Chapter 468: No Face for the Municipal Party Leadership

Gaodaliang thought, it seems the lower comrades are still very skillful; being so clever already, why should I waste so much saliva going around such a big circle—apparently their enlightenment is quite high.

He said, "So my point is that comrade Cui Mingjiu actually has no problem; we shouldn't cling to his minor issues, we should let him return to continue overseeing the township work."

"Only someone like him, who has prestige in the township, is willing to root himself in remote villages and lead the villagers in development, is the kind of good cadre our Party and Cultivation Organization need."

"Oh, by the way, I heard that although you've been at the Discipline Inspection Commission for a short time, your work has been outstanding; you not only helped the higher department supervise peer cadres and rescued the worm Li Jianguo."

"At the same time, you also took down all the inactive township cadres in Huatian Town; honestly, the Discipline Inspection Commission needs leaders like you who dare to draw the sword."

"When I go to Mayor Gao sometime, I'll also mention your work, after all such eye‑catching deeds must be known to the leadership."

After making grand promises, that's the usual style of the superiors, or rather a basic move of a leader who has reached a certain rank and authority.

Because he knows he's not a direct superior in the Discipline Inspection Commission System; his tenure as Deputy Secretary and Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary is also short, and trying to directly order Fang Jingwen to release the person could backfire.

At this moment, Cui Mingjiu's face showed a brazen expression, as if about to say, "Release me quickly, otherwise my senior brother's side you won't be able to handle."

I know you have connections in the city, but what use are those connections? Can they compare with the city's Deputy Secretary?

They say a county official is not as good as another county official; now you should know why I've been able to sit steadily as township head for so many years.

Before it was fine; my senior brother was in a provincial department and didn't have such power. Now you probably have to grovel to me to get onto Secretary Gao's thigh.

However, a single sentence from Fang Jingwen made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Secretary Gao, if your call had come a few minutes earlier, this matter would be as you said; I could have released the person directly."

"But just now, our County Party Committee Secretary Zhou and County Magistrate Zhou came to our Discipline Inspection Commission."

"Under the supervision of the two leaders, we were pressured to interrogate early; Cui Mingjiu couldn't withstand the pressure and confessed everything."

"If it were only his confession, it would be easy to say, since your face is here; I think I must say to release him, and Secretary Zhou and County Magistrate Zhou, who don't look at a monk's face but a Buddha's, still have to give this face."

"However, the villagers and other township cadres have already reported and disclosed some of Cui Mingjiu's criminal facts."

"Moreover, Cui Mingjiu himself admitted that if I alone nod to release him now, it probably wouldn't pass Secretary Zhou and County Magistrate Zhou's approval."

Zhou Hongtao was almost choked with anger; indeed, coming down from the provincial capital, he still drags a scapegoat when offending people.

Because in his view, Fang Jingwen could outright refuse; even if she doesn't, she could politely tell Secretary Gao, as these words do, that Cui Mingjiu has already confessed and it's now too late to release him.

But she insists that she and Zhou Ruohan are present; Zhou Ruohan doesn't care at all—saying no face, still gives no face.

It's only a matter of being polite or not; what would he say at this point? Does he really want to offend the superiors?

What angers Gaodaliang even more is that, in his mind, regardless of whether Cui Mingjiu has confessed or whether solid evidence has been obtained, once he speaks, Fang Jingwen should properly follow protocol and release the person.

Even if indeed the County Party Committee Secretary and County Magistrate are present, it would still be Fang Jingwen who must go back and report to those two leaders.

Normally, his secretary could settle this with a phone call; he called directly only to be cautious.

To his surprise, Fang Jingwen bluntly shot back; does he really have to drag an old face to call Zhou Hongtao and Zhou Ruohan?

Does this Deputy Secretary care about saving face?

More crucially, the matter unfolded too quickly; he had intended to handle it within a couple of days and remove the so‑called Poverty Alleviation Office staff.

Then give them a warning or something, and continue letting the villagers make the Local Tyrant of Xiushui Xiang.

But he hadn't even started arranging it, yet Cui Mingjiu was already brought in.

Nevertheless, reaching the Deputy Secretary position, he must have his own methods,

"", Since that's the case, release the person first, I will later call comrade Hongtao and comrade Ruohan.

But Fang Jingwen replied, "Secretary Gao, Secretary Zhou and County Magistrate Zhou are right here; they heard our conversation just now. Should you repeat it to the two of them?"

At this moment Gaodaliang's expression turned as ugly as possible; what he said earlier was just a platitude—how could he possibly call Zhou Hongtao and Zhou Ruohan?

When the time comes, once the person is released, it's Fang Jingwen's own matter; he couldn't keep flattering and making calls over this, as it would damage his authority and image.

But unexpectedly, the three of them were together! That makes the situation very troublesome and tricky.

Before he could speak, Zhou Ruohan picked up the phone and said, "Hello, Secretary Gao, as Comrade Jingwen just said, Cui Mingjiu has already disclosed everything, and we have made the relevant records."

"Just a minute before you called, we had already phoned the prosecutors; now the matter has escalated beyond resolution, we truly apologize."

"Village chief Cui's mouth is truly tight; if he had said early that it involved you, regardless of the case's circumstances, we would have paused and consulted you first."

"How about this: we try not to file a case file yet, fully solidify this matter, but the prosecutors still need you to give a heads‑up."

"Oh, by the way, Secretary Zhou is also here; he also wants to report the situation to you."

Zhou Hongtao felt like exploding on the spot; these two were each harsher than the other, saying everything he could imagine or not, each phrasing it politely to the death, while in reality it was like knives stabbing one after another.

Fang Jingwen only said that Cui Mingjiu had already confessed, and that it had directly progressed to the handover to the prosecutors at Zhou Ruohan's end.

Who would believe this if it spread? It's obviously speaking nonsense with eyes open.

But since both have said that, what else can he claim? Could he say that Cui Mingjiu hasn't been tried or hasn't confessed, that they only have related clues and evidence, while the prosecutor side is entirely nonexistent?

Is it permissible to say that? Can one say that?

The most crucial thing is that the talk has come this far; Gaodaliang is certainly angry and might just hang up, yet you still force me into it. At this point, should I just emphasize my status as County Party Committee Secretary, or what?

In everyday work, I never saw you lift me so high.

This Secretary Gao is a Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee member, a higher‑level leader—undeniable. But he also knows what relationship lies behind Zhou Ruohan and Fang Jingwen.

This is asking for his life…