The Tempting Road to Becoming an Official

Zhou Jibai shook his head.

He said, "No, none of them have given me a heads-up in advance."

"Isn't there a problem here? To be frank, the two of them joined forces this time to put pressure on Chen Fang. Once these positions are vacated, someone definitely needs to fill them. Here, the county head position in Guangshou County is certainly the most important. We, as subordinates, shouldn't wait for the leader to speak first, right? We should guess the leader's intentions instead."

"Listening to Brother Cui's words is like a wake-up call. Brother, I'm not familiar with the political scene in Shangqing City. What do you think I should do next?"

Asked Zhou Jibai.

Cui Liansheng paused and said, "I know Secretary Tang quite well. He is the kind who won't say anything and wants subordinates to figure it out themselves. If you arrange his people in the county head position of Guangshou County and other places, do you think he'll see you in a new light?"

"Yes, yes, Brother, you're right. I was too shallow. In your opinion, who should be placed in the county head position of Guangshou County?"

Asked Zhou Jibai eagerly.

Cui Liansheng pretended to think for a moment.

He said, "Secretary Tang's secretary, Yuan Jun, has been with him for many years and hasn't found a suitable opportunity to be delegated. If you can put Comrade Yuan Jun in this position, you can't go wrong."

Zhou Jibai pinched his chin and thought carefully.

Cui Liansheng's suggestion seemed flawless.

As someone close to Chen Fang, he was now recommending Tang Guozheng's person for the position, clearly for his own good.

With this thought.

Zhou Jibai raised his glass again.

He said, "Brother Cui, I won't say more, it's all in the wine. If you ever need anything from this younger brother in the future, just speak up. From now on, we're brothers..."

"Good, brother, cheers."

Cui Liansheng was also straightforward.

He clinked glasses with Zhou Jibai again...

Tuesday morning.

As soon as Zhou Jibai arrived at the office, he ordered his subordinates to begin the organizational evaluation of Yuan Jun.

This was a sign of impending promotion.

The reason for being so high-profile.

Frankly speaking, it was also to show loyalty to Tang Guozheng.

Around ten o'clock in the morning.

Inside the Mayor's office.

A small meeting between Liu Yi and several deputy mayors had just ended.

City Government Secretary-General Lv Xiaoyang knocked on Liu Yi's office door.

"Secretary-General Lv, what can I do for you?"

Liu Yi looked up and asked.

Lv Xiaoyang walked straight to Liu Yi, lowered his voice, and said, "Mayor Liu, I've received word from the Organization Department that they have started evaluating Yuan Jun."

"Yuan Jun? Secretary Yuan?"

Liu Yi asked.

Lv Xiaoyang nodded with a hum.

Liu Yi then put down the pen in his hand.

He asked, "Is Secretary Tang preparing to delegate Yuan Jun?"

"It seems so."

Lv Xiaoyang said.

Liu Yi paused and asked, "Where to?"

"Possibly Guangshou County Head."

Lv Xiaoyang's words.

Caught Liu Yi by surprise, and he asked, "Guangshou County Head?"

"Yes, that's the message from the Organization Department, and several people close to Secretary Tang are part of this evaluation, including individuals from the public security system and the Disciplinary Committee."

This was the key point.

Liu Yi immediately thought of the few positions Zhou Jibai mentioned at the Standing Committee meeting.

He took a sharp breath.

He said, "Tang Guozheng plans to remove Chen Fang's people and fill the positions with his own."

"As things stand, this is highly likely, Mayor Liu, this situation wasn't something agreed upon in advance by your team, was it?"

Lv Xiaoyang asked.

Liu Yi shook his head.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Tang Guozheng, no wonder he readily agreed to cooperate with me. All along, he had a hidden agenda. Suppress Chen Fang and then pull the rug out from under me, putting the entire power of Shangqing City in his hands."

Lv Xiaoyang scowled darkly.

He said, "Leader, Chen Fang's been prominent lately, but if you think carefully, he doesn't hold many important positions, and those close to him, except for Cui Liansheng, are hardly a threat. However, Secretary Tang has always been a formidable competitor. If he absorbs all of Chen Fang's influence, can we still have a voice in Shangqing City?"

"What do you mean?"

Liu Yi asked.

Lv Xiaoyang showed a sinister expression.

He said, "Since Tang Guozheng has backstabbed us and plans to trick us with a diversion, I think the best plan now is to collaborate with Chen Fang. If we eliminate Tang Guozheng, you will hold the greatest power in Shangqing City. Then, turning around to deal with Chen Fang will ensure the best of both worlds."

"I'll give you a more direct analogy: You're like Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms period, Chen Fang is Sun Quan of Eastern Wu, and Tang Guozheng is Cao Cao of Wei Country. Only the Wu-Shu alliance can effectively resist Cao Wei. Ancient people have already proven this."

Liu Yi blinked in surprise.

With a tone of skepticism, he asked, "You want me to approach Chen Fang for cooperation now, will he agree?"

Lv Xiaoyang smiled slightly.

He said, "You certainly don't need to approach Chen Fang. That would just make you look bad. What I'm saying is we can expose some of Tang Guozheng's blemishes, let Chen Fang investigate. By then..."

The latter part.

Lv Xiaoyang didn't continue.

Liu Yi understood his meaning.

He frowned and asked, "Tell me, what can deal a fatal blow to Tang Guozheng?"

Lv Xiaoyang's eyes shifted.

He leaned closer to Liu Yi and lowered his voice, "Mei Jianxue."

At the mention of this name.

Liu Yi shivered a little.

He asked, "Isn't it too risky to expose this matter? If Tang Guozheng retaliates desperately, we might not be able to handle it?"

"Hahaha, not at all, this is not exposed by us, but by some insiders. Besides, a desperate Tang Guozheng will target Chen Fang, not us. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. Don't you think that's the perfect outcome?"

Lv Xiaoyang said.

Liu Yi was still undecided.

He frowned and said, "Mei Jianxue is a good person. During these years in Shangqing City, whenever there were challenges, she'd always help me out. If this matter gets exposed, it would cause an earthquake—everything would go haywire."

"Leader, don't hesitate anymore. If you delay further, you'll miss your opportunity. Once Chen Fang is defeated, wouldn't you be next?"

This statement from Lv Xiaoyang was the final ace in the hole.

It finally solidified Liu Yi's resolve.

At this moment, he had no idea.

The power gamble he was about to engage in would ultimately turn into a tsunami in Shangqing City.

And finally unravel a conspiracy that had been buried for years.