Reborn as a Noble's Son

At this moment, seeing the expressions of the crowd, Huo Qiuyuan inwardly chuckled. Such reactions were quite common. Even he himself had been surprised when he first saw Nie Zhenbang’s resume, a deputy department-level cadre in his mid-twenties. He was given charge over a department, and carried enormous discipline inspection authority, overseeing wealthy coastal provinces in the east. This was proof of just how favored Nie Zhenbang was among the higher-ups.

However, after seeing Nie Zhenbang’s resume, Huo Qiuyuan was at ease. Zhenbang had been with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League for two years, sharing a close relationship with Comrade Mu Dingjian, the current first secretary of the committee. Undoubtedly, he also had a close relationship with Comrade Shao Weimin, who was a popular candidate for the next general secretary.

Zhenbang had spent two years in Xibei, transforming a national-level poverty-stricken county into a deputy department-level city. The rate of economic growth had reached an astonishing 80 percent and above. For three consecutive years, he had been featured on “Daily at Seven”. This achievement alone was enough to prove Nie Zhenbang’s capabilities.

A long-time Beijing resident and unlike general local officials, Huo Qiuyuan had some insight into these matters. Among the offspring of powerful families in Jingcheng who had chosen official careers, many had connections and backgrounds. However, no one had achieved the level Nie Zhenbang had. Having the support from the top and maintaining a yearly economic growth rate of around thirty percent was considered normal. But achieving this level was not something that could be solved simply by leverage of background, it required abilities.

This was the fundamental reason why Huo Qiuyuan dared not underestimate Nie Zhenbang. Backgrounds could force people to feign obedience on the surface. But real talent was what earned their sincere respect.

“Ahem! Everybody please pause. The announcement about the Fifth Department should have been made by Director Guo. However, due to health reasons, Director Guo has been resting and recuperating. Temporarily, it has fallen upon me to fill the gap,” said Huo, shifting position to reveal Nie Zhenbang. He then smiled and said, “I’d like to introduce you all to Nie Zhenbang. He was the former permanent member of the Bazhou Municipal Committee in the Xibei Autonomous Region and the Party Secretary of New Li City. Now he’s been transferred to become the executive vice director of our Fifth Department, taking over comprehensive duties during the absence of Director Guo.”

Pausing for a moment, Huo Qiuyuan’s expression became more serious, “I hope that all of you will adjust your attitudes, actively cooperate and support Vice Director Nie’s work, and take the achievements of the Fifth Department to a higher level.”

As Huo Qiuyuan’s words faded, a middle-aged man in his early forties immediately stepped up, saying with a smile, “Rest assured, Director Huo. The entire staff of the Fifth Department will go all out to support Vice Director Nie’s work.”

But as Nie Zhenbang observed this man, he could clearly detect the awkwardness beneath his words. Meanwhile, Huo Qiuyuan merely laughed and commented, “With Vice Director Wang giving such assurances, I believe the comrades of the Fifth Department understand what’s expected of them.”

Turning to Nie Zhenbang, Huo Qiuyuan introduced, “Director Nie, let me introduce you. This is Vice Director Wang Hongyuan. Old Wang is a seasoned discipline inspector and will certainly be of great help to you. Director Nie, I need to leave now. I have other matters to attend to. But, remember, we are all colleagues and if you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

Once Huo Qiuyuan had left, Wang Hongyuan walked over with a smile and said, “Director Nie, let me introduce you to some of the comrades of the Fifth Department.”

The first one, a man who looked around thirty years old and was about 1.81 meters tall, had a burly figure. Nie Zhenbang smiled as their gazes crossed, a silent understanding passing between them. Things were getting more interesting. He hadn’t expected to find Liu Bin in his own department.

At this moment, upon seeing Liu Bin, Nie Zhenbang had figured it out. Liu was only in his thirties and had just become a department head. Although this was already an impressive achievement, it proved the weak presence of the Liu Bin family within the governmental structure. Therefore, it was normal for Liu Bin to venture into his sphere.

Unaware of the underlying implications, Wang Hongyuan introduced with a smile, ” This is Liu Bin, head of the first division of our Fifth Department. The position of the head of the second division is currently vacant.”

Next, Wang Hongyuan introduced Nie Zhenbang to the heads of the other divisions: Tan Xiongbin from the third division, Xu Hongzhuan from the fourth, Huang Lasheng from the fifth, and Gao Wei from the sixth.

As for the other general staff, there was no need for Wang Hongyuan to introduce them. As a leader, controlling the people in the layer underneath is enough. If every person needed to be known, wouldn’t the prime minister have to meet everyone in the nation?

Nie Zhenbang’s office was arranged inside the director’s office, while the vice director’s office was occupied by Wang Hongyuan. It wasn’t plausible to ask Wang Hongyuan to move out. Moreover, everyone in the Fifth Department, and even everyone in the entire Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was aware of Director Guo’s health condition. Although it was said that he was on medical leave, the fact was that he was suffering from cancer and had little chance of returning to his post.

Consequently, Nie Zhenbang had to occupy the director’s office. Initially, he had disagreed, but under Huo Qiuyuan’s arrangement, he reluctantly consented. Had he rejected, he would have appeared pretentious.

Director Guo’s office was very simple, with white walls and a small rest room inside, equipped with a single bed. It seemed like a place for leaders to take a nap during the day.

A simple office desk certainly can’t compare with the grand and luxurious office in New Li City. Behind the desk, a row of bookshelves stood. Most of the books on them were related to discipline inspection. Many of them were internal materials, all kinds of “Discipline Inspection Cadres Work Manual” and discipline inspection regulations. There were also some large legal textbooks. Civil law, criminal law, it has everything.

As a discipline inspection cadre, the most encountered people are national cadres who violate the law, abuse power, and receive bribes. To deal with these people, without a thorough knowledge of the law, it is absolutely impossible.

Nie Zhenbang sat in front of the desk, sorting out his thoughts and planning the next step. In New Li, Yi Jun was waiting for him. Now it seemed that it was unrealistic to transfer Yi Jun over. After all, department-level officials who work in ministries have no precedent for having secretaries. If he were to be demoted to another place, that would be better, but now? The only option was to arrange something here.

Nie Zhenbang then called Xie Yi from New Li City. In the phone call, after explaining his current position and situation to Xie Yi, and instructing Yi Jun’s work, Xie Yi immediately stated that he planned to let Qu Feng take up the post of Deputy Mayor of the City Government and to promote Yi Jun to the Secretary of the New Li City Committee’s office. His words made Nie Zhenbang very happy. Despite his transfer from New Li City, Xie Yi still went through with this, giving him face. After exchanging pleasantries, Nie Zhenbang hung up the phone.

Immediately after, Nie Zhenbang got up, turned to the bookcase, and pulled out a book titled “Questions of Discipline Inspection Cadres Work”. The book had a white cover with the title in bold red letters. Below the title, a small row of characters indicated that it was authored by Ouyang Xia. In the middle of the cover was a flashy red national emblem. Below, there was a note indicating that it was internal material from the Central Discipline Inspection Commission.

To effectively carry out the work, you must first understand the workflow of the Disciplinary Committee. This is a necessary process. In the officialdom, what really impresses people is not your background or qualifications, but your real ability to get things done. As the de facto leader of the Fifth Office, if he was clueless about discipline inspection work, wouldn’t that be belittling himself? Nie Zhenbang obviously wouldn’t do that. Therefore, studying was a must.

Just as he opened the first chapter of the book, a knocking sound came from outside the room. Nie Zhenbang paused for a moment, and said in a deep voice, “Come in.”

The door was pushed open. In front stood Liu Bin and behind him followed Gao Wei, the 24-year-old Director of the Sixth Division.

As soon as he entered, Liu Bin smiled and said, “Third Brother, who would have thought you’d also end up in the Discipline Inspection Commission? And you’re even my superior now. Things are going to be easy for us now.”

Hearing Liu Bin’s words, Nie Zhenbang also started to laugh and replied, “Bin, you’re laughing at me. With your background, who in the Discipline Inspection Commission would dare to mess with you? Aren’t they afraid you’ll bring your men and beat them up?”

At this, all three of them laughed. The prodigal sons of powerful families have their own circles, distinct from ordinary bureaucrats. Of course, Nie Zhenbang’s words were just a joke. Having a powerful background doesn’t mean one can use it freely. For example, Liu Bin. If he wants a promotion, his military background is not too significant. But if someone dared to make a move against him, things would be different.

Then, Liu Bin pointed to Gao Wei and said, “Old Three, let me introduce you. This is Gao Wei. His father is Gao Chu, the director of the Central Office. His uncle and my father served in the same army unit. My father was the chief, his uncle was the deputy. We got acquainted because of this. It’s frustrating to compare oneself to others. He’s six years younger than me, but he’s already a bonafide director-level official on par with me.”

At this point, Gao Wei came forward with a smile, rubbing his hands, “Bin, you can’t say that, Third Brother is only a few months older than me, but now he’s already deputy bureau level. How can we compare?”

He then offered his hand to Nie Zhenbang and said, “Third Brother, nice to meet you, I would like to invite you to dinner tonight, a welcome and settling in meal.”

Nie Zhenbang readily agreed at this. They all were from the same office, middle-level cadres, and shared a similar background. It was easy to communicate with them. If they were managed properly, then the Fifth Office was also managed. Then he laughed and said, “No need for all that trouble. I think I’ll do the inviting. Let’s also invite Kun and the others. We can gather at the Dynasty tonight.”

As his words ended, Liu Bin on the side smiled and said, “Old Three, concerning the choice of the Director of the Second Division, I think you need to make a decision as soon as possible. Your parachuting in here has made Wang Hongyuan somewhat annoyed.”

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Straight talk, one prediction worth a thousand gold

Young Ye Tian accidentally receives a fortune teller’s inheritance, exploring the boundaries of Heaven and Man, understanding the changes of the past and present, continuing the lost arts of the sages