Jiang Encheng quickly recovered from the heart failure, and the oxygen mask was removed after the doctor’s diagnosis, everything seemed to be getting better.

Even some of Jiang Xiaochuan’s official affairs were becoming clearer.

The Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee would hold a meeting on August 20th to select the acting mayor between Jiang Xiaochuan and Wu Ju. Lian Cheng had expressed his support for Jiang Xiaochuan. Yue Qingci also provided news, indicating that the position was likely within Jiang Xiaochuan’s grasp.

Huaxin Group had been attempting to contact Jiang Xiaochuan, but after Fu Peng was investigated, they seemed wary of offending either him or Wu Ju. Jiang Xiaochuan conveniently awarded the Yanjiang Bridge project to Rong Group.

Now Rong Group was developing rapidly, focusing on engineering construction and expanding into its own hotel chain. Although it had previously been in real estate, it now aimed to enter government bidding projects. There were no issues with the bid documents submitted for the Yanjiang Bridge project. Jiang Xiaochuan had no intention of awarding the project to Huaxin Group.

His mistake laid in his past association with Huaxin Group. This led to an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau under the Supreme Procuratorate. At that time, Lian Cheng was a disciplinary inspection worker of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, specially assigned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau for cases in Shudu. Due to his success, he was promoted to deputy bureau chief. Jiang Xiaochuan recalled Zhang Qing telling him that investigating matters in Shudu Province almost gave Lian Cheng the greatest power and freedom in personnel allocation.

The shoddy project of Huaxin Group marked the beginning of Jiang Xiaochuan’s downfall. He was accused of power-for-money trading and official crime.

He could vividly recall the entire process of accepting the bribe. Sitting in a high-end hotel suite, Yue Qingci had advised him to accept money from Huaxin Group. When Yue Qingci left to answer a phone call, Zhou Ye, the general manager of Huaxin Group, had come in to give him money. Later, feeling it was inappropriate, Jiang Xiaochuan wanted to return the money. Yue Qingci had agreed, but instead, Jiang Xiaochuan faced disciplinary measures.

To this day, he still didn’t know what transpired during those times. Clues emerged, but none were what Jiang Xiaochuan wanted to know. The matter involving Huaxin Group and the millions he embezzled were insignificant. What mattered was the mythical legend surrounding Jiang Xiaochuan’s promotion. A minister in his thirties – an almost impossible feat in Chinese politics.

Perhaps in accordance with the principle of prosperity and decline, he fell from the heights of glory and paid for his crimes with his life.

Following the Huaxin Group bidding case, revelations about Jiang Xiaochuan’s underworld connections, particularly with Rong Shaobai, surfaced. There were also allegations about shady promotions involving a network of power. However, one of these factors led to Jiang Xiaochuan’s downfall, while another reason, known but unspoken, was political alignment.

Jiang Xiaochuan leaned left, but after the National People’s Congress elected a new leader, the country’s policies shifted to the right.

He didn’t feel unjustly treated; he simply felt he wasn’t clever enough.

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In this life, Rong Shaobai seemed to be his ally again. If he were to avoid suspicion, Jiang Xiaochuan should not award the Yanjiang Bridge project to the Rong family. However, the saying went, “Don’t shun relatives when promoting talents.” The project was suitable for Rong Group, and they were capable of executing it well. From a fair standpoint, choosing Rong Group was the correct decision.

Moreover, Rong Shaobai hadn’t worked for Jiang Xiaochuan directly, but his department responsible for urban planning and construction had been thoroughly investigated by Jiang Xiaochuan. Rong Shaobai wasn’t afraid of offending people. He was originally part of Jiang Xiaochuan’s circle. Regardless, he wouldn’t side with Wu Ju, making him more liberal in his actions compared to Huaxin Group.

Regarding the Yanjiang Bridge project, Jiang Xiaochuan had a clear conscience.

After approving the recent project plan for the old city’s reconstruction, Jiang Xiaochuan glanced at the map marked “secret” and placed it back into the leather bag. He then called Wei Lai.

“The old city renovation is a major project and needs approval from the Municipal Party Committee. The National People’s Congress also needs to be briefed. The plan is excellent. Let the planning team work harder.”

Wei Lai nodded and took the documents to convey Jiang Xiaochuan’s instructions. He also left news from the Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakai, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, invited Jiang Xiaochuan and Wu Ju to visit the Municipal Party Committee to discuss recent work.

Jiang Xiaochuan suspected that something important was about to be announced.

The August meeting of the Municipal People’s Congress was imminent. The nominee for acting mayor, endorsed by the Municipal Party Committee, should have been on the agenda long ago and would be voted on by the National People’s Congress. Jiang Xiaochuan believed he would receive news during his visit to the Municipal Party Committee this time.

When Jiang Xiaochuan arrived, he encountered Wu Ju’s returning car, realizing that Wu Ju had been invited before him. The Municipal Party Committee deliberately staggered their meetings, probably to avoid embarrassment. Who could decipher the intricacies of the political arena?

The Municipal Party Committee Office Building stood as the core of the city’s power.

In his previous life, Jiang Xiaochuan served as the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. Later, when he reached the provincial level, he became the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor Jiang Xiaochuan.

He was quite familiar with the Municipal Committee Building.

However, in this life, Jiang Xiaochuan was only the executive deputy mayor and not a member of the Standing Committee of Municipal Party Committee.

Even though he held significant power, he couldn’t compare to Wu Ju.