Volume 3: The Storm Rises Chapter 16: Unrelated to Right and Wrong

  January 6th, 8 o'clock in the morning. As people came to government offices for business, they stepped into the large building and found many unusual things. In the city hall, which is a symbol of the highest power in Qingzhou, it was eerily quiet, although occasionally seeing staff members holding files in various rooms. However, they all had expressionless faces, lowered their heads, and quickly passed by along the corridor walls. When seeing acquaintances, they only exchanged greetings with their eyes, finished their business, and left immediately, as if staying for even one second longer was a huge mistake.

  The General Office, Personnel Department, Secretariat, Legislative Affairs Office, Supervision Office, and Religious Affairs Office, almost all the departments with signs on their doors were closed.

  The red slogans on the wall, such as "A room with many doors breeds wind, a person who talks too much breeds disaster", highlight an invisible and chilly pressure. The number of people chatting in the corridors has decreased, the number of people visiting each other's homes has decreased, the number of people going to the toilet has decreased, and the number of people reading newspapers has decreased. Except for necessary work, no one is moving between floors. With a serious expression, the men hold red-headed documents, as if studying. The women cover their tea cups, take out a sheet of paper from the drawer, and practice calligraphy under the letterhead. Occasionally, they raise their heads, some with worry in their eyes, some with a cold smile on their lips. Some have an inscrutable expression, some are deep in thought, occasionally exchanging glances, but immediately looking away.

  The entire building was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere!

  8:17, if a pair of eyes looked down from the sky through the clouds to Qingzhou, it would be found that several doors of the Standing Committee offices almost simultaneously opened. Vice Mayor Feng Changwu, Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection Niu Guiqing, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Wang Lin, Deputy Mayor and Minister of United Front Sun Ning, Minister of Organization Department Liu Hongjian, Minister of Propaganda Department Wei Chenfeng also came out from Wang Lin's office. A group of people walked up the stairs to the conference room on the 7th floor.

  Several staff members happened to witness this scene. They were all shocked and quickly turned around and hid back in the room. Until today, these people are not even willing to maintain a superficial harmony, the discord between the party and the government has reached such an extent, it's really chilling.

  Perhaps it's really better to end all this as soon as possible, otherwise the ones who will suffer are still the six million people of Qingzhou.

  At 8:40, Xu Fuyuan pushed open the door of the office on time and walked in, followed by Yang Guangsheng, the secretary-general of the municipal party committee. Niu Guoqiang led the way to greet him, followed by Feng Wenxue and Liu Hongjian, which was unprecedented in all previous standing committee meetings. In fact, the internal life of the party is not as hierarchical and strict as outsiders speculate, unless it encounters an extremely powerful leader who has no constraints and can turn all subordinates into slaves of power, they will be humble and willing to serve.

  Xu Fuyan, since arriving in Qingzhou, had a reputation as a great calligrapher that spread throughout the two banks of the Qing River. Although everyone maintained a respectful exterior, they couldn't help but look down on him inwardly. Who had ever given him such face? However, since Niu Guiqing and others had stood up, it would be inappropriate for the rest to remain seated. Wei Chenfeng and other members of the Zhou faction could only reluctantly stand up as well, their momentum weakening by a third at once.

  Today, after the investigation team of Qinghua Factory case arrived and Yuan Dazhu was detained, Qingzhou held its first municipal party committee meeting to discuss relevant matters. Those who were invited to attend had already received notifications last night and understood that this would be another battlefield for a showdown.

  Not showy, but more tragic!

  Xu Fu nodded slightly and waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down. Then he looked at his watch, turned around and asked: "Where is Mayor Zhou's car?"

  Yang Guangsheng hastily replied: "The web, after crossing the Seventh Bridge, will take another twenty minutes."

  This is also the intention of the question, Niu Guoqiang and others can set up a framework to lift Xu Fuyan. Zhou Yuanting must kick him down again with one foot. Dragging on for a while, it can suppress Xu Fuyan's arrogance, and rushing back from Guanshan early in the morning is also acceptable.

  Xu Fuyan nodded calmly and sat down in his own seat, smiling: "This meeting was held a bit hastily, and Mayor Zhou had to rush back from Guanshan overnight, which is really tiring. So let's make an exception, postpone the meeting for 20 minutes, and everyone can discuss freely first."

  The conference room did not have the usual lively atmosphere, Bai Changjian, who was usually loud, was rarely tight-lipped, Sun Ning, who loved to talk and laugh, bowed his head and flipped through the documents in his hand, Wei Chenfeng had both hands flat on his knees, leaning against the back of the chair, with his eyes closed and his eyelids lowered, meditating. Wang Lin, the shortest one, held a purple sand cup that never changed, and his thick palm kept rubbing the cup as if to warm himself up.

  Zhou Yuan Ting was not present, and the four people from the Zhou family all chose to remain silent. Xu Fu Yan naturally didn't bother to pay attention to them, and instead whispered to Feng Wen Xue on his right side. Niu Gui Qing's face turned serious, and he said sternly: "Guang Sheng, yesterday we received a report from the masses that you..." He paused for a moment, and Yang Guang Sheng was slightly startled. "Your family's Xiao Tong has been abusing power for personal gain, oppressing the common people."

  Tong is the granddaughter of Yang Guangsheng, a lovely and clever child who is loved by adults. Yang Guangsheng smiled wryly: "Secretary Niu, you are the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, don't joke around, I almost choked on my breath."

  Niu Guoqiang smiled and said, "Who made Xiaotong rely on being the class monitor to bully my little grandson every day? That kid even told me yesterday that Xiaotong snatched an apple from him and asked me to help him vent his anger." Yang Guangsheng could only mutter to himself, "Old Niu, you're too unscrupulous!" The Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary joked, but who can bear such stimulation?!

  But from another perspective, this also shows that Niu Guiqing is not as relaxed as he appears on the surface. Even if he knows he has a winning ticket, until the last moment, no one can guarantee what variables will appear.

  Time, like a snail with a broken leg, slowly crawled to 9 o'clock amidst the anxious waiting of everyone. Zhou Yuanting appeared in the conference room, his face dusty and tired, but his spirit was still full and high-spirited, full of fighting spirit.

  The meeting was presided over by Xu Fuyan, following the agenda. First, Feng Wenxue conveyed Jiang Province's opinions on carrying out the study activities of the 14th Five-Year Plan. Feng Wenxue is in charge of party affairs and has a solid grasp of theoretical knowledge. He speaks logically, neither too fast nor too slow, with a clear and powerful voice that is not loud but every word is distinct, he is a rare talent.

  Then, Minister of Organization Department Liu Hongjian conveyed the spirit of the special training meeting on the "Outline of the Plan" for the reform of the personnel system of provincial cadres. Next, Minister of Propaganda Wei Chenfeng submitted a plan for the city-wide campaign to strive for excellence and create a better future in 100 days. The agenda items were discussed one by one, everyone knew that the focus was not on this, all resolutions were passed at once, with high efficiency.

  As expected, after all the agenda items were completed, Xu Fuyan suddenly said: "I have decided to add a temporary agenda item, regarding the issue of public opinion guidance during the Qinghua Factory investigation."

  It's really too late, I'm getting impatient. Let me post a short chapter first, it should have been finished in one breath.