Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 383 The sun sets behind the mountains

Wu Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then his gaze fell on the small bottle on the coffee table.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the sofa.

Liao Shanshan placed her hands on her knees, her posture reserved, like a student waiting for a teacher's reprimand.

Wu Zhiyuan got up and made her a cup of tea, placing it on the coffee table.

Liao Shanshan was flattered and quickly said, "Thank you, County Chief Wu."

Wu Zhiyuan sat down in the chair opposite the sofa.

"Manager Liao, since you've chosen to trust me, let me ask you a few questions."

You can choose to answer, or you can choose not to answer.

But if you answer, I hope it's the truth.

Liao Shanshan nodded: "County Chief Wu, please ask. I will not hide anything I know."

What is the relationship between Jiang Xiaohua and Yuan Jin?

Wu Zhiyuan was testing the waters further.

Wu Zhiyuan was well aware that Jiang Xiaohua was Yuan Jin's lover and also his henchman.

Liao Shanshan picked up a disposable cup, intending to drink some tea to calm her nerves, but when she got to her lips, she found it was too hot and put the cup back on the coffee table.

"The relationship between County Chief Wu, Jiang Xiaohua, and Secretary Yuan is no secret in Qingyan's officialdom."

But what's being said outside is just the tip of the iceberg.

Jiang Xiaohua was able to climb from a hotel waiter to the rank of section chief thanks to the support of his successive leaders.

But after Yuan Jin came to Qingyan, her role changed.

Wu Zhiyuan asked in a deep voice, "How did it change?"

Liao Shanshan said, "In the past, Jiang Xiaohua used her looks to get ahead and seek benefits for herself."

But after Yuan Jin arrived, she became Yuan Jin's tool.

More than just a lover, she was also his steward—managing his shady dealings.

Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback: "The steward?"

Liao Shanshan nodded and said, "Yuan Jin has many things that are inconvenient for her to do personally, so she has left them to Jiang Xiaohua to handle."

This includes cultivating relationships with officials, resolving troubles, and arranging affairs with women.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't respond, but just listened quietly to her.

Liao Shanshan continued, "Jiang Xiaohua has dirt on many people."

She knows everyone's hobbies, weaknesses, and who owes whom favors.

Whenever Yuan Jin needed something done, she would provide information or directly take charge of the process.

Wu Zhiyuan asked directly, "So what role do you play in it?"

"I was discovered and nurtured by Jiang Xiaohua. Like her back then, I had no education, no background, only good looks."

I admit, I am a very vain woman.

Of course, it's not entirely my fault. How many women don't have vanity?

How many women don't want to be successful? Don't they want to live in a mansion, drive a luxury car, and use designer bags?

Jiang Xiaohua mentored me because I am as young as you.

She promoted me to deputy manager of the hotel and said that if I could win her over, she would promote me to manager. She also said that I would follow the same path as her in the future, first to Qingyan Hotel and then to the County Government Affairs Management Center.

By the way, County Chief Wu, Jiang Xiaohua really wants to be the deputy county chief and is pulling strings behind the scenes, did you know that?

"I don't know." Wu Zhiyuan was new to the area and genuinely didn't know that Jiang Xiaohua wanted to become the deputy county head.

However, it's not surprising that a woman as ambitious as Jiang Xiaohua would want to become the deputy county head.

He sneered inwardly.

A public mistress with only a junior high school education who rose to power through her body and scheming actually coveted the high position of deputy county head. This is a great irony of the organizational and personnel system and the regulations for the selection and appointment of cadres, and also a perfect footnote to the political ecology of Qingyan.

However, it is not impossible for Jiang Xiaohua to become the deputy county head; on the contrary, the probability of success is quite high.

She has at least two major advantages.

First, there are advantages in terms of background.

Yuan Jin would help her get things done; some of the county leaders she had slept with were now city leaders.

Would they dare not operate? No.

A woman as cunning as her must have something to hide, like an indecent video.

Second, gender advantage.

In principle, there should be at least one woman in the leadership team of the county government.

Liu Qin, the former deputy county head, has been transferred to the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee. Currently, there are no women in the leadership team of the county government.

If it weren't for the imminent merger of Longcheng and the resulting personnel freeze, Jiang Xiaohua might have already become the deputy county head.

Wu Zhiyuan couldn't help but feel sad.

It is extremely unfair to those hardworking and honest cadres that Jiang Xiaohua was able to be promoted to the rank of section chief and then to deputy county head. It is a trampling on fairness and justice.

This sends the wrong message: hard work is not as good as currying favor with the powerful, and real talent is not as good as bedroom skills.

If this continues, who will be able to work with peace of mind? The official atmosphere in Qingyan will only get worse and worse.

But unfortunately, in many places, this phenomenon not only exists, but is also very common.

Honest people always suffer losses. It's better to find a powerful backer than to work hard.

"County Chief Wu is competing for the position of Deputy County Chief. Jiang Xiaohua has two main rivals."

One is the county education bureau chief, Huang Shanshan, who shares the same name as me; she is also named Shanshan.

Huang Shanshan's abilities are actually quite average, but her uncle is a city leader.

Another one is Niu Jie, the former Party Secretary of Wuhe Town and now the Chairwoman of the County Women's Federation.

Niu Jie's cousin is the director of the Cadre Supervision Division of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department.

Jiang Xiaohua said that at crucial moments, she needed to cause trouble for her two competitors.

"How do I create trouble?"

Huang Shanshan's husband lives in the city, and the couple lives separately.

Huang Shanshan had an ambiguous relationship with a male subordinate, and someone even wrote a letter of complaint to Yuan Jin.

As for Niu Jie, she gave many construction projects to her sister-in-law in Wuhe Town.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded, it seemed that Liao Shanshan had quite a bit of information.

If Liao Shanshan is recruited into your camp, you can obtain more information.

After all, Yuan Jin and Jiang Xiaohua had always considered Liao Shanshan as one of their own.

In short, he wanted to make Liao Shanshan a thorn in Yuan Jin's side.

"Manager Liao, what is your relationship with Yuan Jin?" Wu Zhiyuan's voice softened.

Although he had already heard that Liao Shanshan was also Yuan Jin's lover, he still wanted to confirm it and test whether Liao Shanshan was telling the truth.

Liao Shanshan's expression changed slightly.

She didn't answer immediately, but instead took a few sips of tea.

"County Chief Wu, Yuan Jin and I did have a relationship, not just once, but multiple times."

I wouldn't even call myself his lover; I was more like his plaything.

Not every woman is qualified to be Yuan Jin's lover.

Jiang Xiaohua is one of them, because she not only slept with Yuan Jin, but was also Yuan Jin's confidante.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Did Jiang Xiaohua send you to Yuan Jin's bed?"

Liao Shanshan nodded: "Yes, Jiang Xiaohua taught me how to win a man's heart, and even made me watch Japanese adult films to learn techniques."

She treated me like a gift, giving me to someone she needed to win over. Yuan Jin was, of course, the most important one.

Wu Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you willing to do this yourself?"

Liao Shanshan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Wu Zhiyuan to ask this question.

"Does it matter whether you're willing or not?" County Chief Wu, you probably don't understand the situation of people like us.

I have no education or background. I started as a hotel waiter and got to where I am today thanks to Jiang Xiaohua's support.

What she gave me, I must return. What she asked me to do, I cannot refuse.

And to be honest, I wasn't entirely unwilling at first.

Yuan Jin was the highest-ranking official in the county, and many women were too busy currying favor with him.

To have him take a liking to me was, at the time, quite an honor.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't say much, only asking, "And then?"

"Later I realized that in his eyes, I was nothing more than a tool."

They come when needed and leave when not needed.

He never listens to what I say seriously, nor does he care how I am doing.

All he wanted was someone who could help him relax.

Moreover, Yuan Jin is extremely perverted; no man is more perverted than him.

Don't be fooled by his serious demeanor on the podium when he talks about building a clean government and improving conduct; in bed, he's incredibly perverted.

He enjoys sadism, likes using various sex toys, and enjoys watching people suffer and beg for mercy.

Going to his place every time was torture for me.

After it was over, he told me to leave and wouldn't let me stay overnight.

In his eyes, I was no different from a prostitute.

The only difference is that the prostitutes charge, but I don't.

Liao Shanshan's account gave Wu Zhiyuan a deeper understanding of Yuan Jin.

Yuan Jin's ugliness was even more despicable than he had imagined.

On stage, they appear virtuous and respectable, but off stage, they are worse than beasts, using their power to wantonly trample on and destroy others to satisfy their perverted desires.

Wu Zhiyuan then asked, "Manager Liao, what role did you play in getting Yu Jinxing into trouble?"

Liao Shanshan was silent for a while before speaking: "County Chief Wu, County Chief Yu is actually quite wronged. I don't have a bad impression of him. At least compared to Secretary Yuan, he treats me like a normal person. He doesn't mistreat me or treat me like a tool."

He was interested in women's bodies, but not in conquering and humiliating them.

When he's with me, he chats with me, asks if I'm tired, and talks to me while we're done, instead of just kicking me out like Yuan Jin did.

Liao Shanshan paused, then smiled bitterly, "But I'm the one who got him arrested."

"County Magistrate Wu, don't you think it's ironic how things are these days?"

Wu Zhiyuan didn't say anything, but gestured for her to continue.

"When Yu Jinxing came to Qingyan as the county magistrate, his conflict with Yuan Jin was destined from the very beginning."

As you know, Yuan Jin is a power-hungry individual who tries to control everything, even the affairs of the county government.

Yu Jinxing is a capable and thoughtful person who is unwilling to be a puppet.

The two fought for more than half a year, with each gaining an advantage and losing a disadvantage. Yu Jinxing had deep roots in the government, while Yuan Jin had the final say in the county committee; neither could suppress the other.

Initially, Yuan Jin instructed others to use money to corrupt Yu Jinxing and find incriminating evidence against him. However, Yu Jinxing did not fall for it; his family was wealthy and he was very cautious.

Left with no other option, Yuan Jin could only have Jiang Xiaohua start by addressing her lifestyle issues.

"Like many men, Yu Jinxing is also lustful, but he doesn't like young girls and prefers married women."

Jiang Xiaohua understood this point and took matters into his own hands.

Wu Zhiyuan listened attentively and refilled Liao Shanshan's tea.

Liao Shanshan continued, "Although Jiang Xiaohua is a bit older, she takes good care of herself, and Yu Jinxing is interested in her."

Jiang Xiaohua did indeed sleep with Yu Jinxing, and more than once.

But she wanted to take photos, yet she couldn't find the opportunity.

Yu Jinxing was very vigilant because he knew about the special relationship between Jiang Xiaohua and Yuan Jin and was afraid of falling into a trap. He never allowed Jiang Xiaohua to stay overnight at his residence, nor did he allow her to bring her bag or cell phone into the room.

After each encounter, he would personally see the person out, so Jiang Xiaohua had no chance to do anything underhanded.

After a few times, Yu Jinxing simply stopped talking to Jiang Xiaohua and wouldn't let her into his residence, which meant he broke off their relationship.

Yuan Jin was furious and berated Jiang Xiaohua for being useless, saying she should change her name to "Yi Shan Jin" (meaning "leaning against the mountain").