Chapter 2

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Tang Jishu's home is located in Building No. 1 of the County Party Committee Reception House, situated by the river in the center of Machi Town, Changjia County, at the foot of Xishan Mountain. The river in the center of Machi Town winds eastward from the foot of "Xishan Mountain," stretching nearly a kilometer. The riverbed is covered with pebbles, and the water is clear to the bottom, flowing gently all year round, forming the most beautiful scenery in Changjia together with Xishan Mountain.

"Water shimmers in the sunlight, and the mountains are veiled in misty rain." Su Dongpo's "Drinking on the Lake in Clear and Rainy Weather" aptly describes the scene here.

Ye Ziran rode his bicycle, thinking as he went, feeling grateful to Secretary Tang.

Changjia County Party Secretary Tang Guoqiang was transferred from the Deputy Director of the Organization Department of Jinnan Municipal Committee three months ago. Coincidentally, this Secretary Tang was the official who interviewed Ye Ziran during the recruitment, and could be considered the mentor who led Ye Ziran into the world of politics, akin to an "enlightened teacher" in ancient times.

At Secretary Tang's level, his perspective on things is very broad. Ye Ziran and nine others were the result of the reform pilot project of the cadre selection system by the Jinnan Municipal Committee's Organization Department. Secretary Tang, being one of the initiators of the pilot project, naturally paid attention to the growth of these ten people, especially Ye Ziran, who was personally rated as the top performer by Tang Guoqiang. When assigning specific work to the ten people, Tang Guoqiang personally inquired about Ye Ziran's placement, and thus Ye Ziran was directly appointed as the director of the Party and Government Office of Machi Township.

Not long after Secretary Tang took office in Changjia, Ye Ziran visited him. Secretary Tang happily accepted him and treated him like an insider. Over time, Ye Ziran became familiar with everyone in Secretary Tang's family.

Ye Ziran rode his bicycle to the County Party Committee Reception House, arrived at Secretary Tang's home, and before entering, he saw a familiar Santana car parked outside Secretary Tang's house. The car door opened, and Machi Township Mayor Li Jun got out.

Li Jun was about forty-five years old, slim, and had sharp eyes. Seeing Ye Ziran about to enter Secretary Tang's house, he quickly pulled him aside and said, "Little Ye, you're here. I was just looking for you."

Ye Ziran stopped and politely asked, "Mayor Li, is there something you need?"

Mayor Li nodded and said anxiously, "Director Ye, go to the county central hospital quickly. Secretary Qin was in a car accident and has passed away. It's sure to be chaotic there, so go and handle it first."

Ye Ziran was shocked and asked, "Really? When did it happen?"

Mayor Li urged, "Half an hour ago. Go quickly."

The incident unfolded as follows: While having dinner, Mayor Li received a message on his pager from Deputy Director He Guitian of the Party and Government Office: "Lin Mayor was in a car accident, and Secretary Qin has passed away." Seeing the message, Mayor Li was first shocked, then elated. He read the message for several minutes, and the more he read, the more excited he became. He thought, "Finally, the opportunity has come! I've been a township mayor for five years, from a young section-level cadre to now, where age is no longer an advantage. My work in the township has been tightly controlled by Secretary Qin, leaving me no room to move. But now, the opportunity has come. If I can be promoted to Party Secretary, although it's the same level, as a grassroots cadre, I won't have a chance to be promoted to deputy county level without being a Party Secretary. I need to act quickly and report to Secretary Tang and County Chief Yin. County Chief Yin is my former superior and will definitely help me. Although Secretary Tang is cold to me, it should be fine. He is a new leader, and if I take the initiative to approach him, he will likely accept me." Li Jun became more and more excited and first called County Chief Yin. "County Chief Yin, it's Li Jun. Yes, I'm disturbing your meal? Oh, you're done. There's something I need to report to my old leader. Machi Township Party Secretary Qin Daming was in a car accident and has passed away. Yes, it just happened. I reported it to you as soon as I got the news. Old leader, I've been a township mayor for five years. Can I move this time? I can handle the job. Yes, yes. Thank you for your concern. Should I go now? You think I should report to Secretary Tang in person? Yes, I'll follow your advice. Please rest assured, I will always be your subordinate."

Mayor Li was grateful to County Chief Yin for his magnanimity. As a leader, the most taboo is for subordinates to approach political opponents. Therefore, when Mayor Li heard County Chief Yin advise him to report to Secretary Tang first and seek his support, he knew that County Chief Yin truly trusted him. County Chief Yin must have known that the County Party Secretary controls the appointments of all cadres in the county, and to become a Party Secretary, one must go through Secretary Tang. After listening to County Chief Yin's advice, Li Jun hung up the phone and hurriedly called his driver to pick him up.

On the way to Secretary Tang's house, Mayor Li coincidentally met Ye Ziran at the door. Knowing that Ye Ziran had a close relationship with Secretary Tang, if it were a normal situation, he would have taken him along to see Secretary Tang. However, the matter he needed to report to Secretary Tang was ostensibly about reporting but actually about seeking a promotion, so he couldn't let Ye Ziran know. Therefore, he sent Ye Ziran to the hospital first.

Hearing about Secretary Qin's accident, Ye Ziran was also tense and said to Mayor Li, "Okay, Mayor Li, I'll go right away." He turned and rode his bike to the county central hospital.

Ye Ziran rode quickly and reached the emergency building of the county central hospital in just eight minutes. Entering the emergency building, he saw Deputy Mayor Lin's wife, He Chunying, hugging her son and crying loudly, surrounded by her family. He thought, "This is bad. It seems not only Secretary Qin but also Deputy Mayor Lin is in trouble. The township will be in chaos." Looking around, he didn't see Secretary Qin's family. Just as he was puzzled, he saw Deputy Director He Guitian of the Party and Government Office coming out and hurriedly asked, "Old He, how did such a big thing happen? What's the situation? Where are Secretary Qin's family?"

He Guitian looked at him and asked in confusion, "Secretary Qin's family? What are they doing here? It's Deputy Mayor Lin who had the accident. Secretary Qin is inside talking to the traffic police."

Hearing this, Ye Ziran was surprised again and asked, "Why did Mayor Li tell me that Secretary Qin was in a car accident and had passed away?"

"He told you Secretary Qin was in an accident? How could that be? Where did you meet Mayor Li?" He Guitian asked, puzzled.

"At Secretary Tang's house." Ye Ziran replied.

"But, I sent a message to Mayor Li via the pager, saying that Deputy Mayor Lin had a car accident and Secretary Qin had left... " He Guitian suddenly slapped his head, his face turning pale, and exclaimed, "This is bad, this is bad. Mayor Li misunderstood. I meant that Secretary Qin had left the township government to go to the hospital. I need to call the pager station immediately to clarify and let Mayor Li know." He then hurried away.

Hearing He Guitian's words, Ye Ziran understood the whole situation and his face changed. He was both angry and anxious. Such an important matter, and Old He had sent a vague message via the pager, causing such a big misunderstanding. He knew that Old He was Mayor Li's person and, knowing that something big had happened in the township, reported Secretary Qin's whereabouts to Mayor Li to get his attention. But at a critical moment, he was unreliable, truly a "Liu A Dou" type of person. This big misunderstanding made Mayor Li think that the accident victim was Qin Daming, and he immediately started to act. Even if the truth is now known and he stops, it will be hard to give a satisfactory explanation to Secretary Tang and County Chief Yin. The two big shots in the county will inevitably have a negative view of him, and his future will be uncertain. How could he not resent He Guitian? Once Secretary Qin learns about Mayor Li's actions, he will also have a bad impression of him. To reduce Secretary Qin's anger, Mayor Li will likely blame He Guitian, and his future will be ruined. Ye Ziran thought more and more, feeling that the situation was getting out of control. Machi Township was in chaos, not only because a deputy mayor had died but also because the misunderstanding between the top two leaders would make it difficult to carry out work in the future.

Ye Ziran resented Mayor Li for acting rashly without verifying the situation, driven by his eagerness for a promotion. Just as he was lost in thought, Machi Township Party Secretary Qin Daming came out of the doctor's room in the emergency department, saw Ye Ziran, and immediately called out, "Director Ye, you came at the right time. I still need to talk to the traffic police. According to the traffic police's on-site investigation, Deputy Mayor Lin was initially determined to be driving under the influence. This is a difficult matter to handle. If it's true, Machi Township will face criticism from the County Party Committee." Secretary Qin shook his head and sighed, "Deputy Mayor Lin was such a good cadre, and he's gone like this. What a pity."

Ye Ziran agreed, "Yes, it's too sudden. I'm still in shock. I met Mayor Li at Secretary Tang's house and was startled. I rode my bike here, and my mind was blank. Mayor Li even said that both you and Deputy Mayor Lin were in an accident."

Secretary Qin was surprised and asked, "You met Mayor Li at Secretary Tang's house? He said both I and Deputy Mayor Lin were in a car accident? Why didn't he come here? Why did he rush to Secretary Tang's house instead of handling the situation?"

Ye Ziran couldn't answer the series of questions and didn't know how to respond.

Secretary Qin, having been a top leader for many years, understood the urgency of the situation and temporarily set aside his dissatisfaction with Mayor Li. He said to Ye Ziran, "Director Ye, let's divide the tasks. You go talk to Deputy Mayor Lin's family and find out the details of the accident and their demands. The Party and Government Office will be responsible for Deputy Mayor Lin's funeral arrangements. I'll go talk to the traffic police. We'll meet up later."

Ye Ziran nodded and replied, "Okay, Secretary Qin, I'll talk to Deputy Mayor Lin's family and report back to you later."

"Good, let's do that." Secretary Qin then went to the traffic police to continue verifying the situation.