Chapter 649

At this moment, the leaders in the conference room stared at each other, each with a strange expression, as if placed under an immobilization spell, sitting there dumbstruck, unable to close their mouths for a long while, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

Some even experienced mental confusion, a sudden spike in blood pressure, dizziness, vomiting, and other symptoms, and were finally sent to the hospital.

Only the league chief, Men Junhao, remained calm, watching everything that unfolded before him with a detached gaze, observing the myriad aspects of life.

When Wan Lingjun was surrounded by many people as he emerged from the Standing Committee meeting room, he bypassed the courtyard, took the dedicated elevator down to the parking lot, and rushed to the airport.

Many cadres in the Municipal Party Committee compound witnessed the scene; the usually imposing and arrogant Wan Lingjun now staggered and swayed, actually being helped away—could he have been arrested?

Not long after, the news that Wan Lingjun had been taken away by the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission spread like a fierce wind across the entire Ximeng, rumors and speculation spreading without legs, filling the city with turmoil and panic.

On the morning of September 23, the Grassland Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission website released a notice, approved by the Provincial Party Committee, that the Provincial Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission had filed a case for investigation into the serious violations of discipline and law committed by Yun Zhangsheng, head of the Provincial Justice Department.

Investigations revealed that Yun Zhangsheng abandoned his original aspirations and mission, lost his Party principles, acted inconsistently, paid lip service while subverting orders, formed factions, played both sides, neglected his duties in supervising discipline and law enforcement, violated discipline while enforcing it, broke the law while enforcing it, became corrupt and decadent, used power for personal gain, colluded with illegal private business owners, turned supervisory authority into a tool for personal profit, severely damaging the image of the discipline inspection and supervision organs and their cadres; he violated the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, repeatedly accepting gifts that could affect impartial performance of duties; he failed to truthfully explain issues to the organization, illegally intervening in the promotion and hiring of cadres and staff; he connived at and tacitly allowed relatives and specific persons to use his authority for private gain, illegally holding shares in non-public companies, engaging in power-for-sex transactions, and indulging in pleasure……

Yun Zhangsheng seriously violated the Party's political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, work discipline, and life discipline; his actions already constituted serious violations of discipline and law, and he is suspected of crimes, with a serious nature and heinous impact, warranting strict handling. According to the Regulations on Disciplinary Punishments, the Supervision Law, and the Law on Administrative Sanctions for Public Officials, after study by the Standing Committee of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and approval by the Autonomous Region Party Committee, it was decided to expel Yun Zhangsheng from the Party; the Provincial Supervisory Commission shall remove him from public office; and his illicit gains shall be confiscated.

In the afternoon, another bombshell arrived: Ximeng League Committee Secretary Wan Lingjun is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation by the Provincial Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission.

Within a single day, two leaders who had long dominated the grasslands and enjoyed widespread fame were simultaneously investigated by the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission; the news spread like a thunderclap, instantly reaching every corner of the grasslands, causing an uproar and shocking everyone.

For a time, the entire grassland plunged into a state of uproar. Countless people, upon hearing the news, clapped and cheered, feeling heartily relieved.

However, while some rejoiced, others worried; many felt uneasy and restless, because they were intertwined with countless ties, not knowing whether they would be implicated, they spent the day anxious and fearful.

Provincial Party Committee Secretary-General He Yuanhang, Provincial Political and Legal Committee Secretary Yang Jiale, and Provincial Organization Department Head Li Yuening came together to Li Xingyuan's secretary office.

Yang Jiale wore a grave expression and urgently asked, 'Secretary, what exactly is going on? Zhangsheng merely accepted a few gifts and was put under investigation? And Wan Lingjun—how was he inexplicably placed under custody?' Having said that, he anxiously stared at Li Xingyuan, desperately hoping for an answer.

Li Yuening also said, 'Secretary, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission is running amok; if this continues, the grasslands will descend into chaos!'

He Yuanhang, sitting nearby, chimed in: 'Secretary, many leading cadres have called the Provincial Party Committee; everyone is filled with righteous indignation, extremely dissatisfied with the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission's wanton misconduct! If we let them continue to toss and turn, the consequences would be unimaginable!'

Li Xingyuan sighed and said, 'Yun Zhangsheng and Wan Lingjun are corrupt, the evidence is solid; the discipline inspection commission already has solid proof—how could we suppress it and prevent an investigation? You also know that the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission can conduct same-level supervision and has its independence; I prefer not to interfere too much.'

Yang Jiale hurriedly said, 'Secretary, no matter what, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission operates under the leadership of the Provincial Party Committee; as long as you intervene, I don't believe Lu Fan could defy the Committee's will.'

Li Xingyuan said calmly, 'In a while, Secretary Xiao Bin will lead a team to inspect cases in the grasslands; you guys can weigh it yourselves!'

Just a single name, yet it seemed to possess magical power, instantly rendering the three silent as the grave, and the office fell into an eerie quiet.

After a long silence, Yang Jiale said, 'Secretary, Lu Fan is still the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; he has the responsibility and duty to maintain stability in the grasslands, and chaos there would be bad for everyone—you need to pressure him! Since he has come to work in the grasslands, his elbows cannot always turn outward; without everyone's support, he would find it hard to move and would be unable to act.'

Li Xingyuan furrowed his brows and replied, 'My words may not be effective; if we block the investigation now and Secretary Xiao Bin suddenly comes to the grasslands and blows the case open, it could become even harder to contain.'

Yang Jiale shouted fiercely, 'Better to have the fish die and the nets break!'

Li Xingyuan detected that his words were mostly spoken in anger, he paused and said, 'This afternoon I will communicate with Lu Fan to see if I can persuade him to stop the case here and avoid dragging in more people. But Yun Zhangsheng and Wan Lingjun have no way out—the discipline inspection commission's communiqués and documents are no joke; they must be reported to higher-level commissions. As two bureau-level top leaders, they will inevitably attract superior attention, and there is no longer any possibility of suppressing it.'

Having been in politics for many years, the three naturally understood this reasoning. With things having come to this point, there was nothing they could do; their request was actually also 'to stop here.'

At the same time, Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Gu Yunhao, Deputy Provincial Governor Yun Junjie, Deputy Provincial Governor Liu Hanwen, and Qingcheng Municipal Party Committee Secretary Yun Shuo also gathered in Provincial Governor Luo Shiyu's office to 'corner the superiors,' demanding that the cases of Yun Zhangsheng and Wan Lingjun be handled with 'high raise, low drop'—preferably to settle the matter quietly, making big things small and small things disappear.

But when Governor Luo Shiyu brought up the name 'Secretary Xiao Bin,' the several individuals likewise lowered their banners and stopped drumming, directly treating Yun Zhangsheng and Wan Lingjun as sacrificial pawns, hoping only that their cases would not implicate others. Ideally, they wanted Lu Fan to remain loyal to the grasslands, not to take advantage of Secretary Xiao Bin's arrival for an inspection to stir up trouble and cause further mischief.

As night fell and the city's clamor was gradually swallowed by darkness, in the opulent 'Cloud Top' clubhouse, smoke lingered, and seven heavyweight provincial leaders—Gu Yunhao, Yun Junjie, and others—gathered, their faces solemn, discussing only one topic: how to respond to Lu Fan's 'sinister intentions.'

Gu Yunhao furrowed his brow, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his deep eyes revealing helplessness and ruthlessness, and he said in a low voice, 'Lu Fan's recent moves are growing ever larger; we must devise a foolproof plan to completely eliminate this hidden danger.'

Yun Junjie nodded and echoed, 'Exactly, I also sense something off; I always feel he harbors a greater plot.' The others voiced their agreement, and for a moment the clubhouse fell into a brief silence.

Suddenly, Yun Shuo broke the silence: 'Why don't I find someone to 'do' him?' Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Yun Junjie angrily rebuked, 'Use your brain, Lu Fan is a deputy provincial party secretary—could he come to harm? Would he dare?'

Yun Shuo retorted angrily, 'He's impervious to inducements—so what do you suggest? Are we just to sit and wait for our doom, waiting for him to catch us all in one net?'

Gu Yunhao ignored him and said, 'As long as one is human, there are weaknesses—money, beautiful women, achievements, fame… no matter what he wants, we will give it to him to his heart's content! These days I will find time to talk to Lu Fan; Junjie, the province still has a vacant deputy provincial governor post—you find a qualified bureau chief to approach Lu Fan under the pretense of promotion and see if he will take money. Old Three, you find a few sharp-witted women, and also a few female cadres; they must be quite beautiful, have them try to make contact with Lu Fan, not rush for quick gains, but to exert influence subtly…'

Thus, a plot against Lu Fan was thus set in motion……

The next day after work, Gu Yunhao stayed in his office for half an hour, then, after careful consideration, he went alone to the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission to visit Secretary Lu Fan.

Although Lu Fan held the exalted positions of Deputy Provincial Party Secretary and Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, his office door could catch sparrows—few leading cadres came to report work, which was highly abnormal.

Zhou Xiang was organizing documents when he suddenly saw the Executive Deputy Provincial Governor appear in the corridor; he hurried out to greet him respectfully, asking, 'Governor Gu, how are you?'

Gu Yunhao smiled and said, 'Is Secretary Lu in?'

'The secretary is reviewing documents; I'll take you in.'

After bringing Gu Yunhao into the secretary's office, Zhou Xiang brewed a cup of tea and immediately withdrew.

Sitting opposite Lu Fan, Gu Yunhao opened by saying, 'Secretary Lu, I came today to learn about the case of Yun Zhangsheng; let me be frank—he is a cadre I have watched grow up, and I never imagined he would become so corrupt and depraved; it truly pains me.'

Lu Fan sighed: 'Leading cadres must be able to endure loneliness and resist temptation! Throughout history, those who have embarked on the path of corruption and decadence, violating the law and committing crimes, ending up in disgrace and ruin, have often done so because they could not resist temptation and indulged in pleasure. In the tumultuous tide of the market economy, as some decadent lifestyle notions and ideas have infiltrated, some of our leading cadres also cannot withstand loneliness or temptation; amid the sugar-coated bullets of money, houses, cars, and women, they lose their direction, sell themselves out, and slide into the abyss of corruption—a lesson we must heed!'

'What Secretary Lu said is, for those engaged in politics and officialdom, facing the torrent of material desires in the market economy and the red lights and green wine of the outside world, whether one can endure loneliness and resist temptation is a severe test in the process of serving as an official; one must remain tranquil and composed even amidst prosperity.'