Reborn as a Noble's Son

Sun Jialuo’s visit this time surely meant that he could not stay put any longer; at this moment, officials throughout the province were privately restless.

Following the deaths of Zeng Taiping and Lu Qingyu, Bashu Province’s political scene was thrown into disarray. From the grassroots level, both men had operated in Bashu for many years, with numerous followers and associates under their wing. Their sudden passing was a disaster for those under their influence.

The impact at the county and division levels wouldn’t be too significant, but it was far more substantial at the prefecture and bureau levels. Those who were previously under the two men now found themselves like laid-off workers, urgently needing to seek new employment, a new boss.

The greatest impact was at the provincial and ministerial level. This mishap left two positions as standing committee members of the provincial party committee vacant, as well as one full ministerial post and one deputy ministerial post. Now, anyone in the province remotely qualified to vie for these positions naturally became restless.

At such times, who isn’t desperately leveraging connections and seeking patronage? When everyone else is making moves, if you don’t, you fall behind. It is just the way of the system—miss one step and you’ll miss the next. In such a situation, it was quite normal for Sun Jialuo to have his own thoughts.

Looking at Sun Jialuo, Nie Zhenbang managed to deduce something: Sun Jialuo must have come to probe for news. Regardless of the circumstances, he himself was a strong contender for Zeng Taiping’s position. It was a tradition within the system for the governor to succeed the party secretary—a common occurrence and a logical progression at all levels of party committees. If he harbored such ambitions, Sun Jialuo naturally would have his sights set on the governor’s position.

Waving his hand warmly, Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Old Sun is here, sorry for the inconvenience. I had some engagements and went out for the evening. Let’s go to the study.”

After ushering Sun Jialuo into the study, Yang Anna soon followed, serving a cup of tea and placing Nie Zhenbang’s personal teacup on the coffee table. An Na said, “Zhenbang, Governor Sun, please take your time to talk.”

Having been born into a family of officials and married to Nie Zhenbang, she was quite adept at the decorum required in official circles. Once Yang Anna left the room, Nie Zhenbang picked up the teacup and leisurely took a sip.

Looking at Sun Jialuo, he then smiled and asked, “Old Sun, something on your mind?”

Sun Jialuo appeared somewhat embarrassed, nodded slightly, and said with a faint smile, “Governor, does the central government have any specific arrangements or thoughts regarding this incident?”

As the first high-ranking official to die unexpectedly in peacetime, Zeng Taiping’s case had shocked the nation. There was surprise throughout Bashu Province, and equally, at the central level, there was no doubt a contention brewing about the situation.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang replied with a smile, “Old Sun, you seem a bit anxious. That’s not good. We aren’t in a position to speculate about the central government’s attitude and thoughts. Besides, regarding this matter, the upper echelons’ stance remains quite vague. Whether to promote someone within Bashu or to parachute someone from outside, it’s still unknown. I do feel, however, that we can’t let up on our work in Bashu. We must earnestly and meticulously continue our current tasks, as the favorable economic situation has not been easy to come by.”

Although the conversation seemed purely about work, the implicit message was quite clear. This is the nature of politics—the higher up one goes, the more distinct the style and method of communication becomes.

At the township level, dialogue and actions are direct—slamming the table and cursing during committee meetings are common. If you don’t like someone and they don’t like you, such feelings are almost visible on the faces involved.

However, at the county division level, and particularly at Nie Zhenbang’s level, conversations and exchanges become more like solving riddles.

The few words spoken just now seemed simple, but in fact, Sun Jialuo was truly trying to find out whether Nie Zhenbang had any aspirations for the secretary position.

Of course, Nie Zhenbang also conveyed his stance and attitude clearly. Regarding the position, Nie Zhenbang maintained a calm approach, neither expressing a lack of interest nor overt desire. Nie Zhenbang’s message was to focus on economic construction and development. For now, he would not consider this issue.

Hearing these words, a fleeting look of disappointment crossed Sun Jialuo’s face. It was entirely normal for Sun Jialuo to harbor such thoughts.

Currently, Sun Jialuo was already fifty-nine by the traditional reckoning and the next year would be a major reappointment year. If he couldn’t take advantage of this excellent opportunity to move forward, to cross the gap from deputy ministerial level to full ministerial level, he would have no hope next year. By then, Sun Jialuo could only consider stepping down to the second line, either to the People’s Congress or the Political Consultative Conference.

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However, if he could succeed this time, both emotionally and logically, the central government wouldn’t replace a governor who has only been in his senior ministerial position for one year. Moreover, according to the central government’s regulations, senior ministerial-level officials can postpone retirement until the age of sixty-five. This was indeed Sun Jialuo’s last chance, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Old Sun, rest assured, I will keep this matter in mind. Isn’t there a saying that goes, ‘If one door shuts, another opens’? Sometimes, surprises do happen.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were profound. He was primarily offering comfort. From an investment point of view, Sun Jialuo’s value had diminished significantly.

In terms of age, Sun Jialuo already had no advantage to begin with. The position of a senior ministerial-level official isn’t something that’s given just because someone wants it; the complex entanglements between the different factions mean that if you gain something, you are bound to lose something else in return. For someone younger, perhaps fifty-one or fifty-two years old, who could still serve two or even three terms, that would be a different story. But for just one term, weighing the costs against the benefits was a question worth pondering.

Hearing this, Sun Jialuo also became contemplative and stood up, saying, “Governor, it’s getting late, I won’t disturb your rest anymore.”

After seeing Sun Jialuo to the door, Nie Zhenbang closed the door. Turning around, An Na had also come out of the bedroom and said to him, “Zhenbang, is Sun Jialuo after your position?”

Nodding, Nie Zhenbang seemed somewhat helpless at the moment, “Yes, with Zeng Taiping gone, now everyone in the province has their eyes on this place. A tree is stable only when it is still; once it moves, people thrive. If I make a move, it’s inevitable that Li Yunhe will also move. The vacancy that emerges will cause others to move, and consequentially, there will naturally be a chain reaction.”

An Na could understand Nie Zhenbang’s feelings very well. She had seen a lot of such situations. It may seem like only one or two positions are being vacated, but if managed skillfully, it involves deep understanding and strategy.

For instance, if Nie Zhenbang moved up and Sun Jialuo became governor, the position of executive vice governor would be a promotion for someone below. That person’s vacancy would then also be a promotion opportunity for others. Sighing, An Na expressed her confusion, “Zhenbang, didn’t father discuss this with you? Why don’t you just tell Sun Jialuo the truth straight up?”

On this matter, Nie Guowei had discussed this issue with Nie Zhenbang during his visit to Bashu, in addition to Yang Shengli, who had specifically communicated and discussed this with Nie Zhenbang for this purpose.

This time, there was no hope left for Nie Zhenbang to become the Party Secretary of Bashu Province. This had already been a consensus. Whether it was Director Shen or Comrade Qiao Yiren, they all shared the same attitude.

Nie Zhenbang was at a disadvantage due to his age. A thirty-eight-year-old taking on the role of a provincial Party committee’s top leader was something sensational. That was one point.

Secondly, Director Shen had plans for Nie Zhenbang, and Bashu Province was not the ultimate destination. After next October’s national party congress transition, Director Shen would retire, and Nie Zhenbang was likely to move beforehand. The specific province was unknown, but it would definitely be a province with distinct characteristics, either a major industrial province, an agricultural powerhouse, or an economically strong province. Assuming the role of Party Secretary now would tie him down, impacting Nie Zhenbang’s prospects of entering Central in the next term.

Therefore, for this occasion, Nie Zhenbang had completely given up any hope. After a pause, Nie Zhenbang smiled bitterly and said, “An Na, it’s not easy to talk about this matter. After all, work still needs to continue. Considering the progress of work, it’s better not to say anything at this time.”

…

While Nie Zhenbang was worried about how to deal with Sun Jialuo, at that moment, Long Genghua was staying at the Bashu Province Beijing Office hotel.

The work Long Genghua had done that day wasn’t very effective. There was a knock on the door, followed by the voice of his secretary Wang Shouzheng, “Secretary, it’s Shouzheng.”

Hearing Wang Shouzheng’s words, Long Genghua looked up and said, “Come in. The door is unlocked.”

Upon entering, Wang Shouzheng went straight to the water dispenser, brewed a strong cup of tea for Long Genghua, placed it on the coffee table, and then said, “Secretary, please have some tea. Just now, I received a call from Young Master Li, who wants to meet with you tomorrow evening.”

Upon hearing Wang Shouzheng’s words, Long Genghua immediately stood up, as this news was like welcome rain after a long drought for him.

That day, Long Genghua had run into walls everywhere in Jingcheng. Political news spread the fastest in Jingcheng, and while everyone knew why Long Genghua had come, no one dared to speak about it, which had left him feeling disheartened. Suddenly hearing this news, Long Genghua naturally became extremely pleased. He pondered for a moment and said, “Alright, Shouzheng, go ahead and arrange the meeting. Book the best club.”

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