Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1181 - Chapter 1181 Chapter 1137 We All Understand

Chapter 1181: Chapter 1137 We All Understand Chapter 1181: Chapter 1137 We All Understand The Shian City Party Committee and Government Office Building was built to impress, a rectangular edifice styled after the Great Hall of the People, roughly a hundred meters in length, arrayed in a straight line. On the front, the base was customarily a step higher than the rest of the building. Wrapped in marble, the base exuded luxury and grandeur.

At the main entrance, there was a driveway about three stories high and nearly four and a half meters wide, allowing vehicles to drive directly up. On the outermost side, fifty-six columns stood as supports, symbolizing the fifty-six ethnic groups, each clad in white marble. Intricate carvings adorned the columns, radiating sheer opulence.

In front of the building, there was a grassy fountain square covering ten thousand square meters. In the center lay a circular musical fountain, encircled by a moatlike pool. According to feng shui doctrine, water signifies the flow of qi, or energy. There’s a saying in business: where there’s water, there’s wealth.

At the epicenter stood a bronze sculpture of two abstract, robust arms stretching up nearly ten meters, cradling a red star with a diameter of one meter between the palms.

This sculpture was also famous in Shian City, poetically dubbed “A Red Star, Ready Hands.” Moreover, the sculpture bore a profound implication, with ten meters and one meter combining to form eleven, coinciding with National Day.

A city classified as a national-level impoverished city had, however, spent a fortune building such a luxurious office edifice, with expenses running into the hundreds of millions. It was glaringly ostentatious.

As a result, the previous Secretary of the Shian City Party Committee had received a serious demerit within the Party. Subsequently, he was sidestepped from his powerful leadership position and transferred to a nominal post at the Provincial Science Committee. The former mayor was even criminally detained and prosecuted during the investigation for serious violations of discipline. Now, he was already behind bars.

In the luxurious office of the Party Secretary, Wei Haoyang was busy reviewing documents. Outside the door, his secretary walked in and said in a low voice, “Boss, there’s a call from Secretary-General Liu of the Provincial Party Committee Office.”

Hearing this, Wei Haoyang was momentarily startled, then nodded, “Okay, I got it.”

As he spoke, Wei Haoyang picked up the red phone on his desk, “Secretary-General, hello.”

As members of the Provincial Committee, Wei Haoyang’s ranking wasn’t as high as Liu Xiaomin’s. But, nonetheless, they were colleagues. Strictly speaking, there was no need for such caution and politeness, even using honorific language.

But this was exactly where Wei Haoyang’s shrewdness lay. Having a background and capability was great, but even a strong background could be out of reach sometimes. Especially now, with Nie Zhenbang’s dominance. In his presence, one’s background meant nothing. To use a popular phrase, in the eyes of Nie Zhenbang, a background was like passing clouds.

And Liu Xiaomin, as Secretary-General, hadn’t made any move at this time, with no rumors circulated within the province. This indicated that Nie Zhenbang was pleased with her work. Such a situation warranted pondering and considering one’s position. This kind of person, in ancient times, would be a close attendant, someone not to be offended lightly.

Wei Haoyang saw this crystal clear; a few courteous words, a bit of humility, were of no consequence or detriment to him.

“Secretary Haoyang, hello,” Liu Xiaomin’s tone was somewhat reserved. Standing in her position required carefully gauging every nuance. Relations with subordinates couldn’t be too close–too close, and Secretary Nie would definitely have thoughts–or too distant, which would be unfavorable. A proper measure was necessary.

“Secretary Haoyang, I’m calling mainly to notify you that Secretary Nie would like to take a look around Shian City tomorrow morning. Please make some arrangements on your end. Additionally, I’ve instructed someone to fax the official document over to the Shian City Party Committee Office,” Liu Xiaomin said with a smile, her tone very polite.

The news of Secretary Nie’s upcoming inspection of Shian City made Wei Haoyang uneasy. Typically, a higher-up’s inspection is arranged well in advance. Although Secretary Nie indeed mentioned visiting Shian City during a briefing at the province, Wei Haoyang had not anticipated it would happen so soon.

Within the system, an inspection by leadership is no small affair. For instance, when central leadership conducts inspections, notices are usually issued at least half a month in advance, with specific areas of focus clearly stated, such as agriculture or economic development. Then, the local authorities submit plans, which are reviewed and approved before final arrangements are made.

Inspections by provincial leaders, though not as strict, are still inspections. Normally, a lead time of three to four days would be expected, but the current reality was that the inspection was set for tomorrow, announced today, an unusual break from convention that left the city little time to prepare.

“Secretary-General, may I be so bold as to ask…” Wei Haoyang started to probe with a smile. This was the benefit of maintaining good relations with the close attendants. Being close to the leader, they often had some insight into the leader’s thoughts and intentions, and an advance hint could inform targeted preparations.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaomin knew what Wei Haoyang was planning to do. After years of leadership experience and several years as a secretary-general, she had gained some insight. She smiled and said, “I heard that Secretary Nie wants to go and have a look at the border area between Shian City and Qinxi County. If I remember correctly, that’s Qinglin County in Shian City, isn’t it? That’s a well-known impoverished county.”

With these words, that was enough; some things don’t need to be spelled out. Being able to read between the lines was a skill expected of anyone who had risen through the ranks of the system, let alone thrived within it. There was no need to over-explain and weary oneself and others in the process.

Qinglin County? Wei Haoyang was unsure of Nie Zhenbang’s intentions. Could the previous rumors be true? It was said that before taking office, Secretary Nie had traveled throughout Longxi Province. It borders Qinxi County of Jinan City. Could it be that Secretary Nie saw something in Qinglin County that he wasn’t supposed to see?

As he mulled over this question in his mind, Wei Haoyang smiled and said, “Secretary-General, I understand. It would be good to have the opportunity to go to the provincial level, or even to visit Shian City. Next time, I’ll treat you to a proper drink.”

After hanging up the phone, Wei Haoyang became contemplative. What exactly had Secretary Nie seen in Qinglin County? What should be done? This was the crux of the matter; to gloss over it or to be frank and straightforward was key. This could directly affect Secretary Nie’s opinion.

After some thought, Wei Haoyang pressed the intercom button on his desk: “Old Cao, notify all the standing committee members who are at home to come to the municipal party committee meeting room for a meeting immediately.”

In Shian City, Wei Haoyang’s authority was considerable. After all, he was a provincial party committee standing committee member, which set him apart from ordinary municipal party secretaries. With that status, he held a significant say in the provincial committee’s decisions, not to mention the municipal administration. Thus, Wei Haoyang had perfected his control over Shian City.

Within less than ten minutes, all thirteen members of the standing committee of Shian City were seated in the meeting room. The cool breeze from the air conditioner settled the temperature in the room. At the head of the table, Wei Haoyang surveyed everyone and said in a deep voice, “Comrades, the reason for calling you all here is to prepare for the visit of a comrade from the provincial committee, Secretary Nie, who will inspect and conduct research in our city tomorrow morning. Let’s now discuss the reception and security arrangements.”

At this point, Wei Haoyang paused and tapped the table, “Comrades, it’s been a decade since the head of the provincial committee visited Shian City. This time, the entire city must make an all-out effort. We must respond seriously and do our very best to receive him. Let’s show the best image of Shian City and provide a satisfactory response to Secretary Nie.”

Following this, the standing committee members took turns speaking, all obviously excited. Leadership inspections meant risk because sometimes a single oversight could lead to a major incident and expose significant problems, directly affecting their positions.

However, inspections also signified a significant opportunity. If someone excelled in an area they were responsible for and gained the leader’s approval, it would be a considerable opportunity–one to get closer to the leader.

In terms of sanitation, the municipal sanitation department was to work overtime with its full staff. Departments, units, schools, and enterprises were to mobilize everybody, with clear division of responsibilities. A major cleanup was to be carried out across the province. Moreover, municipal facilities and roads in the urban area were to undergo emergency cleaning; whatever needed replacing would be replaced, whatever needed painting would be painted. In short, within one day, the most beautiful image of Shian City had to be presented.

In the area of public security, every district bureau and major brigade of the city police department, as well as grassroots units of urban area police stations, were to conduct urgent inspections and governance of public order in their jurisdictions. The safety and security during the leadership’s inspection must be absolutely foolproof.

The fire department, food and drug regulation, health supervision, and safety monitoring departments were to meticulously inspect the entire city, eliminating safety hazards. It was imperative to ensure that no safety accidents occur during the inspection.

…

On the following morning, Nie Zhenbang’s motorcade arrived in Shian City around ten o’clock, which astonished all the standing committee members of the city. The distance from Shian City to Ancient City wasn’t particularly long or short; the over four hundred kilometers, despite being on a highway, would typically require close to four hours. Secretary Nie’s arrival by ten implied that he must have set off around six or before seven in the morning. This work ethic made everyone take the matter very seriously.

After arriving in Shian City, Nie Zhenbang didn’t first go to the municipal party committee to hear reports. At Nie Zhenbang’s request, the motorcade directly proceeded to Shian Oil Group Corporation for research.

Having visited the refining plant and primary oil extraction site, Nie Zhenbang highly praised Shian City’s oil industry.

Shian Oil, as the fourth-largest provincial state-owned enterprise with integrated capabilities in exploration, extraction, refining, and sales, received several directives from Nie Zhenbang. He called for increased reform efforts, faster technological innovation, and the exploration of new avenues in the petrochemical industry. The variety of products needed to be expanded. He urged the development of the international energy cooperation, leveraging strengths to “go out” and “bring in”. It was essential to deeply tap into the oil industry, based in Shian, to build a new oil-driven “energy city” in Xincheng.

Upon the conclusion of this speech, a smile appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s face, as the desired effect was indeed very satisfactory. Wei Haoyang truly was a clear-headed person. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote on for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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