Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 19 Family Affairs of the Leader and Villa No. 5

It's clear that both Lang Wenping and Jiang Hao still show great respect for He Jiaping, who has already been dismissed from his post, addressing him as "Secretary He" instead of calling him by his given name.

Sun Runcai actually had the same question, and tentatively asked, "Lang Ke, Director Jiang, although Secretary He Jiaping has been dismissed, you both showed him a lot of respect in your words. Can we understand that Secretary He deserves your respect?"

Lang Wenping and Jiang Hao exchanged a complicated look, and Lang Wenping said, "It's not that he should be trampled on just because he's fallen from power, nor is it an attempt to defend his mistakes."

As far as I know, Secretary He's case involves only seven or eight million yuan, and it mainly involves a house that his wife received, but the property certificate does not belong to them.

Secretary He said he was unaware of this, but the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection did not agree.

Whether Secretary He is corrupt or not is hard to say, but given his rank and power, seven or eight million yuan is not enough to call him an honest official, but at the very least, he cannot be called a major corrupt official.

Moreover, Secretary He has no mistress and no issues with his personal life, which is quite rare.

During his tenure, Secretary He accomplished many practical things, such as the construction of Longcheng New City and the upgrading and expansion of Longcheng Development Zone. Initially, there was significant resistance, but he decisively made the decisions, and these projects have now become new engines for Longcheng's economic growth.

Jiang Hao picked up the thread: "Although I only followed Secretary He for three short months, I personally witnessed him often working overtime until late at night and personally leading the team to negotiate more than a dozen times to introduce a major project."

He is very approachable; even if minor mistakes occur at work, he rarely criticizes, but instead offers suggestions for improvement.

Lang Wenping sighed softly: "Alas, human nature is complex; a person is not simply black and white."

After Secretary He was dismissed, the general public in Longcheng did not unanimously condemn him as a corrupt official; a considerable number of people still missed him and were even grateful to him.

The common people are very simple and honest; as long as you do something genuine, they will remember it.

They hate corrupt officials, but they hate even more incompetent officials who do nothing but cause trouble.

Jiang Hao continued, "Secretary He's downfall may just be a scapegoat. I won't elaborate on this topic; it's too sensitive."

The ups and downs of one's official career are sometimes not just a matter of being upright or corrupt.

Secretary He has committed a crime, but that doesn't mean all his past work and contributions should be completely negated.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded thoughtfully: "You respect his past good deeds, not defend his later mistakes."

This incident also serves as a reminder or inspiration for Wu Zhiyuan: it is not a wise move to constantly belittle one's predecessor in front of one's current leader.

The dishes are served.

Several people clinked glasses and exchanged toasts.

Sun Runcai shared a story based on his experience cracking down on prostitution: "Let me tell you, I had a colleague who, during a raid on prostitution, discovered the municipal bureau's supervisor having sex with a prostitute. He reacted very quickly and immediately said: 'It's so late, and the leader is still undercover?' Not long after, he was promoted."

Everyone laughed.

The group of people drank and chatted.

China's drinking culture is profound and extensive. Amidst the clinking of glasses, people not only gain information and deepen relationships, but also accomplish things that cannot be done in other situations.

Jiang Hao suddenly said, "I heard that Secretary Xu Youwei's ex-wife was killed in a car accident?"

Lang Wenping continued, "I've heard about it too. It's said that he was in a car accident, but the cause of death has not been determined."

Secretary Xu was previously in charge of the crackdown on organized crime, so it was inevitable that he would offend some people.

Whether his ex-wife's death was an accident or a deliberate act of revenge remains unknown.

More than two years after his wife passed away, Secretary Xu remarried to a Huangmei Opera actress from the Provincial Grand Theater.

The actress was beautiful and young, a full fifteen years younger than Secretary Xu.

Wu Zhiyuan gave a thumbs up: "Langke, you're a well-informed person."

Lang Wenping laughed and said, "These are just words spoken at the dinner table."

However, Zhiyuan, as a secretary, you need to be observant and attentive. It's best to know a little about the leader's relatives and what they do, because these are essentially a resource in themselves.

Jiang Hao chimed in, "Lang Ke is right. The work of a secretary is largely about the management and use of information."

This includes not only official information, but also seemingly subtle soft information surrounding individual leaders.

If handled properly, it can be a lubricant; if handled carelessly, it can become a stumbling block.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table became increasingly relaxed.

Taking advantage of his drunken state, Lang Wenping said, "Zhiyuan, Secretary Xu's current wife is named Liu Qingqing. The two don't have any children yet."

However, Secretary Xu has a daughter with his ex-wife who is in high school this year.

This daughter isn't very good at academic subjects, but she loves drawing and is said to be planning to take the art college entrance exam.

Just keep in mind what I've said tonight; it might be important for you to gain Secretary Xu's trust.

However, remember that as a leader's secretary, you must be careful with your words and actions; resolutely refrain from saying what you shouldn't say and doing what you shouldn't do.

Wu Zhiyuan knew that the leader's family affairs were a sensitive area. Knowing this was for the purpose of better serving him, avoiding touching the minefield, or providing subtle and appropriate assistance when necessary. However, he could not take the path of currying favor; otherwise, things would backfire.

He nodded solemnly: "Thank you for the reminder. Don't worry, Langke, I'll keep this to myself and won't reveal a single word to anyone."

Lang Wenping laughed heartily and said, "I am a man of strong emotions, and in this respect, I am somewhat similar to my former leader, Secretary He."

In fact, living a completely masked life in officialdom is exhausting.

The key is to strike the right balance, knowing when to show your true feelings and when to follow the rules.

Respect your superiors but don't fawn over them; be strict with your subordinates but don't be harsh.

You must have a moral compass; this compass is the bottom line of being a decent human being.

Jiang Hao nodded with deep feeling: "Lang Ke's words are based on experience."

When Secretary He was in office, he did show genuine feelings towards his subordinates whom he approved of.

But precisely because of this deep affection, sometimes it can backfire...

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood that He Jiaping's downfall might also be related to his excessive emphasis on personal relationships and failure to completely draw certain lines.

Sun Runcai interjected, "So it is said that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but if the water is too murky, the fish will not survive either."

Within the system, we are constantly seeking a balance between integrity and corruption.

As they chatted, the topic turned to Mayor Iain.

Jiang Hao harbored resentment towards Ai Kun: "The suppression of Lang Ke and me is all thanks to Ai Kun. This kind of person becomes arrogant when he gains power and will not go very far in his career."

Lang Wenping chimed in, "Ai Kun and Zhang Wanlin are close."

He has only been in Longcheng for a year, but he has visited Zhang Wanlin's company three times for research.

Is this just a survey? This is clearly a publicity stunt!

There's a rumor that Ai Kun is a frequent visitor to Villa No. 5 at the Jintang Hot Spring Resort.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, puzzled, "Is there anything special about Villa No. 5?"

Lang Wenping said, "Jintang Hot Spring Resort has dozens of buildings, including five villas located in a separate area that are under closed management and not open to the public. They are separated from the open area by a wall and are heavily guarded, so ordinary people cannot enter them at all."

These villas are either Zhang Wanlin's and his brothers' private villas, or places to receive guests.

Villa No. 5 is reserved for VIP guests. I don't know how luxurious its facilities are or what special services it offers, because I've never been there; it's all just hearsay.

Jiang Hao picked up the thread: "I don't know about other leaders, but before Secretary He got into trouble, he kept a certain distance from Zhang Wanlin."

Although Zhang Wanlin invited Secretary He repeatedly, Secretary He never visited the Jintang Hot Spring Resort or Villa No. 5 for personal reasons, except for work-related reasons.

Secretary He's intention to investigate Zhang Wanlin's prominent problems may have threatened the interests of some people, leading to Secretary He's downfall.