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

The phrase "biased" is tantamount to a slap in the face in official circles. A provincial governor, in front of more than a thousand people, told the newly appointed provincial party secretary—you're wrong.

Who would have believed this three days ago?

Even Liu Changchun himself couldn't believe it.

But people are strange like that; when they're backed into a corner, they become fearless. The day Sha Ruijin parachuted in, he was pushed towards early retirement, and he endured it for a week. Now, the anger inside him has long since boiled over.

Sha Ruijin did not speak.

The audience of over a thousand people was put on pause.

The top officials from several prefectures and cities in the front row had their heads down, as if they wanted to bury their faces in their laptops. In the back row, someone was secretly wiping sweat, crumpling a handkerchief into a ball, stuffing it back into their pocket, and then taking it out again and again.

Just minutes ago, Tian Guofu was plotting how to use Sha Ruijin to undermine Shen Zhong's arrogance. The words he uttered at the airport that day, Sha Ruijin accepted today; it should have been a beautifully coordinated performance.

As it turned out, Shen Zhong didn't play by the rules.

Not only did he not follow the rules, this man didn't even care about the rules. He overturned the table in front of the provincial party secretary, used his military medals as bricks, and even Liu Changchun was swayed by his brute force—he actually spoke up for him.

Tian Guofu screwed the pen cap on and off repeatedly.

He was genuinely afraid.

It wasn't that he was afraid Shen Zhong would hit him, but that he was afraid Shen Zhong would remember him. Looking back now, every word he uttered at the airport that day, "Secretary Shen probably has something more important to do than welcoming the Provincial Party Secretary," still stings.

Who is Shen Zhong? He's the kind of person who could crush Zhao Lichun to dust. Who does Tian Guofu think he is?

Sha Ruijin finally moved.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put it down. The movement was so slow that everyone could see the slight tremor in his fingers.

"Governor Liu is right; my understanding is not comprehensive enough."

When those words were squeezed out of his mouth, Sha Ruijin felt as if a piece of iron was stuck in his throat.

He spent eight years in a western province, rising from mayor to deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, before being parachuted in from Beijing to become the top official in Handong. What kind of situation hadn't he witnessed along the way?

But he had never met someone like Shen Zhong.

It's not that I haven't seen tough people before. It's that I've never seen someone so tough that they won't even give you the most basic way out.

You try to label him, and he immediately throws the label in your face.

You implied that he was overstepping his authority, and he told you directly—go to Kyoto and report me.

This isn't a political game; it's a brawl between thugs.

Unfortunately, this rogue possessed the imperial sword of Kyoto.

Sha Ruijin turned his gaze away from Shen Zhong. He Xia, who was standing next to him, saw everything clearly during those few seconds of eye contact between the two.

There was no dialogue, no action.

Just watch.

Sha Ruijin's eyes held a probing look, a weighing of options, and a hint of suppressed anger after being publicly humiliated.

There was nothing in Shen Zhong's eyes.

He wasn't faking it; he genuinely didn't. For him, pressure from someone like Sha Ruijin wasn't enough to warrant even a flicker of emotion from him.

In my past life, I lay in a snowdrift at minus thirty degrees Celsius on the border for three days and three nights, waiting for a sniper to peek out. That's what you call pressure.

What's in front of me?

He was just a civil servant.

Sha Ruijin cleared his throat.

"Okay, we'll discuss this issue in more detail later. There are other agenda items for today's meeting, let's continue."

The topic has been changed.

Some people in the audience quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Others clenched their fists.

Liu Changchun leaned back in his chair, placing his hands back on his knees. The curve of his lips was so faint that even someone sitting next to him might not be able to see it.

But he felt happy inside.

That felt so damn good.

Sha Ruijin wants him to retire early? Fine. Let him see that in Handong, the world keeps turning no matter who's gone, but the administrative system can't function without the governor.

Sha Ruijin opened another document on the table and began to read it aloud.

"Regarding the systemic corruption problem in Handong Province under Zhao Lichun's administration—"

His tone returned to its usual unhurried rhythm, but with a newfound firmness.

Since confronting Shen Zhong head-on didn't yield any benefits, let's try a different approach. Zhao Lichun is a dead tiger; let's discredit him and, while we're at it, sweep through all the old officials from Zhao Lichun's era, cutting off those who need cutting them off and giving those who need a good talking-to.

"During Zhao Lichun's tenure as the top official in Handong, he engaged in rampant selling of official positions and abused his power for personal gain, turning Handong into his private domain. The political environment was severely polluted, the selection and appointment of cadres became a mere formality, and the promotion of unqualified officials became the norm."

List them one by one. Each one is verifiable, and each one points to a vast network of interests.

Some people in the meeting room started to get restless.

Secretary-General Chen Huai and Lincheng City Party Secretary Zhou Guichun both kept their heads down, their fingers constantly rubbing the corner of their bags. Every time Zhao Lichun's name was mentioned, their hearts sank a little deeper.

Only Gao Yuliang and Li Dakang remained seated without moving.

When Sha Ruijin was reading the third page, Shen Zhong spoke up again.

"Say a few words."

Sha Ruijin stopped.

Come again?

The tension in the entire arena tightened once again.

Shen Zhong leaned forward, resting one arm on the table.

"There is no disagreement that Zhao Lichun should be investigated and punished. What he did is outrageous."

Sha Ruijin nodded, assuming it was an agreement.

"but."

coming.

"During Zhao Lichun's ten-plus years in Handong, the GDP rose from eighth to second in the country. The length of expressways reached three times, the port's throughput ranked among the top five in the country, and the urbanization rate increased by twenty percentage points."

A heavy string of numbers was tossed out, crisp and clean.

"Merit is merit, and fault is fault. It's easy to completely negate a person, but it's unfair to erase all the things they've done."

If someone else had said that, more than a dozen people in the room would have jumped up and scolded him for trying to exonerate Zhao Lichun.

But that's what Shen Zhong said.

Who jumped?

Try jumping it.

Sha Ruijin tapped his fingers twice on the table.

"What does Secretary Shen mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. Just a reminder."

Shen Zhong leaned back heavily in his chair.

"Zhao Lichun left behind Handong, the second largest economy in the country. After Secretary Sha took over, the people of Handong are watching closely."

Once things get to this point, the meaning changes.

On the surface, it's an objective evaluation of Zhao Lichun, but in reality, it's putting a shackle on Sha Ruijin—you can criticize Zhao Lichun, but you have to do a better job than him. If you mess up Handong's economy, the people's spittle will drown you.

Second in the country.

These four words, when placed on Sha Ruijin's forehead, are more effective than any threat.

Sha Ruijin tightened his grip on the materials.

He Xia lowered her head, her lips pressed into a thin line, desperately trying to hold back her laughter.

She knows her man too well.

The initial show of force was just a display of strength; this next move is the real killing blow. Without making a sound, they put Sha Ruijin on the hot seat, leaving him speechless.

Sha Ruijin remained silent for five seconds.

"Secretary Shen is right; we must separate merits from demerits. The economic achievements of Handong have not come easily; we must cherish them, and on this basis—"