Chapter 390: Chapter 378 Deputy Governor Tian Compromises_1
Number one courtyard of the Liangxi City Party committee.

This residence reflects the typical Jiangnan garden style, with modest structures. The house is sparsely set out in quadrangles, with the front area serving as a reception room and the back as the bedrooms.

As this area often hosts provincial and national-level leaders, it naturally functions as a place for receiving subordinate officials and local leaders.

The decoration style of the number one courtyard leans towards classic Huaxia, with antiquated furniture. Even in the study, the complete suite of furniture has an antique feel to it.

At this moment, Tian Xujian is sitting in a carved mahogany armchair with a serene expression, attentively observing the couple, Yao Yuhong, in the reception room of the number one courtyard.

Right now, Tian Guixiang’s face is filled with resentment. She said to Tian Xujian, “Big brother, this Nie Zhenbang is totally outrageous. He’s speaking as if he has no regard for you. If he wants to investigate, let him. We didn’t steal or rob anything. We’ve been diligent and dedicated to our duties. We have nothing to fear from him.”

Tian Guixiang’s ferocious words caused Tian Xujian to furrow his eyebrows. He knew his sister’s character well, and this sister was not as honest as her name implied. Relying on her power, she could display arrogance even if not committing misdeeds.

Soon after, Tian Xujian turned to Yao Yuhong and said, “Guixiang, stop talking. Yao Yuhong, you speak. Have your actions been clean regarding the light weaving factory?”

If he left it to his sister, she might talk until the next morning without getting to the point. Tian Xujian was there out of familial obligation and affection, but after being provoked by Nie Zhenbang, he also began to pay attention to the essence of the situation.

Honestly, Tian Xujian couldn’t help but pay attention, because the prestige of the vice governor was not applicable here. He could only resort to other means. To hear the whole truth, he had to let his brother-in-law speak.

Yao Yuhong looked somewhat embarrassed. After a glance at Tian Guixiang, who was sitting next to him, the latter turned her eyes away in displeasure and muttered, “Why are you looking at me? When big brother asks you to speak, just speak. I don’t know how I ended up with such a useless man.”

Tian Xujian smiled inwardly. It seemed that his sister was venting her anger at her husband, but in fact, she was expressing her dissatisfaction toward himself.

Now, Yao Yuhong knew that he had no choice but to speak up. He then lowered his head and said, “Big brother, I have to be frank, saying that we’ve been completely clean might not be entirely true, but I can promise you that I did not take any bribes.”

Upon hearing this, Tian Xujian understood. He might not have taken money, but he could have accepted items such as cigarettes, alcohol, home appliances, or even gold and jewelry. While accepting cigarettes and alcohol might not count as bribery, accepting home appliances and jewelry does. Besides, there are also issues like misappropriating public funds and overspending on public expenses.

Tian Xujian then raised his hand and said, “All right. I’ve got the general idea from your words. You two should go back first. I’ve also had a tiring day.”

At this time, even in the presence of his own sister, Tian Xujian straightforwardly showed them the door. After the couple had left, the vice governor did not accept any other officials for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, after Vice Governor Tian’s inspection tour of the Liangxi City National High-Tech Development Zone, he declined the Liangxi City Party committee’s invitation for a meal and started his return journey to Jiangzhou City without even having lunch.

It was clearly evident to everyone that the Vice Governor was indirectly expressing his dissatisfaction. The act played between Nie Zhenbang and Lei Dingguo in Liangxi almost cornered the vice governor, an experience that anyone would find difficult to endure. Vice Governor Tian’s credibility was completely diminished in Liangxi City.

Meanwhile, numerous officials in the city began to show interest, and one such official was the secretary of the Liangjiang District Party committee, Yang Lin.

At thirty-nine, Yang Lin held the position of a district-level party committee secretary, officially becoming a division-level cadre. Although this was partly due to the influence of his father-in-law, Zhou Shengqiao–the former deputy secretary of the Liangxi City Party Committee–Yang Lin’s own capability was also an important factor.

However, after his father-in-law’s retirement, the assistance he initially had faded away. Having served as party secretary of the Liangjiang District for five years without any progress since assuming the role at thirty-four, Yang Lin was desperate to find a powerful ally. Nie Zhenbang thus became his target.

Nevertheless, even though others were holding back after the incident with Vice Governor Tian, Yang Lin decided to take action immediately.

With his mind made up, Yang Lin stood up from his desk, took out the party committee’s directory from his bag, found Nie Zhenbang’s office number, and dialed it.

As soon as Yi Jun’s voice came over from the other side, Yang Lin greeted cordially, “Secretary General Yi. Hello, this is Yang Lin from Liangjiang District.”

Yang Lin’s words left Yi Jun momentarily stunned. After yesterday’s events, as soon as he started work this morning, his office phone had been ringing off the hook. Over the course of the morning, Yi Jun had answered no less than ten calls, all from lower level officials. Some were reporting on their work, others were inviting Yi Jun to dinner. In actuality, Yi Jun understood that all of these individuals were drawn by Mayor Nie’s strong posture.

However, he did receive a call from Yang Lin, the leader of Liangjiang District, an official of equivalent status. With that, Yi Jun responded with a smile, “Secretary Yang, how can I help you today?”

“Secretary General Yi, we in Liangjiang District are preparing to leverage the abundant resources around the lake and along the river and have plans to renovate and expand Liangxi Port. The city’s planning committee has already approved the project. I wanted to report to the mayor about it. Secretary General Yi, I am wondering if the mayor has any free time in the next few days?” Yang Lin spoke very politely. Normally, addressing Yi Jun as Secretary Yi would suffice. However, Secretary Yang chose to address Yi Jun as Secretary General Yi, a slight change in title that nonetheless bore significant weight in terms of status. This showed that todays’ Yang Lin deeply understood the essence of keeping a low profile.

Yi Jun pondered for a moment. Now that the city’s planning committee had approved the project, there was no need for much argument. Yang Lin was surely probing for information. Within the bureaucracy, superiors and subordinates were always testing and selecting each other. Subordinates would assess whether their superiors had potential and cared for their underlings; superiors, in turn, would assess whether subordinates were compatible.

After a moment’s contemplation, he thought about Mayor Nie – while he had settled in his new role, he still had a shortage of capable officials under his command. If Yang Lin could be brought under his wing, they would be able to bring in half of the staff from the time of Deputy Secretary Zhou Shengqiao. With this in mind, Yi Jun nodded and said, “Mmm, the mayor has two hours free from eight to ten tomorrow morning. Secretary Yang, why don’t you come over tomorrow?”

After hanging up the phone, Yi Jun got up and walked into Nie Zhenbang’s office to inform him, “Mayor, Liangjiang District Secretary Yang Lin just called. I’ve arranged a meeting for you tomorrow morning at eight.”

Upon hearing Yi Jun’s words, Nie Zhenbang nodded. After so many years as secretary, Yi Jun no longer needed much oversight in these matters. Regardless of Yang Lin’s attitude, it would be beneficial to meet.

Nie Zhenbang then smiled and said, “You take care of these things. Oh, by the way, could you get me a pair of special Maotai liquor and a pack of Chinese cigarettes? I’m having dinner at Secretary Lei’s house tonight.”

Being in Nie Zhenbang’s position isn’t exactly relaxing. Busy periods often follow the launch of major projects in the city, especially at the beginning or end of the year. It wouldn’t be uncommon for him to not go home for several days and nights. However, the period before the city council’s meetings is usually the most relaxed. Nie Zhenbang spent this afternoon scrutinizing various data on Liangxi City. As the mayor, he was responsible for governmental affairs and economic development. In poorer areas, despite their weak foundations, results are often quite clear. In contrast, for a developed area like Liangxi City, achieving outstanding results is not a simple task.

After work, Nie Zhenbang went as promised to Lei Dingguo’s residence in the municipal committee family compound. Lei Dingguo, naturally, lived in a small villa located in Courtyard Five.

When Nie Zhenbang arrived, Lei Dingguo and his wife were already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, they greeted him warmly. Lei Dingguo laughed, “The arrival of Mayor Nie truly graces our humble home.”

Next to him, Lei Dingguo’s wife, Li Cuiyun, who was in her mid-forties and had kind eyes, provided a stark contrast to Lei Dingguo’s imposing demeanor.

Nie Zhenbang entered the courtyard and said with a laugh, “Lei, since when did you start using formalities? You know me well. Why the pretense?”

He then greeted Li Cuiyun, “Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean to disturb you by coming over unannounced.”

Li Cuiyun took the liquor and cigarettes Nie Zhenbang had brought, “Mayor Nie, there’s no need to bring gifts. You’re always welcomed here. Come in, dinner is almost ready.”

Once inside, Li Cuiyun headed for the kitchen to help the housekeeper. Meanwhile, Lei Dingguo invited Nie Zhenbang into his study. After serving him hot tea, Li Cuiyun left. Once it was just the two of them, Lei Dingguo said with a smile, “Mayor Nie. I just got news that the provincial industry department has issued a document. The head of the second textile factory, Yao Yuhong, has been transferred to the provincial industry department as a deputy-level inspector. It seems that Tian Xujian is afraid we would investigate Yao Yuhong and decided to move him out first.”

In the officialdom of Huaxia, there’s an unwritten rule: unless it’s a very serious case, those who retire or are transferred elsewhere before being prosecuted will typically evade further investigation for previous issues.

Now, Tian Xujian was making use of this method. ‘You don’t want to comply, do you? I might not be able to handle you, but I can avoid you.’ If Nie Zhenbang and Lei Dingguo were not willing to give him face as the deputy governor, there would naturally be others who would. Tian Xujian, as the deputy governor in charge of industry, would have no difficulty arranging a transfer within the same department. This way, Nie Zhenbang and Lei Dingguo would have no reason to continue pursuing Yao Yuhong.

“Zhenbang, this move of Tian Xujian’s is essentially a compromise, but I’m worried he won’t let things rest after this,” Lei Dingguo expressed his concern.

Lei’s words moved Nie Zhenbang. Lei was a person worth befriending. If Tian Xujian were to cause trouble, it would be limited to holding Nie back in the industrial sector, which wouldn’t affect Lei’s work in any way. Yet, Lei seemed genuinely apprehensive, which wasn’t an act.

Laughing, Nie Zhenbang said, “Old Lei, why worry about these things? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. All we need to do is our own job well.”

This dinner was a delightful affair for both host and guest. News of Tian Xujian’s move spread quickly throughout Liangxi City, leaving everyone, from top to bottom, dumbstruck. They had all been guessing what Tian Xujian would do next and looked forward to a good show. However, they did not expect Tian’s next move to be a display of compromise. In no time, Nie Zhenbang’s prestige shot up significantly. (To be continued… If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)