Right path to power

The last to speak was District Chief Yang Songfeng. He cleared his throat twice, took two slow sips of his tea, and then opened his mouth with a smile:

"Today's Standing Committee meeting was quite unique, and it allowed everyone to gain a better understanding of each other. My situation is relatively simple: I'm a generation older than Secretary Lin, my child is in the final year of high school, my spouse works at the Municipal Bureau of Statistics, and our family's economic conditions are not as good as Secretary Lin's..."

His tone was calm and understated, yet he deliberately compared himself to Lin Xiao.

Perhaps he wanted to use this method to show that he was on equal footing with Lin Xiaoping.

In reality, no matter how senior or old one is, the Party Secretary is the top leader and holds the final decision-making power.

Therefore, Yang Songfeng's actions were nothing more than self-consolation.

In his eyes, Lin Xiaochu was a newcomer who knew nothing about the situation in Zhenxing District, and the work in the district still had to be handled by him, the "old hand".

Lin Xiao delivered a concluding speech: "Today was our first Standing Committee meeting, and I think it went very well. Everyone was open and honest, and we gained a preliminary understanding of each other. Going forward, I hope we will continue to be candid and supportive of each other in our work. Only when we are united and work together as one can we do a good job in all aspects of the district's work..."

Of course, Lin Xiao wasn't just there to hear a few self-introductions.

As early as his second visit to the office of Kang Tao, the Minister of Organization of the Municipal Party Committee, he had already asked to review the files of the Standing Committee members of Zhenxing District. He was already very familiar with the resumes of the people present.

What he really wanted to see was the attitude of everyone present when faced with his first instruction, so that he could use a trivial matter to firmly grasp the leadership of the Standing Committee.

As Lin Xiao's resume grew and his experience increased, he became increasingly adept at wielding "power."

However, he wasn't "abusing power," but rather using underhanded tactics to establish his authority so that he could more smoothly advance his work in the future.

After the meeting, Xie Guangyan, director of the district party committee office, immediately approached Lin Xiao, bowed slightly, and said, "Secretary, your office is ready. Would you like to take a look now?"

"Yes, thank you for your help, Director Xie."

"Secretary, you're too kind. This is my job."

Afterwards, Lin Xiao followed Xie Guangyan to the office.

This office was converted from the original archives room. The office furniture is all new, and there is no strange smell, which shows that it was carefully prepared in advance.

Lin Xiao looked around and didn't see anything that needed adjusting. Anyway, it was more spacious than in Fuchuan, and the view outside the window was better.

He sat on the sofa and said to Xie Guangyan, "Comrade Guangyan, if you're not busy, would you like to chat for a bit?"

"Okay, Secretary."

Xie Guangyan nodded, carefully sat down on the sofa opposite, and bowed slightly, as if listening to instructions.

He was quite uneasy; as the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court." For the top leader of the district committee, the director of the district committee office must be a trustworthy person. And he would inevitably be labeled as "Huang Jingneng's confidant."

What's even more troublesome is that Lin Xiao was precisely the biggest force behind Huang Jingneng's downfall.

Given this kind of relationship, how could Lin Xiao possibly trust him?

So, how will he be placed?

Lin Xiao paused, then said calmly, "Comrade Guangyan, Huang Jingneng's violations of laws and regulations have been verified. As the staff member who has the most contact with him on a daily basis, what do you think is the root cause of his problems?"

Xie Guangyan's heart sank. He realized that this question was a test for him, and whether he answered it well or poorly could affect his future situation.

After a moment of contemplation, he carefully spoke: "Secretary, this is how I see it. From a personal perspective, the root cause of Huang Jing's descent into violating laws and regulations is his own moral decline, the growth of greed, and his gradual loss of control after gaining power. He failed to properly restrain his family and those around him and could not uphold the bottom line. This is the most fundamental reason."

From a systemic perspective, the problem lies in insufficient daily supervision and reminders within the leadership team. Personally, as the director of the district party committee office, I often focused on the overall situation and provided support and cooperation, but I didn't proactively remind or promptly advise enough; there were gaps in my role. In fact, I sometimes saw signs of problems but failed to resolutely dissuade them, and I bear responsibility for that.

Lin Xiao remained calm, smiled slightly, and then suddenly changed the subject: "And what about yourself? Have you had any problems? Have you accepted any gifts? Have you abused your power for personal gain?"

Xie Guangyan tensed up slightly, not expecting Lin Xiao to ask so directly.

What does this mean?

Does this mean we should make him confess?

Then they would notify the municipal discipline inspection commission to arrest the person, thereby establishing their authority?

Xie Guangyan felt a chill run down his spine, thinking that this was too domineering, especially since he had only just taken office today.

After a brief silence, Xie lowered his head slightly and spoke frankly: "Secretary Lin, to be honest, I did accept gifts."

"Tell me more details," Lin Xiao said coldly.

"I was promoted to deputy section chief at the age of 28 and assigned to Yangjia Town as deputy mayor. From then on, people would come to my door with gifts during holidays. At that time, I had limited power, and most of the gifts were just personal favors, such as cigarettes and alcohol, or occasionally a small red envelope. I didn't want to accept them, but in some situations, it would be embarrassing to refuse them. So I wrote down who gave me the gifts and found an opportunity to return them later."

Later, he became the town mayor, and then the secretary of Qianshan Town. With higher positions came more people coming to him, and the gifts they brought also became more extravagant.

I set a bottom line for myself: I will not accept any large red envelopes; I will not accept anything from the other party regarding important matters such as town projects, personnel matters, etc., and I will never use my power to do favors for others.

Two years ago I was promoted to deputy district head, and last year I became a member of the district party committee standing committee. With more power and responsibility, the ways to give gifts became more varied. In some situations, it was really not appropriate to confront them on the spot. If I couldn't return the cigarettes, alcohol, or small red envelopes, I wouldn't keep them for myself. I would turn them over to the discipline inspection commission's anti-corruption account, and I recorded every single one in my notebook.

Over the years, my family's financial situation has remained quite ordinary. My spouse works at a hospital, and we have elderly parents and young children to support, so our daily expenses are considerable. Whenever I have a surplus of my salary, I donate a portion to educational donations, which I do willingly.

But I know in my heart that I was not strict enough in the small matters. I did accept some small gifts during holidays because I couldn't refuse them. I didn't return them all or turn them in properly afterward. I did not use my position to benefit anyone, but these things still violated the rules.

In addition, I have made one or two courtesy visits to give gifts during holidays, which were purely out of personal courtesy and had no intention of seeking official positions.

These things weigh on my mind, often making me uneasy, but I... sigh.

Lin Xiao listened attentively, sensing the grief, helplessness, and self-blame in Guangyan's words.

But he still pressed on, seemingly unconcerned, "So, you're quite self-disciplined?"

Xie Guangyan shook his head: "What kind of self-discipline is this? If it were true self-discipline, I shouldn't have accepted them at all. Besides accepting gifts, I've also accepted banquets from subordinates and colleagues. Although I'm not an isolated case, I still did it."

Secretary Lin, I know I haven't managed myself well, and I'm actually feeling very bad about it. But saying it to you today actually makes me feel relieved. I'm willing to accept any disciplinary action from the organization.

At this point, Xie Guangyan was clearly relieved.

Before he even spoke, he had already thought it through: rather than waiting to be investigated, it was better to confess proactively. Whatever the outcome, it was better than living in constant fear.

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Some of what you said is indeed true. As power grows, all sorts of temptations and attempts to ensnare you follow. In addition, there are personal relationships involved. Sometimes, power and emotions are intertwined and difficult to separate completely."

But none of these are excuses for us to relax our self-discipline. Flies don't land on eggs without cracks; if we consciously maintain a high level of self-discipline and integrity, these problems can all be avoided. Therefore, please compile these situations into a complete written report and submit it to me as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Xie Guangyan felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed that the new secretary would ultimately have to sacrifice himself as a "sacrifice".

"Okay, Secretary Lin, I'll hand it over to you first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Xiao nodded: "No rush, just give it to me by tomorrow. By the way, there are two things you need to take care of for me. First, get Ji Jianghua's organizational affiliation settled as soon as possible, I plan to have him continue driving for me; second, transfer Ji Xiuwu from the District Party Committee's Organization Department to be my temporary liaison for a period of time."

"Yes, Secretary, I'll take care of it right away."

Xie Guangyan responded while thinking to himself: As expected, they came prepared; even the driver and secretary had been arranged in advance.

From the moment he appeared before all the cadres in the district today, every step Lin Xiao took sent the same signal: he was very assertive.

Before leaving, Xie Guangyan turned back to ask, "Secretary, since you're taking office today, should we arrange a dinner at the guesthouse to welcome you?"