Official Career Storm
Chapter 368

Chapter 368: Chapter 368

Although Mayor Zheng had guessed what Secretary Lu wanted to talk about, he was still somewhat surprised by his directness.

He smiled and shook his head, "A county head position isn’t enough."

Secretary Lu frowned, "What else do you want?"

Mayor Zheng said, "Huayuan District, give it to me. You take the Judicial Bureau."

Secretary Lu shook his head, and Mayor Zheng stood up, "Then there’s nothing to talk about."

Secretary Lu forced a bitter smile, "Mayor Zheng, don’t be so hasty. Sit down, please, have a seat."

Mayor Zheng sat back down and was about to speak when Secretary Lu said, "Mayor Zheng, I can’t decide on Huayuan District."

"How can you not decide?" Mayor Zheng said. "Didn’t Secretary Wu offer Huayuan District to you?"

Secretary Lu said, "The premise for offering it to me was that both of Dujiang County’s positions would go to her. Song Guanchao’s unexpected incident means we can take those positions; that’s already enough. Now you want not only to have your fill but also to take from her, do you think Secretary Wu would agree?"

Mayor Zheng chuckled lightly, "Not agree? If not, then let’s have Song Guanchao step down."

Secretary Lu’s brow twitched, "What do you mean by that, Mayor Zheng?"

"Don’t you understand, Secretary Lu?" Mayor Zheng said indifferently, "If Secretary Wu wants to protect Song Guanchao, then she must exchange Huayuan District for it!"

Secretary Lu frowned, "The Provincial Committee has only issued a decision on punishment; the specifics are for the city to determine."

The punishment decision stated that Song Guanchao had been in a fight in Dujiang County.

It was just a fight — at most, it would result in a warning.

This punishment wasn’t severe; the most significant impact would be a freeze on promotions for one year.

With just this punishment, it would be impossible to negotiate Huayuan District from Wu Qiangwei.

That wasn’t why he had come to speak with Mayor Zheng today.

Instead, it was because the actions Song Guanchao had taken in Dujiang County had displeased Secretary Tu.

Originally, Tu Zhaorui had left the selection of the position to the city.

No matter how they fought over it, the positions were handed over for internal coordination and distribution.

But!

As the head of Dujiang County, Secretary Tu could directly recommend the next County Party Secretary to the city!

Now, Song Guanchao had offended him.

And Song Guanchao and Wu Qiangwei were tied together.

Thus, Wu Qiangwei had been excluded, unable to influence the distribution of Dujiang County’s positions.

Consequently, they could renegotiate the interests of Dujiang County.

But now, Mayor Zheng was a bit too greedy.

He wanted not only Dujiang’s positions but also to snatch Huayuan District from Wu Qiangwei’s hands.

Secretary Lu said, "Just with a warning, wanting to exchange for Huayuan District, Secretary Wu would never agree."

Moreover, since the Provincial Committee had already issued its decision, this punishment had to be enforced.

It wasn’t that if Wu Qiangwei handed over Huayuan District, they wouldn’t punish Song Guanchao.

To do so would be to go against the Provincial Committee.

The risk was considerable.

So even if Wu Qiangwei was willing to trade Huayuan District to protect Song Guanchao, Secretary Lu couldn’t agree to it.

"A warning punishment?" scoffed Mayor Zheng, "What weight does that carry?"

The remark made Secretary Lu’s heart skip a beat.

He knew what Mayor Zheng was planning to do.

He wanted to kick a man while he was down, to deliver a fatal blow to Song Guanchao while he was weak!

Now, it depended on whether Wu Qiangwei was willing to protect Song Guanchao.

If she was willing, Mayor Zheng would gain Huayuan District.

If not, Song Guanchao would step down, affecting Wu Qiangwei, and in any case, Zheng Bihui wouldn’t suffer.

Secretary Lu pondered for a few seconds and said, "If you can take Huayuan District, then go for it. I won’t get involved in this matter."

Mayor Zheng glanced at his watch and said, "First, contact Secretary Wang to organize a meeting and handle this punishment. We’ll take our time with the rest."

Secretary Lu nodded, "You make the contact."

...

Wu Ming received the call and immediately rushed over, bursting into the office.

"Sis, something happened last night."

Wu Qiangwei’s phone rang, and she gestured with her hand for silence.

"Yes, okay, I’m on my way now."

After hanging up, she said, "I know about yesterday’s incident. Don’t bother me if it’s not important."

She stood and left the office.

Wu Ming, holding back a belly full of words, couldn’t say anything.

When he came out, Zeng Li asked, "What happened? What’s going on?"

Wu Ming said sulkily, "I didn’t get to speak before my sister told me to shut up."

Then he asked, "Did Song Guanchao and my sister have a fight?"

Zeng Li shook her head, "Don’t know. But I saw Secretary Song’s expression didn’t look right. You might want to probe when you get a chance."

"Hmm, I’ll wait until my sister comes back."

...

It was still the small meeting room from the day before.

Wu Qiangwei, Secretary Lu, Mayor Zheng, Minister Zhou, and Secretary Wang were present.

Secretary Lu said, "Everyone has received the document from the Provincial Committee, right?"

The others nodded.

Then Secretary Lu said, "Let’s discuss and see how to handle it."

Secretary Wang cautiously glanced at Wu Qiangwei. Her expression was unchanged, her eyes slightly cold.

He cleared his throat and said, "The view of the Provincial Organization Department should be handled by the Municipal Organization Department, so our Disciplinary Committee won’t comment."

Since the guidance came from the Organization Department, it would be reasonable for the Municipal Organization Department to deal with it.

These troublesome matters were best avoided if possible.

Mayor Zheng proposed, "Let’s give an internal party warning."

Secretary Lu nodded, "I don’t see a problem with that. What do Secretary Wu and Minister Zhou think?"

Just as Wu Qiangwei was about to speak, Minister Zhou said, "First, investigate."

"Hmm?"

Everyone looked at him in amazement.

Even with the clear guidance from the Provincial Organization Department, he suggested an investigation?

Mayor Zheng said, "What’s there to investigate? Does Minister Zhou think that the Provincial Committee issued this opinion without proper investigation?"

His tone was a bit sharp, but Minister Zhou wasn’t angry; with a genial attitude, he said, "Even with the Provincial Committee’s decision, our city has to follow procedures and regulations. We can’t just punish without due process, right? That wouldn’t be principled, would it, Mayor Zheng?"

"Let’s have Director Qin get in touch with the Dujiang County Public Security Bureau and ask them to carry out an inquiry to try to reconstruct what happened last night."

"After all, Secretary Song here was once our city’s lone hero, who bravely faced an armed robber and was ready to shield others from the gun. We must be careful and meticulous in dealing with such a hero."

Mayor Zheng couldn’t find the words to object, so Secretary Lu stepped in to mediate, "Minister Zhou is making sense; it’s better to investigate thoroughly. Otherwise, if there’s any misunderstanding, the Provincial Committee might blame us for not clarifying."

"Of course, if there are indeed issues, proper punishment must be applied. We can’t diminish the severity just because of his heroic status. We focus on the facts, not the person."

"What do you think, Secretary Wu?"

Wu Qiangwei responded with a faint "hm," "Let’s do it that way."

Meeting adjourned.

As Mayor Zheng came down from the building, he glanced at his secretary in the car but didn’t get in.

He stood beside a trash can, smoking, and dialed Li Zhuang’s number.

"Xiao Li, I need you to handle something."

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