Jiang Xiaochuan had long known that he would see Lian Cheng again. Turbulent memories continuously struck his mind, recalling moments before his death.

He had asked the young man named Lian Cheng to bring him the oath, but unfortunately, it fell short in the end. Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t live to see Lian Cheng return.

The young man before him now wore a slight smile, his hair cut short, with bangs only covering the top of his forehead. Clad in a slim-fitting, narrow-waisted suit, he appeared particularly lean.

His eyes had double eyelids. Large and energetic, the corners tilted toward the temples, these were known as phoenix eyes. Jiang Xiaochuan remembered reading that people with phoenix eyes were righteous, abhor evil, uphold principles, and never yield to anything they oppose.

Lian Cheng—perhaps he embodied these qualities?

Strictly speaking, Jiang Xiaochuan knew very little about Lian Cheng. Only his name and position over the past few years were known; the rest remained a blank slate.

Lian Cheng shook hands with Mayor Fu Peng under the guidance of Li Dakai, the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee.

Smiling, Li Dakai suggested, “Comrade Lian Cheng came all the way from Beijing with important instructions from his superiors. Why not share them with everyone here? Let’s have a discussion.”

Lian Cheng, currently an ordinary clerk, excels in discipline inspection, surpassing his current position. Despite his career trajectory being less remarkable than Jiang Xiaochuan’s, his role in the prestigious Central Commission for Discipline Inspection highlighted his unique standing.

Working in the “Central Commission for Discipline Inspection” was highly esteemed among Beijing officials. Despite Lian Cheng’s youth, his presence in this institution and participation in inspections signified his exceptional status.

While Lian Cheng might not initially perceive his position as high, similar to Yue Qingci, his talent suggested rapid promotion with a bit of support.

Despite Lian Cheng’s promising future, individuals like Li Dakai seemed oblivious to it. Inviting a disciplinary inspector to speak raised suspicions of ulterior motives. Lian Cheng, though, refrained from speaking, signaling his inability to do so.

Li Dakai’s once pleasing expression stiffens at Lian Cheng’s non-verbal communication, raising doubts about Lian Cheng’s intentions. The central government had sent representatives before, but this was the first instance of witnessing such questionable conduct.

Jiang Xiaochuan, noticing Lian Cheng’s gesture, sensed trouble. Observing the group from the municipal committee, he spoted Xue Yan, affiliated with the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

While reasonable for Xue Yan to attend, it was uncommon for Central Commission for Discipline Inspection members to be present at such meetings due to potential sensitive information.

This cautious approach, especially considering the trouble caused by Wei Dong, underscored the potential risks of having Central Commission for Discipline Inspection members present during certain events.

Xue Yan’s presence was likely due to Lian Cheng’s work inspection, making it necessary for someone from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to receive him, even if reluctantly.

Recognizing the sensitivity of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Li Dakai, perhaps sensing an opportunity, assigned the task to Xue Yan, a newcomer who might not fully grasp the situation.

This move aimed to prevent any potential manipulation of information by Lian Cheng.

Both Li Dakai and Xue Yan understood the underlying intentions. Jiang Xiaochuan, witnessing Xue Yan’s arrival, recognized the game at play.

However, Li Dakai’s strategic error delighted Jiang Xiaochuan, anticipating that dealing with these two would make his future endeavors much smoother.

.

Lian Cheng, remaining composed, introduced himself briefly without disclosing his official title. He outlined the purpose of his visit and took a seat in the auditorium under Li Dakai’s guidance.

Optimism emerged among officials as they perceived Lian Cheng as different from previous inspectors—silent, concise, and polite. Some speculated that he might be just going through the motions, given the routine nature of inspections in the bureaucratic state.

Chengzhou officials had a history of hiding issues effectively during inspections, resulting in positive reports sent to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

In the subsequent meeting, Jiang Xiaochuan adopted a low profile, not wanting to draw attention from Lian Cheng just yet. The smooth exchange between Mayor Fu Peng and Municipal Party Committee Secretary Li Dakai, however, irked Jiang Xiaochuan.

The two of them, who usually seem incompatible, actually teamed up to turn a normal work meeting into a reporting session, praising Chengzhou’s work one by one.

Lian Cheng listened on the side, folding his hands on the table and not saying a word from beginning to end. His back was always straight.

Jiang Xiaochuan remembered the time when Lian Cheng stood in the backlight at the door; his whole face was hidden in shadow, yet Jiang Xiaochuan felt Lian Cheng was inviolable. Now that he had completely seen Lian Cheng, this feeling had not been diminished but had become even stronger.

Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t know why. He had obviously talked a lot with Lian Cheng in his previous life. During the time when he was sentenced to death, he and Lian Cheng also chatted.

Lian Cheng’s conversation revealed a high level of education, and his overall knowledge and awareness were extraordinary. He wasn’t the rigid type and would tell Jiang Xiaochuan many shortcomings in the government in private—maybe because Jiang Xiaochuan knew that aspect very well, or maybe because Jiang Xiaochuan would soon become a dead man.

Now that he thought about it, di Jiang Xiaochuan really have to die?

He touched his brows and remembered that in the past, when a provincial governor who had embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars was dismissed, he was only sentenced to life imprisonment.

Jiang Xiaochuan had never thought about surviving, but considering it now, the people from the procuratorate who sentenced him probably had a grudge against him.

He looked at Lian Cheng calmly, then lowered his head to look through the information in his hand.

Why did Fu Peng want him to conclude the case quickly?

Does Rong Shaobai’s backer also include Fu Peng?

But he still remembered what Xue Yan said before. Was it really okay for a dignified mayor to get involved in those transactions?

This muddy water was getting deeper.

The meeting ended ‘successfully’. Wei Dong was the first to walk out with a dark face. Lin Shanyi was well-behaved and maintained a decent smile. He said hello to everyone before leaving.

The Municipal Party Committee was always responsible for receiving those who came to inspect from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

In the entire Chinese political arena, the center of power was generally in the municipal party committee because the municipal party committee was the real core. The party was the ruling party, and the members of the municipal committee were all party members. It wasn’t like there were foreign parties on the municipal side. Personnel were even non-partisan.

Jiang Xiaochuan was a party member, enabling him to manage the armed police and other armed forces. However, the core authority lied in the military region, and his role was more titular.

Officials like the mayor must be party members, but there was also a Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party)member in the municipal government—Deputy Mayor Li Qiusheng, in charge of Taiwan and United Front work. A non-party person, Qin Yu, handles the Women’s Federation and other affairs.

Examining their responsibilities illustrated the implementation of the “three systems” principle.

Jiang Xiaochuan couldn’t express any opinion on this, being a party member within the system without the right to speak.

The core of power lied in the municipal party committee, leading the city organizationally, politically, and ideologically. The municipal party committee secretary held a higher position than the mayor in terms of power.

Although they appear on the same level, the municipal government, as the executive agency of the Municipal People’s Congress, held a slightly lower position.

Fu Peng, restricted by Li Dakai for more than a day, had a reasonable excuse for an unpleasant goodbye. Jiang Xiaochuan didn’t dwell on it, turning around and leaving with his things.

.

Today’s agenda changed; liaison with subordinates, usually at the beginning, but moved to the end due to Wei Dong and others’ presence.

Jiang Xiaochuan now had to meet the Lu Xiu’s team and other departments under his control. However, Chengzhou’s public security chaos was submerged, and the only significant issue above the water was the Rong family.

The road show’s performance this time was different; Jiang Xiaochuan felt a dilemma. Leaving Rong’s affairs aside, he discussed work issues with other departments, asking them to leave and leaving the Lu Xiu alone.

“Lu Xiu, tell me what’s going on. It’s just the two of us. If you have any questions, share them.” Alone in the conference room, Jiang Xiaochuan and Lu Xiu remained.

Lu Xiu, the police captain present when Uncle Qiu wanted to jump off the building, was authorized to meet Jiang Xiaochuan. He knew Jiang Xiaochuan intended to promote him, but faced pressure from above.

“Mayor Jiang, I know you have high hopes, but I’ve let you down. Rong Family’s Club case… the resistance is huge…”

As Lu Xiu spoke, Jiang Xiaochuan’s phone vibrated—a secret message.

Jiang Xiaochuan answered, hearing a voice with a hint of life’s vicissitudes: “Xiao Jiang, please stop investigating Rong Family Club’s case.”

The call came from Qu Zhendong, deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and former mayor of Chengzhou who promoted Jiang Xiaochuan before.

Note:

Working on this novel really hit a lot of sore spots in my country politic. Corruption and unsolved nepotism cases were huge. Some suspects could casually walk out of the country and been missing for years. The power of one party was overwhelming, they discharged one leader in the dust as soon as his serving was done, then pulled up another one to be their puppet.