Reborn as a Noble's Son

Publicly instigating his own relatives to thwart the demolition, leaking the demolition compensation price, and so on, this series of mistakes infuriated Nie Zhenbang. He turned to Leng Guohua, the secretary of the Shengli Township Party Committee, and said, “Secretary Leng, I’ll leave the work of Shengli Township in your capable hands for now.”

With the departure of Nie Zhenbang, the other spectators also gradually dispersed. By now, Ma Danaiu had signed the demolition compensation agreement with Old Zeng. By tomorrow morning, the demolition of Old Zeng’s house would begin.

At this moment, Zeng Taiping and Old Zeng were left standing in the dark. Seeing Old Zeng’s displeased expression, Taiping felt like crying but had no tears. His good intentions had ended with the loss of his official position, “Uncle, can’t you keep your mouth a little tighter? Revealing such things in public, is like undermining me. Now it’s come to this, I’ve lost my job because of it.”

The next day, Nie Zhenbang was preparing to talk to Zhang Chubin. After all, no matter how you look at it, Zeng Taiping was a civil servant. Whether it was firing or any other punishment, it wasn’t something that could be decided by Nie Zhenbang alone. Yesterday’s words were a formality, today, Zhenbang had to finalize the regular procedures. It would be necessary to discuss this with Zhang Chubin, who was the county party secretary after all.

However, at that moment Zhang Chubin appeared at the doorway of Nie Zhenbang’s office with a bright smile on his face. Yi Jun was stunned and unable to speak for a moment, he couldn’t remember the last time Zhang Chubin had voluntarily visited. It must have been a few months ago.

But for Zhang Chubin, since returning from the city yesterday, he had gradually adjusted his mindset. After calming down and thinking it through, he realized that the hints in Liu Wenqing’s words were quite obvious. For Zhang Chubin, the name Nie Zhenbang was like a minefield he couldn’t touch. Zhang Chubin wanted to maintain his strong start, but Nie Zhenbang’s counterattack was severe. He held finance in his hand, Zhang Chubin was nowhere to be found elsewhere. Even the position of Secretary of the Work Committee was already set for Nie Zhenbang. If Zhang Chubin didn’t know when to push and when to retreat, then he had wasted his time.

In the end, Zhang Chubin was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat. This was his means of survival. He looked at the stunned Yi Jun without any awkwardness and chuckled, “Secretary Xiaoyi, is Director Nie in his office now?”

Snapped back to reality by Zhang Chubin’s words, Yi Jun also chuckled and said, “Secretary Zhang, come in. The Director has already instructed that when you arrive, you should enter directly. Please come in.”

Yi Jun then opened the door and said, “Director, Secretary Zhang is here.”

This is a detail that secretaries must pay attention to in their daily work. Although the leader has instructed that certain people can come in directly without notification, the meaning is simply not to say who is coming and whether to see them or not. It doesn’t mean that nothing is said and other leaders are allowed in directly. What if Nie Zhenbang has something to do inside? In this way, giving a heads-up in advance gives the leader an opportunity to prepare.

Nie Zhenbang also stood up at this moment. He was somewhat surprised by Zhang Chubin’s visit. Originally, after withholding finance, Nie Zhenbang had been waiting for Zhang Chubin’s next move. Nie Zhenbang was considering how to bring up yesterday’s incident involving Zeng Taiping. Unexpectedly, Zhang Chubin took the initiative to visit. Was he coming to plead for Zeng Taiping? But, as far as his memory goes, Zeng Taiping was not Zhang Chubin’s man.

“Hehe, is Director Nie too busy? I’m just passing by, so I thought I’d drop in for a visit. Nowadays, there is so much going on in the Economic and Technological Development Zone. Director Nie is so hands-on, don’t wear yourself out. You should rest when you need to, and don’t worry, the county committee will definitely support you.” Zhang Chubin said, sitting on the sofa with a smile.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was also deep in thought. Zhang Chubin’s words were too apparent, the goodwill he was conveying was clear to Nie Zhenbang. However, this simply made Nie Zhenbang even more uncertain about Zhang Chubin’s real intentions. Was this a compromise? This shouldn’t be, considering Zhang Chubin’s strong stance at the Secretary’s Office Meeting and his public withholding of financial funds. Even though it wasn’t explicitly stated, they could be viewed as adversaries now.

Zhang Chubin seemed to understand Nie Zhenbang’s doubts and continued, “Director Nie, don’t overthink it. I didn’t come here with any other intentions. I just returned from the city, where Secretary Liu sternly criticized me. He said that I didn’t communicate in time regarding the work in the Development Zone, which caused some unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang understood Zhang Chubin’s intentions. It seemed that Zhang Chubin had specifically gone to the Municipal Committee to discuss the financial freeze with Liu Wenqing and was likely criticized there.

As a party secretary, it was enough to lower himself to this extent. Nie Zhenbang was not the type to relentlessly assert dominance after gaining the upper hand. He still had to work in Li County, and it would be troublesome if he worsened the relationship with Zhang Chubin to the point where Zhang Chubin was determined to go against him.

Nie Zhenbang was quick to speak, “Secretary Zhang, it should have been me who actively communicated with you about this matter first. I am responsible for maintaining unity among the team. ”

Looking at Nie Zhenbang at this moment, Zhang Chubin also sighed. It seemed that the affable, low-profile Nie Zhenbang was back. However, after this incident, Zhang Chubin would never underestimate Nie Zhenbang again. Despite his young age, if you offend him, the repercussions could be severe!

“Secretary Zhang, since you’re here, there’s something I would like to discuss with you.” Nie Zhenbang said with a smile. Meanwhile, Yi Jun brought in a cup of tea.

This was a skill every secretary must master. Not just anyone could have a cup of this tea; it depended on the circumstances.

Looking at Zhang Chubin, Nie Zhenbang continued, “Secretary Zhang, last night, a removal household on the construction site of Yingbin Road in the Development Zone refused to be relocated. After an investigation, it was found out that the removal household was a relative of Comrade Zeng Taiping, the deputy secretary of Shengli Township Party Committee. The investigation confirmed that Old Zeng had driven up the price of his property and refused to relocate due to the instigation of his nephew Zeng Taiping. This is a severe violation. Zeng Taiping, as a state official and the prominent member of the Development Zone demolition team, openly violated the county’s decision and prohibition, causing a harmful social impact. I suggest that the County Party Committee Organization Department and the County Discipline Inspection Commission take immediate measures against Comrade Zeng Taiping. He must be severely punished.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chubin was taken aback. From his perspective, Zeng Taiping’s behaviour, which Nie Zhenbang disapproved of, was unacceptable to him as well. It was typical disobedience, clandestine manoeuvring. Now, Zhang Chubin’s expression was solemn. After contemplating for a moment, he nodded, “I agree with Director Nie’s suggestion. Such cadres with no organizational discipline and disregard for party rules need to be thoroughly investigated.”

At this point, Zhang Chubin displayed the authority and demeanor of a county party secretary, continuing, “Such people should be severely dealt with. The Development Zone has just begun, and there are already cadres getting involved! This is absolutely unacceptable, and we must strictly curb it. Otherwise, it will be difficult to carry out the work in the Development Zone.”

Zhang Chubin’s message was clear, and his attitude was the same as Nie Zhenbang’s. This was the first demolition in the Development Zone and needed to be handled appropriately, both as an example and for long-term purposes. Zeng Taiping’s case had to be dealt with, and it had to be dealt with quickly and stringently. If nothing else was wrong with Zeng Taiping, Nie Zhenbang would not go to extremes, at most he would demote him. However, if other issues were detected, things would look grim for Zeng Taiping.

After a consultation between Nie Zhenbang and Zhang Chubin, the County Discipline Inspection Commission Investigation Team and the organization department immediately summoned Zeng Taiping. While the organization department gave Zeng Taiping a stern talk, he earnestly admitted his instruction to his uncle to demand a higher compensation.

However, with the involvement of the County Discipline Inspection Commission, Zeng Taiping’s psychological defence was quickly broken. In Li County, there was a saying – thugs feared the police, the police feared leaders, and leaders ran away when they saw the Discipline Inspection Commission. It showed the deterrent effect of the Discipline Inspection Commission among the cadres in Li County.

After an investigation, it turned out that although Zeng Taiping had no major issues but his lifestyle during his tenure as the township head was problematic, coupled with some degeneration. Aside from the rumours circulating between him and several female comrades of the Township Government. During Zeng Taiping’s tenure as a township head, public hospitality expenditures in Shengli Township alone amounted to 180,000 yuan, which was about one-fifth of the township’s annual expenses.

The County Party Committee and the Discipline Inspection Commission quickly issued a notice, criticizing Zeng Taiping county-wide. Dismissing Zeng Taiping from his position as deputy secretary of the Shengli Township Party Committee, member of the party committee, administering party disciplinary measures by keeping him on probation for a year. And the Peoples Congress Presidium of Shengli Township was asked to relieve Zeng Taiping of his duties as township head.

The swift measures of the County Committee shocked all county officials. It now appeared that the Development Zone was the red line of the county committee and the county government, an untouchable area.

At this moment, as the road construction project of Yingbin Road was getting through and entering the phase of road surface hardening, the Li County Party Committee began preparations. The city party committee and the city government leaders will arrive in Li County in three days, to officially inaugurate the Li County Economic and Technological Development Zone.