Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

Li Dakang felt a surge of frustration and couldn't help but begin to defend himself:

"What was the situation back then? I held the line under immense pressure! The workers were on the verge of exploding. If we forcibly confiscated the gasoline and dispersed the crowd, it could easily have led to mass bloodshed and casualties!"

With Sha Ruijingang's sudden arrival in Handong, the entire society was watching Dafeng Factory, while Chen Yanshi, a long-time resident of the factory, relied on his seniority. I couldn't take a hard line; I had no choice but to opt for a soft landing!

"But looking back now, no matter how I weighed the big picture back then, all the shortcomings in my handling of the situation ultimately have to be blamed on me, Li Dakang?!"

Yi Xuexi looked at him calmly, his words hitting the nail on the head: "Maintaining stability is not wrong, but it cannot come at the cost of abandoning the legally mandated bottom line of safety measures! Moreover, Dafeng Factory is involved in too many old cases, and too many people are implicated!"

Easy-to-learn words are plain yet sharp.

Li Dakang lowered his eyes and remained silent.

The proud self deep inside me had to admit that every word of this judgment was true.

After a long silence, he deflated like a punctured balloon and asked in a low voice, "In your opinion, how will the organization ultimately determine my responsibility?"

"There will be no organizational adjustments to you in the short term; the overall economy of Jingzhou still needs your leadership to stabilize it."

Yi Xuexi offered an objective assessment: "However, the leadership responsibility for the Dafeng Factory incident will definitely be determined according to regulations. Admonitory talks, written self-criticisms, and even serious warnings within the Party are all possible. The final determination depends on the complete chain of events uncovered through in-depth investigation."

Li Dakang leaned back in the leather seat, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This is the officialdom.

When a person is in power and enjoying great success, all their achievements are attributed to the collective; but when a scandal breaks out, every oversight can be precisely pinned on the person primarily responsible.

Looking at his dejected appearance, Yi Xuexi casually added, "You said exactly the same thing to Sun Liancheng at the meeting on rectifying the work style of cadres in Guangming District back then."

One sentence, like a resounding slap in the face, left Li Dakang speechless.

The memory of that conference in Guangming District from back then involuntarily came to mind.

He publicly criticized Sun Liancheng for being cowardly and complacent, and for sending the district head to the Children's Palace to oversee astronomical equipment with a single transfer order, which drew laughter from the entire audience.

Looking back now, Sun Liancheng's apparent passivity and avoidance of responsibility back then actually stemmed from his long-standing understanding of the filth behind the land chain and his prediction that a series of accountability actions would inevitably erupt sooner or later!

That's not called lazy governance; it's called choosing to stay out of the vortex early on and using "stargazing" to put on a bulletproof vest for themselves!

"Sun Liancheng... is he still at the Children's Palace?" Li Dakang suddenly asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"I've been on duty at the planetarium. But I haven't been fiddling with the telescope much these past few days, probably because I've heard rumors from the outside world."

A bitter smile, extremely complex, welled up in Li Dakang's heart.

In the end, the "Cosmic District Chief" whom he publicly humiliated was the smartest person who saw through it all.

On the contrary, it was he, the self-proclaimed pioneer of reform, who failed to see through this messy political situation.

Yi Xuexi got up to leave, and before departing, based on their long-standing friendship, he gave the most sincere advice:

"The provincial party committee is about to hold a meeting with you. Secretary Dakang, take my advice: when you report, don't keep emphasizing how much GDP you achieved, and don't repeatedly defend yourself by saying that you have never been corrupt."

Only by directly confronting subjective biases in on-site handling and project advancement, proactively acknowledging leadership responsibility, and distinguishing between personal gain and dereliction of duty, can the severity of the offense be objectively mitigated.

Li Dakang looked up at him: "So, you're teaching me how to pass this test?"

"I'm just advising you to be realistic and avoid adding subjective elements of resistance to your punishment," Yi Xuexi said, turning and leaving the office.

Inside the room, only Li Dakang remained, sitting quietly for a long time.

At 5 p.m. that day, the notice of the special interview from the Provincial Party Committee was officially delivered to the Municipal Party Committee Office.

The agenda is clearly defined: a review of the leadership responsibility for the January 16th incident involving the Dafeng Factory.

Li Dakang skimmed through the entire notice, showing no anger, but calmly instructed his secretary:

"Compile the public publicity materials and handling reports from Dafeng Factory back then, and seal the classified files. There's no need to retrieve them. There's no need to write a lengthy report; I'll verbally explain the situation to you during tomorrow's meeting."

……

The following morning, in the provincial party committee's special meeting room.

Lu Chengzhou sat in the main seat, Qin Yuanzhou sat to the side, Zhou Zhengming was in charge of recording the questions, and Tian Guofu and Yi Xuexi stood on either side.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was solemn and oppressive. There wasn't even a cup of tea or a plate of fruit or snacks on the table; it was purely "business as usual."

Li Dakang pushed open the door and sat down. Before the leader could even ask a question, he took the initiative to express his opinion, demonstrating a very high level of political awareness:

"Secretary Lu, Team Leader Qin, I will not evade or shirk responsibility regarding the shortcomings in the handling of the Dafeng Factory back then, and I am willing to accept all accountability from the organization."

Lu Chengzhou nodded slightly, getting straight to the point: "Let's start with the core issue. During the restructuring of Dafeng Factory, were you aware of Chen Yanshi's hidden shareholding beforehand? And regarding the rumors about the flow of gray funds in the Lingang Old City redevelopment, why, as the top leader, did you not arrange for a special team to investigate them over the years?"

"I had heard some rumors in the past, but because there were no concrete clues to support them, the special investigation was put on hold."

Li Dakang took a deep breath, dissecting his most secret selfish desires.

"During that period, the city faced heavy tasks in attracting investment and urban construction. I was focused solely on development targets and avoided the deeper hidden dangers behind land reform."

I'm reluctant to delve into those complicated old stories involving multiple parties, for fear of getting myself into trouble; this is a weakness of mine.

Lu Chengzhou coldly pointed out his underlying logic: "Ultimately, you're afraid that digging into historical issues will damage the development achievements you've been focusing on!"

Li Dakang did not refute.

In official accountability talks, simply covering things up will only escalate the situation. Instead, proactively analyzing one's own internal considerations can leave room for negotiation.

Zhou Zhengming continued his attack, and this time, he mentioned a name that made Li Dakang extremely embarrassed:

"Back then, in the low-price land transfer plan for Guangming District, Sun Liancheng clearly outlined in writing the dual risks of procedure and valuation. Why didn't you adopt his prudent advice?"

A complex sense of guilt welled up in Li Dakang's heart, and he gave a soft, bitter laugh: "At that time, I believed that he was conservative in his thinking and lacked the courage to tackle reforms, so I bypassed his position and arranged for a deputy to sign off on the process."

Looking back now... his awareness of legal procedures and boundaries far surpassed mine.

"You should explain this reflection to Sun Liancheng face to face."

Lu Chengzhou set the tone with a single sentence, and then read out the organization's initial arrangements.

"After joint research by the Provincial Party Committee and the Supervision Group, the Party will hold a special review meeting on the Dafeng Factory incident. The meeting will be limited to internal participants and will not be announced to the outside world."

As the main leader of Jingzhou at the time, you need to make a profound and public written self-criticism at the meeting; Zhao Donglai will simultaneously provide an explanation of his performance of duties; and Sun Liancheng will attend the entire meeting as a cadre who was aware of the relevant risks and warnings at the time!

Li Dakang's expression suddenly changed.

A public apology!

He also had to personally analyze his own mishandling of the situation in front of Sun Liancheng, the one he had sent to "stargaze"!

This political embarrassment and humiliation is far more tormenting than a mere disciplinary action.

But he knew that the organizational arrangements were already made and he could not refuse.

He could only grit his teeth and reply in a deep voice, "I will obey all arrangements made by the organization."

Qin Yuanzhou added a final, stringent requirement, completely sealing off any privileged access from Jingzhou: "During the subsequent transfer of relevant clues about the Chen family to the Discipline Inspection Commission for review, Jingzhou must not grant any special treatment based on the 'veteran comrade' status! The procedures for equity return, factual explanation, etc., must all be carried out in accordance with regulations; there is no room for exceptions!"

"Understood." Li Dakang nodded emphatically.

The conversation ended. As Li Dakang walked out of the meeting room, he felt as if his steps were weighed down by a thousand pounds.

The secretary waited anxiously outside the corridor, then stepped forward and asked, "Secretary, are we going back to the Municipal Party Committee?"

Li Dakang looked up at the gloomy sky outside the window and shook his head: "I'm not going to the Municipal Party Committee. I'm going to the Municipal Children's Palace."

The secretary looked bewildered: "Go now?"

"Now."

As the official car drove out of the provincial party committee compound, Li Dakang sat quietly in the back seat with his eyes closed.

The lingering old grievances have finally exploded, leaving no room for escape.

Since the organization requires him to face the past and reflect on it in public, the first thing he should do is go to Sun Liancheng, whom he had previously labeled as "lazy in governance," and say a belated heartfelt message.

……

The entrance to the planetarium at the Jingzhou Children's Palace.

After the car came to a stop, Li Dakang got out of the car alone without having his secretary follow him.

The afternoon sunlight was unusually gentle.

Sun Liancheng, wearing a faded old jacket, moved a small wooden chair and sat against the wall outside the building, basking in the sun.

With a thermos cup beside him, he exuded a sense of relaxation, as if he had seen through the vanities of the world.

Upon seeing the newcomer, a fleeting hint of surprise crossed Sun Liancheng's eyes, before he quickly regained his calm and composed expression, without even shifting his position.

Li Dakang walked slowly to him and stood quietly for two seconds.

The once decisive and domineering municipal party secretary now spoke with a more restrained and introspective tone, devoid of any of his former assertiveness.

"Liancheng, I've come here today to have a good chat with you about the old days of Dafeng Factory."

Sun Liancheng did not get up to offer his seat, but gently stroked the inside of the thermos with his fingertips.

He raised his head, looking at the high-ranking municipal party secretary, his tone indifferent and detached, carrying a long-suppressed sense of alienation and the ultimate epiphany of a "district chief of the universe":

"We can talk. But let's make this clear first, Secretary Dakang, I don't have GDP reports here, only a telescope and a sky full of stars."