0139 148 Father-Son Conversation
Local officials traveling to Beijing, especially those with lofty ambitions, are always filled with excitement. Entering and leaving their courtyard offices, a thought always seems to well up within them—sooner or later, I too will be sitting here.
Zhou Xiye didn't have such thoughts. She only put down the newspaper in her hand after the plane landed.
Ling Xingzhi, standing to the side, removed his blindfold and slowly stretched, like a lazy snow leopard. He glanced sideways and saw Zhou Xiye stand up, fold the People's Daily several times, and place it on the chair.
"Where are you going? A car is coming to pick me up."
Zhou Xiye shook his head and left without saying a word. Ling Xingzhi chuckled, slowly stood up, and strolled out of the cabin. After a few steps, Ling Xingzhi stopped. At the bottom of the stairs, a woman in a suit and red tie stood opposite Zhou Xiye, with three or four people behind her. A car from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was parked nearby.
This scene seems familiar.
Ling Xingzhi walked quickly down to their side.
"Li Ling?" Ling Xingzhi smiled as if he had just run into them. "Long time no see, Director Li."
Li Ling turned to look at Ling Xingzhi and nodded to him, "Hello, Mayor Ling."
Ling Xingzhi's gaze swept back and forth between Zhou Xiye and Li Ling, his smile gentle.
“Director Li and I are from the same hometown and were also high school classmates,” Zhou Xiye suddenly said.
Li Ling smiled and nodded. Although the two were old acquaintances, she exuded a sense of distance. "Mayor Ling, Secretary Zhou and I have something to discuss, so we'll be leaving now." After saying that, the group behind her got into the Discipline Inspection Commission's car, and Zhou Xiye followed. Ling Xingzhi stood still, watching them leave before getting into his own car.
Ling Xingzhi had some impression of the Li family. They were high-ranking officials from Shanxi Province who later formed a clique called the Donghe Alliance with a group of Shanxi officials. Their power network stretched from the central government down to the provincial and municipal levels. In the end, due to conspiracy theories and choosing the wrong side, they were removed from their positions at the national level, leaving them in a sorry state. However, Ling Xingzhi didn't know that Zhou Xiye knew the descendants of the Li family, and their relationship didn't seem to be very good.
It's obvious that another open secret in officialdom is cultivating relationships with people from one's hometown (although this has gradually become a system of sycophancy). This has been true throughout history; to take a closer look, consider the Donglin Party of the Ming Dynasty or the disciples of Wang Yangming—they always share some commonalities. Even now, after being promoted, leaders maintain close ties with officials from their hometowns, gradually forming a complex network of power.
When the Li family fell from power, Li Ling had already joined the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). After the incident, her husband, Chen Yunchuan, did not divorce her. However, Chen Yunchuan was just an ordinary staff member and couldn't exert much influence. Li Ling's ability to secure her position as director of the CCDI's office is undoubtedly due to her exceptional abilities.
After traveling together for a while, Ling Xingzhi's car headed towards Zhongnanhai. Ling Qingyun had called him back this time because there was something important to discuss. He hadn't said what it was over the phone, only that he needed to come back. A moment later, the car stopped, and the guards at the gate saluted him.
Ling Xingzhi nodded. This kind of treatment could only be found in Beijing. After entering the courtyard, Ling Qingyun's secretary was waiting at the door and led him into Ling Qingyun's office.
"Committee member Ling is speaking inside, please wait a moment."
"good."
Ling Xingzhi sat down on the chair by the bed. His bodyguard placed a steaming cup of tea in front of him. Ling Xingzhi crossed his legs and looked out the window. Another flock of crows flew over the rooftops. This wasn't a bad omen; there were just too many crows in the Forbidden City.
The leaves outside the window were already turning yellow; soon, another year would be over. Ling Xingzhi thought back to this time last year, when he was still the municipal party secretary. Time really flies. As Ling Xingzhi was lost in thought, the study door opened, and several people walked out. Ling Xingzhi stood up and looked closely; they were the newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.
"Oh, Xiaoling's back?"
Ling Xingzhi walked over with a smile, listening to their conversation. "I've heard that you're doing very well as mayor of Kunming. The economy has grown, and the people's spiritual lives have become richer. Very good. Like father, like son!"
Ling Qingyun found their flattery distasteful, saying, "It's not that he's capable; he's just someone who benefits from others' fame..."
After exchanging a few more casual words, the group left, and Ling Qingyun asked Ling Xingzhi to follow him into the study.
"You've been getting quite close to Zhou Xiye lately?" Ling Qingyun's previously bright and sunny face suddenly changed, turning cloudy. "It seems that your comfortable life in Kunming has made you forget what a sense of crisis is. You think you can rest easy with her around?!"
Ling Xingzhi looked at his father without saying a word.
"Zhou Xiye, she went with you, right? Haven't you seen how much she's done and experienced these past few months?"
Hearing this, Ling Xingzhi chuckled lightly. "Dad, I understand what you mean by deliberately choosing a place where Zhou Xiye is so that I can work with her. But..." He drew out his words, "I don't want to. It's not a fair thing to do. This is not my way of being a person, much less my way of being an official." He added with a smile, "Besides, Committee Member Ling, how can I make a name for myself when she's around?"
Ling Qingyun's face darkened even more after hearing this. "You managed to maintain things in Beijing, a city with complex political situations. Don't make excuses for a small city like Kunming, or for Zhou Xiye, who has no background whatsoever."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Ling Qingyun's anger flared to the heavens. "You did this on purpose!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Ling Xingzhi. "You did this on purpose, does Zhou Xiye need you to protect her? She's gotten rid of all the troublemakers one by one. Do you think she can't protect herself?!"
Shen Yuhe didn't tell Ling Xingzhi about Zhou Xiye's arrangements. He figured from the events leading up to it that it was very likely a scheme by Zhou Xiye. Her cooperation at the procuratorate, immediately revealing Qihang Travel Agency and providing crucial information to bring down Liu Liangyou—wasn't that premeditated?
Moreover, Zhou Xiye took no further action after reporting Qiao Senxi. Qiao Senxi and Zhou Xiye showed no discomfort when they were alone together in a room, which suggests something fishy is going on. If we consider going to the procuratorate as a form of protection, and use the outcome and objective to reason about everything that happened before, everything makes sense.
She orchestrated a major case herself, bringing down Hu Rui and Liu Liangyou.
However, the situation in Kunming is complex and cannot be completely eradicated by one or two people.
At this moment, Ling Xingzhi could only say with a cold face, "Committee Member Ling, is this the only thing you called me here to talk about? I am willing to bear all the consequences."
“Of course not,” Ling Qingyun stared at Ling Xingzhi and sneered, “I don’t need to worry about Zhou Xiye; someone will take care of him. But remember this: stay away from her. If she causes trouble again, I will also take action against her.”
"Didn't you already make arrangements for her?" Ling Xingzhi shook his head. "I said I don't need anyone else's help, and I certainly don't need you to make arrangements for me."
Ling Qingyun chuckled, as if everything was under control. "But Zhou Xiye agreed to my conditions. Otherwise, who do you think gave her the power of the Kunming Military Sub-district?"
Ling Xingzhi was stunned. "How is that possible? Why would she agree to that!"
Seeing her son like this, Qingyun smiled and said, "She's different from you. She'll stop at nothing for power."
To be honest, Ling Qingyun understands Zhou Xiye better than Ling Xingzhi. Whether from a political or personal perspective, the two are very similar. Did Ling Qingyun rely on external forces to get to where he is today? Certainly, but his own strength and ambition are far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Zhou Xiye was the same, like a blade of grass, struggling to survive in this stone-built fortress of power. The two of them were so alike that Qingyun could almost predict every choice Zhou Xiye would make, even though Ling Xingzhi always helped her cover up and modify Zhou Xiye's original intentions.
He admired her, and in doing so, he saw himself reflected in her.
As for Ling Xingzhi saving people, it was merely to make a record. Would you really say he's the kind of person who would sacrifice his career for love? Certainly not. Ling Qingyun also understands his son; he has struggled countless times but has been unable to break free from his own cage. Love is merely his safe haven. Kong Lingqi, Wei Luochen, and even Zhou Xiye are all just passersby in Ling Xingzhi's life.
Ling Qingyun firmly believed that Ling Xingzhi was too weak in matters of the heart, but he could completely disregard them for the sake of profit.
After hearing Ling Qingyun's evaluation of Zhou Xiye, Ling Xingzhi was not defeated. "She has her ideas, and I have my choices. My choices are not based on her ideas."
Ling Qingyun didn't care about Ling Xingzhi's opinion. After listening to him, she immediately said the second thing, "Wei Luochen, you need to break things off with her. The storm surrounding the Wei family has passed, and it's time to put the divorce from Wei Luochen on the agenda."
On this matter, Ling Xingzhi and Ling Qingyun reached a consensus. However, their reasons differed. Ling Xingzhi believed that if his marriage to Wei Luochen wasn't tiring, he wouldn't mind continuing the marriage. Ling Qingyun, on the other hand, had already decided on a second wife for his son—a family alliance, a political marriage, a perfect match.
“When I come back to Beijing this time, I will go and talk to Wei Luochen to make things clear.”
Ling Qingyun nodded, quite satisfied with Ling Xingzhi's answer. "Then, things are not peaceful in the central government lately. There's been some internal turmoil. You need to be careful; Ye Rouxin is a cautionary tale."
Speaking of Ye Rouxin, Ling Xingzhi frowned slightly, "Have we still not found the information and evidence that Ye Rouxin found before her death?"
Ling Qingyun looked at Ling Xingzhi with a sinister gaze, "His matter is not only a matter of what we can do about it, but it also involves the affairs of the previous dynasty. You'd better not get too involved."
"I thought Ye Rouxin would give the information to Zhou Xiye, but I've never seen her do anything... What about the previous dynasty?"
Ling Qingyun shook his head, a mysterious and terrifying expression on his face. "If there are any new developments with Zhou Xiye, remember to tell me."
Ling Xingzhi lowered his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If she can benefit from this..."
"That was her own choice. Ling Xingzhi, remember this: what you don't want to do is useless. Only if I don't want to do it can she be safe."
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