Chapter 59

In the evening, Tong Susu still had to stay late for rehearsals. At the county recruitment canteen, Lu Zheng and Tong's mother had dinner together. They heard some waiters and staff members, who looked like officials, greet Lu Zheng respectfully, addressing him as "Secretary Lu" or "County Chief Lu." Tong's mother couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. After a while, she gradually learned from her conversation with Lu Zheng that the young man in front of her was not only the Secretary of the County Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Deputy County Chief but also a member of the County Party Committee.

Tong's mother couldn't help but sigh deeply and said, "This world still favors good people. Zhengzi, your kindness will naturally be protected by the noble."

Without mentioning Lu Zheng's age, it was already a very complex process for an ordinary official to be promoted to the County Party Committee, involving the right time, place, and people. Among these, personal connections were the most critical and important. Looking at Lu Zheng, Tong's mother knew that this young man was certainly not as simple as her daughter thought.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Auntie, you'll be staying in Guangning for a while. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. Don't treat me like an outsider."

Tong's mother nodded slightly, but she also felt an invisible barrier towards Lu Zheng. Reaching the position of County Party Committee member, there must be some connections above. Who knew who this young man had behind him? If it was someone who didn't get along with the old man, saying too much could lead to trouble. Some things she might inadvertently reveal could cause a big stir.

Lu Zheng keenly sensed the change in Tong's mother's attitude but didn't say much. He just smiled and chatted with her while they had dinner. Later, he personally drove her back to the rented house in the county outskirts.

...

In the blink of an eye, after a heavy snowfall, the Spring Festival was approaching.

The "Dream of the Red Chamber" production team left Guangning due to the weather after New Year's Day. Lu Zheng occasionally visited Wushan to see Tong's mother and also knew about Tong Susu's recent situation. It was said that her position in the production team was becoming more stable, and she was highly favored by the director. Many of her scenes were even overshadowing Lin Daiyu's.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed that "Dream of the Red Chamber" was no longer the version he had once watched. Perhaps when it was officially released, the competition between Baochai and Daiyu would give the media and audience a whole new experience.

The county fertilizer factory's contract system reform was officially launched. A special leadership group was established, with Lu Zheng as the leader and Deputy County Chief and Director of the Planning and Economy Commission, Wang Dongsheng, as the deputy leader. The members were mostly heads of relevant departments.

At the same time, the investigation of County Audit Bureau Director Wang Zhiwei and County Commerce Bureau Director Du Botao by the Discipline Inspection Commission caused a huge stir in the Guangning officialdom.

At the last County Party Committee meeting before the Spring Festival, the important topic discussed was what punishment should be given to Du Botao.

The Discipline Inspection Commission had already basically investigated Du Botao's case. Du Botao's wife, Lin Haixia, had used his name to engage in speculative activities, selling the county commercial company's planned low-priced goods to other places for huge profits. Lin Haixia was now detained in the detention center, and Du Botao had been temporarily suspended from his duties.

The first agenda item of this meeting was how to handle Du Botao according to party and government discipline and how to determine the crime of Lin Haixia.

The heads of the judicial system, including the County Court President, the County Procuratorate Chief, and the County Justice Bureau Director, attended the meeting as observers. In the current political climate, it was a common procedure for the party to guide the judicial organs in making judgments.

In fact, it was already clear that the tone for Du Botao's case had been set at the secretary's meeting. Qiu Dahu and Jiang Haiyan had certainly reached some consensus. At the meeting, the main speaker was Deputy Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Peng Hongjun. He harshly criticized Du Botao's various wrongdoings, looking very distressed: "Comrades, we must take this as a warning. As the economy becomes more vibrant, our minds must not follow suit. As party cadres, we must strictly discipline ourselves and remain as calm and clean as water!"

Clearly, with the Discipline Inspection Commission's power being enforced, Peng Hongjun's stance was becoming firmer.

Finally, Peng Hongjun proposed that Du Botao be dismissed from his position, all his party and non-party positions be revoked, and he be placed under party probation for two years. His wife, Lin Haixia, and related suspects should be handed over to the procuratorate for legal proceedings.

Party probation usually meant the revocation of party positions and a recommendation to non-party organizations to do the same.

Jiang Haiyan interjected during Peng Hongjun's speech, "I hope the comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission and the procuratorate can verify Lin Haixia's illegal gains. This income must be confiscated to the state treasury." Her words naturally set the tone for the court's judgment.

To be fair, Jiang Haiyan did not completely ruin Du Botao. Given that his wife had used his name to enrich herself, it was unlikely that he was completely unaware. By sparing him from prison, she showed some leniency.

In the current social climate, there was zero tolerance for exposed cases of official corruption, unlike in later times when such cases were common and even some official media proposed various reasons for leniency, such as "special talent" or "no loss to the state." So Jiang Haiyan's handling was relatively lenient.

Just as Jiang Haiyan finished speaking, Peng Hongjun was about to echo her, but Lu Zheng extinguished his cigarette and smiled, "Secretary Peng, may I say a few words?"

Lu Zheng was in charge of party and government affairs, including the judiciary, but he was not notified to attend the secretary's meeting when this case was discussed. When he spoke up now, everyone in the meeting suddenly perked up, as if they had been jolted awake. They all thought that this "living bandit" was about to make a bold statement.

Everyone was waiting for the show.

Peng Hongjun glanced at Lu Zheng with a sullen face, not saying a word. Since Lu Zheng had directly questioned him in the County Party Committee meeting, "What are you?" their relationship had only worsened.

Lu Zheng, however, ignored him and began speaking, sighing, "The reform spring breeze blows across the land, but in this warm breeze, if our cadres cannot remain clear-headed, this breeze might turn into a sandstorm, blowing away their official hats."

Qiu Dahu picked up his teacup. Every time Lu Zheng spoke at a meeting, it was unexpected, but after the meeting, you would always find that, whether he was angry or speaking off the cuff, the result was always that the meeting's tone shifted in his favor. Whether by coincidence or by design, Qiu Dahu gradually felt that this "stubborn Lu" was far more complex than he appeared.

Jiang Haiyan was always calm in front of anyone, but seeing Lu Zheng's lazy demeanor made her teeth grind. Yet sometimes, she had to rely on him, such as in the fertilizer factory reform, which aligned with her thinking. Perhaps, given her nature, not taking action against Lu Zheng was already a miracle.

But everyone's tolerance has its limits.

Lu Zheng also sensed that recently, Jiang Haiyan's attitude towards him had changed. Perhaps she was planning something. With Du Botao's downfall, would he be next?

Tapping the table, Jiang Haiyan frowned and said, "Most cadres are still good. Don't exaggerate! We are all public servants. Talking about official hats is inappropriate!"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and said, "I agree with your point. Our cadres are now all good comrades, but what about the future? Can our cadres resist the temptation of power in the economic tide?"

Peng Hongjun, mimicking Jiang Haiyan, tapped the table and said, "The higher-ups will consider these factors. We should focus on Guangning's issues! Deputy County Chief Lu, don't you think so?" He looked down on Lu Zheng, thinking, "This stubborn Lu is just putting on a show. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was the General Secretary of the Central Committee."

Peng Hongjun emphasized the words "Deputy County Chief Lu," and anyone could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

Lu Zheng ignored Peng Hongjun's sarcasm and nodded, saying, "Du Botao's case has given me an idea. Are we being too lenient in sentencing cadres who abuse their power and engage in corruption? Of course, Du Botao is not a corrupt official, but I'm just speaking from a general perspective."

Peng Hongjun frowned and said, "The handling of Du Botao has already been lenient, considering he is a long-time party member and cadre, and was unaware of his wife's illegal activities. Do you think it's too heavy?" He thought Lu Zheng was using this as an excuse to defend Du Botao.

Lu Zheng shook his head and smiled, "I think it's too light, especially regarding the illegal income. Whether it's embezzlement or abuse of power, just confiscating the illegal gains—doesn't that make the cost of crime too low? For embezzlement, I believe that verifying the actual amount is already difficult. Many bribe-givers won't come forward to report."

"If it's a big case involving hundreds of thousands or millions, after confiscating the verified illegal gains, these criminals might still have tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of illegal income left. This money might take ordinary workers several lifetimes to earn. So I can't help but ask, can our penalties truly deter criminals?"

"As for the confiscation of property for economic crimes in the criminal law, it is very vague, and there are many issues that need to be resolved." Lu Zheng took a few sips of tea and continued, "Therefore, in the penalties for embezzlement and abuse of power, I think we should impose additional fines. In addition to confiscating the illegal gains, a certain percentage of fines should be imposed, and the specific percentage can be discussed."

The people in the meeting room looked at each other, and many didn't understand what Lu Zheng was saying. Only Jiang Haiyan narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

Lu Zheng continued, "Let me give an example. Suppose someone embezzles 100 million yuan."

The meeting room immediately buzzed with murmurs. Peng Hongjun frowned and said, "How is that possible?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "It's just an example, listen to it for what it is." He continued, "Suppose someone embezzles 100 million yuan. After confiscating this 100 million yuan, a certain percentage of fines could be imposed, for example, an equal amount to the illegal income..."