Chapter 198 Corruption (Part 2)

Gao Yi looked at the bank cards in silence. Qin Jinwen said, "He Zhi, go out and wait. We'll discuss something with County Magistrate Jiang."

“Hey.”

He Zhi stood up and walked out the door in a daze.

Jiang Ningyue couldn't help but ask, "Secretary Gao, can we deal with He Minxu through this incident?"

Gao Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "County Magistrate Jiang, do you have a personal grudge against Governor He?"

"No."

Jiang Ningyue said calmly, "I'm doing this purely for work reasons."

"I can't give you an answer about the provincial leaders' affairs."

Gao Yi pondered for a moment and said, "However, regarding Wang Haishan's issue, I think the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection can begin an investigation."

Qin Jinwen nodded.

"As for this He Zhi..."

Gao Yi looked at Jiang Ningyue and Qin Jinwen, "Your Discipline Inspection Commission should keep this money as evidence first, and prepare the materials, clearly stating the whole process. Then investigate whether He Zhi has any other corruption issues. If he has indeed confessed all the problems this time, then his position as Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau can be retained for now. We will discuss it at the end."

"What about now?" Jiang Ningyue asked curiously.

"Now, let him do it first."

Gao Yi suggested.

Qin Jinwen also nodded, "This way we won't alert the enemy."

Gao Yi called He Zhi in again. He didn't say anything. Qin Jinwen looked at He Zhi coldly, "Are you sure you've explained all the questions?"

"I've confessed everything." He Zhi nodded tremblingly.

Qin Jinwen patted the bank card on the table and said, "If we find out anything wrong later, you will be punished for multiple crimes and will not be forgiven."

"No problem. It was because of this corruption issue that Wang Haisheng promoted me to the position of director."

"Um."

Qin Jinwen nodded and said, "In that case, you should just take up the position of Director of the Zhaoyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau for now."

He Zhi couldn't believe it. He looked at Jiang Ningyue, then at Qin Jinwen, "Secretary Qin, I'm... okay?"

"Who said you were okay?"

Qin Jinwen's eyes widened, and he said dissatisfiedly, "You are now making meritorious contributions while serving your sentence, do you understand?"

Jiang Ningyue said, "If you do a good job during this period and actively provide evidence of Wang Haishan and He Minxu's interest group, then I will also speak well of you when the time comes."

He Zhi was overjoyed. He had thought he might be dismissed today, but he didn't expect that.

"Thank you, Secretary Gao, thank you, Secretary Qin, and thank you, County Magistrate Jiang."

"Alright." Gao Yi said slowly, "Let's leave it at that for now. Xiaoyue, don't let any news leak out after you go back. If you have any further questions, I'll contact you then."

"I understand." Jiang Ningyue nodded.

"And you." Gao Yi pointed at He Zhi and said, "You too, don't say anything you shouldn't say when you go back. If one corrupt official isn't arrested because of you, then your crime will be even more serious."

"Don't worry, don't worry."

He Zhi quickly said, "I keep my mouth shut."

After saying this, He Zhi suddenly felt a little guilty.

Jiang Ningyue and He Zhi left the Municipal Party Committee building and got into the car. He Zhi felt in a good mood and his stomach was growling. "Leader, are you hungry? Let me treat you to a meal."

"OK."

Jiang Ningyue nodded casually, found a ramen restaurant on the side of the road, and had a bowl of ramen each.

When paying, He Zhi's face suddenly changed. He didn't bring any money when he came today, and the money in his mobile phone had been transferred to others.

In other words, he had no money at all.

Jiang Ningyue paid the money without caring.

Back in the car, He Zhi said with emotion, "Boss, this can be considered a blessing in disguise. From today on, I will do whatever you tell me to do. I will do whatever you say."

Jiang Ningyue smiled, "Working hard is better than anything else."

"hey-hey."

He Zhi smiled and said, "County Magistrate Jiang, let me talk to you about some of the forces in our county."

"Power?" Jiang Ningyue laughed. "Why does it sound like the underworld?"

"Almost the same."

He Zhihan smiled and said, "Although our Zhaoyang County has a small population of only 120,000 to 130,000, there are three simple forces within the county party committee and government."

"Three forces?"

Jiang Ningyue was curious. "Wang Haishan, Lin Nan, and who's the other one? The deputy secretary of the county party committee?"

"You're truly a natural leader. You guessed it without me even telling you." He Zhi flattered him casually, then continued, "The person with the most power is, without a doubt, the County Party Secretary, Wang Haishan. He rose through the ranks from County Mayor to County Party Secretary, so he holds considerable power. Next in line is Deputy County Party Secretary Chen Feng. Secretary Chen represents the local faction, and despite his age, he's also the third-in-command. However, the departments he can mobilize far exceed the division of labor granted to him by the government. The person with the least power is, naturally, the new County Mayor, Lin Nan."

Jiang Ningyue asked curiously, "Does this Lin Nan also have power?"

"Of course, he's the second in command after all."

He Zhi explained, "Although County Magistrate Lin is being suppressed somewhat harshly by Secretary Wang, he is still young after all! In the officialdom, youth represents unlimited possibilities. Therefore, many wavering factions are still very willing to give County Magistrate Lin face when Secretary Wang does not give instructions. At the same time, some deputy county governors who are more fence-sitters are also more inclined to listen to County Magistrate Lin."

Jiang Ningyue nodded, feeling a sense of deep emotion. True to the saying, "Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes." Such a small Zhaoyang County was incredibly complex.

Unexpectedly, He Zhi laughed and said, "This is just the general direction. If you break it down, there are many more mountains."

When he returned to the county in the afternoon, He Zhi was also smiling.

Although I lost more than one million, I feel at ease!

After returning home, his wife saw the smile on He Zhi's face and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Did Governor He take action?"

"What does it have to do with that grandson?"

He Zhi curled his lips and said, "It was County Magistrate Jiang who spoke well of me. Secretary Gao Yi said, 'I'm doing meritorious service while serving my sentence and confessing the problem.' I won't be punished for the time being."

"Oh, that's great!" The wife was overjoyed. Her position as an official's wife was saved. "What about the money?"

He Zhi rolled his eyes. "It's good enough that I can keep my hat. You still want money? You are crazy."

"Yes." The wife nodded. "It's a good position. How much do you want to pay?"

"Still greedy?!" He Zhi pointed at his wife angrily, "Stop causing trouble for me and keep a low profile for a while. Zhaoyang, things are about to change."

——

On the other side, after returning to the hotel, Jiang Ningyue called Qingfeng, "Feng! How's your investigation going? It's been so long."

"I found something interesting."

Qing Feng said with a smile, "This He Minxu is such a pervert! How could such a person be able to hold such a high position? The political ecology of Shannan Province is quite interesting."

"Can you bring him down?"

"It's too easy to bring him down."

Qing Feng smiled and said, "But how can we do this? Anonymous reporting is probably not an option, right?"

Jiang Ningyue pondered for a moment, "If it doesn't work out, I'll report it under my real name."

"Come on."

Qing Feng continued to smile. "I'm about to come up with a super interesting idea. It doesn't require any action from you or me. Just a gentle push and this Vice Governor who just took office this year will be brought down. Oh my, I wonder if he can challenge the record for the shortest Vice Governor's tenure in office in history!"