Chapter 366: Chapter 357 New Year_1
Nie Zhenbang was also taken aback. Lei Dingguo’s involvement was something he could not foresee. But it was better this way. With Lei Dingguo taking the lead, the rest of matters would be easier to handle. No wonder Lei Dingguo was angry. The disciplinary Secretary personally supervised the incident, three working groups selected by Lei Dingguo were stationed in the three factories to carry out investigations. The main focus was on the financial accounts of these factories over the years, along with the procurement of equipment and construction of infrastructure by the municipal finance. Now, a fire in Factory No. 1 had burnt all the evidence for the investigation. Wasn’t this making Lei Dingguo lose face?

As soon as the statement was finished, Fan Changsheng’s face also looked somewhat displeased. It seemed that since Nie Zhenbang had come to power, the committee members in the Standing Committee had grown bolder. When it was Lei Dingguo’s turn to report about the working group, he directly suggested a course of action.

Shortly after, Fan Changsheng opened his mouth slowly and leisurely, “As for how to punish, I think, let’s shelve this matter for the time being. At this juncture, we have to consider the restructuring of Qingfang City. Besides, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the fire department doesn’t have a definite conclusion yet. I think it is better not to be rash. We are responsible to the broad masses of the people in our work. Similarly, as leaders, we must also be responsible to the majority of the grassroots party members and cadres.”

Even though everyone clearly understood that Fan Changsheng was glossing over the issue, there was nothing Lei Dingguo could do about it. The profound meaning in Fan Changsheng’s words was explicit he intended to circumvent the issue of punishment. However, the reasoning within his words was clear and indisputable, making it impossible to find a point of contention.

With the conclusion of Fan Changsheng’s remark, at the side, Huang Junshan also spoke slowly, “I agree with Secretary Fan’s viewpoint. When dealing with subordinate cadres, we should not negate the achievements of grassroots cadres unilaterally. Take Qingfang City for example, three factories have several thousand workers. Just feeding them is a challenge. With the current economic crisis, the world economy is slumping. Although Qingfang City is in a bit of difficulty, we should acknowledge the attitude of the leaders of Qingfang City. After all, attitude determines everything. We can’t rush to judgments because of a few incidents. We need to be cautious about this type of behavior. We need to keep clear heads.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang knew it would be nearly impossible to have a complete breakthrough. Fan Changsheng and Li Guohua had many years of experience in Liangxi City, especially Fan Changsheng, who was born and bred as a cadre of Liangxi. His authority, established in Liangxi City, could not be weakened in a short time.

Moreover, these people were bold in their execution of the Qingfang City case. Their handling of the case was impeccable and far exceeded his estimation. If he continued to investigate, he might end up at a disadvantage.

Thinking about this, Nie Zhenbang looked at Lei Dingguo, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission across the room. As their eyes met, they understood each other’s intentions.

Shortly after, Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “I think Secretary Fan’s suggestion is very reasonable. The matter of handling the responsible persons can be put on hold for a while. It’s not too late to discuss after the fire department’s investigation report comes out.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Fan Changsheng’s face didn’t relax in the slightest. Instead, it became more serious. The more Nie Zhenbang responded this way, the more it exposed his exceptional ability. Such a person was the most dangerous. One could never know when he would launch an attack. But, despite his concerns, Fan Changsheng didn’t care much at the moment. After all, he was still the party secretary of Liangxi City.

Subsequently, Fan Changsheng cleared his throat again, saying, “There’s less than half a month left until the New Year. I think, let’s discuss the New Year’s arrangements while the time is right.”

Having said that, Fan Changsheng casually cast a glance at Nie Zhenbang. The message in Fan Changsheng’s eyes was clear. The New Year signifies a pause in all affairs. This is not a rule, but a tradition. With this buffer period, any problems with the three factories of Qingfang City would naturally be resolved.

Another implication was that after the New Year, the People’s Congress would convene. This would be the crucial moment for Nie Zhenbang’s biggest test. Whether he could successfully be elected as the mayor of the Liangxi Municipal Government and remove the word “temporary” from his title, would depend on the People’s Congress.

Pause. With Fan Changsheng’s words, the secretary-general of the municipal party committee, Hu Youquan started, “Secretary Fan, leaders, regarding the arrangement during the New Year holiday, a general plan has already been created by the Municipal Party Office. On the lunar new year, all the leaders of the Municipal Party Committee will attend the Lunar New Year’s Eve Concert in the Liangxi City Theater held by Liangxi City Municipal Party Committee and Government. All three channels of the city TV station will broadcast live. Liangxi City Radio will also conduct a live broadcast.

On the 26th, a gathering for all the city party committee and city agencies will be held. On the 27th, the city party committee leaders will participate in the New Year’s tea parties held by all the city’s systems. On the 28th, they will pay respects to the stationed troops and armed police and fire fighters in Liangxi. On the 29th, they will visit the city’s most impoverished workers’ families. On New Year’s Eve morning, holidays will start. Duty arrangements during the Spring Festival will be discussed again. During this period, the Propaganda Department of the Municipal Party Committee, the reporters of Liangxi Daily, and the news channel reporters of Liangxi City TV Station will follow up and film the entire process.

“Secretary Hu, as expected of the steward of the Party Committee. Such an arrangement is very comprehensive. In the past, the arrangement every year was like this, I trust Secretary Hu’s arrangement completely. I have no objections,” said Li Guohua quietly.

On this issue, both Huang Jiang and Lei Dingguo would naturally not have any disagreement with Fan Changsheng. On Nie Zhenbang’s side, although he was aware that Fan Changsheng wanted to maintain his and Li Guohua’s exposure, without a winning hand, Nie Zhenbang chose to agree promptly which resulted in a sense of ease.

Seeing that everyone agreed unanimously, a faint smile appeared on Fan Changsheng’s face. He stood up and said solemnly, “Let’s adjourn the meeting.”

As he spoke, Fan Changsheng placed his hands behind his back and was the first to leave the conference room. Following behind Fan Changsheng, Li Guohua also got up and proceeded to exit.

Li Guohua’s actions prompted Zhao Xintian, Peng Kaibao, and others to frown. Although the Standing Committee was an internal meeting of the regular members of the city committee, official rank was still observed. After Fan Changsheng left, the second person to go should have either been Nie Zhenbang or Zhu Zhuozhen, the full-time deputy secretary of the city committee. However, Li Guohua’s demeanor conveyed a sense of arrogance.

With the departure of these two men, the remaining committee members all stood up. At this point, Nie Zhenbang turned to Lei Dingguo, the secretary of the discipline inspection commission, saying, “Secretary Lei, let’s leave together.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words caught Lei Dingguo off guard. Shortly afterward, Lei Dingguo replied with a smile, “Sure, let’s go.”

…

“Secretary Lei, the fire at the factory this time may not be as simple as it seems. I find Huang Junshan’s behavior to be somewhat peculiar,” Nie Zhenbang elaborated openly in the elevator.

Having worked at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for over a year, and attended its working conference, Nie Zhenbang had met Lei Dingguo before. However, the two didn’t interact much.

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Lei Dingguo deeply resonated with his train of thought and responded, “Mayor Nie, you noticed it too? The timing of the fire was suspicious, occurring right when the investigation team moved in. What’s more, the fire destroyed all of the factory’s financial records. It seems like they are purposely hindering our investigation. Their audacity astounds me.”

Nie Zhenbang faintly smiled at Lei Dingguo’s words. Bold? That was to be expected! If the culprit of this case was found, they would face severe punishment. Even the firing squad would not be a far-fetched possibility. Anything was worth the risk for them.

Having considered this, Nie Zhenbang contemplated for a moment before suggesting, “Secretary Lei, the burden of the discipline inspection commission’s investigation this time is really heavy. We are dealing with opponents who are both extremely decisive and experienced in countering disciplinary investigations. The difficulty is probably beyond our imagination. Now that this lead has been cut off, Secretary Lei, I suggest the commission could retrieve the transaction records from the bank’s public accounts. I believe there will be some discoveries.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Lei Dingguo could almost see a light at the end of the tunnel. Investigating from the bank accounts was indeed a fresh perspective.

Of course, Lei Dingguo didn’t know that this suggestion of Nie Zhenbang’s was simply taken from his memory.

Separating at the gate of the municipal party committee and government complex, work seemed to ease up for the remainder of the day. With the year-end approaching, all tasks started to slow down temporarily. During this period, Nie Zhenbang mainly focused on inspections and research. Time flew by, and it was already the 29th day of the last lunar month.

In the courtyard of his residential complex, Nie Zhenbang spoke to his drivers, Xiaoyi and Xiao Yang, “Xiaoyi, Xiao Yang, you may both head home first. There won’t be much work these next few days, wait until after the holiday to discuss it.”

Upon returning home and just as he opened his mouth, Yang Anna warmly greeted him. Wearing a pink sweater that perfectly outlined her figure, Anna smiled and said, “Zhenbang, welcome home.”

This task was one only Yang Anna could orchestrate. Neither Dong Wan nor Li Lixue could manage it. Once Nie Zhenbang closed the door, Li Lixue and Dong Wan each came from their bedroom and kitchen, respectively.

Gazing at the three women, Nie Zhenbang also smiled in acknowledgment, “Yes, work is all done, and now I’m on holiday. This Spring Festival, we will not return to Jingcheng. It will be just us, as a family, having a warm New Year in Liangxi City. Our very own New Year.”

On New Year’s Eve, in the morning, all four went to Wal-Mart for a big shopping spree. They returned home where Nie Zhenbang personally prepared a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. After a joyous meal, they settled down in front of the television, waiting for the Spring Festival Gala to begin. (To be continued. If you like this book, please go to qidian.com and cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)