze spoke for a few minutes, praising Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing and offering his sincere blessings.

"Is that Secretary Wang? He's the officiant? He really seems to value Lin Xiao a lot."

"Besides him, the county party secretary and the county head also came, and it seems there were also several municipal party committee leaders."

"What's so surprising? The Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the Executive Vice Governor have both come."

"Wow! That's incredible!"

The relatives of the Lin and Xiang families were whispering among themselves.

Everyone felt that they had benefited greatly from following Lin Xiao, so what problems wouldn't they be able to solve in Fengshan County or even the whole city?

The ceremony lasted about half an hour, after which the banquet began.

After a while, Lin Changhe and Xiang Fangjing, along with Lin Xiao and his wife, began to toast each table.

Congratulations! May you have a son soon.

May we be forever united in heart and grow old together.

"I hope I can have a grandchild soon..."

"This is a promising child..."

"The bride is beautiful..."

"They're a match made in heaven..."

Everyone offered their best wishes.

After toasting everyone, the group returned to the main table.

During the meal, Lin Xiao and her husband toasted everyone separately.

Before they knew it, the banquet was over, and the guests left one after another.

After saying goodbye to Lin Xiao, Gong Lei and the others made plans to go for tea.

Today's spectacle filled them with awe, while also bringing a subtle sense of excitement.

Songfeng Tea House, third floor private room.

"I never would have guessed that Xiao Lin would marry Old Master Song's granddaughter."

"This guy really doesn't let a single word slip by."

"And then there's Secretary Lou and Governor Liang, one they call 'Uncle,' and the other 'Teacher.'"

"No wonder this guy succeeds at everything he does..."

Upon hearing this, Gong Lei immediately interrupted, "I don't agree with that. To be fair, what Lin Xiao did in Fengshan that didn't bring real benefits to the people? His background certainly played a role, but the most crucial factor was that his personal character and abilities earned the trust of the leadership. Otherwise, some people have backgrounds that aren't much worse than his, but what achievements have they made? Whether in Fengshan or Fuchuan, Lin Xiao has achieved tangible results."

As everyone listened, they recalled the events and nodded in agreement.

That's true. The reason Lin Xiao was able to accomplish so much was: first, he had genuine sincerity; second, he put his words into action and focused on the task at hand; third, he used certain connections to facilitate its completion; and finally, he didn't use these things for personal gain, only earning the people's praise, the leaders' trust, and organizational promotion.

Zhu Lishu made an excuse about having something to do at home and did not come to the teahouse. She called Ma Guanghua immediately after leaving the hotel.

Upon hearing that Lin Xiao was the grandson-in-law of Grandpa Song, that Finance Minister Song Guoqiang was Lin Xiao's father-in-law, that Provincial Party Committee Deputy Secretary Lou Changyang was Lin Xiao's uncle, and that Executive Vice Governor Liang Weiwang was Lin Xiao's teacher, Ma Guanghua felt a chill run down his spine.

"I see... sigh..."

Ma Guanghua sighed, finally understanding why Wang Yuanze valued Lin Xiao so much.

It turns out that Lin Xiao has such a powerful background.

That sigh was because he had missed such a grand gathering.

Moreover, he firmly believes that if he were in Wang Yuanze's current position, he would also do his best to cultivate Lin Xiao—because every bit of investment in Lin Xiao now will yield incredibly rich returns in the future.

This is a political investment that is guaranteed to make a profit.

Then he thought of Wang Yuanze, who was about the same age as him, but had been a local official at the level of director-general for several years.

The next step could be to establish connections with Lin Xiao, Lou Changyang, Liang Weiwang, and even the Song family, making it much easier to rise to the vice-ministerial level.

This level of relationship was something he could never achieve.

It seems we need to adjust our thinking from now on.

"Lin Xiao is energetic, has a clear vision, and has innovative ideas. You all need to strengthen communication and strive to achieve even greater results. As the leader, you just need to grasp the overall direction. As for the specific tasks, you should let other comrades handle them. If you need to step up and take responsibility at critical moments, don't hesitate."

During the phone call, Ma Guanghua set the tone for Zhu Lishu's subsequent work plan.

Julie said, "I understand, I know what to do."

"Remember, if he's doing well, you'll be doing well too."

"Okay, I've got it."

Ma Guanghua put it very bluntly and clearly: since a head-on confrontation will definitely not end well, why not go along with the other party's wishes?

Moreover, Lin Xiao's probability of making a mistake is extremely low, but his chance of achieving results is almost 100%, and he is unlikely to stay in Fuchuan forever.

After figuring these points out, Juliet felt much better.

As the saying goes: If you can't afford to offend someone, avoid them; if you can't avoid them, cooperate with them.

In fact, when faced with overwhelming power, there are not many options available, and being able to win is already considered a relatively good outcome.

All the other municipal leaders had left, but Wang Yuanze stayed behind to chat with Lou Changyang, Liang Weiwang, Song Guoqing, and Song Guoqiang. Lou Changyang and Liang Weiwang returned to Fengdu after dinner, while Wang Yuanze returned to the city.

This time, Wang Yuanze and Song Guoqiang had a more in-depth conversation and exchanged contact information.

With Lin Xiao's connection, some things became much easier.

In fact, Song Guoqiang was well aware of the help Wang Yuanze had given his son-in-law.

So, it can be considered a reciprocation.

Of course, Lou Changyang also learned about his relationship with Liang Weiwang as fellow disciples.

In short, Wang Yuanze really gained a lot from being the officiant at this wedding.

Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing spent their wedding night in their hometown of Fengshan.

"Madam Lin, it's our wedding night, every moment is precious, can you hurry up?"

"Shameless..." Song Wanqing said with a playful laugh.

"We have certificates and a ceremony, how can we be shameless?"

"Alright, stop joking around. We have to take Mom and Dad and Uncle to the airport early tomorrow morning. Everyone's exhausted today."

Song Wanqing, wearing a red lace nightgown, leaned against Lin Xiao's chest.

"Thank you, my wife, I love you."

"I love you too, my husband."

When emotions run deep, some things naturally become a matter of following one's heart...

"that......"

"We need to have a baby soon, otherwise we'll be constantly pressured to have one..."

"oh......"