Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1255 - Chapter 1255 Chapter 1210 Displaying Their Marvelous Skills

Chapter 1255: Chapter 1210 Displaying Their Marvelous Skills Chapter 1255: Chapter 1210 Displaying Their Marvelous Skills “Li Guohua?” Yang Anbang’s words made Nie Zhenbang’s brows furrow instantly.

However, Nie Zhenbang quickly regained his composure. It was anticipated that Li Guohua would get involved. The man has great ambitions and has always been audacious. Such things were imaginable. For such matters, he would never stand idly by.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang then asked slowly, “Whom is he advocating for?”

Among the members of the Li family, Nie Zhenbang reviewed them all thoroughly but could not think of anyone who would qualify.

“Someone you’d never expect,” Yang Anbang said with a smile, a playful look on his face.

Nie Zhenbang was startled by Yang Anbang’s words, then spoke, “I say, Yang Anbang, when did you pick up such a bad habit? Speaking in half-truths. What’s this all about?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Zhenbang drummed his fingers and said, “This time, the ones with such intentions and qualifications are only those people within the Politburo. Overall, combined with the issue of age, the four municipalities directly under the Central Government plus Yuedong, Xibei, and myself. Then there are about five or six people in the ministries. That’s about it. Among them, Yuedong, Xibei, and Jingcheng here are unlikely. The most probable are Yu State and that one from the State Council.”

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s analysis, the smug look on Yang Anbang’s face immediately faded away. He looked at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Fine, you’re a freak. Talking with you, I can’t find any sense of achievement.”

Seeing how Yang Anbang reacted, Nie Zhenbang walked up, hugging him affectionately, and said, “Big uncle, brother-in-law, could it be Ling Baodong?”

Yang Anbang felt a deep sense of defeat and nodded, “You’ve guessed it all, what else can I say?”

Nie Zhenbang laughed heartily. This piece of news, at first glance, seemed somewhat shocking–Ling Baodong and Li Guohua joining forces. What a terrifying scenario. The alliance of these two could only mean they were targeting him. Li Guohua was someone he personally ousted from the system. As for Ling Baodong, he also bore a deadly grudge. The union of these two men was not surprising at all.

On the surface, this was a strong alliance, with Ling Baodong needing the Li family’s connections and heritage while the Li family lacked a candidate with the necessary qualifications. Together, this was a win-win situation. Ling Baodong’s chances of entering the Jiuding’s core is even greater. For the Li family, with Ling Baodong’s care over the next four years, they could nurture a backbone for the next generation. Moreover, both held a common hatred for Nie Zhenbang. This was easy to understand. Isn’t there a saying? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

But upon serious analysis, it wasn’t a concern. The Li family might have extensive connections, but since the old master Li Jiangshan retired, they were no longer as influential as before. This was similar to the Nie family. Both family patriarchs were central pillars, but after the patriarch of the Nie family, brothers Nie Guodong and Nie Guowei were somewhat commendable. Particularly Nie Guowei, with his son’s support, had managed to step into the Politburo level. Had it not been for making way for Nie Zhenbang and retiring due to “ill-health,” perhaps he might have clawed his way into the Jiuding’s core.

Of course, this was hypothetical. In reality, reaching the ministerial level was the limit for Nie Guowei. Getting into the Politburo was already due to multiple considerations. Entering the Jiuding was simply impossible. This was also why Nie Guowei decisively retired due to supposed illness.

Joining the Jiuding isn’t just about one’s age; capability is also a crucial standard.

The Nie family’s situation was still relatively good. In contrast, the Li family had not had another Politburo member since Li Guohua’s father, Li Jiangshan, retired. Now, the Li family had declined and really was not worth considering.

Ling Baodong wasn’t without flaws either. Just as Nie Zhenbang’s flaw was his age, Ling Baodong’s flaw, or rather stain, lay in his son.

Normally, the Lingxiao Coal Mine incident wouldn’t have much impact, but when it came to competing for a core seat in the Jiuding, it was a shortcoming.

“Is Dad in the living room or the study? How has the old man been these days?” Nie Zhenbang asked with a smile.

Yang Anbang also nodded, “His health is alright, he has recovered quite well after several heart procedures. As long as he’s careful, there shouldn’t be any issues. Knowing you were coming, he went straight to the study after lunch. Just head to the study.”

Hearing Yang Anbang’s words, Nie Zhenbang nodded as well. It was clear that his father-in-law Yang Shengli had specially arranged for Yang Anbang to wait for him. Perhaps even those earlier words were designed by the old man to let Yang Anbang reveal some information.

The competition for the Jiuding was even more fierce than war, a decisive battle where it’s either you or me who survives; any other possibility was unimaginable.

Walking into the study, father-in-law Yang Shengli was sitting on the sofa with a Go board set up on the coffee table. The old man was amusing himself, studying the board. Nie Zhenbang stepped into the room and closed the door behind him before saying, “Dad, you seem to be in high spirits.”

Yang Shengli also smiled and said, “Old now, just amusing myself for entertainment. Please come in, sit down. Did An Bang mention anything to you just now?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Dad, looking at the current situation, it’s like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their divine powers.”

In Jingcheng, there was never a shortage of news. Today, who visited which old leader, and tomorrow which number leader someone else had gone to see–such information was continuously streamed in. Nie Zhenbang was very clear about this. The reason for such activity was simple: everyone was there for this particular meeting.

At Yang Shengli’s place, it wasn’t until the evening when Yang Anbang came to call them for dinner that the father-in-law and son-in-law duo somewhat reluctantly concluded their conversation.

Unlike the cryptic conversations at Zhuang Aiguo’s, all conversations here at Yang Shengli’s were very vivid and straightforward. As family, there was no need to hide anything. This was different when dealing with outsiders, where certain things could not be straightforwardly discussed and it became necessary to use ambiguous Spring and Autumn Annals-style tactics. The specific meanings were left for the other party to decipher.

In front of Nie Zhenbang, there was no need to be so complex. To speak of one as one, and two as two. Extremely simple, extremely direct. More importantly, easy to understand.

The entire conversation yielded no small benefits for Nie Zhenbang. In this term, the chance to ascend to heavens in a single bound and succeed President Qiao seemed quite impossible. That done, how Nie Zhenbang should conduct himself was the issue to consider presently.

During the conversation, Yang Shengli also expressed this point directly. This time, it would be best to use the opportunity to engage more with Shen Guoquan from Yuedong Province.

This sentence was the second time Nie Zhenbang had heard it. The first time, it had been Eldest Zhuang’s intent, and now, his father-in-law Yang Shengli also said the same. This indeed excited Nie Zhenbang.

This meant that both Eldest Zhuang and his father-in-law had accurate visions; their sentiments likely represented the current direction of the central leadership. From the current perspective, Shen Guoquan was highly likely to be a strong contender for the next leadership. At this time, encouraging him to bond with Shen Guoquan was also a form of early investment.

…

In Jingcheng, within the Third Ring Road, Xinhua Garden Community was considered a very ordinary residential neighborhood. And Shen Guoquan’s residence in Jingcheng was within this community, in Building 21, Room 1501.

After leaving the Yang family, Nie Zhenbang called Shen Guoquan and arranged to meet that evening, naturally bringing Yang Anna along.

With his wife in tow, the nature of the meeting turned familial, and thus it would not incur any criticism from others. So after some consideration, Shen Guoquan agreed.

Right after Nie Zhenbang and Yang Anna stepped out of the elevator, the door to Room 1501, directly opposite, opened. Shen Guoquan and his wife were already standing at the doorway.

Shen Guoquan, at about fifty-three years of age, had a neat crew cut. He was dressed casually at home, in a beige wool cardigan and dark slacks, wearing slippers on his feet. Seeing Nie Zhenbang and his wife, Shen Guoquan smiled and said, “Secretary Nie Zhenbang, you’re too courteous. I really don’t deserve such respect.”

Shen Guoquan’s words were deliberate. Currently, the two men were on equal footing in terms of position–they were both bureau committee members and both top local officials. There was no superior-inferior relationship between them. Nie Zhenbang’s visit naturally gave the impression of being a notch below.

Nie Zhenbang didn’t care about such formalities; they were no more than pleasantry exchanges meant to deceive others. If anyone truly considered them equals, that person would be foolish indeed.

Any discerning person understood that Shen Guoquan was bound to be a strong contender for leadership in the next term and could not be treated ordinarily.

With a slight smile, Nie Zhenbang also spoke, “Secretary Shen, you are too modest. Today, we’re not discussing anything else, just age. You are older than I, so my visit is only proper.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words made Shen Guoquan laugh heartily, “Ha ha, they say Nie Zhenbang is astute and wise; indeed, your reputation is well-deserved. Today, I have witnessed it firsthand.”

Upon entering Shen Guoquan’s home, a very ordinary three-bedroom layout greeted them, and the entire apartment was roughly a hundred square meters. Shen Guoquan led Nie Zhenbang into the study. They settled in, host and guest, and Shen Guoquan even personally poured a cup of tea for Nie Zhenbang before smiling and saying, “Zhenbang, this year, Longxi’s development has indeed stood out among the rest in the country.”

Shen Guoquan’s seemingly bland and normal conversational exchange tightened Nie Zhenbang up. At their level, one often had to think thrice before speaking or acting. Taking this sentence, for instance–it seemed to be just about Longxi’s development, but at this moment, it inevitably led Nie Zhenbang to consider an additional layer. Was Shen Guoquan hinting at the upcoming Nine Cauldron competition? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on QiDian.com; your support is my biggest motivation.)