Reborn as a Noble's Son

At the Disciplinary Committee, Lei Dingguo personally presided over and called an expanded meeting overnight. The resolution for Lei Dingguo to personally lead the special group investigating Qingfang City was unanimously approved. Elite forces were drawn from the entire discipline inspection system to form three investigation teams to enter the three factories of Qingfang City. On one hand, they were there to take public reports. On the other hand, they would be working with the City Audit Bureau to re-audit the finances of the three factories.

With Wu Aijun being subjected to dual-regulation, following closely, the factory director of Cotton Spinning Factory, Zhang Zhenghui was also taken away by the Disciplinary Committee. The two deputy factory directors of Textile Factory II were also taken away from their homes. This caused the entire Qingfang City to boil over.

There is a stark contrast between the cadre and workers. On one hand, leaders at the middle and higher levels in the three factories of Qingfang City all felt the strong determination of the municipal committee. Those with dirty hands were even feeling a sense of imminent threat, not knowing when the emotionless disciplinary committee staff would suddenly knock on their doors, be it during the day or at night.

The workers, on the other hand, were elated. As the leaders of the three factories were successively removed from their positions, it did not incite anger among the workers. Instead, the reputation of the municipal party committee and the municipal government had reached an absolute high in the minds of these factory workers. At this moment, even if Nie Zhenbang were to order these workers to roll up their bedding and go home to farm, there would probably be many workers who would respond. The public mindset is simple, but they are not foolish. They know clearly who is good to them and who is not. The series of actions of the Disciplinary Committee had led to a spate of corrupt officials being taken down. The workers can see that the city authorities are working for their benefit. Despite the workers hating these corrupt officials, no disturbances occurred.

However, Qingfang City has been extraordinarily lively these past few days. After Zhang Zhenghui was taken away by the Disciplinary Committee, some workers from the Cotton Spinning Factory bought firecrackers and set them off in the factory area. The workers from Textile Factory II made a banner and sent it to the Disciplinary Committee.

…

At Textile Factory II in Qingfang City

The residential area of Textile Factory II, a newly built residential area in recent years. The whole area was made up of six-story buildings, with two units per building and a two-stair-four-house layout. However, there are a few buildings at the front of the residential area that are designed differently.

These buildings look different and occupy a larger space compared to the other houses, and moreover, they have a one-stair-two-house style-layout.

These houses are designated for the workers of the Textile Factory II. These buildings are jokingly called “Official Buildings” by the factory workers.

At this moment, in the east-side third-floor apartment of Building No. 1, which has the best location, there is Yao Yuhong, the director of the Textile Factory II.

The apartment is close to one hundred and ninety square meters in size, with four rooms and two living rooms. This layout gives the entire apartment, whether it is the living room, dining room, or bedroom, a spacious look.

In the living room, there’s a European-style chandelier, an Italian leather sofa, a large-screen color TV imported from Japan, among the most popular home theater system. All types of modern appliances are available.

Ordinarily, such a home should reflect a harmonious and joyful atmosphere. However, at this particular moment, there’s a sense of gloom.

A man in his fifties, lying on the sofa, is silent. Next to him, a stylish woman in her forties with curly hair, blushes on, and lipstick lightly applied is looking at the man and says, “Yuhong, is the situation really that serious? You’ve looked half-alive these past few days.”

This was the home of Yao Yuhong, the factory director of Textile Factory No. 2. He glanced at his wife beside him. Without opening his eyes, Yao Yuhong maintained his previous posture and said, “What would a woman understand? Right now, everyone in Qingfang City is worried for their own safety. Liu Gang and Song Yuanfang from the factory have already been subjected to ‘shuanggui’. I know about the bribes they received and the positions they’ve arranged. Now, all of these things have come to light. In this life, even if they don’t die, they’ll lose their skin.”

Listening to Yao Yuhong, the middle-aged woman sneered and said disdainfully, “What’s the big deal? We’ve neither stolen nor robbed anything. This house was given according to rank. The refurbishment fee was paid by me, so it has nothing to do with you. What are you worried about? Why don’t I take a trip to Jiangzhou and have a chat with my brother?”

Yao Yuhong glanced at his wife and then said, “There’s no need, Mrs. Tian. You forget that when our second factory brought in a batch of new textile equipment earlier this year, didn’t general manager Jiang from Dongfang Machinery give us a red envelope? Besides, over the years, I have not accepted large bribes, but I have accepted gifts of cigarettes and liquor, plus public funds for dining, drinking, and traveling. If these things were investigated thoroughly, I’m afraid, I might also have to go to jail.”

Yao Yuhong’s wife, whose name was Tian Guixiang, might have an old-fashioned name, but she herself was not old-fashioned at all. Tian Guixiang’s elder brother was the deputy governor in charge of industry for Jiangbei Province, Tian Xujian. It was due to this connection that Yao Yuhong could become the director of Textile Factory No. 2. If it was not for Yao Yuhong’s limited capabilities, making him a mediocre man, he might have been chosen for a higher-level official position.

After hearing her husband’s words, Tian Guixiang also panicked. There were indeed instances where they personally purchased items and then claimed reimbursements from the public funds. This was very clear to Tian Guixiang. Thinking about this, Tian Guixiang could not sit still. She immediately stood up and said, “Yao, let’s not talk about it anymore. I’ll go to Jiangzhou to find my elder brother right now. I don’t believe that the people of Liangxi City would refuse to give face to my brother. We can simply give up this official position. That should be fine.”

…

The office of Fan Changsheng, the secretary of the Liangxi City Committee, in the City Committee office building.

At this moment, Fan Changsheng was looking at the documents submitted by the City Disciplinary Committee. The entire document was about the disciplinary issues of the leaders of the three factories in Qingfang City. Many of the cases were backed by irrefutable evidence, and the people involved had also confessed to the crimes and disciplinary violations.

Although Fan Changsheng was very annoyed, the way Lei Dingguo handled this would lead to changes in the city’s atmosphere and would inevitably have some impact on some cadres. This was a challenge to his own prestige, and how to recover his authority was what Fan Changsheng was thinking about.

However, Lei Dingguo’s report was perfect, complying with all regulations and procedures. He, himself, could not find any faults with it. If he expressed disagreement, it would instead give the impression of favoritism towards corrupt officials.

While Fan Changsheng was pondering, the red telephone on his desk started ringing. This surprised him somewhat because he had four phones on his desk: a white one for internal calls from the municipal party committee and government, a black one for communicating with the district and city leaders, a gray one for routine office work, and the last red one specifically for contact with superiors. If the red phone rang, it was, at least, a leader of the provincial party committee on the other end.

Fan Changsheng took a moment to adjust his mindset, picked up the phone, and uttered a word. He heard a male voice from the other end, “Secretary Fan? This is Jin Guoyong.”

Jin Guoyong, the secretary-general of Jiangbei Provincial Government and the director of the Provincial Government Office Affairs Bureau, although not a member of the provincial party standing committee, was a close aide to the provincial leaders. At this moment, Fan Changsheng didn’t dare to take it lightly and greeted him with a smile, “Secretary-General Jin, hello, hello. What brings you here today?”

Jin Guoyong seemed very pleased with Fan Changsheng’s attitude and laughed, “Secretary Fan, you’re too polite. I’m calling you this time mainly to inform you that Governor Tian Xujian plans to inspect the industrial development situation in Liangxi City tomorrow. I’m hoping that you can arrange reception and security for Governor Tian Xujian.”

Fan Changsheng was a shrewd person and, although he found this a bit puzzling, he quickly replied, “Secretary-General Jin, please rest assured, we will definitely arrange the reception for Governor Tian Xujian. And when you have time, please come to Liangxi City for an inspection and guidance.”

After hanging up the phone, Fan Changsheng fell into deep thought. The sudden visit of Tian Xujian to Liangxi City was unusual. Generally, leaders of the provincial party committee should give a notice two or three days in advance to allow local officials to prepare. But this time, he was notified less than a day in advance. This was certainly unusual.

It was rumored that Tian Xujian had a younger sister in Liangxi City. Could it be that he was coming because of the issue with Qingfang City? Thinking about this, Fan Changsheng also grew excited. Regardless of the reason, Tian Xujian’s visit was bound to be a good thing. If he could use this opportunity to suppress Nie Zhenbang with Tian Xujian’s help, it would be even better. With this thought in mind, Fan Changsheng immediately picked up the white phone on the table, dialed a number, and as soon as it connected, he said, “Secretary-General Hu? This is Fan Changsheng. Please notify all committee members who are at home to meet in the small conference room for a meeting.” (