Chapter 376: The Original Intention of the Iron-Fisted Secretary!

After returning to Suiyuan County, Tang Ye followed Cheng Lin into the County Party Secretary's office.

Han Guangyao had long known their intentions and signaled for his Secretary to pour them hot tea.

Cheng Lin took a light sip and went straight to the point: "Secretary Han, Suiyuan needs a clean and upright political ecology. If the political atmosphere is not clean, chaotic phenomena will arise frequently, the economy will inevitably be disturbed, and the common people will be plunged into deep water and scorching fire. The Guangtai pollution incident that led to the poisoning of thirty children is not just an isolated case, but a warning bell. We must turn the blade inward, scrape the bone to remove the poison, and thoroughly rectify the problems."

Han Guangyao looked up at the ceiling and sighed softly after a long while: "I need time to study and judge the problems you have reported. I still need to communicate with Secretary Chen of the Discipline Inspection Commission later; you two should go back first. Once there is a conclusion, I will have the office notify you immediately."

Seeing Han Guangyao's hesitant attitude, Tang Ye did not want to miss the opportunity and said softly: "Secretary Han, as Party-member leading cadres, we shoulder the mission of 'offending thousands, but not failing 1.3 billion.' Regarding corrupt practices and acts that harm the interests of the masses, we must make our attitude clear and resolutely fight."

Han Guangyao glanced at him indifferently: "I understand how you both feel, but governing Suiyuan requires 'stability' above all else. This is the direction set by the Municipal Party Committee!"

Cheng Lin replied: "Please rest assured, this matter will absolutely not shake the overall situation."

Han Guangyao stared at Cheng Lin, and his heart was already clear.

She was determined to move against Liao Guosheng.

However, the dismissal procedure for a Secretary of the Township Party Committee is quite complex, and even if Cheng Lin has deep connections in the Municipal Organization Department, it would be difficult to dismiss him directly in the short term.

But after this battle, Liao Guosheng's act of openly standing up for Guangtai had already been confirmed, and his political future could be considered completely ruined.

This precisely shows that his interest entanglement with Guangtai is already so deep that he is willing to gamble his official career.

Liao Guosheng did not give much consideration to looking ahead and behind—he had been friends with the boss of Guangtai for many years, and their interest entanglements were intertwined.

In his view, if Guangtai were to fall, he would inevitably be implicated in a string of troubles.

Moreover, having been immersed in the Suiyuan officialdom for many years, he felt from the bottom of his heart that Cheng Lin was just an outsider female cadre; even if she held an important position, she could not shake the foundation of the "Suiyuan Gang."

That night, at a dinner party filled with clinking glasses, Liao Guosheng and Nie Kai met again.

The lights in the private room were ambiguous; there were both corporate CEOs in suits and leather shoes, and female attendants with exquisite makeup and revealing clothing.

The central figure was Xiao Jingyu.

Since leaving the position of Mayor of Hanzhou, Xiao Jingyu had become exceptionally active and often attended such events.

It was as if losing the real power of a mayor had instead unlocked his mental shackles.

Xiao Jingyu enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded.

Nie Kai found an opening, brought Liao Guosheng to Xiao Jingyu's side, and reported in a low voice: "Director Xiao, I received news today that Tang Ye and Cheng Lin went to see Secretary Han together to report on the Guangtai matter. However, Secretary Han did not express his position on the spot."

Xiao Jingyu rubbed his chin with his fingertips, pondered for a moment, and said: "Han Guangyao looks tough, but he is actually very measured in his actions; don't be misled by his appearance. As for Guangtai, don't be stingy when it comes to spending money to avert disaster—sacrifice small money to protect the big picture, and be sure to suppress the matter."

Liao Guosheng hurriedly raised his glass to show his respect: "Director Xiao, rest assured, we will definitely handle it according to your wishes."

Amidst the clinking of wine glasses, a trace of greed flashed in his eyes.

In his view, the compensation paid to the thirty victimized children was far less real than stuffing it into his own and his "brothers'" pockets.

At the same time, the car of County Party Secretary Han Guangyao slowly drove into the Municipal Party Committee residential compound.

Back when he was transferred from the Deputy Minister of the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department to Suiyuan, the original intention he had never changed was hidden behind his voluntary request.

As a cadre once sent down by the Provincial Youth League Committee, he was full of ideals when he first arrived in Hanzhou, vowing to show his talent at the grassroots level, but he had wasted many years in the trivial affairs of the Propaganda Department.

Therefore, when a vacancy appeared in Suiyuan County, he took on the heavy burden with almost no hesitation.

However, after arriving in Suiyuan, the thorns of reality far exceeded his imagination.

The chain reaction triggered by the investigation of the former County Party Secretary Wang Xingjian left the cadre team in a state of chaos without a leader;

The heavy resistance to the environmental rectification of the Industrial Park weighed on him like a giant stone, making it hard for him to breathe.

Pushing open the door to his home, his wife Fei Xia had already set out three dishes and one soup.

The air was filled with the warm fragrance of food and the mellow aroma of white liquor.

Seeing her husband take only a shallow sip before becoming lost in thought, she asked softly: "Did you encounter something difficult?"

Han Guangyao looked up and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, which counted as a response.

Fei Xia silently took the empty glass, filled it up, and clinked it with his: "Tell me about it, you'll feel more at ease."

Han Guangyao looked at his wife's gentle gaze and suddenly felt his tense nerves relax a little.

After two glasses of wine, he poured out the Guangtai pollution incident: "Do you think I'm too cowardly? I'm afraid this matter will disrupt the overall stability of the entire Suiyuan..."

"Guangyao, in my eyes, you have always been a person with a sense of responsibility." Fei Xia reached out and held his wrist, her fingertips carrying warmth, "Back then, you gave up a smoother official career and insisted on going to Hanzhou to do practical work; this spirit alone surpasses many people. During your time in the Propaganda Department, didn't you also grit your teeth and create a benchmark project for civilized city creation?"

Han Guangyao shook his head with a bitter smile: "But among the colleagues who were with me at the Provincial Youth League Committee back then, which one doesn't have a higher rank than me now?"

"Did you forget why you came to Hanzhou?" Fei Xia's tone suddenly became firm, "If you were just looking for a smooth career, you should have stayed in the provincial organs to be a secretary for the leaders long ago. It was you who said you wanted to see the sky of the grassroots and wanted to change something in a real way."

She squeezed her husband's hand, her eyes shining, "Now you are the County Party Secretary, and every change in Suiyuan is in your hands. No matter how difficult it is, I will stand behind you—you will always be the hero in my heart."

Han Guangyao's throat choked, and his eyes gradually turned red.

The wife before him was still the same girl who used to squeeze into a rented room with him and smile brightly even while eating plain noodles.

And these words of hers were like a beam of light shining into his heart, which had been covered in haze for days.

"Fei Xia, thank you... I almost forgot why I set out."

He raised his wine glass and clinked it gently with his wife's; as the wine went down his throat, it was unexpectedly more refreshing than usual.

Outside the window, the twilight deepened, and warm light flowed inside the room.

Han Guangyao looked at his wife's smiling face and felt a long-lost heat surging in his chest.

When Tang Ye met Wan Ming at the County Reception House, the other party's expression revealed a bit of gravity.

Wan Ming got straight to the point and handed over a file: "While investigating the debt-collecting crowd, I found a key clue—the person who led the debt collection that day has a very close personal relationship with Cao Jin. On the surface, this person is a material supplier, but he actually controls a financial company, and several shell companies under his banner are suspected of capital operations. More importantly... after several companies moved out of the industrial park, the liquidated assets were taken over by this company."

Tang Ye's pupils constricted: "You mean, the debt collection was to force Runsheng into bankruptcy? And then use the bankruptcy to profit?"

Wan Ming lowered his voice, "Preliminary screening found that the financial company has frequently participated in the debt restructuring of enterprises in the Suiyuan Industrial Park in recent years, and the capital flow is abnormally complex. And the law firm where Cao Jin works is the legal advisor for multiple debt liquidation cases."

The fingers Tang Ye used to hold the file tightened suddenly.

The "environmental storm" in the Suiyuan Industrial Park, I am afraid, had been targeted by certain people from the very beginning.