Chapter 735

After everything was arranged, Su Yang summoned his secretary Shi Haoyun: "I believe you already know all these things that have happened in the county. Now I can say I have become the target of public criticism, and it is very likely that in the future I will not be able to stand firm in the County Party Committee leadership."

Speaking bluntly, there is a high probability they will directly remove you. Your appointment as my secretary has not been made public yet; if we withdraw now, it's still timely, and I can have Director Jiao return your paperwork.

As a properly educated elite, I also don't want to drag you into this matter and hinder you. Within the System, it's always the same: whenever a leader gets into trouble, the secretary suffers undeserved disaster; even if you only followed me for a day, the outcome is the same, and future leaders will not reuse you, possibly even sending you to a remote post where you'll never have a chance to rise above the common people.

Shi Haoyun said: "County Magistrate Su, you chose me as your secretary because of trust; how could I possibly cut ties with you at this critical moment? If I did, what would differentiate me from those opportunistic, corrupt elements who specialize in scheming?"

If that were really the case, I would look down on myself. Moreover, you are doing this for the development of the whole county and for the oppressed Common People; although I am insignificant and my voice is weak, I am also willing to walk this path with you, even if we are eventually exiled, I will have no regrets.

Su Yang nodded secretly: "I have secretly investigated your background; could it be that you also investigated me? Or did you also open your heavenly eye, knowing that I will surely become a great talent in the future? But no matter what, your words have deeply moved me. Alright, since that's the case, you must prepare for the coming storm."

Shi Haoyun said with a very firm tone: "As soon as I returned, I heard about what happened in the county; I truly regret not having come back earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have let you get into danger."

Su Yang grunted, then said nothing more. Given the previous situation, even if Shi Haoyun were present, he probably wouldn't wait for Shi Haoyun but would go straight ahead.

"Alright, you must be tired from your round trip to the provincial capital; rest early. If tomorrow you cannot reach me or hear any negative news, you should still continue your normal work and not let others' influence disturb you."

Shi Haoyun seemed to have thought of something, merely grunted, then turned and left.

After Shi Haoyun left, Su Yang went straight to bed to sleep. Tonight many people cannot sleep; it is estimated that even in the later part of the night he will find it hard to sleep, so whatever sleep he can get is precious.

I don't know how long he slept, when the door was suddenly flung open from outside, followed by blinding light and a cold voice: "County Magistrate Su, it's time to get up."

Su Yang rubbed his eyes, yawned, sat up and took a look. The room was already full of people, led by Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary He Jinbao.

He feigned surprise: "Secretary He, what happened? Why did you come to my place in the middle of the night? A phone call would have sufficed for any matter."

He Jinbao said coldly: "Su Yang, stop pretending; you know your own situation, don't you? I have received a related report and have come to take you back for investigation. Take him away!"

Having said that, he spoke to the burly men in black suits behind him.

Su Yang said: "Even if you want to take me away, shouldn't you let me put on my clothes first?"

He Jinbao said: "Are you trying to stall for time? Want to call someone for help? I tell you, calling anyone won't help; at this moment, even Deputy Secretary Wang cannot protect you, and our Discipline Inspection Commission's case won't allow you to make excuses. Take him away for me!"

As his words fell, two sturdy staff members of the Discipline Inspection Commission, without distinguishing right from wrong, directly grabbed Su Yang and dragged him outward. Fortunately Su Yang was wearing underwear; otherwise, he would likely be dragged out naked, which gives no dignity at all.

Under normal circumstances, not to mention letting someone dress properly, some people even drape a piece of clothing over the wrist at least to make it look dignified when leaving. But He Jinbao truly gives no dignity; he not only refuses to let Su Yang put on clothes, but also puts shiny handcuffs on him.

If it were just a matter of taking Su Yang downstairs and putting him in a car, that would be fine, but after he left the office door, he also called Ye Xianggao and the cadres of the County Party Committee and County Government.

When Su Yang was brought to the building entrance, the leadership of the County Party Committee and County Government, led by Ye Xianggao, along with all office staff, all stared at him in unison. This is not just denying him dignity; it is utterly destroying his reputation.

Su Yang lifted his gaze to look at Ye Xianggao and the others; their eyes were full of contempt and mockery, and even a hint of smugness could be seen in some.

"Su Yang, even if you were sent down from the province, what can you do? You've merely tossed yourself around a bit and ended up imprisoning yourself. Meanwhile, we remain us, we remain the leading cadres of Lieshan Xian, we continue to enjoy the benefits that Geng Miao distributes during holidays, and we continue to enjoy the lofty power."

Even if that were all, He Jinbao still went on to speak publicly: "Secretary Ye, County Magistrate Wen, and comrades, I think I need not say more; you have all seen it."

"This comrade came to your county, and in less than half a month at most, he could not resist temptation, could not control his hands, extensively took bribes, extorted, demanded kickbacks, had no organizational conviction whatsoever, acted purely for personal gain, and even tried to seize money from enterprises."

"He has completely betrayed the party and organization's cultivation of him, and utterly abandoned his original aspiration. In my career at the Discipline Inspection Commission, he is the fastest to rise to office and also the fastest to violate laws and discipline. You must take this as a warning, and also strengthen supervision over similar cadres, so as not to cause a major disaster; only after incalculable losses are inflicted on the Common People and local enterprises will you regret it too late."

After his righteous rebuke, Ye Xianggao spoke on behalf of the County Party Committee and County Government: "Secretary He, comrades, as the head of the Lieshan Xian leadership team, I feel deeply guilty, failing to detect Su Yang's illegal and disciplinary behavior in the first place, thereby causing major losses to the organization and the people, and extremely serious negative impact."

Next, we will hold a Party conduct and clean government education meeting, letting all cadres of the entire county take this as a warning, manage their own hands, focus their thoughts on work, rather than merely taking bribes, extorting, demanding kickbacks, and merely using the little power in their hands to bully enterprises and bully the Common People. Today's incident has given Lieshan Xian a lesson; for us it is a painful lesson, and we will certainly take heed.

After he finished speaking, Wen Qiren added a few more words, kicking him while he was down; of course, his emphasis was that the County Discipline Inspection Commission had failed to fulfill its supervisory role, and the County Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Hou Junlai was seriously derelict in duty.

In short, Su Yang is going to be taken away; you, Hou Junlai, had better not think you'll get off easy—before we formally sideline you, we'll first pin a charge of dereliction of duty and negligence on you.