Chapter 874: Authority Provoked

The next day, workers were on the main roads of every village and town, first tearing up the old roads and then completely rebuilding them.

Although the upfront construction funds were advanced by the two foremen themselves, they worked with great vigor.

Because the villagers who were doing labor in lieu of relief also worked alongside them, in fact most of the workers were locals.

Even if they don't get paid, they won't complain, and they trust Su Yang—once the job is finished they'll definitely receive the money on time.

While working hard, they praised, "County Magistrate Su is the best, truly thinking of us Common People!"

"Indeed, he hasn't been here long, yet our county has already undergone earth‑shaking changes."

"Right, not to mention that bastard Geng Miao was completely taken down, even the corrupt officials who used to be his stooges were all sent away."

"The point is they're actually getting things done; I heard besides road construction they're attracting investment, building an Industrial Park, and setting up planting and breeding bases."

"No need to hear rumors—my uncle's land has already been requisitioned for an Industrial Park; I heard the compensation rate is quite high and the money is paid in a lump sum."

"Exactly, our land isn't necessarily prime; crops might not yield good harvests, so being requisitioned and getting a cash payout is actually good."

"It's getting out of hand; I heard the planting and breeding bases will cover even larger areas, and we'll have no idea which group will get the cheap land."

"Hey! I heard the breeding base originally included a dairy plant slated for Guantan Gou Zhen, but that damned Yao Daya openly confronted County Magistrate Su there and acted pretentiously."

"It's one thing people can still enter, but he got what he deserved; his actions directly caused the breeding base and dairy plant to be moved to Shuanggou Town."

"I heard last night the kid's ancestral tomb was dug up; he really got what he deserved!"

Jiao Qiang, weaving through the crowd, felt gratified by the remarks and privately felt relieved.

If he hadn't decisively abandoned the dark side for the light earlier, he would now both be summoned for a tea and have his backbone prodded here.

He seized the moment to tell the people beside him, "It's getting out of hand! Our county is about to change dramatically; besides the basics, County Magistrate Su also proposed building a Welcome Avenue from the county‑town entrance all the way to the county government, possibly a dual‑direction eight‑lane road with streetlights."

"That standard is rare in the Provincial Level, and County Magistrate Su also wants to open up all the dead‑end roads left in the whole county town."

"Jiao Qiang is right!" someone shouted, "Long live County Magistrate Su! He's our great savior! Thank you, County Magistrate Su!"

Everyone shouted enthusiastically, their drive growing even stronger.

At that moment, Zhao Nanxing rode in by car from the other road, saw the scene, and felt his face burn. He wanted to jump down and shout at the crowd, "I'm the county magistrate here; every decision in the county is up to me!"

"He still wants to build the Welcome Avenue, just a big‑head dream of his!"

He couldn't stand watching Su Yang being so embraced by the Common People, so he immediately called Su Yang over.

Su Yang was in his office looking at the design drawings of the Welcome Avenue provided by the Jinzhou Design Institute.

The dual‑direction eight‑lane design was beautiful, with antique‑style streetlights on both sides and a median strip—basically exactly what he had imagined.

Yet even for just this stretch, the cost exceeded fifty million.

That gave him a major headache; if he built it carelessly, it wouldn't be a Welcome Avenue, nor would it elevate investors' first impression of the county town.

At that moment, Ma Su came over: "County Magistrate Su, County Magistrate Zhao is asking you to come over."

"County Magistrate Zhao isn't in a good mood; you'd better be cautious and not provoke him."

Ma Su's well‑meaning reminder would have earned Su Yang a thank you if it were directed at someone else.

But after he finished looking at the contents of the USB drive, his feeling toward this woman was nothing but disgust.

She had only been a Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee, yet she was involved in improper relations with more than a dozen Section Chief Level cadres in the county.

Among them were young Deputy Section Level cadres, as well as senior Section Chief Level power‑holders like Yao Daya, and even tangled connections with the courts, procuratorate, and Lie Shan Public Security Bureau.

Moreover, all the encounters took place in the same location—a hotel in the county town.

The scene was always the same; Su Yang suspected that Ma Su had booked the room, yet these men kept meeting the same woman in the same place—how could no one notice?

These people didn't even realize they were all of the same ilk; if they found out, who knows what they'd think.

Of course, Su Yang was even more shocked by Yao Daya; despite his age, his mind was still sharp—he not only played around but also installed a camera in the room, recording everyone.

Besides that, he also obtained video from the Lieshan County Grand Hotel, where the male lead turned out to be County Magistrate Zhao.

Su Yang genuinely admired this seemingly solemn County Magistrate Zhao, who was having a particularly wild time and even used some party‑boosting gadgets.

And this woman, even under these circumstances, still showed him favor—truly a deeply scheming woman.

If he also fell, to put it bluntly, should this woman become ambitious later, she would be virtually omnipotent within Lieshan County.

If she encountered a few more people like Zhao Nanxing—seemingly solemn outwardly but secretly fond of male thieves and female prostitutes—she could probably control the County Party Committee leadership.

Though he felt disgust, he didn't expose it: "Fine, I'll go right now."

Ma Su added, "County Magistrate Su, you're now the backbone of all the Common People in the county! Our county's development now relies entirely on you."

"County Magistrate Zhao wants you to come over, probably to discuss the Welcome Avenue; he likely intends to rain on your parade, cancel the project, and undermine your authority in our county."

Su Yang merely hummed, then walked straight out. That woman, while having a heated exchange with Zhao Nanxing, also relayed all of Zhao's thoughts to him—truly indescribable.

It was still Su Yang's first time reporting to Zhao Nanxing; thinking about it, wherever he went, he never visited the local top leader immediately.

That's a huge taboo within the System! Especially during his time in Jinzhou County, it cost him.

It was even more so later; this time, although there was no County Party Secretary, Zhao Nanxing was a proper top leader, so he should have come early to pay his respects.

Besides Zhao Nanxing, there's Jiang Tao; he also needs to report work there, and although everyone is a Vice County Magistrate, he is the Executive Vice County Magistrate.

Thinking that, he knocked on the door of Zhao Nanxing's office.