Chapter 63

Jiang Haiyan's office was always so intellectual and tidy, with a stack of thick economic books on the desk. Clearly, the owner of this room had a strong ambition and was always chasing the pulse of the times.

After Lu Zheng took his seat, he couldn't help but smile and said, "I've been studying junior high school math recently, County Chief Jiang, you're the material for a doctoral degree!"

Lu Zheng rarely came to Jiang Haiyan's office, and she was somewhat surprised at first. But hearing Lu Zheng's words, her brows slightly furrowed, obviously thinking he was mocking her.

In fact, Lu Zheng was somewhat impressed by the female county chief in front of him.

Sitting across from the black marble coffee table, Jiang Haiyan said calmly, "Learning is endless, it's always good to learn more. You..." She then shook her head, "It's nothing."

Perhaps she originally wanted to remind Lu Zheng to read more, but then she felt there was no point in talking to this person and no need to communicate.

The person opposite, though not a real roughneck, had thoughts and inner workings that were completely out of sync, making it hard to find a way to communicate. Perhaps, this person lived in a different world from normal people. If he could be sent away, it would be better to do so sooner.

But Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I've enrolled in the correspondence course at Wushan Mechanical and Electrical. It's about to start."

Jiang Haiyan glanced at Lu Zheng with some surprise but didn't say anything.

Lu Zheng continued, "A few days ago, County Chief Haiyan suggested I attend the Party School. I've thought it over, and you're right. I should go for further training. I've never had the opportunity to systematically study the Party's theories, so this is a great opportunity. Thank you, County Chief Haiyan, for giving me this chance."

Jiang Haiyan was taken aback, staring at Lu Zheng for a few moments before nodding slightly and saying, "As long as you know I'm doing this for your own good!"

About half a month ago, Jiang Haiyan had a talk with Lu Zheng, telling him that the county party committee planned to recommend him for the mid-level and young cadres training program organized by the municipal party school. At the time, Lu Zheng didn't express an opinion, only saying he would consider it and see if his work could be arranged, as it was a three-month full-time training program.

After leaving Jiang Haiyan's office, Lu Zheng went to Qiu Dahe's office on the same floor.

When Lu Zheng pushed the door open, Qiu Dahe was watering the flowers on the windowsill, humming a tune, looking very happy.

"Secretary Qiu has such refined tastes!" Lu Zheng said with a smile.

Hearing Lu Zheng's voice, Qiu Dahe turned around and greeted him with a smile, "Come in, Zheng, take a seat."

"Have you heard that Secretary Qiu is about to be promoted?" Lu Zheng had already heard from Liu Baojun that Qiu Dahe's departure from Guangning was a done deal, and his new position would be either a vice-chairman of the municipal people's congress or a vice-chairman of the municipal political consultative conference. This was clearly the result of higher-level mediation.

In this era, being transferred to the people's congress or the political consultative conference was essentially a way to retire and step down to a secondary position. However, Qiu Dahe's promotion before retirement was the best possible outcome.

Qiu Dahe smiled and pointed at Lu Zheng with his finger, clearly aware that Lu Zheng now had many sources of information.

"I'm also leaving, to attend the municipal party school," Lu Zheng said with a smile after sitting down and taking the teacup Qiu Dahe offered.

Qiu Dahe sighed deeply, rubbing his head, and said, "The mid-level and young cadres training program, Haiyan mentioned it to me. I said, it depends on your opinion."

For cadres who are in the pipeline for promotion, attending the party school is a good thing and often a sign of being favored. However, Lu Zheng had just been promoted and held significant power. Attending a full-time training program could be risky, as his position might be taken by someone else.

Moreover, given the current rumors, this might indeed be the case.

Qiu Dahe patted Lu Zheng's shoulder and said, "You're young, and more experience is a good thing."

Lu Zheng nodded with a smile. Although Qiu Dahe seemed somewhat sympathetic, he knew that Qiu Dahe wouldn't really care about his future. Qiu Dahe was focused on his own retirement, and they didn't have a close relationship.

"Maybe I won't come back to Guangning," Lu Zheng said casually, taking a sip of tea.

Qiu Dahe finally sighed, perhaps genuinely. At this moment, his mood must have been somewhat desolate. As the saying goes, "When the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the bow is put away." With Qiu Dahe's departure from Guangning, his old team would have to find their own way out, and Lu Zheng, the so-called "golden enforcer," might be the most unfortunate.

Lu Zheng was thinking, if he really didn't come back to Guangning after this, what would he have left behind in Guangning?

He hoped Jiang Haiyan would continue to push forward the fertilizer plant reform he had planned. If successful, it would be a significant achievement, and if it failed, it would still be enough to bring down many officials. Jiang Haiyan must understand this and will have to decide how to proceed.

From what he knew of Jiang Haiyan, she wouldn't easily change her course. Otherwise, she wouldn't have given him the green light to proceed.

His departure would reduce the resistance to the reforms. Generally, some opponents of reforms have a subconscious reaction to the person rather than the issue. When the first person to propose the reforms is brought down, the next person, even if they follow the same path, will face less resistance. The opponents, having brought down the first person, feel their opinions have been heard and vented, so they are less resistant to the next person.

This is a kind of inherent flaw.

Jiang Haiyan must understand this, so his departure from Guangning might be what she hoped for, and she might even be one of the幕后黑手 (幕后黑手 means "the mastermind behind the scenes" or "the puppet master").

Besides the enterprise and institutional reforms, he also hoped that the judicial reforms in Guangning would continue to explore deeper, serving as a pioneer for future legal system construction.

He hoped that the various measures in the public security sector would not be abandoned with his departure.

Actually, he had only recently realized why he was putting so much effort into changing the world. It wasn't because he was particularly noble, but rather a form of revenge for the unfair treatment he had experienced in his previous life. Changing the course of future society was the best form of revenge.

If it was a result of a profound realization after experiencing life and death, perhaps there was a bit of that too.

Lu Zheng thought silently, drinking his tea.

In the afternoon, in his office, Lu Zheng received a call from his father, Lu Tianhe.

Hearing his father's somewhat stern voice, Lu Zheng smiled bitterly. His sister had mentioned recently that his father was about to be appointed as the party secretary of a major economic province in the south, with a bright future ahead. In contrast, he himself was in a precarious position, with an uncertain future. The gap between father and son was truly vast.

"Don't bring the military style into the government. You've been getting complaints from the province one after another. Are you proud of that?" Lu Tianhe's voice had a hint of anger, and this was the first time he had scolded his son.

Lu Zheng responded with a "Hmm."

Lu Tianhe was clearly surprised and didn't say anything for a while. He had expected Lu Zheng to argue back and had prepared a set of arguments, but Lu Zheng's unexpected reaction left him at a loss. Should he continue to criticize? It didn't seem right to scold a son who had just admitted his mistake, but he couldn't just let it go either.

This son was clearly more of a headache than the political opponents he faced.

"Father, in a few days, I'm going to the municipal party school for training," Lu Zheng said with a smile. "A step back opens up a new horizon. Sun Wukong caused chaos in heaven and was buried under the mountain for five hundred years, but after his trials, he remained a hero. I'm just thinking of making a name for myself first. Now, I'm going to face my trials."

"Nonsense!" Lu Tianhe scolded with a laugh, but after a moment, he said, "It seems you have your own plans. My worries are unnecessary." This was a significant compliment from him.

"Your Uncle Qi in the province, whom you might not know, is my old classmate and has always been very concerned about you. When you have the chance, go and visit him. His home phone number is XXXXXX..." Lu Tianhe instructed solemnly, adding, "Young people, it's good to face some setbacks. You need to be tempered."

Lu Zheng responded with a "Hmm."

...

In the second-floor private room of Dongmiyuan, a table was full of people, all of whom were the top leaders of the county and the heads of various departments who had interacted with Lu Zheng.

Including the deputy minister of propaganda, Li Xiangyang, the director of the radio and television bureau, Cai Jin, the president of the court, Feng Decai, the procurator of the procuratorate, Wang Gui, the director of the justice bureau, Zhang He, and the first deputy director of the county planning and economy commission, Hao Guodong, among others.

In the past few days, Lu Zheng had been hosting banquets one after another. Perhaps only he could make such a big fuss before leaving.

On the first day, Lu Zheng hosted a banquet for his old subordinates in the county public security bureau; on the second day, for the deputy county-level cadres; and on the third day, for the heads of various departments, who were all at the section level.

Most of the cadres who had interacted with Lu Zheng were very considerate and didn't avoid the banquet. Although everyone knew that Lu Zheng was domineering, except for a few of his bitter enemies, most people didn't think he was particularly bad. Instead, they found him righteous, generous, and open-minded, a good friend and a good leader.

Compared to the old hands in the political arena who took credit for their achievements and made their subordinates take the blame, Lu Zheng was much better.

So, even the gray-haired procurator, Wang Gui, raised his glass to Lu Zheng several times.

When Lu Zheng was in high spirits, he said with a smile, "I, Lu Zheng, may not have figured out many things, but I think my relationships are pretty good, right? Some people must be quite impressed."

Everyone laughed, but most felt a bit uncomfortable. Some, who had been waiting for his downfall from the beginning, now felt a bit sympathetic. Perhaps it was the feeling of "when the rabbit is dead, the dog is cooked."

Some, knowing the recent rumors, couldn't help but think that in one or two months, Lu Zheng might be in prison. From rising to fame to falling hard, this political star in Guangning fell so quickly, similar to the fate of some prominent figures during the Cultural Revolution. In the political arena, whether you are capable or mediocre doesn't matter; what matters is not standing on the wrong side.

Of course, some thought that at Lu Zheng's age, even if he faced a setback, his future was still bright, and connecting with these people might be helpful in the future.

Some were confused and didn't know why Lu Zheng was going to the party school.

When the banquet ended, Lu Zheng was still quite sober, but after being driven home by Du Xiaohu, the wind made him a bit disoriented.

The next morning, he woke up with a splitting headache, not remembering much from the night before, only recalling Du Xiaohu's anxious question, "Isn't going to the party school a good thing? I heard someone is trying to get you removed."

He had casually brushed it off, knowing that Du Xiaohu wouldn't understand the complexities.

Shaking his head, he realized he had drunk quite a bit last night.

While getting dressed, Lu Zheng found a note by the bed, picked it up, and saw Du Xiaohu's messy handwriting, "Brother Zheng, rest well. I'm going to settle accounts with Jiang Haiyan and Gao Zhikai. If I don't come back, please take care of my dad and mom."

Lu Zheng was suddenly wide awake, cold sweat covering his body. All the alcohol from the night before was gone.

As he flipped the page, an ad began.

As he flipped the page, the ad ended.