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

Li Dakang's facial muscles stiffened slightly, and after a moment, he said firmly, "The truth."

"Then how could I talk about the time I was publicly criticized by you at the conference back then, accused of hindering development and lacking enthusiasm for reform?"

"Can."

"Can I say that Ding Yizhen overstepped his authority, bypassed district-level legal procedures, and forcibly pushed forward the project?"

"Can."

"The police officers at the scene of the 116 incident were timid and hesitant to act decisively, their actions hampered and restrained by their status as retired cadres. How can I possibly criticize them?"

Li Dakang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally nodded: "Anything is fine."

Sun Liancheng abruptly stopped smiling, his gaze sharp as a knife, and posed the most fatal question of the entire conversation: "Then let me ask you one last question, Chen Yanshi, how do we settle this?"

The room fell into a deathly silence; the air was so heavy it seemed to freeze.

Sun Liancheng kept a close eye on Li Dakang, pressing him relentlessly, tearing apart the facade of civility that everyone was trying to maintain:

"The mess at Dafeng Factory cannot be solved by simply targeting the grassroots and middle-level cadres with superficial changes!"

The workers were wrong to block the factory with weapons and illegally resist law enforcement; the police were wrong to shirk responsibility and handle the situation poorly; and the city government was wrong to make radical decisions and suppress risks.

"But what about Chen Yanshi? He sits on the scene as a veteran cadre, using his moral halo to manipulate law enforcement and control public opinion. He privately holds hidden shares in Dafeng Factory and enjoys illegal benefits. He stands on the moral high ground for years, pointing fingers and dictating everything. When something goes wrong, he makes the frontline workers take all the blame. Does he think he's completely blameless?"

Li Dakang suddenly opened his eyes, lowered his voice, and revealed a bombshell: "Chen Yanshi has officially entered the disciplinary review process, and all of his hidden interests related to Dafeng Factory have been frozen and investigated."

Sun Liancheng's hand holding the teacup suddenly paused, his face full of astonishment, then he smiled with relief, all his gloom dissipating: "That's right. The sky in Handong has finally truly brightened."

"Do you have a personal grudge against him?" Li Dakang asked in a deep voice.

"We have no grudges against each other."

Sun Liancheng waved his hand gently, his tone frank and his words clear, "I'm just disgusted by this kind of pseudo-integrity. He spends his whole life claiming to be honest, selfless, and hardworking, enjoying special treatment based on his seniority and reputation, and everyone has to make way for his 'reputation'."

"Workers trusted him, officials feared him, and the media praised him; he stood firmly on the moral high ground, living an upright and honest life."

All the messes, the blame, and the infamy fall on us, the frontline and middle-level managers. This kind of moral blackmail is more suffocating than power oppression.

Li Dakang remained silent, unable to refute.

……

One day later, in a top-secret small conference room of the Provincial Party Committee.

The special review meeting on the Dafeng Factory 116 Incident was held on time. It was of extremely high level, extremely small in scope, completely confidential, and archived for future reference.

Provincial Party Secretary Lu Chengzhou and supervisory team leader Qin Yuanzhou presided over the meeting, while Li Dakang, Yi Xuexi, Zhao Donglai, and key officials involved in the case attended as observers.

There was no small talk, no tea, no preamble; the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Zhao Donglai was the first to stand up and give his report.

Having undergone multiple rounds of investigation and scrutiny and thoroughly understood the situation, he had already severed ties with himself, adjusted his mindset, and was fully motivated to survive. He openly admitted his mistakes and never shirked responsibility.

He laid bare all the facts of what happened at the scene, including concerns about the gasoline hazard, the police deployment, the fear of enforcing the law, the influence of his status as a veteran cadre, the passive handling of the situation based on verbal instructions from the municipal party committee, and the failure to decisively eliminate the danger. He did not hide anything.

At the end of the report, the police chief bowed his head and admitted his mistakes sincerely: "As the person primarily responsible for the on-site handling, I was overly self-serving, had too many concerns, and lacked firm enforcement of the law. I was swayed by personal relationships and seniority, and neglected the safety of people's lives and property. I admit my mistakes and accept the punishment, and fully accept all the organizational decisions."

The entire room fell silent; no one uttered a sound.

Immediately afterward, Li Dakang stood up and made a self-criticism.

He didn't take the manuscript, make excuses, or shirk responsibility. He stood tall, his tone full of self-reflection and a sense of vicissitude: "As the main leader of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, I unilaterally pursued development speed and political achievements, emphasizing results over procedures, and stability over compliance."

I, Li Dakang, bear full responsibility for the failure to oversee and manage the profit chain and procedural loopholes in the land transfer at Dafeng Factory, and for turning a blind eye to the chaos of special interference in on-site law enforcement, and for failing to effectively correct these deviations. I cannot shirk my duty.

Sun Liancheng, sitting in the back row, listened quietly, and the pent-up frustration of the past few years finally began to dissipate.

Finally, it's no longer a case where those at the grassroots level bear all the blame while those at the top level wash their hands of it; finally, someone is willing to pay the price for top-level decision-making errors.

When it was Sun Liancheng's turn to speak, he neither kicked him while he was down nor tried to whitewash his actions. He remained objective, neutral, and presented his arguments with reason and evidence throughout.

From the district-level risk assessment report, process compliance reminders, and early warning records reported at each level, to Ding Yizhen's overstepping of authority, the city-level forced implementation, and his own marginalization and idleness, the entire process is described in a straightforward, clear, and factual manner.

After finishing his statement, he closed his notebook, leaving behind a heartfelt remark that thoroughly exposed the distorted ecology of the officialdom in Handong, a remark worthy of being recorded in the post-mortem:

"I readily admit that my passive and irresponsible attitude and avoidance of duties in the later stages were my mistakes."

But I absolutely refuse to accept attributing all the problems of the Dafeng Factory incident and the Guangmingfeng project solely to the lack of responsibility and inaction of grassroots cadres!

"A distorted norm has long existed in the officialdom of Handong: superiors only care about speed, not procedures; they only care about political achievements, not risks. They impose targets at every level, simplify procedures at every level, and tacitly condone violations at every level."

"Once you get to the grassroots level, you always have only two choices: either break the rules and act illegally to pave the way for your superiors, and take the blame when things go wrong; or strictly adhere to procedures and refuse to cross the line, and be criticized for inaction, lack of responsibility, and dragging things down. Lack of responsibility is always a result of a distorted performance evaluation system, not the root cause!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

All the officials from Jingzhou present lowered their heads, none daring to meet their gazes.

Sun Liancheng's words tore away the last fig leaf from the officialdom of Handong, revealing the unspoken rules that everyone knew but no one dared to say.

At the head of the table, Provincial Party Secretary Lu Chengzhou, with a deep gaze, slowly spoke, delivering the final verdict:

"Comrade Sun Liancheng's speech has been recorded verbatim and in its entirety in the review report."

The moment he finished speaking, the entire room was stunned.

Lu Chengzhou surveyed the entire room, his tone serious, and established new rules for the officialdom of Handong:

"From now on, Handong will completely break this distorted system! We will never allow superiors to create political achievements while subordinates take the blame, we will never allow the trampling of procedures and rules in the name of the overall situation, and we will never allow the grassroots to be forced to choose between violating regulations and discipline and lying down and being scolded!"

All work must be implemented according to regulations, carried out according to procedures, and accounted for according to records!

At the end of the meeting, Qin Yuanzhou, head of the supervisory group, on behalf of the central supervisory group and the provincial party committee, officially announced the final handling opinion on the spot, which was decisive, clear in its division of responsibilities, and without any compromise:

Zhao Donglai: He received a reprimand, submitted a profound written self-criticism, and his core review authority over the Dafeng Factory case was suspended. He retained his current position and is required to cooperate with external investigations. This is a combination of overt and covert measures to deter and protect him, while temporarily ensuring his safety.

Li Dakang: The Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee will conduct a thorough self-examination, record the leaders' responsibilities in their personal cadre performance evaluation files, monitor their performance of duties throughout the subsequent process, constrain their use of power, and strip them of their past absolute say.

Sun Liancheng: Revoke past inappropriate negative evaluations, restore the cadre's reputation and benefits, remove the record of dereliction of duty and accountability, and subsequently make overall arrangements for a relaxed and compliant second-line position, so as to completely clear his name and make a smooth landing.

Chen Yanshi: He has been formally transferred to the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Supervisory Commission for disciplinary review, and all related hidden shares and illegal interests of Dafeng Factory have been frozen and investigated. He will be held accountable in accordance with laws and regulations, and has been completely dethroned and his moral image shattered.

The four proposed solutions have been implemented, and everyone present understands their significance.

The sky over Handong has truly changed completely.

It's no longer about seniority, reputation, or the big picture pressuring people on; it's no longer about those who cry getting rewarded and capable people taking the blame.

From this day forward, everything shall be governed by rules, with accounts checked, right and wrong determined, and responsibilities clearly defined. No one shall be exempt.

……

The meeting ended, and the corridor was cool and refreshing.

Sun Liancheng habitually took out a cigarette from his pocket, and was about to light it when he suddenly remembered that he was in the provincial party committee office building. He could only click his tongue helplessly, put the cigarette back in his pocket, and looked relieved and relaxed.

Zhao Donglai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and strode over, his expression complex, his tone sincere: "District Chief Sun, I'm sorry you were made the scapegoat for how the situation was handled back then."

"Don't call me district chief anymore."

Sun Liancheng waved his hand dismissively, his smile clear and bright. "I'm just a carefree person looking at the stars now, free from official duties and carefree."

"The provincial party committee has already determined the nature of the error and corrected it; your justice has been served." Zhao Donglai gave a wry smile. "You will be reassigned to a new position soon."

"Arrange it however you like."

Sun Liancheng stretched and relaxed. "As long as I don't have to clean up other people's messes or take the blame for my superiors' mistakes, working anywhere is like a vacation in the Milky Way."

Zhao Donglai nodded helplessly: "Those words are harsh, but they are all true."

Sun Liancheng patted his shoulder, his tone carrying the insightful advice of someone with experience: "Director Zhao, don't be too tense. Your willingness to admit mistakes, take responsibility, and cover up the damage already puts you ahead of 90% of the cadres in Handong. Being willing to admit your mistakes and not shirk responsibility when things come to a head is the greatest form of self-protection."

Just as Zhao Donglai was about to respond, his cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

Caller ID: Zhou Zhengming

The moment Zhao Donglai saw the name, his heart, which had just settled, jumped back into his throat, and a chill ran down his spine.

He quickly answered the phone, and a serious, calm instruction came through the receiver:

"Comrade Zhao Donglai, report to the supervisory team's location immediately. Chen Yang's supplementary verification materials confirm that at the site of the Dafeng Factory 116 incident, the Municipal Bureau had prepared an internal risk warning report, recording major hidden dangers and enforcement difficulties at the scene. This report was later forcibly suppressed and sealed by higher-ups in the Municipal Bureau. You must immediately lead the investigation into the whereabouts of the original document, the personnel involved, and the reasons for its sealing, and provide feedback within a specified time!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Donglai's face was bitter and heavy, filled with helplessness.

Looking at his worried face, Sun Liancheng raised an eyebrow and chuckled, then turned to look at the hazy sky over Jingzhou outside the window, slowly uttering a philosophical conclusion:

"Go. Now that dawn has broken in Handong, the breeze has settled, and under the starry sky, no dark pits or old grievances can be hidden any longer. No one can escape unscathed."