The Tempting Road to Becoming an Official

"Secretary Chen, I'm relieved that you didn't agree to Li Xuan's request."

Cui Liansheng said, looking up.

Chen Fang was about to ask why.

Cui Liansheng raised his hand to stop him and said, "To be honest, before you came, I was hoping you could get involved in the investigation of this case."

"You hoped I would get trapped in this case?"

Chen Fang asked.

Cui Liansheng nodded.

He said, "Your predecessor, Xu Fengyuan, was always a bit of a loner. Whether it was Tang Guozheng or Liu Yi, both tried to win him over, but unfortunately, it never had any effect..."

After Xu Fengyuan's unexpected death.

Both major factions wanted to gain something from the position of Disciplinary Committee Secretary.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fang's sudden arrival ruined all their efforts.

Especially for Liu Yi's faction.

They had done a lot of work back then to promote Li Xizhong to power.

Chen Fang's sudden interference naturally left them dissatisfied.

The 626 case is a cold case.

If Chen Fang started the investigation and found nothing, it would deal a huge blow to his ability to establish himself in Shangqing City, and consequently, using Li Xizhong to manipulate the power of the Disciplinary Committee would become a logical move. So, in a way, Cui Liansheng initially hoped Chen Fang would quickly get involved in the 626 case.

But now, he has firmly decided to stand on the same front as Chen Fang.

Naturally, he no longer wants Chen Fang to get involved.

"The 626 case, do you really not know any inside information?"

After Cui Liansheng finished speaking, Chen Fang asked.

Cui Liansheng shook his head, saying, "I don't know. When this case occurred, Mayor Liu also inquired, but everyone treated it as an ordinary criminal case. Later, when Xu Fengyuan secretly started investigating, he never reported to the City Committee. It wasn't until his unexpected death that the whistleblower letter and secret investigation were made public, and only then did we learn the details."

"I heard from Secretary Cen that after the investigation team organized by the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee was stationed, the Shangqing Municipal Committee and government were not very cooperative, which made it impossible for the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's investigation to proceed. What's the story behind this?"

Chen Fang asked.

"The logic here can be understood. The whistleblower letter received by Xu Fengyuan was about the Criminal Investigation Team Leader, Song Keyun, and this Song Keyun is one of Secretary Tang's people. Coupled with the need for stability maintenance, of course, the city didn't want such an absurd result and naturally would not cooperate."

Cui Liansheng's words were true.

But to Chen Fang, it sounded a bit sad.

Some local officials, in the name of political achievements and image, covered up the deaths of two female police officers. Isn't this also a desecration of the law?

Seeing the change in Chen Fang's expression.

Cui Liansheng continued, "Secretary Chen, I know what you're thinking. In office, no matter what you do, you have to consider the bigger picture. At that time, it was the evaluation period for national civilized cities. If something really was found, the efforts of 7 million residents of Shangqing City would have been wasted... Actually... it was also a helpless move..."

"I understand, but those two female police officers, they were also among the 7 million people, as were their parents, siblings, relatives, and friends. To them, isn't this civilized city a huge irony?"

Chen Fang retorted.

Cui Liansheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

He sighed heavily.

He said, "Things are as they are. Discussing right or wrong doesn't have any meaning anymore. Let's get back to the case. If, as Minister Li said, this case involves Qi Kang, I still think you shouldn't get involved, or else you'll be courting trouble."

"The reason I didn't agree to Minister Li's request isn't because of Qi Kang's identity and background, but because something about this matter doesn't feel right to me."

Chen Fang said.

Cui Liansheng was taken aback and asked, "Issues? What issues?"

Chen Fang pondered for a moment.

He said, "Qi Kang is Secretary Qi's son. As the son of the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee, there are plenty of women at his doorstep. Even if Qi Kang is foolish, he wouldn't necessarily fixate on Li Xuan, right? Secondly, Li Xuan's background isn't weak either. Would she really have endured silently until now?"

"That's hard to say. Although Minister Li is a bit older than Qi Kang, it's a fact that she still has charm. If she drank too much and lost control, it's not impossible. Additionally, although Minister Li's background isn't weak, compared to Qi Shouting, it's not at the same level. There have long been rumors that when Governor Wu's term ends, Qi Shouting will succeed him."

Cui Liansheng said.

Chen Fang furrowed his brows and continued, "Is there a possibility that Li Xuan also reported the same thing to Xu Fengyuan?"

Cui Liansheng's mouth dropped open.

He asked, "You're saying... Secretary Xu was also investigating this matter... so..."

Chen Fang knew what he was about to say.

He immediately interrupted him.

He said, "Logically, it's reasonable. Xu Fengyuan knew the inside story, so he started investigating and perhaps found something, which led to his demise. If that's the case, shouldn't Li Xuan feel guilty? Shouldn't she have reported the issue to the organization at the first opportunity?"

"Maybe she knew she had caused trouble and was afraid to speak."

"Then what does it mean that she gave me this lead? Does she also want to drag me into the mire? If she disregards others' lives to avenge herself, with such malice, would she be someone who would timidly refrain from reporting?"

Cui Liansheng understood Chen Fang's words.

Regardless of the reason.

Li Xuan's actions were abnormal.

Especially what happened at today's standing committee meeting.

She made a great effort to prevent Qi Kang from becoming the County Party Secretary of Guangshou County. This move cannot affect the future investigation of the 626 case, but she still did it. Clearly, there is a big problem here.

"Secretary Chen, from what you're saying, do you still want to involve yourself in the investigation of the 626 case?"

Cui Liansheng asked.

Chen Fang nodded slightly.

He said, "We definitely have to investigate. The nature of this case is too egregious. No matter who is involved, we must give an explanation to the families of the deceased. However, we must proceed with caution because if Comrade Xu Fengyuan's death was not accidental, it means our opponent is a ruthless character."

After hearing this.

Cui Liansheng stood up.

He walked to the window.

He looked out at the road outside the City Committee building for a long time.

Then.

He turned around.

Looked at Chen Fang and said, "Secretary Chen, since you've decided to investigate, then go ahead. My old bones still have some influence in the political and legal system. I will help as much as I can..."

At this moment, Cui Liansheng did not know.

This very decision would completely change the trajectory of his future career...