Chapter 471: I Will Not Go Soft

Chunshan County convened an emergency Standing Committee meeting overnight; Secretary Liu Qimeng sat with a dark face, saying not a word.

I sat with my head bowed beside Yu Xianzhang, listening to him express his views on the current exam cheating scandal.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was suffocating, and everyone was incomparably solemn. Not a single person looked at Liu Qimeng, nor did anyone look at Yu Xianzhang. I observed everyone from the corners of my eyes and discovered that everyone was secretly observing each other.

After finishing his speech, Yu Xianzhang picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, then said somberly, "Please discuss my remarks. In my personal opinion, it is best to handle this cheating incident within a small scope. After all, this is the first time Chunshan County has held such an open recruitment, and we lack experience and supervisory mechanisms."

After finishing his words, Yu Xianzhang lowered his eyelids and made no further sound.

Liu Qimeng tapped the tabletop and called me out by name: "Vice County Magistrate Chen, why don't you share your thoughts."

I was startled and hurriedly raised my head, looking at him blankly.

Seeing my panicked appearance, a trace of a smile appeared on Liu Qimeng's face as he said, "Vice County Magistrate Chen, we are not assigning blame for now; we are looking for problems and thinking of solutions. You are the person primarily responsible for this recruitment, so your opinion is the most important."

I tried hard to smile, the muscles in my face twitching a few times, but in the end, I could not succeed.

There are fifteen members of the County Standing Committee: the Party Committee side holds eight, the government side holds three, the People's Congress and the CPPCC each hold one, and the remaining seat belongs to the head of the County Armed Forces Department.

Although these fifteen people all eat from the same pot, they rarely spend time together outside of meetings. Especially for a newcomer like me who just came up, the opportunities to interact with them are even fewer.

I am the youngest among the Standing Committee members; most of the other leaders have been immersed in officialdom for many years. Time has dyed their temples gray, withered like the dying grass in autumn.

Huang Qishan, who served as the Chunshan County Youth League Secretary back then, occupied a seat on the Standing Committee while wearing that hat; after I was promoted, he stepped down from the Standing Committee.

Being a Standing Committee member is different; even though we are all Vice County Magistrates, a Standing Committee member holds a veto vote in their hands—a power other Vice County Magistrates dream of.

Cadres are not distinguished by size, but by whether they carry the title of Standing Committee member. As long as one is a Standing Committee member, one's backbone is much thicker than others.

For example, in our Chunshan County, there are six Vice County Magistrates, but only I and Yu Xianzhang serve on the Standing Committee. Although the other Vice County Magistrates are at the same rank as me, they do not have any voting rights. That is to say, on the county government side, only Yu Xianzhang and I are the ones in charge; the other Vice County Magistrates only have the power of execution.

According to regulations, the County Magistrate is the First Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee, and as the Executive Vice County Magistrate, I also occupy a Deputy Secretary seat on the County Party Committee. But in reality, we have no power in the County Party Committee, and even the Standing Committee quota we occupy is from the government side.

Therefore, to see if a cadre is prominent, one must see if they are a Standing Committee member.

Huang Qishan stepped down from the Standing Committee; he cannot be without resentment! And the person who filled the vacancy left by his departure was me.

I remembered what he said to me at the Huihuang Hotel, and cold sweat began to break out on my back.

The exam cheating scandal cannot be said to have nothing to do with Huang Qishan!

Secretary Liu Qimeng called me out by name, so I could not remain silent.

I cleared my throat and said earnestly, "Let me say a few words!"

Everyone turned their eyes toward me; I could not afford to analyze the meaning in their eyes and said sincerely, "I must first conduct a self-criticism."

A wave of discussion broke out in the meeting room.

Liu Qimeng tapped the tabletop again and said majestically, "Everyone, do not discuss yet; listen to Vice County Magistrate Chen's opinion."

I said with a bitter smile, "I have no opinion. First of all, I raise both hands in support of any decision by the County Party Committee. In this matter, I personally bear an inescapable responsibility."

As I spoke, I looked at Liu Qimeng, who was nodding slightly.

"The Chunshan County recruitment was originally to comply with the needs of reform and opening up, to select a group of young people with real talent and learning to enrich our ranks and lay the foundation for further development and revitalization. This policy also conforms to the development needs of the Party and the country. Before us, quite a few places had already started doing this, and the results were very good."

"Our Chunshan County is an old revolutionary base area with a weak economic foundation, and there are some flaws in the structure of our cadre team. The Party and the state require Party committees and governments at all levels to implement leadership teams that combine the old, middle-aged, and young to pave a bright road for economic construction. Therefore, after consulting with the County Party Committee and the County Government, I introduced the Chunshan County personnel recruitment policy."

I swallowed a mouthful of saliva, straightened out my thoughts, and continued eloquently.

"The direction of the policy is correct, and it also obtained the support of Secretary Liu and Yu Xianzhang. However, certain departments that specifically handled it had problems in their thinking and were negligent, causing today's passive situation."

"There is no 'certain departments'; this problem originated in the Personnel Bureau. You don't need to cover things up; speak openly." Liu Qimeng interrupted me. He waved his hand and said, "Continue."

I hesitated for a moment and said, "For this matter, I should bear the primary responsibility. Therefore, I request that the County Party Committee and County Government impose a disciplinary action upon me."

I sighed and said, "I have no opinion on how the organization handles me; after all, it is my problem."

I had originally wanted to state more reasons, but after being interrupted by Liu Qimeng, I simply steeled my heart and took all the responsibility upon myself.

I was making a statement, and I drew a line with the other leaders with absolute clarity. The responsibility for this matter had nothing to do with them; if they really needed a scapegoat, I would be it.

The Standing Committee members were stunned by my statement. They had probably assumed I would find excuses and reasons to shirk responsibility; they did not expect me to take it all on myself.

Some people breathed a sigh of relief and began to lean lazily back into their chairs.

Secretary Liu Qimeng nodded in appreciation, and he exchanged a glance with Yu Xianzhang. The two of them nodded in unison.

Seeing this action, my heart suddenly calmed down.

Sure enough, after I finished speaking, Liu Qimeng began to issue relevant instructions regarding the handling of this incident.

Establish an investigation team, led by the County Commission for Discipline Inspection, with the Public Security and Procuratorate coordinating the case.

Seal all exam papers, and after the conclusions are reached, clarify the relationships and treat each case accordingly.

All personnel involved in the case are to be placed under isolation for investigation.

Liu Qimeng finished his instructions in one breath, turned his gaze to me, and said, "Vice County Magistrate Chen, you now go and devote yourself entirely to handling the relocation work of Suxi Town. As for the government side, Yu Xianzhang will have to work a bit harder."

My heart skipped a beat—Liu Qimeng, are you trying to strip me of my power?

Liu Qimeng clearly saw my thoughts and said with a smile, "County Magistrate Chen, I heard that the commotion you made with this relocation was quite large. The Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department even allocated funds?"

My heart gave another jolt; his information came too quickly. I only learned about the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department allocating funds less than a dozen hours ago, and he already knew; it seems his reach is not simple.

I hurriedly said, "The city is still very supportive of our Chunshan County's development."

"Are people from the province coming too?"

I dared not nod, nor did I dare to shake my head. Lin Xiaoxi had not yet given me a definite answer; in the Central Province, besides Vice Governor Lin Shengmao, who else could I possibly invite?

"Little Chen, this move of yours has caught our County Party Committee off guard," Liu Qimeng laughed. "I received a call from Governor Lin's secretary this afternoon and only then learned that the old gentleman intends to personally attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the relocation of Suxi Town. This is the glory of our Chunshan County and a good opportunity for our Chunshan County to usher in a new round of development. I propose that everyone applaud to express our gratitude for the great contribution made by Vice County Magistrate Chen."

Liu Qimeng took the lead in applauding, and a burst of applause rang out in the meeting room.

I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles amidst the applause; I did not know if Liu Qimeng's words were mocking me, ridiculing me, or coming from the heart.

"The relocation of Suxi Town is imminent, and this is the best opportunity for our Chunshan County to display its image to the outside world. Therefore, I have one requirement: no one is to disclose the matter of the recruitment we discussed today to anyone else." Liu Qimeng tapped the tabletop for the third time.

"Often, a single rat dropping can ruin a whole pot of soup. Therefore, for this relocation of Suxi Town, the whole county must exert its full strength, coordinate in all directions and at multiple levels; we must ensure that Chunshan County makes a big splash with this."

I nodded submissively, but my heart was pounding violently.

Past one o'clock in the morning, the meeting finally adjourned.

Liu Qimeng asked everyone to stay, saying they would go to the cafeteria for a late-night snack together.

The old man from the CPPCC rejected his proposal; the old man was the former Party Secretary of Chunshan County and the most senior among us standing committee members.

Liu Qimeng did not dare to insist on him staying and personally saw the CPPCC Chairman out.

The others followed behind him, while I walked alone at the very back, my footsteps noticeably heavy.

Once the CPPCC Chairman had been seen off, the Chairman of the People's Congress also wanted to leave.

Liu Qimeng stood on the steps and said regretfully, "You all are wasting my good intentions; I specifically instructed the cafeteria that tonight's late-night snack would be quite good."

Everyone started to laugh, and as they laughed, they all deliberately yawned, saying it was already past midnight and they all wanted to rest; at this hour, even if they were served dragon liver and phoenix marrow, they wouldn't be able to taste it.

"What a waste of heaven's gifts!" Liu Qimeng saw that no one wanted to eat with him and cursed, "You people, just wait to go home and ask your wives to cook a bowl of noodles to stave off hunger; don't let your wives scold you, you cheap bones."

That Liu Qimeng could joke meant he was in a good mood.

Everyone laughed and joked, said their goodbyes, dove into their cars, and sped off in a flash.

I was just about to leave when Liu Qimeng stopped me and said, "You don't have a wife by your side, so you don't eat either?"

I gave a bitter smile and said, "Secretary, I am not hungry."

"If you aren't hungry, does that mean I'm not allowed to be?" He glared at me and said, "Stop the nonsense, let's go; accompany me."

I followed behind him helplessly, and after walking a few steps, Liu Qimeng turned his face to me and said, "Little Chen, have you offended someone?"

I shook my head in confusion.

Liu Qimeng said with a smile, "Do you think I went to inspect the examination hall just to wander around for no reason?"

"You are a leader; it is only natural for you to go and provide guidance."

"The personnel recruitment exam—how big of a deal is that? Does it really require me to go and inspect it?"

I looked at him blankly.

"When I go, there is definitely a purpose," Liu Qimeng laughed heartily and said, "Do you think I have Fiery Eyes of Truth, that I would know who was cheating the moment I arrived?"

My heart was in a panic; remembering the report Xie Tian gave me, my ankles felt as if they were about to cramp.

"Did someone tip you off in advance?"

Liu Qimeng stopped walking, looked at me meaningfully, and said, "Little Chen, you must walk steadily; you must never skip steps."

I nodded vigorously and said with infinite admiration, "Secretary, I grew up under your watch; in the future, I still need you to take a whip and lash me at all times."

"When it is time to lash you, I will not be soft-handed."