Chapter 557

Wang Rui directly handed over the law enforcement recorder used that day to Fang Yang, saying: "Secretary Fang, you can take a look yourself. At the time, the female driver involved in the accident arrogantly said, 'I know your leader, I've contacted the Organization Department minister of the Provincial Party Committee, you're not convinced?' That's the exact wording. Afterwards, while making the phone call, she mentioned 'Minister Lin' and talked for about three minutes. I vaguely heard her ask that 'Minister Lin' to get her off the hook."

Later, I checked the call records of the female driver's phone and discovered that the number was exactly the mobile phone number of Lin Dian, Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee.

Fang Yang repeatedly watched the law enforcement recorder's content, also checked the number in the female driver's phone, and confirmed it was the mobile phone number currently used by Lin Dian.

After the conversation ended, Fang Yang arranged for journalists to interview Wang Rui, recorded the truth into a video, and then went to the Organization Department to report to Lu Fan.

On the way, Fang Yang received a call from the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee. Secretary Li asked: 'Comrade Fang Yang, how is the investigation of the public opinion incident going? The Provincial Party Committee and Secretary Tang Bing have been paying attention.'

Fang Yang did not hide anything and replied truthfully: 'Secretary Li, it can now be confirmed that the female driver involved in the accident indeed contacted Lin Dian, Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, that night; the "Organization Department minister" netizens were concerned about is Lin Dian.'

Li Mingyang then asked: 'What are your plans for the next step?'

'Secretary Li, I will report to the Public Opinion Disposal Working Group as soon as possible; please let the leaders decide.'

'Well done! In the face of public opinion, without distinguishing right from wrong, simply assigning blame will only dampen cadres' enthusiasm and creativity. You must build a solid institutional barrier of tolerance and exemption, shifting from 'simple blame' to 'appropriate tolerance', to prevent the abuse of pursuit of responsibility and blame, thereby encouraging cadres, when confronting public opinion, to change from 'avoiding responsibility' to 'shouldering responsibility'.'

Although Fang Yang was somewhat at a loss, he still gave his assent; as for how to handle it in the end, he would certainly listen to Secretary Zhao Lingyun and the veteran leader Lu Fan.

Fang Yang first went to Lu Fan's office and reported in detail the investigation and evidence-gathering process.

Lu Fan said: 'Fang Yang, the working group must have the courage to face problems head-on and the confidence to disclose information; while grasping the focus of public opinion and respecting public sentiment, with the law as the bottom line and objective facts as the basis, produce convincing evidence and conclusions, winning broad netizen approval with sound reasoning and solid proof. Truthful, credible, authoritative information is the 'magic elixir' that settles disputes and ends contention; it will truly convince people, so act swiftly!'

Having worked together for three years, Fang Yang immediately understood the veteran leader's instruction, replying: 'Please rest assured, Secretary, I know what to do and will certainly not let you suffer this undeserved calamity! Secretary, I would like to ask for instructions on how to handle Lin Dian.'

Lu Fan pondered and asked: 'Relying on just one phone call is not enough even for blame. I think the working group should investigate this matter deeply: why did that female driver call Lin Dian? What exactly is their relationship? That female driver is a civil servant who entered service two years ago; during her interview, was there any fawning? Also, has Lin Dian received any other complaints at the Discipline Inspection Committee? I think all these can be checked, after all, this 'Organization Department minister' is a hot issue netizens are closely watching; if we are vague and gloss over it lightly, we might cause a resurgence of public opinion. Secretary Zhao Lingyun and I share this view. Fang Yang, have you uncovered any problems with Lin Dian?'

Fang Yang looked at Lu Fan with firm eyes and replied in a resolute tone: 'Secretary, as long as there is no external interference, I will surely "take him down"! If there is something we do not want to investigate, there is nothing we cannot investigate. If we make up our minds to investigate a duty-related crime case, we will certainly get to the bottom of it! If we investigate Lin Dian, we will retrieve his work record, family relations, financial situation, as well as his relatives' assets, property information, bank transaction records, call logs, and so on; all the work he handled and major project materials during his tenure will not escape, let alone technical means such as surveillance and positioning, phone tapping, makeup investigation, and software analysis.'

Once the relevant materials are in hand, staff can preliminarily judge whether there has been bribery or other illegal criminal acts based on his and his family's, relatives', and related persons' asset situations. For example, if he or a family member's account received a sum of money in a certain year and month that remained untouched and showed no signs of repayment, that sum would be a breakthrough point.

To put it bluntly, if he does not disclose this income, his family members may be deemed accomplices in bribery and also be placed under detention; him spilling everything is just a matter of time. Some special means I cannot elaborate on to the secretary, but in short, there are countless ways to make him confess.

Lu Fan nodded and said: 'Go back and report to Zhao Lingyun, take Lin Dian to the Discipline Inspection Committee to "ascertain the situation" until he "thoroughly" confesses everything clear! Do you understand my meaning?'

'Secretary, just watch!'

'If I encounter any interference or pressure, I will stand firm; you can rest assured and boldly handle the case!'

October 16, after deliberation by the Public Opinion Disposal Working Group meeting, the Huan Yuan Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, Propaganda Department, Organization Department, Public Security Bureau, Cybersecurity Office, and Yingjun City Government jointly issued a notice, giving a detailed report on the entire process of the '10.14' incident; the female driver involved in the accident has already been prosecuted for traffic accident crime.

The notice also responded to netizens' concern about the 'minister' issue, explicitly naming that the 'minister' is Lin Dian, Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Huan Yuan Provincial Party Committee, with further details to be reported later.

The bulletin pointed out that welcoming public and media criticism and oversight is the proper means to advance the modernization of Huan Yuan's governance system and governance capacity. The Huan Yuan Provincial Capital will earnestly listen to the public's 'inner voice', directly confront controversies, respond to problems, respond to public concerns, and is accustomed to carrying out work under supervision.

Furthermore, with the efforts of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, the Provincial Cybersecurity Office, and Wang Honghai, the doubts about Lu Fan in this public opinion incident instantly dissipated.

At 4 p. m., Fang Yang took people to interrogate the female driver involved in the accident; she fully realized how foolish her mistake was and was in a state of complete collapse.

A young woman in her early twenties, confronted with Fang Yang's fierce offensive, collapsed within three days, spilling the beans about her relationship with Lin Dian.

In 2022, the female driver had just graduated from university, beautiful and full of youthful vigor. After passing the written exam of the provincial civil service test, through someone's introduction, she found Lin Dian, the director of the Provincial Civil Service Bureau, hoping to smooth things over and pass the interview smoothly.

Originally Lin Dian had merely gone through the motions regarding this matter, but upon seeing the female driver, his heart fluttered and his eyes lit up.

The female driver was quite adept at romance; she was no innocent either. The two had mutual affection and soon became lovers. Consequently, she was naturally hired. Not long after she started work, Lin Dian gave her a BMW car; they met privately every weekend, and he provided the work group with locations for their trysts.

Fang Yang immediately sent people to those places to retrieve a large amount of surveillance footage.

October 20, the working group convened a meeting to specially study the handling opinions for the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee.

After the meeting, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun reported the relevant situation to Secretary Tang Bing.

Zhao Lingyun had just left Tang Bing's office when Deputy Secretary Li Mingyang entered.

The two were old partners; Li Mingyang got straight to the point: 'Secretary, Lin Dian of the Organization Department is a cadre I have watched grow up. Learning that he made a mistake, I feel anguished and indignant! Having worked most of his life, he has always been diligent and conscientious; I never expected that with just a few years left until retirement, his thinking would suffer such a major decline—truly letting down the organization's cultivation, and he must be dealt with strictly.'

Tang Bing said with a look of regret: 'Some mistakes can be made, some must never be committed! Leading cadres must always keep a clear mind; first let the Discipline Inspection Committee investigate—see what exactly he has done wrong—and at the same time we must give the public an explanation.'

Li Mingyang sighed and said: 'Only when it is difficult does courage show; only when it is put into practice is it truly precious. Implementing the tolerance and correction mechanism is of great significance—catching early and small, any lapse invites blame—this shows the strictness and authority of discipline. But punishment is for the sake of governance; the fundamental purpose of disciplining cadres is not to penalize but to educate and redeem, to prevent them from sliding further down the wrong path.'

As the saying goes, 'No sage is without fault.' If one wants to turn back to shore, there must be a shore. For cadres who have made mistakes, we should use a pole to lift them up, not beat them to death with a stick. Whether a fallen cadre can get back on his feet largely depends on whether the organization can reach out a hand to pull him up. For crooked and sick trees, as long as we actively straighten and treat them, we may help them regain health; they will surely feel grateful, reform themselves, and become anew.

Tang Bing nodded and said: 'If there is no principled mistake, it should still be rescued; I will pay attention to this matter.'

……

October 21, 9 a. m., Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Fang Yang came to Lu Fan's office.

After the secretary finished making tea and left, Fang Yang reported: 'Secretary, following the leaders' instructions, for some issues we need Lin Dian to cooperate in the examination and investigation, to explain some circumstances.'

Lu Fan asked: 'Do you have confidence?'

Fang Yang said in a firm tone: 'Please rest assured, Secretary, I will certainly not disgrace my mission!'

9:30 a. m., Fang Yang arrived at the office of Lin Dian, Deputy Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee.

After pushing the door open, he smiled and said: 'Minister Lin, sorry, regarding the '10.14' incident involving the female driver, I have some questions I'd like you to clarify the situation.'

Lin Dian's legs went weak, his heart trembled, and he forced himself to stay calm: 'Secretary Fang, I will cooperate with your investigation. I indeed know that female driver, but only as an acquaintance; out of appreciation for talent and the purpose of cultivating cadres, I had left her my phone number. Knowing a person's face but not their heart, I never imagined she would act illegally and violate discipline under my name; I truly regret it.'

Fang Yang said lightly: 'Minister Lin, this is not the place to talk; let's go through the procedure—please go to the Discipline Inspection Committee.'