Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

The young cadre said, "They said that Director Hou was busy and might be late, so they asked us to put him in a spot on the side."

Ma Qing flipped through the list.

"Did you ask for leave?"

"no."

"If no one has requested leave, arrange the seating as usual."

The young cadre said with difficulty, "But the provincial procuratorate specifically contacted us."

Ma Qing glanced at him.

"Can the provincial procuratorate change the seating arrangement at a provincial party committee meeting just by making a call? Who do they think they are! Don't bother with them! There are rules for the placement of nameplates!"

The young cadre immediately bowed his head.

"clear."

Ma Qing thought for a moment and then said, "However, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has a new director, and his position is located at the back of the Provincial High Procuratorate area. The nameplates on the desks will remain in place. If he doesn't show up, we'll check again before the meeting starts."

"Yes."

Inside the auditorium, the front row of the stage had already been set up.

The middle position is where Sha Ruijin is located.

On the left are Governor Liu Zhendong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Gao Yuliang, and Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection Tian Guofu.

On the right are Xu Ming, the head of the inspection team, Su Zhe, the deputy head of the inspection team, and several other responsible comrades of the inspection team.

The first few rows of seats were occupied by heads of provincial departments and provincial-level units.

The provincial procuratorate area is in the third row on the right.

Ji Changming was seated in front, while Hou Liangping's nameplate was further back. Next to him were the Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and the Director of the Political Department of the Provincial Higher People's Procuratorate.

8:45.

The convoy of the inspection team arrived at the provincial party committee.

When Xu Ming got out of the car, Su Zhe was getting out of another car.

Tian Guofu came forward to greet him.

"Team Leader Xu, Team Leader Su, welcome. Secretary Sha is already waiting in the small conference room."

Xu Ming smiled and said, "Comrade Guofu, you're too kind."

Tian Guofu quickly said, "Team Leader Xu is too modest. The anti-corruption work in Handong still needs more guidance and reminders from the inspection team."

Su Zhe and Tian Guofu shook hands.

"Secretary Tian, ​​the scope of today's meeting is quite broad."

Tian Guofu nodded.

"Secretary Sha personally arranged for the arrival of key officials from provincial departments, the political and legal system, and various cities! Ding Yizhen's escape is a serious matter that the province must take seriously."

Su Zhe said, "You need to have the right attitude, and your actions need to match it."

Tian Guofu sensed the hidden meaning in the words and smiled.

"Team Leader Su is right. Today, Secretary Sha's speech will also emphasize dereliction of duty and the risks of corruption."

The three walked towards the small conference room.

As Xu Ming walked, he asked, "I heard that Hou Liangping, who was sent by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, has already taken office?"

Tian Guofu looked at Su Zhe.

"Yes, I've taken office. The provincial Party committee's organization department and the provincial procuratorate completed the appointment procedures the day before yesterday."

Su Zhe didn't stop walking.

"Hou Liangping really did come."

Xu Ming smiled and asked, "You know them?"

Su Zhe said, "We've dealt with each other before. The Zhao Dehan case, which our Discipline Inspection Commission has worked so hard on, is about to be solved, and then the person will be handed over to this Director Hou."

Xu Ming frowned upon hearing this.

"Hmph! These people's eating habits are getting uglier and uglier!"

Tian Guofu did not respond to this.

Xu Ming glanced at Su Zhe.

"Is he attending the meeting today too?"

Tian Guofu said, "He's on the list of attendees. He's the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Provincial High Procuratorate, so he'll definitely be attending."

Su Zhe didn't say anything more.

In the small conference room, Sha Ruijin had already stood up to greet him.

"Team Leader Xu, Team Leader Su, thank you for your hard work."

Xu Ming shook hands and said, "Secretary Sha, today's meeting was timely. The key to anti-corruption work is to emphasize accountability and discipline."

Sha Ruijin nodded.

"In the previous period, Handong encountered many problems. There was the airport reception issue, Ding Yizhen's escape, Chen Hai's repeated disciplinary actions, and the risk at Dafeng Factory. As the provincial party secretary, I bear responsibility."

After Su Zhe sat down, he said, "Secretary Sha is willing to bring up the issues at the meeting; that shows his attitude."

Sha Ruijin looked at him.

"Team Leader Su, I would like to ask you to say a few words at today's meeting. The problems that the inspection team discovered in Handong should serve as a reminder to all cadres in the province."

Su Zhe said, "I will obey Secretary Sha's arrangements."

Xu Ming laughed and said, "Xiao Su speaks rather bluntly, so Secretary Sha should be prepared."

Sha Ruijin also laughed.

"What Handong needs now is to speak frankly. Going around in circles will only create more and more problems."

......

It's five minutes to nine.

The conference staff came in to give a reminder.

"Secretary Sha, Team Leader Xu, the meeting may begin."

Sha Ruijin nodded.

The group left the small conference room and entered the auditorium's main stage through the side door.

applause.

After Su Zhe sat down, he opened the materials on the table.

A meeting agenda.

A list of attendees.

A leave request statement.

The materials prepared by the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee are very standardized.

The leave application list included two deputy secretaries of cities and prefectures who were away on official business, and one head of a provincial department who was on sick leave.

Su Zhe scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on the provincial procuratorate area.

Ji Changming has arrived.

Several members of the Party Leadership Group of the Provincial Higher People's Procuratorate also arrived.

Hou Liangping's nameplate is located in the third row on the right, near the edge.

The table card is there.

The seats were empty.

Su Zhe glanced at the time.

Nine o'clock sharp.

Sha Ruijin tapped the microphone.

"Comrades, let's begin the meeting."

The applause stopped.

The auditorium fell silent.

Su Zhe glanced at Hou Liangping's position again.

It's still empty.

Sha Ruijin began to speak.

"The main task of today's provincial anti-corruption mobilization meeting is to thoroughly implement the higher authorities' deployment requirements on comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, and in conjunction with the relevant requirements of the inspection team's inspection work in Handong, to further mobilize, deploy, and solidify the province's anti-corruption work."

"Recently, some problems have occurred in Handong. Some problems are related to work style, some to case-handling procedures, and some have exposed deep-seated contradictions that have accumulated in our political environment over a long period of time."

"Ding Yizhen's escape from punishment has caused a terrible impact. This incident serves as a wake-up call for us. The fight against corruption cannot only target corrupt acts, but also dereliction of duty, formalism, lack of accountability, and inaction."

Many officials in the audience were taking notes.

Ji Changming sat in the front row of the provincial procuratorate area, listening attentively.

He knew that today's meeting was of extraordinary significance.

The inspection team is here.

Su Zhe is here.

Sha Ruijin is trying to use the conference to turn the tide of the previous passive situation.

But he still felt uneasy.

He turned his head to the side and looked at Hou Liangping's position.

empty.

Ji Changming's face immediately darkened.

He whispered to the director of the political department beside him, "Where is Hou Liangping?"

The director of the political department lowered his voice.

"I didn't see it."

"Didn't you ask for leave?"

"Never heard of it."

Ji Changming cursed inwardly.

That bastard, why is he causing me trouble again?

On the podium, Su Zhe had already noticed Ji Changming's subtle actions.

He placed the leave application form aside and glanced at Hou Liangping's seat again.

The seats were conspicuously empty.

Although the organizers arranged the seats in the side area, you can see them if you sit on the stage and pay a little attention.

Sha Ruijin's speech lasted for more than forty minutes.

"Party committees and leading Party groups at all levels throughout the province must place the fight against corruption in a more prominent position. Disciplinary inspection and supervision organs, procuratorial organs, judicial organs, and public security organs at all levels must work together to achieve this goal."

"We must dare to investigate major cases, key areas, and issues that have drawn strong public concern, and investigate them thoroughly."

Sha Ruijin paused at this point.

He was originally just reading from the script.

However, the empty seat in the audience made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He glanced at the director of the provincial party committee's general office.

The director of the general office immediately looked down and flipped through the list.

Sha Ruijin did not point it out on the spot, and continued to read his speech.

"Next, please welcome Comrade Su Zhe, Deputy Head of the Inspection Team and Head of the Leading Group for Special Governance of Corruption in Handong, to speak.

applause.

Su Zhe adjusted the microphone forward.

He did not speak immediately.

Instead, he picked up the list of attendees on the table and looked at Sha Ruijin.

"Secretary Sha, before I begin speaking, I would like to ask you a question."

The applause in the hall stopped.

Sha Ruijin's heart sank, but he maintained the demeanor of a meeting chair.

"Team Leader Su, please go ahead."

Su Zhe raised his hand and pointed to the third row on the right side of the audience.

Why is there an empty seat over there?