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

Last night in the detention center, Zhao Ruilong's regurgitation of the "unboxing blind box" was immediately turned into a top-secret report and sent directly to Beijing.

The towering tree of the Zhao family, along with the mud it produced, even cracked the bases of those old sages in the capital.

The aftershocks of this storm swept precisely over the Hantong Provincial Party Committee compound the following morning.

The atmosphere in the provincial party committee compound was strange.

As soon as the news of Liu Ruian's formal submission of his retirement handover report spread, many officials in the provincial government began to feel uneasy.

Some people hope he will retire, believing that moving an old tree out of its old spot will allow new branches to sprout.

Some people are afraid he will step down, but they know perfectly well that if Liu Ruian leaves, the next person to arrive might not be a benevolent god of wealth, but more likely a ruthless tyrant to settle old scores.

Office of the Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakang sat behind his large desk, looking at the three documents laid out side by side in front of him.

One document is Liu Ruian's review of the major projects in Jingzhou.

One document is his own statement to the supervisory team reporting the phone call from Bai Wangshan.

One document is a notice from the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee regarding a meeting of leading cadres across the province.

3 PM, Conference Room 1.

The agenda didn't mention the candidate for governor, but anyone who's climbed to this level in the Handong political scene and doesn't even have this much political acumen should probably go to the Children's Palace to look at the stars.

Li Dakang stared at the notice, his back teeth clenched tightly.

He no longer wanted to be the governor.

It wasn't modesty or a display of noble character; he was genuinely afraid.

What kind of chair is the position of governor of Handong Province now?

That was basically a red-hot griddle.

Below is the firewood of the Central Supervision Group, and above is the seasoning of the retired cadres of Beijing. Whoever sits on it will be fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Yi Xuexi slowly blew on the floating leaves in his teacup: "Secretary Dakang, stop staring at it. Even if you stare a hole through that notice, the words on it won't change by themselves."

Li Dakang raised his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Old Yi, tell me the truth, will the higher-ups call on me this time?"

Yi Xuexi put down his teacup, crossed his hands on his stomach, and scrutinized Li Dakang for a few seconds: "From the perspective of organizational use, you are capable; from the perspective of risk control, you are not suitable; from the perspective of your personal lifespan, it's best not to order."

Li Dakang's face darkened: "Can't you say something that makes me feel better?"

"Sure," Yi Xuexi nodded. "The tie you're wearing today really brightens your complexion."

Li Dakang almost couldn't resist smashing the pen holder on the table.

He took two deep breaths, suppressing his anger, and finally slumped back in his chair like a deflated balloon: "Fine, just tell me the truth. How are we going to get this over with?"

Yi Xuexi sat up straight: "I suggest you do only three things at the meeting this afternoon. First, arrive ten minutes early, don't be right on time; second, don't initiate small talk with anyone, just nod when others greet you; third, no matter who is announced as the successor on stage, be the first to applaud, and make sure your applause is sincere and enthusiastic."

"When did I, Li Dakang, ever live by clapping?" Li Dakang glared, his temper as the top official of Jingzhou flaring up again.

"Starting at 3 PM today," Yi Xuexi retorted without backing down.

Li Dakang pointed at Yi Xuexi, his lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.

...

2:50 p.m.

The provincial party committee auditorium was packed to capacity.

Lu Chengzhou sat in the center of the stage, Qin Yuanzhou sat in the audience, and Liu Ruian sat on the right, his expression as calm as an old man about to clock out.

Li Dakang sat in the first row, slightly to the side. His back was ramrod straight, his hands resting properly on his knees, not even daring to cross his legs.

His obedient demeanor made the top officials from several prefectures and cities sitting in the back row extremely uncomfortable.

"Why is Secretary Dakang so quiet today? Has he changed his personality?" someone whispered.

The person next to him quickly nudged him with his elbow: "What do you know? This is called political maturity."

"Were you immature when you were slamming your fist on the table and cursing at the municipal party committee?"

"What used to be called the passion for getting things done and starting a business is now called the risk of defying the wind and committing a crime."

...

The meeting started promptly at 3:00 PM.

The head of the provincial Party committee's organization department stepped in front of the microphone, unfolded the official document, and loudly read out the central government's decision.

"After deliberation and decision by the Central Committee, Comrade Meng Huaichuan was appointed as a member, standing committee member and deputy secretary of the Handong Provincial Committee of the CPC, and nominated as a candidate for governor of the Handong Provincial People's Government."

As soon as the last word resonated in the auditorium's sound system, applause erupted from the audience.

Li Dakang was indeed the first to applaud.

He not only started playing the drums early, but he also played them with tremendous force, his palms turning red from clapping.

There was no perfunctory applause in the applause; it was all heartfelt joy.

At that moment, he felt like a pig that had just been put on a barbecue grill, and was forcibly pulled back from the edge of the charcoal fire.

Although the charcoal fire under our feet is still burning, at least it won't be served as the main dish.

On the podium, Lu Chengzhou picked up his teacup, his gaze casually sweeping over Li Dakang, who was clapping enthusiastically below the stage, his expression indifferent.

Qin Yuanzhou turned his head and lowered his voice: "There's a sense of relief and joy in Li Dakang's applause."

"If you've survived, you should work hard." Lu Chengzhou blew on a mouthful of tea foam, his tone calm.

After the applause subsided, Meng Huaichuan walked to the podium.

This new provincial governor candidate, who was parachuted in from Jiangbei, is in his early fifties, lean, and wears frameless glasses on his nose. He exudes an unyielding and cold aura.

He didn't bring a script; he rested his hands on the podium and didn't even say a few polite words at the beginning.

"I came to Handong not to make a splash as a new official, nor to start something new."

Meng Huaichuan's voice was not loud, but it was extremely penetrating. "I will only do three things. First, stabilize the economic foundation of Handong; second, cooperate with the central supervision team to thoroughly investigate Handong's historical issues; third, rebuild the three rules of finance, projects, and state-owned enterprises in the provincial government system."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the entire room like a searchlight.

"I heard that some comrades under Handong are complaining that investigating old accounts will affect development, and some are even using the threat of 'not daring to do anything' to blackmail the organization."

I'm making this clear today: without clear accounts, development is just a castle in the air! No matter how beautifully a project is packaged, if there are hidden time bombs underneath, they'll eventually explode and hurt officials, businesses, and ordinary people. Handong can no longer afford to live by covering up its accounts!

The audience was completely silent, and many officials broke out in a cold sweat.

This Secretary Meng immediately put the "accounting cleanup" in the open, and directly named the three deep-water areas most prone to corruption: finance, projects, and state-owned enterprises.

This isn't a year-end bonus giveaway; this is a raid on your home, ransacking your drawers.

Meng Huaichuan continued, "What the organization opposes is arbitrary actions, not simply doing the work; what it investigates is using the guise of doing the work to seek personal gain, not suppressing those who take responsibility. Anyone who treats approval procedures as a mere formality, anyone who treats government projects as their personal ATM, anyone who uses state-owned enterprises as a means of transferring benefits—when investigated, don't cry foul in front of the Discipline Inspection Commission!"

Hearing this, Li Dakang, who was sitting in the first row, felt his temples throbbing.

Although he wasn't named, it was as if the words were written with his name tag on the gate of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee compound.

In the past, when undertaking large-scale development projects, Li Dakang loved to talk about "special handling for special cases" and "efficiency first," and what he hated most were all kinds of slow-down approval procedures.

But times have changed.

Procedures are not stumbling blocks that hold people back; they are lifelines that prevent cadres from falling into the abyss.

After the meeting, Meng Huaichuan did not stand on the stage to receive the handshakes and warm greetings from the cadres below, as previous new leaders had done.

He simply shook hands with Lu Chengzhou, Qin Yuanzhou, and Liu Ruian before preparing to leave.

Li Dakang kept Yi Xuexi's instructions firmly in mind and stood obediently in place, not pushing forward even half a step.

But just because he doesn't push his way through doesn't mean others can't see him.

Meng Huaichuan stepped down from the podium and went straight to Li Dakang.

"Comrade Dakang."

Li Dakang stood up straight as if by reflex: "Governor Meng, hello!"

"He's not the governor yet; the procedures with the People's Congress haven't been completed." Meng Huaichuan corrected him meticulously.

Li Dakang reacted quickly and immediately changed his address to "Secretary Meng".

Meng Huaichuan looked at him, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as a knife: "Jingzhou is the provincial capital and the economic heart of Handong. You'll be under the most pressure going forward. The provincial party committee's requirement is that you stabilize the situation, but you absolutely cannot cover it up."

Recently, the provincial government will dispatch a special working group to conduct a comprehensive review of land approvals, urban investment platforms, and state-owned enterprise projects in Jingzhou. Do you have any objections?

Li Dakang felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside him.

This is hardly a consultation.

This is clearly a notice to audit the accounts.

But he showed no hesitation whatsoever, loudly declaring, "I will resolutely obey the arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government! The Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government will fully cooperate with the working group, and will absolutely not protect anyone or cover up any wrongdoing!"

"That's a good statement. I hope the materials will be just as complete when the time comes." Meng Huaichuan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Li Dakang forced a bitter smile through his stiff facial muscles: "Understood."

After Meng Huaichuan had walked away, Yi Xuexi suddenly appeared out of nowhere and whispered in Li Dakang's ear, "Secretary Dakang, it seems I was right. Applause is indeed effective, but it's only a temporary solution."

Li Dakang glanced at him sideways, gritting his teeth: "Old Yi, if you don't make fun of me today, will you even be able to eat dinner tonight?"

Yi Xuexi thought about it seriously for two seconds: "It's not that I can't eat, it's that I'm prone to indigestion and getting sick from holding it in."

Li Dakang was so angry he laughed, pointed at Yi Xuexi, and shook his head.

After laughing, he turned to look in the direction of the auditorium entrance, but his heart felt as heavy as lead.

The selection of the provincial governor has been finalized, but this does not mean that the turmoil in Handong has subsided.

On the contrary, the truly knowledgeable and daring "living Yama" arrived.

And Jingzhou was the first table Meng Huaichuan wanted to investigate.