Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

The simple words and sincere emotions brought tears to Gu Mingyuan's eyes.

This is what motivates him to persevere—the people's recognition is more precious than any honor.

"Thank you, fellow villagers!" Gu Mingyuan said loudly.

"I, Gu Mingyuan, hereby swear that as long as I am in Liping, I will do practical things for the people of Liping every single day. Anyone who dares to harm the interests of the people, I will fight them to the bitter end!"

Applause rang out in the tea garden.

Grandpa Wang said excitedly, "Secretary Gu, you are our upright and just official in Liping!"

The nickname "Gu Qingtian" spread in this way.

Back in the county town, Gu Mingyuan received a call from Zhong Zhengguo.

"Mingyuan, I've heard about what happened in Liping." His father-in-law's voice was as steady as ever.

"Dad, you know everything?"

"How could I not know about something this big?" Zhong Zhengguo paused.

"Well done, and decisively done."

"This is how we must fight corruption; we cannot hesitate or be timid."

"Thank you for your understanding, Dad."

"However, Mingyuan, I must also remind you," Zhong Zhengguo said earnestly.

"Fighting corruption is something that will offend people. You are young and inexperienced, so you need to pay special attention to your methods."

"We must be resolute, but also prudent."

"We must both eliminate corruption and stabilize the ranks."

"Your dad has worked in discipline inspection his whole life; this is all based on experience!"

"I understand. We have set up two special task forces to carry out anti-corruption and development in parallel, and the anti-corruption work will not affect our work."

"That's good," Zhong Zhengguo said approvingly.

"Also, please be careful."

"Corrupt officials will do anything when they are cornered."

"I have already informed Hanjiang Province, and they will be paying attention to the situation in Liping."

"Dad, there's no need to go to so much trouble..."

"This isn't trouble, it's necessary precautions," Chung Cheng-kuo said seriously.

"Mingyuan, you are not alone. You have a family, a wife and children."

"You need to be responsible for both your career and your family, understand?"

"Understood, thank you, Dad."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Although his father-in-law held a high position, he always cared for him, providing both support and protection.

This care made him even more determined.

On October 31, the municipal discipline inspection commission made a major breakthrough in its investigation.

Faced with the evidence, Qiu Mu finally confessed.

He not only accepted bribes from Wang Dayou, but also used his position as secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission to provide protection for several corrupt officials, collecting protection fees totaling more than three million yuan.

Even more seriously, he is also suspected of leaking case secrets and helping those involved to evade investigation.

"Secretary Gu, Qiu Mu's problem is very serious." Sun Zhengping said with a grave expression.

"He not only became corrupt himself, but also corrupted an entire team."

"Several officials from the county discipline inspection commission are involved."

Gu Mingyuan was furious: "The Discipline Inspection Commission is the sharp sword against corruption. If the sword itself rusts, how can it fight corruption?"

"Secretary Sun, I suggest that the county discipline inspection commission be thoroughly rectified."

"I agree," Sun Zhengping nodded.

"Secretary Pei has instructed that key personnel be drawn from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to reorganize the leadership of the Liping County Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"At the same time, all discipline inspection cadres will be reviewed, and those who are unqualified will be resolutely removed."

"Okay! I'll cooperate fully."

On November 1, Liping County held a county-wide warning education conference for cadres.

Nearly a thousand people participated, including principal leaders of county-level departments and townships, village party secretaries, and other key personnel.

The atmosphere in the venue was solemn and completely silent.

Gu Mingyuan walked onto the podium, without a prepared speech, only a briefing document.

"Comrades, today's meeting is a warning education conference, as well as a reflection and self-examination conference." His voice was deep and powerful.

"Recently, we have investigated and dealt with a number of corrupt officials."

"Among them are deputy county heads, bureau chiefs, township secretaries, and even discipline inspection secretaries."

He held up the materials in his hand: "This is Qiu Mu's confession. A secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, who should have been a vanguard in the fight against corruption, instead became a protector of corruption."

"What an irony! What a profound lesson!"

The hall was silent, with only Gu Mingyuan's voice echoing.

"In his confession, Qiu Mu said that he was originally a young man with ideals and aspirations."

Why did he change? Because he forgot his original aspirations and his mission.

"He used the power in his hands as a tool for personal gain and his position as secretary of the discipline inspection commission as a means to make money."

Gu Mingyuan walked to the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping across the entire audience: "Comrades, this is rotten to the core!"

"What would the political climate be like in a county if even the secretary of the county's discipline inspection commission were corrupt?"

"If even those who supervise need to be supervised, how can we gain the trust of the people?"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "Today, I'm here to vehemently criticize Qiu Mu, not just as a person, but as a whole phenomenon!"

"This behavior of forgetting our original aspirations and betraying our mission is unacceptable!"

"The power held by the cadres in our organization is granted by the people and is meant to serve the people, not to seek personal gain!"

"Anyone who forgets this point is unworthy of being a cadre, unworthy of sitting in this position!"

"Furthermore, he never regrets his actions in the fight against corruption. He doesn't regret it; he knows he's going to die!"

The applause was thunderous and lasted for a long time.

After the applause subsided, Gu Mingyuan continued, "The fight against corruption will not stop, nor will development."

"From today onwards, Liping will undergo a painful but necessary overhaul to thoroughly eradicate the breeding ground for corruption."

"At the same time, we must work hard and quickly to make up for the time lost due to corruption and to recover the losses caused by corruption!"

He announced: "First, all engineering projects in the county will be re-audited, and any problems found will be dealt with seriously. Second, approval procedures will be simplified and efficiency improved to facilitate business development and public services. Third, a mailbox for the county party secretary will be established so that the public can directly report problems to me."

"I want everyone to know that the sky over Liping is clear, and the political environment in Liping must be transparent!"

After the meeting, the cadres discussed the matter animatedly.

"Secretary Gu is truly decisive!"

"Now there is hope for Liping."

"Yes, with such a thorough anti-corruption campaign, who would dare to steal in the future?"

As Gu Mingyuan walked out of the venue, he was surrounded by a crowd.

"Secretary Gu, you are truly our upright and just official!"

"Secretary Gu, thank you for standing up for us ordinary people!"

"Secretary Gu, please take care of yourself!"

Looking at those sincere faces, Gu Mingyuan's eyes welled up with tears.

He dared not accept the title of "Upright Official".

But he could not betray the people's trust.

On November 2, Gu Mingyuan officially launched the two special task force working mechanism.

In the small conference room of the county party committee, members of the anti-corruption task force and the development task force sat on both sides.

On the left is Sun Zhengping, deputy secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission, leading a team that includes cadres from the municipal discipline inspection commission, the new leadership of the county discipline inspection commission, and heads of departments such as public security and auditing.

On the right is a team personally led by Gu Mingyuan, whose members include the executive deputy county head, the deputy county head in charge, and the heads of various economic departments.