Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Gyeongju International Airport.

At the end of the runway, a special plane was slowing down and taxiing.

Outside the VIP lane, seven or eight black government vehicles were lined up in a row, polished so smooth they could be used as mirrors. All the cars were facing the exit, ready to depart at any moment.

Almost all the members of the Standing Committee of the Hantong Province were present.

Tian Guofu stood at the front, his hands behind his back, his leather shoes polished so bright they reflected his image. Beside him was an entourage of officials from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, carrying briefcases, their posture more disciplined than during military training.

Gao Yuliang stood half a step to the right and behind Tian Guofu, wearing a dark blue executive jacket and holding a thermos. This half-step distance was perfectly measured—neither presumptuous nor beneath his dignity.

The art of navigating officialdom is far more difficult than advanced mathematics.

Li Dakang kept his hands in his trench coat pockets and maintained a distance of more than a meter from everyone.

Executive Vice Governor Qin Haoran, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission Chen Huai, Minister of the Publicity Department Zhang Jingwen, Minister of the United Front Work Department Zhao Qianfeng, and Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee He Xia were all present.

Two people were missing.

Governor Liu Changchun and Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Region Shen Zhong.

The private jet's cabin door opened.

A man of medium build and full of energy appeared at the cabin door. He wore a dark blue jacket, black casual trousers, and a pair of old Beijing cloth shoes, which was completely out of place with the formal attire of the group below.

Sha Ruijin.

The newly appointed provincial party secretary of Handong.

Some people look like they're wearing armor in a suit, while others exude an aura of power even in cloth shoes. Sha Ruijin is clearly the latter.

Tian Guofu was the first to step forward, wrapping his hands around Sha Ruijin's right hand and shaking it up and down several times.

"Secretary Sha, welcome, welcome! All the cadres and people of Handong have been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

Sha Ruijin smiled, patted Tian Guofu's hand, and didn't say anything more.

Qin Haoran followed closely behind, bending over nearly thirty degrees as he shook hands.

"Secretary Sha, you must be tired from your journey. I have already asked Director Li of the Bureau of Government Offices to arrange your accommodation. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Zhang Jingwen, Zhao Qianfeng, and Chen Huai stepped forward one by one, their faces all displaying varying degrees of fervent enthusiasm, but essentially the same. They practically wanted to have the word "loyalty" etched onto their foreheads.

Even with a new owner, the speed at which these people wag their tails hasn't changed at all.

Sha Ruijin shook hands with each of them, politely but not intimately.

It was Gao Yuliang's turn.

"Hello, Secretary Sha, I am Gao Yuliang."

"Comrade Yuliang, I have long admired you."

Sha Ruijin shook hands briefly before releasing them, his touch neither too cold nor too hot. The three-second contact struck the perfect balance between politeness and aloofness.

Next up is Li Dakang.

"Comrade Dakang has done a lot of practical things in Jingzhou. I heard about it when I was in Kyoto."

Li Dakang nodded. "Secretary Sha, it's all about serving the people."

He Xia was last in line, and Sha Ruijin glanced at her again.

"He Xia, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City? She's quite young."

"Yes, Secretary Sha."

He Xia reached out her hand, shook it briefly, and then withdrew it, her movements swift and decisive.

After shaking hands with everyone, Sha Ruijin glanced at the back of the crowd.

"Comrade Yuliang, where is Governor Liu Changchun?"

Gao Yuliang rubbed his hands together and forced a smile.

"Governor Liu has been unwell recently and is unable to come."

"Are you not feeling well?"

Sha Ruijin nodded, his tone so casual that it didn't seem like he was talking about a vice-ministerial level official.

"That's alright. Once I've settled down at the provincial party committee, if Governor Liu really can't handle it, he can just tell me. I'll personally submit the materials to the higher-ups and get him an early retirement so he can focus on recovering."

These words caused the smiles of several people on the parking lot to freeze for a fraction of a second.

To grant them early retirement.

This isn't caring about his health; it's like sealing Liu Changchun's coffin shut with nails.

In official circles, "poor health" is always an excuse, but Sha Ruijin insisted on taking it seriously. "You say you're sick? Fine, then stay sick forever."

The new Party Secretary's first substantive remark was directed at the Provincial Governor.

Tian Guofu coughed lightly, concealing the smile on his lips. Liu Changchun's week-long passive-aggressive behavior, which he thought was a silent protest, was directly interpreted by Sha Ruijin as a reason for early retirement.

The difference in perspective is too great.

Sha Ruijin changed the subject.

"By the way, where's Secretary Shen, the military officer who's a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee? He didn't come today either?"

Gao Yuliang's smile froze even more.

"Why didn't Secretary Shen come? Well... I'm not quite sure either. He might be busy with military affairs."

"Military affairs are busy."

Sha Ruijin chewed on those four words, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"To be honest, the person I most wanted to see during my trip to Handong was Secretary Shen."

There was a two-second silence in the parking lot.

The breathing rhythms of several Standing Committee members changed.

"I heard a lot about it when I was in Kyoto. People say that Secretary Shen is young and promising, and has remarkable skills. He managed to uproot Zhao Lichun, who had been working in Handong for more than ten years. That kind of courage is amazing."

These words were spoken slowly and deliberately, and on the surface they were all praise, but everyone present sensed another layer of meaning.

The phrase "merit so great it overshadows the ruler" has never been a positive one. Subordinates with exceptional abilities never allow their superiors to sleep soundly—this ironclad rule has remained unchanged for two thousand years.

Tian Guofu keenly seized the opportunity and took half a step forward.

"Secretary Sha, you may not know this, but Secretary Shen is usually very busy. This time, he probably has something more important to do than welcoming the Provincial Party Secretary."

As soon as those words were spoken, the air temperature in the parking lot dropped by two degrees.

He Xia clenched her fists tightly.

What a shrewd Tian Guofu. Not long ago, he was all fratern with Liu Changchun and her husband, but now that the wind has shifted, he's quicker than anyone to stab them in the back.

This kind of opportunistic creature will never go extinct.

"Secretary Sha, let me add something."

He Xia stepped forward, her voice crisp and clear.

"Shen Zhong is in Beijing to report to relevant military leaders on the follow-up of Zhao Lichun's case. The trip was arranged by Kyoto authorities at the last minute and coincided with today's airport pick-up time. He was not absent without reason."

She paused, then added.

"Secretary Shen also very much wants to see you."

Sha Ruijin turned and glanced at her.

"Oh? Secretary He seems to have a very good grasp of Secretary Shen's schedule."

There was a pause.

"Is Secretary Shen henpecked? He doesn't report his whereabouts to me, the top leader, but to his wife first."

The people around him chuckled softly in response.

Beneath the laughter lay their own calculations.

He Xia didn't laugh.

She was acutely aware of the weight of that joke. On his first day in office, the new Party Secretary called out two names. Liu Changchun's reprimand was blatant, while Shen Zhong's was a lighthearted reprimand.

The former is a disobedient dog; it can still be used even after being knocked down.

The latter is a tiger lying on the mountaintop, laughing as it knocks, because it hasn't yet figured out how sharp the tiger's teeth are.

The most dangerous laugh in the world is never at the dinner table, but at the first meeting during a power transition.

Sha Ruijin knew perfectly well what was going on. The biggest variable in Handong right now wasn't the provincial governor throwing a tantrum in his office.

Instead, it was that young major general who lay sprawled in the provincial military district compound, holding the entire armed forces of Handong in his hands, capable of even overthrowing Zhao Lichun.

"Let's go back to the provincial party committee compound first."

Sha Ruijin clapped his hands and took the lead in walking towards the convoy.

A group of Standing Committee members followed in single file, their order subtly adjusted. Tian Guofu secured the position to Sha Ruijin's right, Gao Yuliang lagged half a step behind, and Li Dakang walked on the far outside, acting alone.

He Xia, who was at the very back, took out her phone and sent a message to Shen Zhong.

"The new Party Secretary has arrived and is paying close attention to you."

After sending it, she added another sentence.

"Tian Guofu tried to sow discord between you and Sha Ruijin today."

She hesitated for two seconds with her thumb hovering above the screen, then typed another line.

"Sha Ruijin is no simple man."