Chapter 162: Ji Tao Steps In

Of course, if Lu Xiaoya's identity were made public, this matter could be resolved easily. But wouldn't doing that be borrowing Lu Zhenghong's influence? Who knew if Lu Zhenghong liked people below him doing such things?

After thinking for a while, he called Su Xinghui out. He wanted to hear Su Xinghui's opinion on this matter.

The room next door had been opened for Lu Xiaoya. In that room, Zhang Kaishan asked Su Xinghui for his views on the situation.

Su Xinghui said, "Uncle Zhang, is Secretary Ji currently in the county?"

Zhang Kaishan somewhat understood Su Xinghui's meaning. For this matter to be resolved smoothly, Ji Tao must step in. Although Shan Guozhi was domineering, Ji Tao was, after all, the County Party Committee Secretary. Shan Guozhi would not go so far as to completely reject Ji Tao's face over such a trivial matter.

If Zhang Kaishan stepped in directly, the possibility of Shan Guozhi catering to him was slim, because Zhang Kaishan was, after all, Shan Guozhi's subordinate. If this matter had truly been instigated by Shan Guozhi, and he released the people and vehicles just because Zhang Kaishan spoke, he would lose too much face. Even if he were willing to release them, it wouldn't be a matter for today.

Furthermore, Zhang Kaishan had just reached a tacit understanding with Ji Tao. Finding Ji Tao to resolve the incident was, on one hand, a good opportunity to further strengthen their relationship, and on the other, it was to make Ji Tao further clarify his stance, as Ji Tao's position in the county had been too ambiguous before.

Zhang Kaishan said, "Secretary Ji has gone home."

Ji Tao's home was in the Yulin region. He generally went home every weekend and returned to the county on Monday morning. This was not only because he had a need to reunite with his family, but it was also a method for him to show a low profile.

Su Xinghui asked, "Then, can you give him a phone call?"

Zhang Kaishan nodded, but then he asked, "Do I need to tell Secretary Ji that the daughter of Secretary-General Lu is at the scene?"

This was not because Zhang Kaishan lacked his own judgment; it was just that Su Xinghui was more familiar with Lu Zhenghong, so Zhang Kaishan naturally had to consult Su Xinghui regarding matters concerning Lu Zhenghong.

After a moment of contemplation, Su Xinghui said, "I think you don't need to state Secretary-General Lu's name directly, but you can drop a hint."

When Su Xinghui gave Zhang Kaishan ideas, he always used a suggestive tone. This would prevent Zhang Kaishan from feeling uncomfortable. Although their relationship was different now, Su Xinghui was still very attentive to these details.

Zhang Kaishan then made a phone call to Ji Tao in front of Su Xinghui. It was indeed Ji Tao who answered. In this era, there were no mobile phones. Although he had returned home, he could not be completely out of touch with the county. Therefore, on Sundays, especially when it was close to mealtime in the afternoon, he was generally at home.

Zhang Kaishan used the fastest speed to tell Ji Tao about what had happened today. He emphasized that the detained vehicles were from the provincial capital's State-Owned Crafts Store, and it seemed that provincial leaders already knew about this matter.

When Ji Tao received this call, his mind was also spinning rapidly. Recent events in the county made him certain that Zhang Kaishan definitely had roots in the province; this was beyond doubt. That Zhang Kaishan had called him first when encountering such a situation today made him quite satisfied.

Tao Yanbin's audacity caught Ji Tao somewhat by surprise. Was Shan Guozhi really this arrogant? Did he not know who was behind Zhang Kaishan?

This sudden incident was, of course, a crisis. If not handled well, he, Ji Tao, would certainly lose significant points in front of his superiors. However, a crisis also meant an opportunity. If this matter were handled well, he could gain points in front of his superiors, and it was also an opportunity to further stir up the stagnant water that was Shangjun County.

Thus, after hearing Zhang Kaishan's words, Ji Tao immediately decided to rush back to Shangjun County. His driver had been brought from the region to Shangjun County and had sent him back to the region for the weekend; the driver was also staying in the region, so he could set off immediately. Yulin region was only about forty kilometers away from Shangjun County town, and the road conditions were good, so he could rush back in about half an hour.

About forty minutes later, Ji Tao arrived at the County Party Committee guesthouse. He first comforted Deputy Manager Li, Lu Xiaoya, and the three drivers, then went to the room next door to consult with Zhang Kaishan.

The two consulted privately for about ten minutes, and then Ji Tao directly called Shan Guozhi, asking him to come to the County Party Committee guesthouse, saying there was something to discuss.

Although Shan Guozhi did not care for Ji Tao, Ji Tao was, after all, the County Party Committee Secretary and the top leader; on the surface, he still had to maintain appearances. Moreover, today's matter was very unusual. Today was Sunday, and Shan Guozhi knew that Ji Tao had gone home yesterday afternoon. Why was he at the County Party Committee guesthouse this afternoon?

Shan Guozhi's intuition told him that something must have happened. Therefore, he did not put on airs and rushed directly to the County Party Committee guesthouse.

Ji Tao and Zhang Kaishan did not let Deputy Manager Li and the others meet Shan Guozhi directly. Instead, the two of them first described the sequence of events to Shan Guozhi. They did not blow things out of proportion but described them objectively. They believed that Shan Guozhi also knew the gravity of the situation.

This was not the time to seize upon Shan Guozhi's faults, and it would not be easy to seize upon his personal faults anyway; after all, it was Tao Yanbin who had stepped forward, not Shan Xiaolong. The most important thing now was to resolve the problem.

Upon hearing Zhang Kaishan's words, Shan Guozhi was shocked and said, "Are they really that bold? Could there be a mistake? Could it be that the detained vehicles really have problems with their paperwork?"

Ji Tao said kindly, "County Magistrate Shan, whether there are problems with the paperwork will be clear once we check. Since the comrades from the Jiangnan District Crafts Store have filed a complaint with us, I think we should go to the Traffic Police Brigade together to see the situation!"

How could Shan Guozhi let Ji Tao and Zhang Kaishan go to the Traffic Police Brigade? As soon as he heard this, he knew that the matter was likely true. It was possible that Tao Yanbin had acted recklessly, wanting to fish for some benefits, and only then had it evolved into this situation. He knew Tao Yanbin's character all too well.

Thus, he said to Ji Tao, "Secretary Ji, I think that for any matter, we should still go through the proper procedures. It is not very appropriate for us to go directly to the Traffic Police Brigade. I suggest letting Comrade Tao Yan go investigate the situation, how about that?"

Ji Tao contemplated and said, "County Magistrate Shan, your suggestion is reasonable. It is best to go through the procedures. However, this matter involves Comrade Tao Yan's son; is it not a bit inappropriate for him to go investigate? I suggest letting Comrade Zheng Jianan, the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Public Security Bureau in charge of the Traffic Police Brigade, go investigate."

Ji Tao's words had initially made Shan Guozhi feel that he was going to hold onto this matter and not let go. However, when he proposed letting Zheng Jianan investigate, he felt relieved, because Zheng Jianan was a deputy bureau chief promoted by Tao Yan himself. It seemed that Ji Tao did not intend to hold onto this matter and not let go, but simply wanted to resolve it.

Shan Guozhi hurriedly nodded and said, "Secretary Ji, your consideration is very thoughtful. Just now, I really thought about it the wrong way. It is more appropriate to let Comrade Zheng Jianan go investigate. I will call him right now."

Shan Guozhi called Zheng Jianan in front of Ji Tao and Zhang Kaishan. On the phone, he explained the situation and asked Zheng Jianan to "investigate the situation truthfully. If those three vehicles have complete paperwork, please release the people and vehicles as soon as possible to give an explanation to the merchants coming to Shangjun County from out of town. If there is any disciplinary violation in this, please handle the parties involved strictly."

In front of Ji Tao, Shan Guozhi naturally had to show this posture. In any case, even if it were handled strictly, such internal handling wouldn't amount to much.

Regarding today's matter, logically speaking, Ji Tao should not have sought out Shan Guozhi, the County Magistrate, to resolve it. However, in Shangjun County, everyone knew the relationship between Tao Yanbin's father, Tao Yan, and Shan Guozhi. This matter could only be resolved by Shan Guozhi. Tao Yan and those deputy bureau chiefs in the Public Security Bureau, except for Shan Guozhi, would not cater to anyone else.

Regarding today's matter, Shan Guozhi had to resolve it. Because one could see at a glance who was right and who was wrong in this matter, and it involved Tao Yanbin, it was better for him to handle it. He could completely turn a big issue into a small one and a small one into nothing. ===== CHAPTER 164 =====