Chapter 961

At 3 p. m., the Provincial Committee's small meeting room.

Translation: "At 3 p. m., in the Provincial Committee's small meeting room."

At 3 p. m., the Provincial Committee's small meeting room. (same)

Thus: 【1】 At 3 p. m., in the Provincial Committee small meeting room.

Jiang Huantan sat in the head seat, his notebook open in front of him, the pen resting beside it. The seat once occupied by Wang Qigang was now taken by Character.

Jiang Huantan sat in the head seat, his notebook open in front of him, the pen resting beside it. The seat once occupied by Wang Qigang was now taken by Character.

The seat once occupied by Wang Qigang was now taken by Character.

Thus line 2: 【2】 Jiang Huantan sat in the head seat, his notebook open in front of him, the pen resting beside it. The seat once occupied by Wang Qigang was now taken by Character.

The meeting room was very quiet; no one smoked at the Provincial Standing Committee meeting, which was the rule.

Translate: "The meeting room was very quiet; no one smoked at the Provincial Standing Committee meeting, which was the rule."

The meeting room was very quiet; no one smoked at the Provincial Standing Committee meeting, which was the rule.

Lin Dongfan's mentor, Luo Xiang, sat as usual to Jiang Huantan's right, leaning back against the chair, his expression calm as deep water.

Translate: "Lin Dongfan's mentor, Luo Xiang, sat as usual to Jiang Huantan's right, leaning back against the chair, his expression calm as deep water."

Lin Dongfan's mentor, Luo Xiang, sat as usual to Jiang Huantan's right, leaning back against the chair, his expression calm as deep water.

Thus: 【4】 Lin Dongfan's mentor, Luo Xiang, sat as usual to Jiang Huantan's right, leaning back against the chair, his expression calm as deep water.

All the standing committee members present were waiting for Jiang Huantan to set the tone.

Translate: "All the standing committee members present were waiting for Jiang Huantan to set the tone."

All the standing committee members present were waiting for Jiang Huantan to set the tone.

Jiang Huantan glanced around at everyone present, then fixed his gaze on Character: "Comrade Character, you said you had an important matter to report—what is the situation?"

Translate: "Jiang Huantan glanced around at everyone present, then fixed his gaze on Character: 'Comrade Character, you said you had an important matter to report—what is the situation?'"

Jiang Huantan glanced around at everyone present, then fixed his gaze on Character: "Comrade Character, you said you had an important matter to report—what is the situation?"

Character closed his notebook, his voice low and grave: "Secretary Jiang Huantan, today I want to talk about Wuzhou's public security situation. The first day I arrived in Wuzhou, I personally witnessed a street brawl on the pedestrian street. Two young men, over a parking spot, came to blows. One pinned the other to the ground and beat him, his face covered in blood."

Translate: "Character closed his notebook, his voice low and grave: 'Secretary Jiang Huantan, today I want to talk about the public security situation in Wuzhou. On my first day in Wuzhou, I personally witnessed a street brawl on the pedestrian street. Two young men, fighting over a parking spot, came to blows—one pinned the other to the ground and beat him until his face was bloody.'"

Character closed his notebook, his voice low and grave: "Secretary Jiang Huantan, today I want to talk about Wuzhou's public security situation. The first day I arrived in Wuzhou, I personally witnessed a street brawl on the pedestrian street. Two young men, over a parking spot, came to blows. One pinned the other to the ground and beat him, his face covered in blood."

Thus: 【7】 Character closed his notebook, his voice low and grave: "Secretary Jiang Huantan, today I want to talk about the public security situation in Wuzhou. On my first day in Wuzhou, I personally witnessed a street brawl on the pedestrian street. Two young men, fighting over a parking spot, came to blows—one pinned the other to the ground and beat him until his face was bloody."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over those present.

Translate: "He paused, his gaze sweeping over those present."

"He" refers to Character. So: 【8】 He paused, his gaze sweeping over those present.

He then continued:

He then continued:

I didn't know who those two young men

Translate: "\"I didn't know who those two young men were at the time. Only today did I learn that the one who threw the punches was Lin Fuxing, son of Comrade Lin Dongfan, and the one who was beaten was Meng Yu, son of Comrade Meng Qinghe. \""

We need to refer to Comrade Lin Dongfan, Lin Fuxing, Comrade Meng Qinghe, and Meng Yu.

Thus: 【10】 "I didn't know who those two young men were at the time. Only today did I learn that the one who threw the punches was Lin Fuxing, son of Comrade Lin Dongfan, and the one who was beaten was Meng Yu, son of Comrade Meng Qinghe."

【54】

Translate: "Upon hearing this, everyone present turned slightly pale."

Thus: 【11】 Upon hearing this, everyone present turned slightly pale.

Everyone looked at Guo Binghua in unison.

Translate: "Everyone looked at Character in unison."

Thus: 【12】 Everyone looked at Character in unison.

【62】

Translate: "Character spoke on, anguished and indignant."

Thus: 【13】 Character spoke on, anguished and indignant.

One is the mayor's son, the other is the executive vice mayor's son; the two young men brawled over a parking space on the street, fighting until they were covered in blood.

Translate: "\"One is the mayor's son, the other the executive vice mayor's son. Two young men, fighting over a parking spot, brawled in the street until their heads were bloody. \""

【68】

Thus: 【14】 "One is the mayor's son, the other the executive vice mayor's son. Two young men, fighting over a parking spot, brawled in the street until their heads were bloody."

What kind of talk is this?

Translate: "\"What kind of talk is this? \""

Thus: 【15】 "What kind of talk is this?"

【75】

Translate: "\"At the time, bystanders called the police; when the officers arrived and saw it was the mayor's wife's Porsche, they didn't ask any questions—they just cleared the crowd. \""

: This line is English note about translating brand etc. We need to output translation for 【75】 itself. The Chinese for 【75】 is that note? Actually there is no Chinese. So we can output the translation we derived for 【72】 as the English for 【75】. So 【75】 output: same as above.

Thus: 【16】 "At the time, bystanders called the police; when the officers arrived and saw it was the mayor's wife's Porsche, they didn't ask any questions—they just cleared the crowd."

【82】

Translate: "\"The aggressor faced no consequences, and the victim received no attention. \""

Thus: 【17】 "The aggressor faced no consequences, and the victim received no attention."

Is this Wuzhou's public safety?

Translate: "\"Is this what passes for public security in Wuzhou? \""

Thus: 【18】 "Is this what passes for public security in Wuzhou?"

【90】

Translate: "\"Is this what passes for rule of law in Wuzhou? \""

Thus: 【19】 "Is this what passes for rule of law in Wuzhou?"

Secretary Jiang, I'm not here today to file a complaint against you, but to convey a painful truth: the reason Wuzhou keeps having problems is that our officials are accustomed to looking down on people.

Translate: "\"Secretary Jiang Huantan, I'm not here to file a complaint against you; I just want to convey a painful fact: the reason Wuzhou sees constant problems is that our officials are in the habit of judging people by their status. \""

【94】

Upon hearing this, many of those present remained silent.

Translate: "Upon hearing this, many present remained silent."

Thus: 【21】 Upon hearing this, many present remained silent.

【101】

Translate: "These sharp-witted provincial-ministerial bigwigs immediately understood that Character's impassioned speech, while ostensibly a report on Wuzhou's public security, was actually a broadside against Lin Dongfan."

Thus: 【22】 These sharp-witted provincial-ministerial bigwigs immediately understood that Character's impassioned speech, while ostensibly a report on Wuzhou's public security, was actually a broadside against Lin Dongfan.

【107】

Translate: "\"The so-called 'judging people by their status' means that Wuzhou officials are all doing things based on Lin Dongfan's facial expression. \""

【112】

Translate: "\"It's just short of openly saying that Lin Dongfan is acting like a local emperor in Wuzhou! \""

Thus: 【24】 "It's just short of openly saying that Lin Dongfan is acting like a local emperor in Wuzhou!"

Luo Xiang gave a half-smile and then spoke up: 'Secretary Binghua, you've just arrived; you may not yet fully grasp the situation in Wuzhou or the consistent work style of Comrade Dongfan. As for issues concerning political conduct and discipline, without solid evidence, we must not hastily label people.'

Translate: "Luo Xiang gave a half-smile and put forward his opinion: 'Secretary Character, you've just arrived; you may not yet fully understand the situation in Wuzhou or Lin Dongfan's consistent conduct. As for matters concerning political conduct and discipline, without solid evidence you shouldn't go throwing around accusations.'"

【118】

Thus: 【25】 Luo Xiang gave a half-smile and put forward his opinion: "Secretary Character, you've just arrived; you may not yet fully understand the situation in Wuzhou or Lin Dongfan's consistent conduct. As for matters concerning political conduct and discipline, without solid evidence you shouldn't go throwing around accusations."

Upon hearing that,

【121】

Upon hearing that,

Thus: 【26】 Upon hearing that,

【127】

Translate: "Executive Vice Provincial Deng Chunning chuckled: 'Secretary Luo Xiang, Comrade Character hasn't named anyone specifically in his criticism—isn't your reaction a bit over the top? We should allow people to voice their opinions.'"

We need to use the translations: Executive Vice Provincial Deng Chunning, Secretary Luo Xiang, Comrade Character, name specifically, criticism, over the top, and voice their opinions.

Thus: 【27】 Executive Vice Provincial Deng Chunning chuckled: "Secretary Luo Xiang, Comrade Character hasn't named anyone specifically in his criticism—isn't your reaction a bit over the top? We should allow people to voice their opinions."

【134】

Translate: "\"Voicing opinions is fine in principle, but only if you back them up with facts, \" Luo Xiang replied with a smile."

Thus: 【28】 "Voicing opinions is fine in principle, but only if you back them up with facts," Luo Xiang replied with a smile.

Guo Binghua's face flushed red as he said: 'Secretary Luo, I personally witnessed their street brawl—how could that be false?'

Translate: "Character's face flushed on the spot: 'Secretary Luo Xiang, I saw that street brawl with my own eyes—how could it be false?'"

Thus: 【29】 Character's face flushed on the spot: "Secretary Luo Xiang, I saw that street brawl with my own eyes—how could it be false?"

Now produce lines.

Translate: "Without letting Luo Xiang speak,"

Thus: 【30】 Without letting Luo Xiang speak,

Character continued to lay out the facts: "There is another matter; saying it out loud, maybe no one will believe it. Lin Fuxing drove without a license and injured someone on the street! As the father, Comrade Lin Dongfan not only did not educate or handle it! Last night, he instead used his mayoral authority, together with Comrade Yang Qing of the Provincial Public Security Department, arrested the beaten Meng Yu."

As soon as his words fell, the whole venue was shocked.

Character stared directly at Luo Xiang: "I originally didn't want to name names, but since you say I'm randomly labeling, this matter needs to be brought up to feel relieved! Secretary Luo, tell me, what kind of nature does Comrade Lin Dongfan's behavior belong to?"

...!!!

Luo Xiang never imagined that Character would be this steadfast.

Just as Luo Xiang was pondering how to respond,

Jiang Huantian, seated firmly at the head, suddenly turned his gaze over: "Secretary Luo, what is the reason for Comrade Lin Dongfan and Comrade Yang Qing's arrest of Meng Yu?"

"We have not yet received an official report from the Provincial Department; the specific situation is still unclear."

He paused briefly.

Luo Xiang pushed up his glasses.

He continued: "However, last night Lin Dongfan called me. According to him, last night Meng Yu brought a dozen or so social idlers, armed, to attack him and Yang Qing."

"Comrade Lin Dongfan is the Mayor, and Comrade Yang Qing is the Deputy Director of the Provincial Department. Attacking incumbent leading cadres is quite heinous." Jiang Huantian looked toward Character and added: "Comrade Character, if the above is true, then the nature of this matter would be quite different."

"Secretary Jiang, the version I understand is not like this."

Character argued vehemently, maintaining throughout an appearance of utter selflessness, as if the whole world were muddy and only he were clear.

Jiang Huantian, unhurried, said: "Please, speak."

Character solemnly and firmly emphasized:

"According to my understanding, last night Comrade Lin Dongfan and Comrade Yang Qing were discussing work at Entertainment Emperor KTV. Let's not talk about why they went to that kind of place to discuss work; let's just talk about what happened afterward."

A dozen or so social idlers, armed, burst into the private room and attacked them.

This is a fact!

However, Meng Yu did not participate in the assault from beginning to end.

According to Comrade Meng Qinghe's introduction, Meng Yu was merely passing by that private room, heard fighting inside, and curiously went in to take a look.

As a result, he was knocked to the ground by Lin Dongfan's driver.

Then he was arrested as the culprit.

Is being a bystander also wrong?

Finally, Character asked this question with full confidence.

Perhaps due to a deep-seated prejudice against the Lin father and son, Character clearly favored Meng Qinghe's account and distrusted Lin Dongfan's.

These details did not escape Luo Xiang's discerning eyes.

Luo Xiang steadied himself.

Unflustered, Luo Xiang proposed to Jiang Huantian: "Secretary Jiang, since each side holds to its own view, arguing further won't clarify right and wrong. Why not summon Deputy Director Qi to come over and get a clear understanding of the truth?"

"Hmm."

Jiang Huantian deeply agreed, nodding: "Give Director Qi a call, ask him to come over."

While waiting for Director Qi.

Executive Vice Governor Deng Chunning suddenly smiled, then made a highly sarcastic remark: "Our Mayor Lin and the Deputy Director Yang of the Provincial Public Security Department are truly as close as brothers. Speaking in the language of the jianghu, they share weal and woe."

"Deputy Governor Deng, saying jianghu talk here isn't appropriate, is it?" Luo Xiang countered with a half-smile.

Deng Chunning laughed: "Just a metaphor. I heard that back then, Lin Dongfan, in order to help Yang Qing regain his post, had promised Director Qi, guaranteeing Director Qi's entry into the Standing Committee."

"Hehe, Deputy Governor Deng, when did you also start believing these baseless rumors?" Luo Xiang said: "Comrade Yang Qing's reinstatement has been a while now; if Comrade Lin Dongfan had really made such a promise to Director Qi, why is Director Qi still stuck in his original position, unmoved? From beginning to end, Comrade Lin Dongfan seems never to have recommended Director Qi to the Provincial Party Committee. To put it plainly, even if he wanted to recommend Director Qi, he lacks the authority."

"He may lack that authority, but does he have the capability?"

This question from Deng Chunning left Luo Xiang embarrassed, able only to smile silently.

But Luo Xiang knew in his heart, as clear as a mirror, that Deng Chunning's accusation of a personal favor transaction between Lin Dongfan and Director Qi was solely intended to help Character stabilize his reputation.

If Director Qi were to come and speak out against Character.

Then it would be easy to question Director Qi's motives.