Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 15 The Top Leader? The Overlord!

Sun Runcai's father-in-law is Qin Tianlai, deputy secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Through Qin Tianlai's teachings and personal example, Sun Runcai learned a great deal about the intricacies of officialdom compared to Wu Zhiyuan, who had been buried in writing reports for the past few years.

"Zhiyuan, you need to learn to filter information. Secretary Xu is the top leader of the municipal party committee, and there will be a lot of people coming to him to report on their work and to report on situations."

You need to have a clear judgment about which matters are urgent and important, which are trivial and minor, and which are people with ulterior motives trying to test you, file complaints, or even set traps.

You can't just present everything to the secretary verbatim; what use would you be as a secretary then?

However, important information should not be withheld without authorization; a delicate balance must be struck.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded; everything Sun Runcai said made sense.

Given Sun Runcai's abilities and background, as long as he doesn't make any mistakes, his future is bright.

"Zhiyuan, one last reminder: the municipal party committee and government are like a spider's web, with a complex and intricate network of relationships."

There are factional struggles, nepotism, the leader's protégés and cronies, and seemingly ordinary relatives and friends. It's essential to understand some of this information, as it is essentially a resource.

Some people may seem unassuming, but they are just keeping a low profile; they may actually have a very powerful background.

Furthermore, those who are promoted and given important positions at a young age all have various backgrounds, without exception.

I'm not lying to you either. If it weren't for my father-in-law's help, I wouldn't have been promoted to police station chief so quickly.

For example, there's a deputy head of the Public Security Bureau's Public Security Detachment in our city named Lin Keke. She's a great beauty. If it weren't for her father-in-law's influence, she wouldn't have become a deputy head at such a young age.

Wu Zhiyuan's heart stirred.

Lin Keke?

Last time, she saved her twice in one day.

It seems Wang Junhua was right.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Is Lin Keke's father-in-law Tao Sizhong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission?"

Sun Runcai was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"A few days ago, two murder suspects escaped to Qinglongshan Forest Farm, which I'm sure you've heard about."

Lin Keke and I were paired together, and through our combined efforts, we apprehended the two fugitive suspects.

Wu Zhiyuan briefly recounted his harrowing experience at Qinglongshan Forest Farm that day, but deliberately omitted some details.

"What a coincidence, to fight alongside such a beautiful policewoman."

Wu Zhiyuan chuckled awkwardly, "Runcai, what kind of fate is this? Lin Keke is already taken. Do you think I would steal her away? That would be too immoral."

Sun Runcai smiled maliciously.

Wu Zhiyuan said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Runcai, you can't go around poaching other people's partners. If your sister-in-law finds out, she'll never forgive you, and neither will your father-in-law."

Wu Zhiyuan was offering advice to Sun Runcai as a good friend.

Qin Lu is a good woman and deserves to be cherished. It would be a terrible mistake for Sun Runcai to let her down.

Sun Runcai chuckled a few times and changed the subject: "Zhiyuan, Tao Sizhong is notorious for being a womanizer. I heard he has many mistresses. There are rumors circulating in my wife's workplace that there is a female host who is Tao Sizhong's mistress."

Qin Lu is a director at the city's television station. Several of the leading female hosts at the city's television station are quite good-looking.

Before being promoted to member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Tao Sizhong was the Vice Mayor and Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. He was a very dignified man, but it's unexpected that he was also so interested in women...tsk tsk.

Sun Runcai was once Tao Sizhong's subordinate, and his father-in-law worked with Tao Sizhong. He knew far more about the inside story than outsiders did.

Wu Zhiyuan was naturally interested in matters of the bedroom, and asked with a smile, "Runcai, are those rumors about Tao Sizhong true or false?"

"Sigh, it's only human nature. It's quite normal for a man like Tao Sizhong, who wields great power, to have some scandalous affairs."

When Tao Sizhong was still working at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, there was a saying that he "scolded the police officers during the day and played around with women at night."

He has a bad temper; in other words, he can't tolerate any wrongdoing, and it's common for him to beat or scold police officers.

On one occasion, during an inspection of a police station, a policeman, engrossed in looking at his computer, failed to salute in time. Enraged, he slapped the officer across the face and cursed him as "blind fool." He then used this incident as a negative example at a general meeting.

He even slapped his deputy over a trivial matter, knocking out one of his teeth. The deputy's wife went around appealing for justice, but he managed to smooth things over.

Rumors circulated that many beautiful policewomen within the system became his mistresses, and it was said that he once openly boasted at a dinner party: "The unit is my backyard; I can take whoever I fancy, regardless of whether she's married or not!"

The rumors are quite detailed, but it's unclear how much of it is true.

Wu Zhiyuan shook his head and smiled wryly: "This isn't a leader, this is a 'tyrant'!"

"Yes! But even so, Tao Sizhong was still promoted and given important positions."

There's a saying that Tao Sizhong is so domineering and lecherous that he might even take Lin Keke for himself!

Of course, even if such a thing happens, it is not unique to Tao Sizhong; it has happened since ancient times.

For example, in "Dream of the Red Chamber", Jiao Da, after drinking, speaks the truth: "Every day, people steal dogs and play with chickens at home. Some commit incest, some keep their husbands' younger brothers. What don't I know?"

We all know that the "incestuous relationship" that Jiao Da was referring to was between Jia Zhen and Qin Keqing.

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Actually, based on my observation, Lin Keke is not just a pretty face. On the contrary, she is very capable and has an indomitable spirit."

Sun Runcai nodded: "Yes, Lin Keke is not only beautiful, but also has high overall qualities. She is definitely not just a pretty face."

Otherwise, with so many young and beautiful policewomen in the municipal public security system, why would he have chosen Lin Keke?

Lin Keke got married at the end of last year, and I attended the wedding as a colleague.

Her husband, Tao Yong, the son of Tao Sizhong, looks and has a completely different personality from his father.

Tao Sizhong was tall and strong, but Tao Yong was fair-skinned and delicate, like a pretty boy. He spoke softly and had a gentle personality.

At the wedding, Tao Yong didn't seem very happy; he appeared somewhat strained.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, puzzled, "Is it an arranged marriage?"

Sun Runcai smiled mysteriously: "Who knows? Something unusual must be going on. There's also a rumor that Tao Yong is gay and didn't want to get married, but Tao Sizhong forced him into it."

Tao Sizhong's reason for forcing his son to marry Lin Keke was not what it seemed; his real target was Lin Keke.

Of course, this is just a rumor, without any factual basis. Only the parties involved probably know the truth.

Wu Zhiyuan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Runcai, Mayor Ai Kun is a strong-willed person and used to be Governor Jiang Jun's secretary. Secretary Xu Youwei is an outsider. I'm thinking, the relationship between these two leaders might not be easy to get along with, right?"

Sun Runcai thought for a moment and said, "I don't think they can coexist peacefully."

When Mayor Ai was serving as Governor Jiang's secretary, Governor Jiang was still the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

Mayor Ai was first demoted to a city as deputy mayor, then transferred to Longcheng City as deputy secretary of the Party Committee, and was promoted to mayor last year.

Secretary Xu Youwei was only 42 years old. During his tenure as deputy secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, he was very powerful and took the lead in eliminating several criminal gangs.

"This trip to Longcheng is definitely going to be a big event. When two strong forces meet, a fierce battle is inevitable."