Name: My father is Zhao Dehan, and I hope he will become a dragon!

Gao Yuliang took a deep breath, a gentle smile on his face: "Comrade Li Dakang! You keep saying that Qi Tongwei 'knelt at the grave and wept,' that's wrong!"

After a pause, Gao Yuliang looked around and continued, "But have you considered—was he being reminded of something by the scenery? Did he recently lose a loved one? Was he thinking of his own parents?"

The entire room fell silent.

Gao Yuliang turned around, his gaze sweeping sharply across the crowd: "You conclude that an official is sycophantic just because he sheds tears at a grave? Isn't that too arbitrary? Which article of the Party Constitution forbids people from crying at graves? Which article of the national law prohibits expressing condolences to elders?"

Li Dakang sneered, "Oh, is that so, Comrade Qi Tongwei!"

Qi Tongwei glanced at Li Dakang, then at the gazes from all directions, his teeth clenched with hatred, yet he couldn't control his emotions.

"Secretary Yuliang is right, I was indeed thinking of my parents!" Qi Tongwei said, his eyes reddening. "It brought back so many memories!"

The group fell silent.

Everyone knows that Qi Tongwei is an orphan.

Li Dakang, with a forced smile, said, "What perfect timing for being reminded of the past!"

"Is there a mistake?"

Gao Yuliang's face twitched. He said, "Even so! He didn't break the law! He didn't embezzle or accept bribes! Why should a single lapse in judgment negate a comrade's twenty years of dedication?"

"Alright then!" Li Dakang pressed on relentlessly. "Since Qi Tongwei is fine—shouldn't we promote him to vice governor?"

The air suddenly froze.

Qi Tongwei sat in the corner, his palms sweaty.

Unexpectedly, Li Dakang brought up this matter.

The entire office fell silent.

Gao Yuliang's eyes flashed sharply: "Li Dakang! You're using this as a pretext for revenge!"

"I'm upholding fairness!" Li Dakang slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "If crying at a grave can make you a vice governor, then tomorrow, will licking a leader's shoes get you a seat on the provincial standing committee?"

"Enough!" Sha Ruijin finally spoke.

He surveyed the room, his gaze icy: "Secretary Gao is right, we cannot convict someone solely based on mourning at a grave. But Li Dakang is also right—if those who engage in opportunism and scheming can be promoted, it is the greatest harm to our hardworking comrades."

He paused, then suddenly turned to Zhao Dehan: "Governor Zhao, you're new here, and you're a rescue cadre sent from Beijing. What do you think?"

All eyes were instantly focused on it.

Zhao Dehan slowly put down his teacup, his voice calm and steady: "I believe we cannot completely condemn a person simply because Comrade Qi Tongwei cried at his grave. Who can prove that he wasn't diligent and conscientious in his work?"

Qi Tongwei suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with hope—

He cast a grateful glance at him, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.

The 400 million was definitely not wasted.

At the crucial moment, Zhao Dehan still spoke up for himself.

The entire conference room fell silent.

The issue of faculty and staff salaries was resolved, as was the conflict between Dafeng Factory and Shanshui Group.

His words carry weight.

But the next second, Li Dakang interrupted with a cold laugh: "Governor Zhao, you've only been in Handong for less than a month! How do you know he's diligent and conscientious?"

At this moment, Li Dakang directly turned his attention to Qi Tongwei.

He realized that if he didn't crush Qi Tongwei today, he would be the one targeted.

If Sha Ruijin showed any intention to target Qi Tongwei, Li Dakang would not allow others to shift their focus.

Zhao Dehan immediately nodded, deferring, "Secretary Li is right. I'm new here and indeed don't know the specifics. But I believe the organization will conduct a fair and impartial investigation!"

After saying that, he picked up his teacup, lowered his eyes, sipped his tea, and said nothing more.

That should be enough after a couple of sentences.

The target is clearly Qi Tongwei now, but my relationship with Qi Tongwei is not like Gao Yuliang's.

They were teacher and student.

I am Qi Tongwei's colleague.

That's how it is between teachers and students.

Once you acknowledge a student's worth, even if they're a complete scoundrel or utterly useless, you, as a teacher, must promote them.

If this were today's meeting, Gao Yuliang would not have said a word.

If they even join forces with others to attack Qi Tongwei, then the Han Da Gang should just disband tomorrow.

Gao Yuliang needs to consider his political reputation.

Zhao Dehan doesn't need that.

What? You're saying I traded my position as vice governor for 400 million yuan?

Who can prove it?

Did I, Zhao Dehan, say it myself?

Do you have any evidence?

It would be quite good if I could just say a few words to you at the meeting.

—In short, it's worth 400 million.

The color drained from Qi Tongwei's face instantly.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Only one thought was echoing in his mind: "That's it? I poured in four hundred million, and all you give me is 'the organization will investigate'? That's it?!"

Zhao Dehan, you and your ilk are real dogs.

Gao Yuliang closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

He knew that Zhao Dehan, though seemingly neutral, had in fact drawn a clear line between himself and Zhao Dehan.

I won't step on you, nor will I save you.

Let you rise and fall as you please.

Four hundred million, wasted!

His own apprentice...

Hey……

If they weren't bound together, Gao Yuliang would have really wanted to kick him out.

Unfortunately, it can't be exchanged.

Sha Ruijin, however, did not let this opportunity slip by.

He turned to Gao Yuliang, his tone carrying a deeper meaning:

"Speaking of inspections... Secretary Gao, a few days ago, the courtyard of former Secretary Chen Yanshi's house was piled high with potted plants and birds. I heard they were all gifts from cadres? And the year before last, more than 380 cadres pooled together 2.8 million yuan to celebrate a certain leader's birthday?"

Gao Yuliang took a deep breath: "Secretary Sha, the cadre team is large, and flaws are inevitable. If we launch a massacre because of this, the entire system will be paralyzed!"

"paralysis?"

Sha Ruijin shook his head. "No, Secretary Gao. A rotten tree won't grow tall if you don't cut it down. If even gift-giving becomes an unspoken rule, then Party discipline and national laws are nothing but scraps of paper!"

His gaze swept over Zhao Dehan again, seemingly with a deeper meaning: "Some comrades stabilized Dafeng Factory as soon as they arrived; some comrades have worked for twenty years, but all they know how to do is kneel at graves. The organization's eyes are discerning."

Sha Ruijin announced each item in a calm tone:

"First, the promotion and appointment of more than 300 cadres involved in 'gift-giving' and 'opportunism' will be frozen, and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will investigate each of them individually."

Second, Comrade Zhao Dehan was officially appointed as the Vice Governor of the People's Government of Handong Province (with a one-year probationary period) and concurrently served as the Vice Mayor of Jingzhou City, taking full responsibility for urban renewal and social stability work in Guangming District.

Third, Comrade Hou Liangping is appointed Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Handong Provincial People's Procuratorate, effective immediately.

No one objected after he finished speaking.

Zhao Dehan's abilities are undeniable. He resolved two pressing issues within a month: the inability to pay faculty and staff salaries and the relocation of Dafeng Factory, the resettlement costs for Dafeng Factory workers, and the conflict between Dafeng Factory and Shanshui Group.

Furthermore, with the appointment made in the capital, naturally no one objected.

However, Hou Liangping and Li Dakang voiced their objections.

However, in the end, they did not completely oppose it.

The vote was passed unanimously by a show of hands.

Zhao Dehan nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.

Qi Tongwei sat in the corner, his nails digging deeply into his palms—

He knew that his four hundred million yuan had only bought him a ticket to the audience.

It's all for nothing!