Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1100 - Chapter 1100 Chapter 1056 Report to the Capital

Chapter 1100: Chapter 1056: Report to the Capital Chapter 1100: Chapter 1056: Report to the Capital “Gong Zheng?” Nie Zhenbang repeated.

His gaze shifted to Chen Le at his side, who shared the same puzzled expression. After musing for a bit, Chen Le said, “Isn’t Gong Zheng in Meiping City? Why would he suddenly call?”

As the Secretary of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee, Gong Zheng’s performance could no longer be simply described as diligent; a more fitting description seemed to be that he was working desperately.

For someone who was nearly sixty years old, still shuttling between cities, Gong Zheng’s attitude represented his character–a true disciplinary officer, a person who would not tolerate the slightest wrongdoing.

Taking the phone, Nie Zhenbang said, “Hello!”

On the other end, Gong Zheng’s voice was very solemn and serious, “Secretary Nie, just now, while interrogating Meiping City’s deputy mayor Lin Lifan, who is in charge of Land and Construction and other departments, Lin Lifan divulged important information involving major issues. I am already on my way back to Hongcheng.”

Hearing this from Gong Zheng, Nie Zhenbang pondered for a moment and then said, “Okay, I will wait for you in the office, no matter how late it is. Also, I’ll take care of dinner for you.”

After hanging up, Nie Zhenbang turned to Chen Le and took the initiative to speak, “Old Chen, it seems the matter is getting bigger and bigger. Judging from Gong Zheng’s tone, it is very likely that it involves He Yusheng. You should be mentally prepared. We must fully protect the evidence and witnesses we currently have; there must be no mistakes.”

At a little past seven in the evening, Nie Zhenbang ate a bowl of noodles in his office. There was a stove in the resting room inside Nie Zhenbang’s office, along with some simple condiments and food.

The steaming bowl of noodles was placed on the coffee table in the reception area. Nie Zhenbang glanced at his wristwatch. By now, Gong Zheng’s car should be almost there.

He had just sat down and lit a cigarette when he heard Hong Feng’s voice outside, “Secretary Gong, please come in.”

Nie Zhenbang stood up. The door was pushed open from outside, and led by Hong Feng, Gong Zheng entered. Seeing Gong Zheng, it was obvious from his eyes that he was bloodshot, which was quite shocking to Nie Zhenbang.

Waving for Gong Zheng to take a seat, Nie Zhenbang said, “Old Gong, you are not young anymore. You have to pay attention to your health while you work this hard. As long as you are overseeing the case, that’s sufficient. You need to delegate some of the specific tasks to your subordinates.”

This concern made Gong Zheng smile a bit, “Hehe, I can still handle it. I have been in this line of discipline inspection for so many years, and I have gotten used to it.”

Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “First, sit down and eat the noodles, or else the soup will dry out.”

Without speaking, both of them were very silent. After Gong Zheng finished the noodles, Hong Feng had already brought him a cup of tea.

After adjusting his position, Gong Zheng said with a smile, “You caught me in a clumsy moment, Secretary. I came in a hurry. I didn’t eat lunch, and this afternoon, when I heard the news from Lin Lifan, I couldn’t sit still. I came directly here.”

Looking at Gong Zheng, Nie Zhenbang spoke with a serious tone, “Secretary Gong, this is so serious, could it be that it involves He Yusheng, or does it involve other provincial leaders?”

At this moment, Gong Zheng nodded and said, “Secretary, your guess is not wrong. The situation is quite severe. Not only is it related to He Yusheng, but also Comrade Li Yihong from the United Front Work Department and Vice Governor Xie Guangtong are implicated as well. There are quite a few issues, mainly three aspects.”

Firstly, in terms of bribery, according to Lin Lifan’s confession, He Yusheng once accepted bribes totalling more than a million from him. It’s said that in the promotion and appointment issues of many leading cadres within the province, He Yusheng had taken money.

Secondly, regarding the construction of the Red Wen Expressway, at that time, Earth Company was the contractor for auxiliary facilities. In this, Xie Guangtong and Li Yihong, who were in charge, are involved. Allegedly, during the contracting and construction process by the provincial highway construction, both of them had engaged in crimes of using their positions for personal gain.

Thirdly, all three individuals had provided preferential policies to Earth Company and several other real estate enterprises, offering cheap land plots and other severe issues to varying degrees.

Concerning these three aspects, we are intensifying the interrogation of Lin Lifan. Before I left, he had confessed to all his crimes. Considering his voluntary confession, I also promised him that the organization would take this into account.

With that, Gong Zheng took out a red-covered notebook from his briefcase, placed it on the coffee table, and added, “Secretary Nie, this is the record of Lin Lifan’s own bribery and embezzlement. According to his testimony, we immediately investigated his two hidden properties in Meiping City. On the scene, we seized cash: six million yuan in RMB, 370,000 in US dollars. Also, various gold jewelry, antiques, and six bankbooks. The total amount involved in the case is as high as over 30 million yuan, making it the biggest corruption case in the history of Hongjiang Province.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang flipped open the red-covered notebook.

Inside, the elegant cursive handwriting made Nie Zhenbang nod slightly in acknowledgment. Setting aside Lin Lifan’s character, his calligraphy was indeed presentable.

In ’95, received a gift from Yao Qingfan of Donggou Township: five thousand in cash, two cartons of cigarettes, and a pair of Maotai.

Seeing this entry, Nie Zhenbang’s face showed a hint of a smile, the incident of fifteen years ago–probably the first time Lin Lifan took a bribe.

The notebook was thick, filled with many records. Each one was very clear, ranging from the initial amounts of tens of thousands to just a thousand or two, to later on, especially in the past two years, sums reaching tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Besides, the notebook not only recorded receipts but also gave gifts, detailing when and where certain leaders received how much. And so on.

One could say that this notebook chronicled the political career of Lin Lifan, as well as his history of taking and giving bribes, charting a government official’s descent into corruption and moral decay.

Alone, that would be one thing, but precisely listed in this notebook were dealings with several provincial leaders. This likely was the reason for Gong Zheng’s solemn concern. Involving the provincial and ministerial levels was no small matter. This was no longer something the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission could handle or decide on. Whether to halt proceedings or continue with deep investigation, everything would depend on the instructions from above.

Gong Zheng probably came back to report to Nie Zhenbang immediately for this reason. After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Old Gong, this is a matter of great importance. I think I should set off for Jingcheng tonight. I’ll report to Secretary Zhen Jun of the Discipline Commission and to President Qiao. We’ll follow the instructions and arrangements from the leadership.”

Gong Zheng nodded his head. Clearly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Unearthing so much, the matter was a hot potato for Gong Zheng.

To investigate or not, it was not his decision to make. Whatever he did could have repercussions on himself. If the higher-ups had their thoughts, would his future still be bright?

Without much thought, Gong Zheng’s first idea was to turn to Nie Zhenbang–now, only Nie Zhenbang was qualified to make decisions about this matter, and besides, Secretary Nie’s background was deeply entrenched, beyond Gong Zheng’s reach. Happy to offload the problem, Gong Zheng was more than willing to let Secretary Nie take on the difficulties.

He stood up and said, “Secretary, I will follow your lead. For now, I will head to the provincial military district guesthouse. Based on this information, I see there’s more we could dig into. In any case, we’ll have some leeway in how to proceed.”

Nie Zhenbang was known for being decisive, and once he had made up his mind, he immediately took out his phone, found a number, and dialed it. The cell phone screen prominently displayed the name “Fang Li.”

The call connected quickly, and the voice of Central Office Director Fang Li came through, “Zhenbang, it’s been a long time since your last call, what’s the matter?”

Fang Li’s words made Nie Zhenbang feel a bit embarrassed, reminiscent of one seeking help only in a time of crisis. However, given their relationship, Nie Zhenbang did not hesitate to press on shamelessly with a sheepish smile, “Director Fang, that sounds like a slap on the face. But indeed, I do need to discuss something with you. Is the chief free now?”

The “chief” naturally referred to Qiao Yiren. With foreign affairs activities surely known, Qiao Yiren must be in Jingcheng, hence Nie Zhenbang’s words.

On the other end, Fang Li pondered for a moment before replying, “The chief is at home, but whether he is free, I’m not sure. Are you coming over?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “There’s been an incident in Hongjiang, and I need to report to the chief urgently. Also, Director Fang, regarding Secretary Zhen Jun, I’d appreciate it if you could inquire for me to see if it’s possible to arrange a meeting. I’ll be flying over tonight.”

After finalizing the details with Fang Li, Nie Zhenbang then called Liang Yuan. Following some pleasantries, Nie Zhenbang also confirmed the reporting arrangement with Liang Yuan.

As the chief’s confidential secretary, Liang Yuan wielded considerable power. Although his rank was not high, his position was significant. Not just anyone could follow the chief so closely.

After fixing the time with Liang Yuan, ensuring a meeting with the chief was no longer an issue. Nie Zhenbang hung up and called the airport to book three tickets to Jingcheng City. He then said to Gong Zheng, “Comrade Gong Zheng, with my departure, the matter here in Hongjiang will rely on you.”

Taking only Hong Feng and Dai Fei with him, Nie Zhenbang immediately set off for the airport. On the way, he called An Na to inform her of his schedule before hanging up the phone.

At nine o’clock in the evening, as the flight from Hongcheng to Jingcheng took off, Nie Zhenbang was airborne as well.

Near midnight, Jingcheng City Airport was brightly lit. As Nie Zhenbang’s group exited the airport, Nie Zhenbang was about to instruct Hong Feng to find transportation to the city when he suddenly saw Liang Yuan approaching from the opposite direction.

The two met and embraced warmly. Nie Zhenbang was somewhat surprised, “Liang Brother, what brings you here?”

Glancing at Nie Zhenbang’s entourage, Liang Yuan’s expression turned serious, “Let’s go, the chief is waiting for you.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)