Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 296 Lin Xue's Political Schemes

Jiang Xiaoli hastily announced the adjournment of the meeting: "Since everyone's opinions are not entirely consistent, today's meeting is suspended."

After the meeting, Jiang Xiaoli kept Yin Xueyao behind alone.

He knew very well that as long as he could win over Yin Xueyao, Zhou Guohua could be dealt with.

Zhou Guohua is unusually serious today because Yin Xueyao is leading the charge.

Jiang Xiaoli pretended to be sincere: "Xueyao, we've known each other for several years now."

I have always thought of you as a capable and principled comrade.

This investigation was stressful and complicated; I know you've been wronged.

He started playing the emotional card, trying to get closer to her.

Yin Xueyao gave a noncommittal "hmm".

Jiang Xiaoli continued, "You know Zhou Gong, he's very single-minded when it comes to technology and easily led astray."

He's acting very strangely today, pulling out those things of dubious origin. I suspect he's been influenced by someone, or perhaps he's misunderstood some of the investigation team's arrangements.

Yin Xueyao sneered, "Engineer Zhou is a technical expert and has his own judgment."

Whether what he presented was of dubious origin or unconvincing, I think everyone knows the answer.

Jiang Xiaoli lowered his voice: "Xueyao, it's just the two of us here, let's close the door and have a heart-to-heart talk."

This investigation involves many aspects and is very sensitive.

Mayor Wen is very concerned and hopes to reach a sound conclusion as soon as possible to reassure the public and stabilize the overall situation.

As those who handle the specific tasks, we sometimes can't be too idealistic. We need to know how to maintain a balance, be politically conscious, and consider the overall situation.

Personal opinions, or even minor technical disagreements, should be set aside when faced with the bigger picture.

Don't you agree with this logic?

Yin Xueyao said solemnly, "Secretary-General Jiang, it is essential to consider the overall situation and be politically conscious."

But I believe that the greatest political principle is to be pragmatic and realistic.

The most crucial element for maintaining stability is public trust.

If our investigation team's report cannot withstand scrutiny and is based on false evidence, then that would truly harm the overall situation, undermine stability, and betray the trust of our superiors and the expectations of the people.

To talk about the big picture while ignoring the facts, and to talk about stability while disregarding the truth, is to deceive oneself!

I won't discuss this kind of politics; I won't care about the bigger picture!

Jiang Xiaoli's patience ran out, and she used her trump card: "That night, you and Ayu did some things you shouldn't have done. I've seen the video; it's comparable to a Japanese adult film."

Of course, no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. If a young and beautiful woman entered my room, I couldn't guarantee that I would remain completely calm.

Comrade Xueyao, if things get out of control, then some insignificant problems that could have been kept to a minimum will probably be hard to cover up.

I'm afraid that by then, rumors will be flying everywhere, negatively impacting your image, future, and family. I'm sure you understand this better than I do.

As he spoke, Jiang Xiaoli smiled smugly and coldly observed Yin Xueyao's facial expression.

Yin Xueyao didn't say anything, but calmly took out a divorce certificate from her handbag.

"Secretary-General Jiang, thank you for your trouble, but this trump card is no longer useful to me."

I have already gone through divorce proceedings with my husband and am now a single woman. Ayu is also single. Our relationship is consensual, does not violate party discipline or national laws, and does not involve any power-for-sex transactions. I'm afraid you have no right to interfere, right?

Conversely, if anyone dares to post the video online, they are not only suspected of leaking personal privacy but also of disseminating pornography, and will be subject to criminal penalties!

"You're divorced?" Jiang Xiaoli asked incredulously.

He didn't expect Yin Xueyao to pull this stunt.

"What? You don't believe me? You can verify if the divorce certificate is fake."

Jiang Xiaoli actually took a look.

"Even if your divorce is true, your scandalous affair with A-Yu occurred before the divorce, which still constitutes a violation of regulations!"

"Violation of discipline?" Yin Xueyao snorted coldly and said in a mocking tone, "Secretary-General Jiang, you should educate me on which Party discipline and national law stipulates that if one party develops feelings for another person during a period when the relationship between husband and wife has broken down, they are separated for a long time, and the marriage exists in name only, it is necessarily a violation of discipline."

I admit that I slept with A-Yu, but it had absolutely nothing to do with any exchange of power for sex or money for sex!

Excuse me, did A-Yu get project approval from me, or did he receive engineering contracts from me?

Did I promote him or make him rich?

Was there even the slightest financial transaction or transfer of benefits between us?

Yin Xueyao asked herself and answered: "No! None at all!"

To put it bluntly, the relationship between him and me was a private affair between a lonely, empty middle-aged woman and a young man with ulterior motives—a mutually beneficial relationship that wasn't exactly glamorous, but certainly didn't escalate to the level of a violation of discipline!

Of course, if Secretary-General Jiang insists that I am suspected of violating discipline or the law, he can report me to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. There's no need for him to resort to these sarcastic and threatening remarks here!

"This is utterly absurd!" Jiang Xiaoli stormed off.

Wu Zhiyuan soon learned that Yin Xueyao and Zhou Guohua had a direct confrontation with Jiang Xiaoli at the signing ceremony.

Wu Zhiyuan called Lin Xue and gave a detailed report on the investigation team's distortion of the facts, the falsification of third-party testing, and the public questioning of the investigation conclusions by Yin Xueyao and Zhou Guohua.

Lin Xue was shocked.

When she first arrived in Longcheng to serve as the municipal party secretary, her foundation was clearly not as deep as that of Wen Changcheng.

The investigation team for the Wanshan Bridge was led by Wen Changcheng, whose confidant was the team leader. The conclusion that it was due to force majeure clearly indicates that they wanted to cover it up and protect their own people.

Wen Changcheng sent an investigation team, which she couldn't easily get involved in. Now that the investigation team was in turmoil, she had a perfect excuse to intervene.

A reinvestigation of the accident is inevitable.

Reopening the investigation is both a challenge and an opportunity for her.

This is an excellent opportunity to thoroughly investigate the truth, establish authority, and at the same time, warn or even weaken Wen Changcheng's power.

"Zhiyuan, I understand the situation. This matter is very serious; it's no longer just a technical disagreement, but may involve violations of discipline and the law."

Okay, Zhiyuan, on behalf of the Qingshan County government, immediately draft a report detailing the serious disagreements within the investigation team, the questionable authenticity of key evidence, and the inability to reach a consensus on the investigation's conclusions.

And the doubts you have regarding the alleged conflict of interest between the testing agency and the contractor, and flaws in the investigation procedures, etc.

The relevant materials should be objectively and truthfully prepared in writing and formally submitted to the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, with a copy sent to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The report should explicitly request the municipal party committee and government to attach great importance to this matter, given that the current investigation has reached a stalemate and the fairness of the procedures is questionable.

It is recommended that an immediate leadership team be established, directly under the municipal party committee and government, with the joint participation of multiple departments including the municipal discipline inspection commission, emergency management, housing and construction, and transportation.

A new, higher-level accident investigation team was formed, which also invited authoritative provincial experts to join.

Regarding the causes of the Wanshan Bridge collapse, particularly the engineering quality and related responsibilities,

Conduct a new, comprehensive, and in-depth investigation!

Lin Xue's move was a brilliant one.

Wu Zhiyuan called to report, but that was a private matter and couldn't be discussed openly.

Lin Xue couldn't possibly tell Wen Changcheng that Wu Zhiyuan had told her all of this.

With the official document issued by the Qingshan County Government and simultaneously reported to the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, requesting the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government to send out an investigation team again, Lin Xue's intervention in the investigation was justified.

Lin Xue knew very well that issuing a document in the name of the Qingshan County government would be no problem at all.

Because County Head Ding Yiyi and Executive Deputy County Head Wu Zhiyuan are both her people.

But Geng Dongqing, the county party secretary, is from Wenchangcheng.

"Secretary Lin, I understand."

"Okay, after the report is submitted, I will convene a special meeting of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee as soon as possible to put this matter on the table for review."

Zhiyuan, hurry up and make sure the report is solid, the chain of evidence is clear, and the requests are explicit.

Remember, this report is not just a procedure; it's a crucial step in taking the initiative, clarifying responsibilities, and bringing the truth to light!

"Secretary Lin, I will personally draft the report and guarantee to submit it as soon as possible."

Wu Zhiyuan, a former secretary, was a skilled writer and naturally adept at crafting such reports.

The report, titled "An Emergency Report on the Investigation of the Wanshan Bridge Collapse Accident," begins by briefly outlining the basic facts of the accident and the background of the municipal investigation team's arrival. It then abruptly shifts its focus to the core issues:

"However, at the critical moment when the investigation team was about to reach its final conclusion and enter the signing and confirmation process, serious and open disagreements arose within the investigation team."

Based on their professional judgment and firsthand information gathered on-site, Yin Xueyao, deputy head of the investigation team, and Zhou Guohua, a core expert, strongly questioned the authenticity, independence, and impartiality of the third-party testing report.

It also pointed out that the testing agency had a close interest in the project contractor, that the sampling and testing procedures had major flaws, and that the test data was clearly inconsistent with the actual situation of the debris at the collapse site…

"Given the above circumstances, the current investigation has stalled due to serious internal disagreements and doubts about the authenticity of the technical evidence."

Unable to draw scientific conclusions that can withstand scrutiny.

They are unable to provide a responsible explanation to the families of the victims and the public.

This also seriously affected the normal progress of the follow-up work and accountability investigation after the accident.

The cause of the accident remains undetermined, the victims' families are emotionally distraught, and public opinion continues to focus on the incident.

Delaying the response could escalate the conflict and severely damage the government's credibility and social stability.

"Therefore, after careful consideration, the Qingshan County People's Government hereby urgently requests the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government to:"

I. We attach great importance to the serious problems that have emerged in the investigation of the Wanshan Bridge collapse accident and immediately dispatch personnel to verify the situation;

Second, given that the existing investigation team has lost credibility and cannot reach a consensus internally, it is recommended that its investigation be immediately suspended.

Third, in order to thoroughly investigate the truth of the accident and hold those responsible accountable, it is recommended that the municipal party committee and the municipal government directly lead the establishment of a higher-level joint investigation team, and invite experts from the province to participate.

A comprehensive, independent, and impartial investigation must be conducted again into the cause of the Wanshan Bridge collapse, providing a clear and transparent explanation to the victims, the people, and history!