Chapter 92: Postponed

Feminan walked into his office, where his secretary had already prepared a cup of tea. He sat down in his chair, took a sip of tea, and then picked up the *Nanjing Daily* to read.

After a while, the secretary knocked and entered, saying, "Boss, Secretary You has something important to report to you!"

Feminan glanced at the time; there was still a bit of time before the Standing Committee meeting. He said, "Please have him come in!"

The secretary responded and turned to leave. After a moment, he led the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, You Zhenya, into the office.

Feminan pointed to the sofa and said, "Xiao You, take a seat!" Although the provincial party committee and the provincial government were in the same building, they each had their own staff. Normally, people from the provincial party committee rarely came over unless it was something very necessary. You Zhenya coming to see him so early in the morning, Feminan couldn't guess what it was about.

"Governor Feminan, we just received a notice from the Central Office. Mr. Qiao's visit to Nanjiang has been canceled."

Feminan was surprised inside but showed no emotion on his face. "The notice didn't mention the reason?"

You Zhenya shook his head and then said, "I heard it was Mr. Qiao's own decision!"

When Qin Yizhou came to Nanjiang last time, he was very satisfied with the preparations for Mr. Qiao's visit. Afterward, he even had a deep discussion with the Nanjiang side about Mr. Qiao's visit. It was certain that Mr. Qiao's visit to Nanjiang was confirmed. Why would it be suddenly canceled? Feminan thought about what happened last night. Could it be that Mr. Qiao was dissatisfied with his handling of the matter?

In the political arena, every move of a superior leader has a special meaning. Leaders rarely openly express their attitude toward something, but they show their dissatisfaction through certain actions. In Feminan's view, Mr. Qiao's sudden cancellation of his Nanjiang trip was a clear signal of dissatisfaction.

After You Zhenya left, the secretary came in again and said, "Boss, the police released Old Meng last night after the investigation was clear. I didn't report it to you immediately to avoid disturbing your rest."

Feminan responded with an "Oh" and continued reading his newspaper without lifting his eyes.

The secretary thought for a moment and then added, "Yuan Wenjie from Feilong Construction was also released by the police." The secretary felt it was necessary to report this, as last night, the boss seemed to have intended to deal with Yuan Wenjie seriously.

"Understood!" Feminan's eyes never left his newspaper, and his expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of joy or anger.

The secretary couldn't read any information from Feminan's face and had to leave, carefully closing the office door.

Feminan slowly put down the newspaper. It seemed that Mr. Qiao's cancellation of his Nanjiang trip was indeed related to last night's events. Feminan believed that the secretary must have conveyed his intentions. The police, knowing his intentions, still dared to release Yuan Wenjie, which must have been due to pressure from some other party. As for who exerted that pressure, it was not hard to guess.

Leaning back in his chair, Feminan felt somewhat angry. Yuan Gongping was becoming increasingly disrespectful to him. He hadn't stepped down yet and was still the governor, but the people below were already treating Yuan Gongping as the head of the provincial government!

Seeing that the time was almost up, Feminan stood up, holding his teacup, and slowly walked into the Standing Committee meeting room.

In the meeting room, the other Standing Committee members were already present. In the past, the last one to enter the meeting room was always Fang Nanguo. Now that Fang Nanguo was away, the last one to enter was Feminan.

"Everyone is here, let's start the meeting!"

Feminan chuckled, holding his teacup and sitting down. After sitting, his gaze swept over the other Standing Committee members, pausing for a few seconds on Yuan Gongping. "Gongping, you look very good today!"

Yuan Gongping was surprised. Feminan didn't greet anyone else, so why did he specifically say this to him? He began to speculate but smiled on the surface. "Governor Feminan also looks very good, full of passion and vitality. Everyone, what do you think?"

The other Standing Committee members nodded. "Yes, Governor Feminan always shows great passion in his work, which greatly inspires us."

Under normal circumstances, Feminan would have considered this a polite remark, but hearing it now, it didn't sound right. What did he mean by "full of vitality"? Was Yuan Gongping mocking him for being old? He showed no emotion on his face and even smiled slightly. "Everyone's time is tight, let's get to the point and start today's agenda."

Since Fang Nanguo, the top leader, was away, many important issues couldn't be discussed at the Standing Committee meeting. What they discussed were minor but necessary matters.

Feminan, as usual, proposed the agenda and then sat back, calmly watching the other Standing Committee members discuss.

Politics is about compromise. In fact, many issues were already decided before they reached the Standing Committee. The real work was done behind the scenes. The Standing Committee meeting was just a formality to formally vote and confirm the decisions.

Feminan, who was about to step down, showed great grace. He didn't comment on any of the issues. After proposing the agenda, he quickly announced the vote, and all the issues were smoothly passed, just as expected.

"The next agenda item: Comrade Sheng Deren from the Forestry Department needs to be hospitalized due to health issues. The work of the Forestry Department is very important and cannot be left unattended. Everyone, please share your opinions on how to handle this."

After proposing the next agenda item, Feminan sat back and waited for someone to speak.

Sheng Deren, the head of the Forestry Department, was due to retire in a year, but he fell ill at this critical time and could no longer perform his duties. According to the hospital, his illness was difficult to cure, so the leadership of the Forestry Department needed to be adjusted early.

The Forestry Department used to be a low-profile department, but with the increasing emphasis on environmental protection in recent years, it received a lot of preferential policies and funding, making it an important and lucrative department, attracting many people.

"I'll say a few words," said Yin Bingchang, the Minister of Organization, who had more authority in personnel matters. "Comrade Luo Hongsheng, the deputy head of the Forestry Department, is highly capable and has strong organizational skills. I think he can temporarily take charge of the Forestry Department."

"I agree with Minister Yin's opinion," said Yuan Gongping, coughing and tapping the ash off his cigarette. "I know Comrade Luo Hongsheng well. He is young, energetic, highly educated, and very proficient in his work. He is an excellent cadre."

Luo Hongsheng was one of Yuan Gongping's people. After Sheng Deren fell ill, Luo Hongsheng started lobbying Yuan Gongping. Yuan Gongping had already planned to have Luo Hongsheng take charge of the Forestry Department. Once Sheng Deren retired, as long as Luo Hongsheng didn't make any mistakes, he would naturally become the head of the department.

Before the Standing Committee meeting, Yuan Gongping had already discussed this with the other Standing Committee members, and they had basically agreed. He believed there wouldn't be much opposition, especially since it was just a temporary position, not an immediate promotion to head of the department.

Feminan was even more annoyed. Luo Hongsheng was young and energetic, but was he, Feminan, already old and useless?

"If I remember correctly, Luo Hongsheng was just appointed as the deputy head of the Forestry Department last month. Sheng Deren's sudden illness is regrettable, and the work of the Forestry Department has been interrupted. Should we consider finding someone who is thoroughly familiar with the department to take over?" Feminan smiled and put down his teacup. "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. We can discuss it further."

When Feminan spoke, the entire meeting room fell silent. The other Standing Committee members' expressions didn't change, but they were inwardly surprised. What was going on? Feminan hadn't expressed an opinion at the Standing Committee meetings for a long time. Why did he suddenly intervene in such a minor personnel matter?

This was very intriguing!

Yuan Gongping was also very surprised. Luo Hongsheng was one of his people, and almost all the Standing Committee members knew this. Feminan didn't comment on other issues but specifically on this one. Coupled with his strange greeting before the meeting, Yuan Gongping felt uneasy. Had he offended Feminan in some way?

Yin Bingchang was now in an awkward position. He didn't have much of a relationship with Yuan Gongping but thought this was a sure thing and, as the Minister of Organization, took the lead. He never expected Feminan, who hadn't commented for a long time, to oppose it. If he had known, he wouldn't have spoken up. Let Yuan Gongping handle it himself.

"I think Governor Feminan's opinion is very reasonable!" Qin Liangxin, the Party Secretary of Rongcheng City, who had a good relationship with Feminan, said. "Comrade Luo Hongsheng is very capable, but he has only recently taken on a leadership role in the Forestry Department. He may not be fully familiar with all aspects of the work. Putting him in charge now would be like forcing a duck to fly, which is irresponsible to both his career and the work of the Forestry Department."

Yin Bingchang then proposed a solution: "Comrade Gao Xuezhi, the Party Secretary of the Forestry Department, is a veteran with extensive experience and a strong work ethic. He is also one of the candidates we have evaluated."

Several Standing Committee members almost couldn't hold back their laughter. They thought Yin Bingchang was really in a difficult position, coming up with such a poor solution in such a short time. Everyone knew that Gao Xuezhi, the Party Secretary, was at odds with Sheng Deren and was basically a figurehead in the Forestry Department, not even a mid-level leader. Pushing him to take charge would only add fuel to the fire.

Yin Bingchang took a sip of water, feeling unlucky. He didn't want to provoke Feminan, who was about to retire. It was just a temporary position in a low-profile department. Why should he make the old governor unhappy over such a small matter? He decided to go along with it.

"Since he is a young cadre, we should give him more opportunities. Comrade Luo Hongsheng, who has been educated by the Party for many years, should be capable of taking charge of the Forestry Department."

Yuan Gongping wasn't alone in the Standing Committee. There were others who shared his interests and spoke up for him.

Yuan Gongping himself didn't want to give up. He had been working on this for a long time. If he couldn't even secure a temporary position for Luo Hongsheng, how would his subordinates view him? How would he be treated in future Standing Committee meetings?

After a long discussion, no conclusion was reached. Feminan lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and said, "Since there is a significant disagreement on this issue, I suggest we postpone it and wait for Secretary Fang Nanguo to return before voting."

A hint of hatred flashed in Yuan Gongping's eyes but quickly disappeared, and he resumed his normal expression.

There was nothing he could do. This was the rule of the Standing Committee. Feminan, as the chair, couldn't guarantee the passage of a proposal, but he could easily veto it by postponing it, effectively declaring it null and void before it even reached the voting stage.

This postponement essentially meant a veto!