Chapter 68: Lin Hongjun's Incident

Zhao Dongbo said, "Vice County Magistrate Wang, the latest news, Lin Hongjun is in trouble!"

"Ah? Lin Hongjun is in trouble, what kind of trouble?" Wang Jian was startled and asked anxiously.

Hearing Zhao Dongbo's voice clearly lower, he said, "Lin Hongjun was taken away from his office by people from the provincial disciplinary committee. It's said that his mistress directly reported to the central disciplinary committee, which then handed it over to the provincial and municipal disciplinary committees for joint handling. He's still fallen because of a woman!"

"Ah!" Wang Jian exclaimed.

Lin Hongjun had always been controversial in the political circles of Dongting, due to the incident where he impregnated a female college student when he was a vice-county magistrate, which he eventually settled with 200,000 yuan. This incident had been a topic of gossip, but it did not affect his continued promotion. It was unexpected that his mistress would report him, something no one had anticipated!

Hastily hanging up the phone, Wang Jian's expression became serious. This kind of news spreads the fastest, and he guessed that Yao Junxia and the others would soon know, so there was no need for him to tell them.

Just as he reached the door of the canteen, he saw Zhao Yanyan come out, answering a call. Her gaze on Wang Jian was somewhat strange, and she must have also received news of Lin Hongjun's trouble. He then saw Yao Junxia and the others come out to answer calls, while only Zheng Shiguang sat alone at the table, looking dazed, as if he had already received the news.

Wang Jian and Zheng Shiguang, one as the host and the other as the co-host, looked at each other without a word. Zheng Shiguang had no mood to speak; with Lin Hongjun's downfall, his support was gone. As his subordinate, it was uncertain whether the disciplinary committee would investigate him. Although his relationship with Lin Hongjun was limited to occasional visits during holidays and no deep financial dealings, these matters could be serious. He might even be dismissed from his position. Even if he wasn't dismissed, without a strong backer, he would lose his influence in the township, and Wang Jian's power would grow, making his work increasingly difficult.

Seeing Wang Jian sitting there in silence, Zheng Shiguang guessed he must have also received the news. Facing the young and steady Wang Jian, Zheng Shiguang even felt a sense of regret, wishing he had transferred to another township to be a vice-county magistrate instead of the top leader. Now, as the top leader, he lacked the real power, which was the most frustrating situation.

Wang Jian was thinking about Zheng Shiguang's fate after Lin Hongjun's downfall. If Zheng Shiguang was implicated, he would face a significant opportunity: who would take over as the township party secretary? Although he had been the township head for a short time, the possibility of him taking over was low, but he needed to consider who the county would send to replace Zheng Shiguang. Although he now held some power in the township, he had to prevent a strong party secretary from being sent, otherwise, there would be trouble!

Of course, if Zheng Shiguang was not dismissed, it would be better. Lin Hongjun's downfall would be a major blow to him, reducing his chances of competing with Wang Jian. He might become dispirited and just go through the motions, waiting for the county committee to adjust his position. Wang Jian found it hard to predict the outcome!

But he had to seize the opportunity to strengthen his own power and prevent the first scenario. He believed Zheng Shiguang lacked the confidence to obstruct his progress.

"Old Zheng, have you seen Guo Qiang's resignation letter?" Wang Jian broke the silence and asked.

Zheng Shiguang looked at him with tired eyes and said, "I've seen it. What do you mean, Old Wang?"

"I suggest we convene a joint meeting to discuss it!" Wang Jian said calmly.

The joint meeting was now Wang Jian's domain. Whenever he proposed a meeting, it meant he wanted to push his agenda. For Zheng Shiguang to oppose Wang Jian's decisions, he would have to resist the meeting, but did he have the mood or strength to do so now?

"Old Wang, if you want to convene it, go ahead. I have no objections!" Zheng Shiguang avoided Wang Jian's piercing gaze and said.

Just then, those who had gone out to make calls returned one by one. The originally lively and cheerful atmosphere was now somber. Regardless of their connection to Lin Hongjun, it was not a good situation. If they rejoiced at his misfortune, it would raise suspicions about their character, potentially leading to isolation and lack of support in the future.

But as the hosts, Zheng Shiguang and Wang Jian had to pretend they didn't know and greet the guests.

"County Magistrate Yao, come, sit down quickly!" Zheng Shiguang and Wang Jian called out to Yao Junxia simultaneously.

Yao Junxia forced a smile, walked over to Zheng Shiguang, and sat down beside him. After that, everyone returned to their seats, smiling and nodding at each other.

Xie Lianbing, unaware of the situation, followed Lao Lu and others into the room and found a corner to sit in.

"Lianbing, come over, sit here!" Han Yuting hurriedly called out. With Lin Hongjun's downfall and Zheng Shiguang's weakened position, Wang Jian's influence was growing, so they needed to be nicer to Xie Lianbing!

Xie Lianbing looked at Han Yuting, feeling it was better to sit with Lao Lu and the others, but she couldn't refuse Han Yuting's invitation. She smiled and stood up, looking at everyone. Wang Jian turned and saw her, smiled slightly, but said nothing.

"Come, Lianbing!" Han Yuting walked over and pulled Xie Lianbing to her seat.

Zhao Yanyan stood up to make room, not wanting to show any jealousy in this situation.

The banquet began. Although everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Zheng Shiguang drank a lot and eventually leaned close to Yao Junxia, slurring, "Sister Yao, come, let me toast you again. If you need anything in the future, just say it. I, Old Zheng, will do anything for you, no matter what!"

Yao Junxia dared not drink with him again and said, "Secretary Zheng, you're drunk, you shouldn't drink anymore!"

"I'm not drunk, I'm really not drunk. I'm very clear-headed. County Magistrate Yao, could you look down on me?" Zheng Shiguang's words made everyone think he was truly drunk.

Wang Jian, however, believed Zheng Shiguang was not drunk. He was seeking sympathy and trying to align himself with Yao Junxia, but he didn't realize that Yao Junxia was still dependent on Liu Qingshan and could not be his support.

"County Magistrate Yao, Secretary Zheng has had too much to drink. Don't mind him. I think we should end it here!" Wang Jian, not wanting Zheng Shiguang to ruin the day, quickly stood up to arrange the end of the banquet.

Zheng Shiguang seemed to realize he had said too much and deliberately spilled his drink on the floor, laughing, "Ha, ha, sorry, Sister Yao, I didn't keep you company well today. Please bear with me!"

"Today's reception was very good, Secretary Zheng. I won't stay longer, I'll be going now!" Yao Junxia stood up and said to Zheng Shiguang, then left with Wang Jian's escort.

Han Yuting and others also stood up, supporting the tipsy Xie Lianbing, whispering to her as they walked. Xie Lianbing's face flushed red as she listened to Han Yuting, with Zhao Yanyan following closely behind.

Zheng Shiguang wobbled to his feet, and Lao Lu supported him, waving goodbye to Yao Junxia as they left.

After Yao Junxia and Zhao Yanyan left, Han Yuting said to Xie Lianbing, "Sister Lian, do you want to rest a bit in the township? I have a place!"

"No, Secretary Han, I'll go back!" Xie Lianbing waved her hands, declining the offer to rest at Han Yuting's place.

"Come on, don't be shy, rest a bit before you leave!" Han Yuting pushed Xie Lianbing toward the dormitory.

Seeing them, Wang Jian shook his head. Han Yuting had a broad mind!

After returning to his dormitory, Zheng Shiguang quickly called to ask about the details of Lin Hongjun's trouble. It turned out that Lin Hongjun had two mistresses. One of them, believing he would marry her, discovered that he had another, younger mistress. She confronted Lin Hongjun, who offered her 200,000 yuan to settle the matter, thinking it would be like before. However, the woman demanded one million yuan, which Lin Hongjun refused. The conflict escalated, and Lin Hongjun even threatened her. Feeling endangered, she reported the situation to the provincial and municipal disciplinary committees through various channels. When that failed, she went to Beijing to petition the central disciplinary committee.

The central disciplinary committee leadership signed off on the case, instructing the provincial disciplinary committee to handle it. After consultations between the provincial disciplinary committee and the Simeng municipal leadership, it was decided to place Lin Hongjun under double regulation.

Without notifying the Dongting County Committee, Lin Hongjun was directly taken away from his office by disciplinary committee personnel, shocking Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan. Although they often competed, they did not expect such an outcome. Ren Pingyi was unhappy that the disciplinary committee bypassed him to take Lin Hongjun, clearly showing a lack of trust in him, the county party secretary, who was only informed after the fact. Lin Hongjun's arrest, while reducing one of the four major forces in the county, was actually detrimental to him because he and Lin Hongjun had been allies since the appointment of Zheng Shiguang. He could also intervene in county government affairs through Lin Hongjun, and now Liu Qingshan would have free rein.

Although Liu Qingshan felt some regret, he also felt a sense of relief at Lin Hongjun's downfall, as Lin Hongjun had often obstructed him. Now, he could finally have peace.

However, the disciplinary committee's direct action against Lin Hongjun also shocked him. His office was not far from Lin Hongjun's, yet he was not notified. Neither Ren Pingyi nor he had been informed in advance, which raised some questions. Was the municipal committee losing trust in both of them? The party secretary, Jiang Ming, was Ren Pingyi's backer, and the mayor, Duan Huimin, was his backer, but neither had informed them. This indicated that Lin Hongjun's case was significant and involved many people. Jiang Ming and Duan Huimin might also be suspecting their involvement, which was why they did not inform them in advance. This made the situation even more serious!