A man in Handong: living off Zhong Xiaoai

When Lü Jingmin saw that everyone was looking at him, he smiled and looked at Zheng Jindong.

"Governor Jin Dong, what you just said might not be entirely accurate. You haven't been in Handong long and may not be familiar with the situation in Handong Province. When Sun Huashan was in charge of our Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau, there were major scandals that caused many serious consequences. Furthermore, Sun Huashan himself was known for his improper conduct and indiscretions. These are generally accepted facts, not just what Secretary Qi said. In particular, the handling of Sun Huashan's case was led by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau and was only made after receiving instructions from the higher-level General Administration. It had nothing to do with Secretary Qi."

Upon hearing Lü Jingmin's words, Zheng Jindong stared in disbelief.

What's going on? What was Lü Jingmin just saying? And why did he address Qi Tongwei as Secretary Qi?

It was obvious that Lü Jingmin was using Qi Tongwei's special status in the provincial party committee to put himself in a superior position in front of Zheng Jindong.

Because his position as vice governor was indeed carried out under the leadership of the provincial party committee, Qi Tongwei's position as deputy secretary could, to some extent, be considered his superior.

Also, why are the things that Lü Jingmin said to Sun Huashan different from what I imagined?

Oh! Zheng Jindong suddenly understood. He was from Kyoto, and everyone said that the Zhong family and the Zheng family had a good relationship.

They must have misunderstood, thinking that she was just making grand pronouncements, when in fact her personal relationship with Qi Tongwei was quite good.

How could that be? I came to Handong to slap Qi Tongwei in the face and steal Zhong Xiaoai away.

After figuring out the reason, Zheng Jindong once again showed a confident smile.

“Jingmin, everyone in the meeting room is one of us. Once the door is closed, there's no need to be so serious. I know about the situation in Handong; you've suffered a lot. Although I'm not familiar with Sun Huashan, I deeply sympathize with him after learning about his ordeal. Don't be shy, speak freely!”

Even after Zheng Jindong finished speaking, he still had a smile on his face.

Zheng Jindong's attitude this time is very clear: he wants to have a heart-to-heart talk with everyone behind closed doors; to put it bluntly, he's here to build alliances.

Moreover, he made his stance clearer this time, stating that he sympathizes with and stands on Sun Huashan's side.

Zheng Jindong believes that these people are all Sun Huashan's men, and they were just being reserved and didn't dare to tell the truth.

Zheng Jindong investigated and found that Sun Huashan had been in charge of security in Handong for nearly fifteen years.

After Sun Huashan's incident, Qi Tongwei did not make any adjustments to the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau, which is why Zheng Jindong looks down on Qi Tongwei.

Although he clearly held the power to appoint and dismiss personnel, which had not been explicitly stated before, Zhao Lichun shared this power with him.

He was completely unaware that after removing Sun Huashan, the people who had been promoted by Sun Huashan would be removed.

Moreover, after learning of his arrival, he had a considerable amount of time to reorganize the leadership of the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau.

However, Qi Tongwei did not do so, which Zheng Jindong saw as a sign that Qi Tongwei came from the countryside and was short-sighted.

After hearing Sun Huashan's words, everyone turned their attention to Lü Jingmin.

Lu Jingmin smiled. He was a member of the Qi family gang, so his stance was clear.

Zheng Jindong's understanding is indeed quite good; Sun Huashan has indeed been in charge of work safety in Handong Province for a long time...

However, after Lü Jingmin surrendered, the people in the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau saw the benefits, especially since Qi Tongwei now held everyone's future in his hands, making him quite powerful.

There's an old saying that people become indifferent when someone leaves, and monkeys scatter when a tree falls. How could anyone still be loyal to Sun Huashan after he's been gone for so long?

"Governor Jin Dong, our team doesn't engage in factionalism; this is something our superiors have been emphasizing. You come from Beijing, so you certainly understand these detailed regulations better than we do. The nature of Sun Huashan's case has already been determined. I was quite surprised after hearing your words just now. How could you sympathize with someone like Sun Huashan, a corrupt official who squanders his wealth? Within our Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau, we are all in complete agreement, and our stance is firm: we resolutely distance ourselves from scoundrels like Sun Huashan."

Zheng Jindong frowned. What did he mean? Hadn't he made himself clear enough? He wasn't here to put on airs.

At this point, the others present also began to speak up, one after another.

"Governor Jin Dong, as a cadre parachuted in from Beijing, don't you agree with what the higher-ups say? How can you publicly speak out for Sun Huashan?"

"Before you arrived, Secretary Qi was just entrusted with an important task by the higher authorities. Doesn't this indicate the higher authorities' recognition of Secretary Qi's work? Doesn't it indicate the higher authorities' approval of Secretary Qi's contributions to Handong? Governor Jin Dong may have only been in Handong for 1.7 years and may not be familiar with the situation, but shouldn't his attitude be consistent with that of the higher authorities? Do you have a problem with Secretary Qi, or a problem with the higher authorities?"

“Governor Jin Dong, I am Yang Qingsheng, Deputy Director of the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau. I believe that our meeting today should focus on the safety supervision work in Handong Province. I do not think we should discuss Sun Huashan’s situation and Secretary Qi’s merits and demerits at our Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau’s leadership meeting. These are not issues that we safety supervision cadres can resolve.”

As he spoke, Yang Qingsheng smiled and looked at Zheng Jindong.

"Of course, these are not issues that a vice governor in charge of safety production in Handong Province should be discussing with us in this setting. This is not your responsibility, nor is it ours."

Chapter 262 I didn't expect the situation in Handong to be this serious.

Zheng Jindong was stunned for a moment; what did this mean?

Previously, at the provincial leadership meeting, it was just that people weren't very interested in what I said.

Although Wang Shenhao and Zhang Yongxian said some things that were biased towards Qi Tongwei, those words were still acceptable.

As the governor of Handong Province, Liu Linzong's words were unpleasant to Zheng Jindong, but Zheng Jindong did not respond with overly harsh language.

After I arrived at the provincial safety supervision bureau under my jurisdiction, the people there became even more outrageous and showed me absolutely no respect.

Zheng Jindong originally came here to heal his fragile heart, but now he sees his subordinates pointing fingers at him with great enthusiasm.

I am their supervisor, how dare they?

Lu Jingmin looked at Zheng Jindong, who was filled with panic and disbelief, but remained completely calm.

Lu Jingmin glanced at Yang Qingsheng and the others present. He knew very well that these people valued his chance to join the department more than anything else.

Now, only Qi Tongwei can decide whether they rise or fall.

The people at the provincial leadership meeting were only concerned with their own subordinates and their future influence in Handong. Their own opportunities for advancement were not in Qi Tongwei's hands, so they were relatively polite to Zheng Jindong.

The people in the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau were all relying on Qi Tongwei; their future depended entirely on a single word from him. So naturally, they wouldn't speak ill of him.

Zheng Jindong acts so high-profile, and Lü Jingmin is a member of the Qi family gang. If Qi Tongwei finds out about what happened at today's meeting...

Since I spoke up for Qi Tongwei, he will definitely be happy. Maybe if he's happy, he'll do something simple that will change our fate.

Conversely, siding with Zheng Jindong would not benefit anyone.

Lu Jingmin wasn't too worried about Zheng Jindong's attitude towards him. Even if Zheng Jindong disliked him, so what? Without Qi Tongwei's approval, Zheng Jindong couldn't get rid of him.

If the other vice governors encounter this problem, they can ask Qi Tongwei to move the person.

Just like before, when I would report the matter to Zhao Lichun and ask him to handle it.

Now that Zheng Jindong has arrived, he has turned against Qi Tongwei. How can he possibly have any control over his team?

Other vice governors kept recommending their own people to Qi Tongwei, and they all had a say in the promotion and demotion of their subordinates.

Even a leader in charge of personnel appointments and removals, like Zhao Lichun in the past, might not be able to know all the details.

Therefore, the opinions of the supervisor in charge are generally very important.

This is why, even though the supervisor in charge can't control personnel decisions, everyone is still willing to do so out of fear.

However, Zheng Jindong took an unconventional approach and launched an attack on Qi Tongwei as soon as he arrived in Handong.

In other words, if you follow Zheng Jindong, you can forget about getting promoted; given Qi Tongwei's personality, he might just take you down.

So how should Zheng Jindong manage his team?

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Zheng Jindong took a deep breath.

Then, with a loud "bang," he slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Before I came to Handong, I had heard about the serious problems in Handong Province. I had long heard that Qi Tongwei was all-powerful and lawless in Handong. I still had some doubts and held onto some illusions about Qi Tongwei. I never expected that it would all be true. How come you members of the Safety Supervision Bureau only have Qi Tongwei in your eyes? Do you even have any regard for me, the vice governor?!"

Actually, Zheng Jindong wanted to lose his temper at the provincial leadership meeting, but he held back because of his high moral character.

Now that I'm in the unit under my jurisdiction, what am I supposed to endure? I'm the eldest son of the Zheng family. I refuse to believe that if I shout, they won't even tremble in fear.

Thinking of this, although Zheng Jindong maintained a gentle expression, a slight hint of smugness still appeared on his face.

Yang Qingsheng found Zheng Jindong's words ridiculous.

He himself had a problem with Qi Tongwei, so he went to the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau and forced everyone to take sides.

If he really has powerful connections and the ability, he should take over the personnel appointment and dismissal power from Qi Tongwei.

If you can get your hands on this power, not only yourself, but all the cadres in Handong will follow you.

Having lived my whole life, I understand one thing best: nothing is more important than progress.

Most importantly, in front of Qi Tongwei, one wrong move and all your hard work for a lifetime is for naught; Zhang Xingkai's experience serves as a cautionary tale for everyone.

At that time, Qi Tongwei was only sharing this power with Zhao Lichun, and with just one sentence, he removed the former director of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau.

Moreover, now that this power has been directly granted to him, everyone has to be careful, because if they're not careful, they could all end up like Zhang Xingkai.

"Governor Jin Dong, this is Yang Qingsheng. What I just said was very clear, and I feel I have fully expressed my personal opinions. I am the Deputy Director of the Provincial Safety Supervision Bureau of Handong Province, not from any other department. The higher authorities have repeatedly emphasized that everyone must focus on their primary duties. Therefore, if the follow-up content of today's 460 meetings is unrelated to safety supervision work, I will not participate in the subsequent discussion, because frankly, I don't understand it either. I'm a very honest person, Governor Jin Dong, and I'm also very simple; I just want to do my job conscientiously. So I won't participate in the subsequent procedures; I'm going back to handle my work."

After saying this, Yang Qingsheng picked up the pen and notebook on the table, got up and left the meeting room.

Zheng Jindong's eyes widened in disbelief. He simply couldn't believe that a mere deputy director would leave behind just two sentences and then take his notebook and leave.

Hearing Yang Qingsheng say this, others began to follow suit.

"Governor Jin Dong, these are probably high-level topics you're discussing. We're just doing our jobs honestly, how would we know about the things between you and Secretary Qi? Excuse me, I'll be going now."

“Governor Jin Dong, if this meeting were about discussing Sun Huashan’s rights and wrongs or the legal issues of Handong Province, I wouldn’t have come. Governor Jin Dong, you can discuss this topic in the relevant judicial departments, but those departments are under Secretary Qi’s jurisdiction, and I don’t know if he would welcome you there. Anyway, I know this is not within the scope of safety supervision work, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Chapter 263 Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Secretary Lichun

After that, the people in the meeting room gradually left.

Zheng Jindong stood there to express his anger, to tell everyone that he had lost his temper.

Unexpectedly, his presence here had no deterrent effect whatsoever.

One by one, these people left, and I found myself standing there seeing them off.

After all that, you think you're being polite?

"So aggressive?" Zheng Jindong's eyes widened. "Is the provincial safety supervision bureau really that aggressive?"

How dare they? I am the vice governor of Handong Province, and they are the leaders in charge.

My own father is Old Zheng, what does that mean? Does it not work with them?

While Zheng Jindong was standing there bewildered, Lu Jingmin, the only one who hadn't left yet, also smiled and stood up.

After standing up, Lü Jingmin pushed up his glasses while smiling.

"Governor Jin Dong, we safety supervisors like to act swiftly and decisively. Actually, everyone was busy with their own work, so please don't take offense."

At this point, Lü Jingmin smiled.

"Governor Jin Dong, would you like to take a look around our Safety Supervision Bureau later? If so, I can have our office director accompany you. What do you think?"

Zheng Jindong found these words particularly grating.

As the vice governor in charge, I should have been accompanied by people like Lü Jingmin and Yang Qingsheng if I wanted to wander around the Safety Supervision Bureau.

What do you mean by asking an office director to accompany you on a tour? That's such an offensive way of putting it.

Zheng Jindong arrived in Handong full of confidence, intending to utterly humiliate Qi Tongwei at his inauguration meeting.