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

At 8:30 a.m., Li Dakang was already sitting upright behind his large desk.

Three documents were neatly stacked on the table: the first was a notice from the Provincial Party Committee regarding the upgraded overall planning of land investigation in Jingzhou; the second was the internal minutes of his self-criticism at the Dafeng Factory debriefing meeting; and the third was a recent economic operation scheduling arrangement forwarded by the Provincial Government Office.

The secretary stood aside and cautiously reported, "Secretary, the provincial government just issued a notice that Governor Liu will chair an economic coordination meeting this morning, requiring the main leaders of each city to attend."

Li Dakang picked up the notice, glanced at it, and remained silent.

"Governor Liu has been attending meetings much more frequently recently."

The secretary lowered his voice and said, "Many people are saying that Governor Liu's term is coming to an end, and he is trying to play it safe and doesn't want to cause any more trouble."

Li Dakang still didn't respond, but his hand, which was flipping through the documents, paused slightly.

Of course he knew.

Liu Ruian is retiring, and the position of governor of Handong Province will soon be vacant.

In the past, he would have dreamed of this position.

But things are different now.

The supervisory team has created a huge hole in the sky over Handong!

Sha Ruijin was suspended from his post for investigation, Gao Yuliang lay in the hospital wrapped in a plaster mummy, and Qin Yuanzhou leveled all the entrenched strongholds of the Zhao, Liang, and Chen families, shovel by shovel!

The original political landscape of Handong was shattered into pieces.

At this point, who can support the economic foundation of Handong?!

Just as he was pondering this, there was a knock on the office door, and Yi Xuexi, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, pushed the door open and walked in.

"Secretary Dakang, are you getting ready to go to a meeting at the provincial government?"

Li Dakang glanced at him: "You're here early today. No cases left to investigate at the Discipline Inspection Commission?"

Yi Xuexi pulled out a chair and sat down without any hesitation, getting straight to the point: "There are too many cases to investigate, but I heard there's been some news coming from the province recently, so I have to come and give you a heads-up."

"What's the rumor?"

"Governor Liu wants to retire smoothly, so the candidate for governor needs to be decided."

Li Dakang put down his pen and deliberately put on a stern face: "Comrade Yi Xuexi, you're not only in charge of discipline inspection now, but you've also started serving as the provincial party committee's organization minister?"

Yi Xuexi remained calm, completely unmoved by his evasive tactics: "I don't care who goes up, I only care whether or not this mess in Jingzhou needs to be cleaned up after they come up."

Secretary Dakang, you've recently taken the initiative to write self-criticisms, cooperated with the supervisory team in transferring case files, and been so focused on economic matters. This kind of behavior, which would have been called "taking responsibility" in the past, might be seen as "showing off" or "paving the way for yourself" by others these days.

Li Dakang's face darkened, and he almost lost his composure: "What screen am I turning on? I'm stabilizing the situation in Jingzhou!"

These words sounded harsh; if it were in the past, Li Dakang would have slammed his fist on the table and cursed.

But he can't take pictures now. If he does, the supervisory team might just take the table away as evidence tomorrow.

"Do you think I want to go?" Li Dakang stared at Yi Xuexi.

Yi Xuexi met his gaze, not giving an inch: "Secretary Dakang, it's not that I think you want to be promoted, it's that I'm afraid others will think you do. Especially at times like these, you shouldn't appear too eager."

Li Dakang felt a surge of irritation.

He knew Yi Xuexi was right; sometimes, officialdom was indeed this unethical.

If you don't do anything, people will say you're passively resisting and shirking your duties; if you do too much, people will say you're ambitious and have ulterior motives.

Li Dakang picked up his water glass and sighed, "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Yi Xuexi said seriously, "Continue with your work as usual, do not discuss personnel matters, do not contact people you should not contact, and do not let your secretary inquire about things randomly."

Especially in Kyoto, absolutely do not ask anyone to pass on a message. Recently, someone will definitely contact you, claiming to be a former leader, an old friend, or concerned about economic stability, offering you an olive branch.

"Who?"

"I don't know. But with Governor Liu's term coming to an end, this power vacuum is the easiest time for someone to try and take advantage of the situation."

Just as Li Dakang was about to speak, the red secure phone on his desk suddenly rang.