Chapter 84 of 100

Chapter 84

17 min read4,149 words

Chapter 23, Intense Battle (Part 1)

In Tang Lu's office, Fang Ling smiled somewhat fawningly.

"Mayor, I heard that your pen holder broke recently. A relative of mine went to Beijing a while ago and picked one up casually. I thought it would be quite suitable for you, so I brought it over."

Fang Ling took out a pen holder from her handbag, which was from the Ming Dynasty and featured a crane and pine pattern. It was carved using the round sculpture bamboo technique, with deep and ancient artistic intent.

This pen holder, in terms of glaze color, shape, and painting style, deeply attracted Tang Lu's attention.

Tang Lu had no other special hobbies; in his free time, he enjoyed handling antiques. However, he wouldn't accept anything too valuable. Small items like pen holders, which were not too expensive, were deeply to his liking.

Tang Lu looked at Fang Ling. This woman was quite aware of his preferences, and the pen holder she chose was very much to his taste. It was worth the effort he had put into supporting her to become a member of the Standing Committee during the political turmoil.

"Xiao Fang, this kind of gift-giving is not good. You are a Party cadre and should always set an example," Tang Lu said, although he liked the pen holder, he still gave a symbolic criticism.

"Mayor, this thing isn't worth much. Calling it a gift is a bit too much," Fang Ling straightened her posture, and her face, which had been gloomy for days, finally broke into a smile.

Tang Lu didn't respond, tacitly accepting it. He then asked, "How's your recent work? I've read the revised draft of the Economic Development Zone (EDZ) that your Hongshui County came up with. I still stand by my statement: Hongshui County is not suitable for this EDZ!"

Fang Ling perked up at the mention of the EDZ. This was a great opportunity to get back at Yang Zixuan!

"Mayor, I share this view. In fact, many of the older comrades in the county government have reservations about the EDZ draft. There are also quite a few who oppose it," Fang Ling seized the opportunity to lodge a strong complaint against Yang Zixuan. "The EDZ plan was entirely pushed through by County Magistrate Yang, along with a few young comrades in the county government!"

Tang Lu frowned. He could tell that Fang Ling was exaggerating, but there was likely some truth to it. Yang Zixuan was indeed the main force behind the EDZ plan being passed at the county government's standing committee meeting.

"Xiao Fang, you need to be careful with your words. Speaking like this can easily make people think that Comrade Yang Zixuan has a domineering and autocratic work style!" Tang Lu's voice showed no emotional change.

Fang Ling was delighted. She knew that Tang Lu was guiding her to make a negative evaluation of Yang Zixuan. She quickly said, "Mayor, you're right! County Magistrate Yang has a domineering and autocratic work style in our county government!"

"Our county government meetings often become his one-man show. He doesn't listen to the opinions of the older comrades and rarely adopts their suggestions!"

"Not only in our county government meetings, but also in the county Party Standing Committee meetings, he often clashes with Secretary Su Nan, showing no respect for the Party committee's opinions and having a very domineering work style!"

"His behavior is well-known throughout the county Party and government organs. I'm not the only one criticizing the leadership behind his back!" Fang Ling listed several major grievances against Yang Zixuan in one breath.

Tang Lu slammed his hand on the table. "This Yang Zixuan really doesn't know his place. A mere county magistrate, and he's trying to run things as a one-man show in Hongshui County."

"Recently, our county government has been planning to develop the Tianma Mountain Tourism Area, making it a landmark of Hongshui County. The county government worked together to have the radio and television bureau produce a special program, which was very successful. Have you heard about it, Mayor?"

Tang Lu nodded and said, "I've heard about it, but Hongshui County hasn't given a detailed report to the city yet. I'm not very clear on the specifics."

"The special program caused a sensation on the provincial channel and even attracted the CEO of a famous Taiwanese group to come to Hongshui County for an on-site inspection. County Magistrate Yang, to claim credit, didn't report to the city first and didn't ensure security. He took the Taiwanese female businessman to Tianma Mountain alone. During the inspection, an accident occurred, and they were attacked by some criminals hiding in the mountains. The female businessman almost died on the spot. Fortunately, only County Magistrate Yang was injured, and the female businessman was protected by her bodyguards and remained safe..."

Tang Lu's face turned grim, and he slammed the table again. "This Yang Zixuan is really despicable! If that Taiwanese female businessman had been harmed in our city, it wouldn't just be a personal safety accident. It would affect the image of our city government and even the provincial government of Luofu! Our city's investment image would be ruined by him!"

Fang Ling knew the fire was almost burning out, so she added more fuel. "Now, that female businessman is probably very scared and has a terrible impression of the security environment in Hongshui County and our city. The plan to develop the Tianma Mountain Tourism Area will likely be a futile effort."

"Think about all the efforts our county government put into the preliminary publicity for the Tianma Mountain Tourism Area. It all went to waste because of County Magistrate Yang's desire to claim credit!" Fang Ling's voice was filled with委屈 (grievance).

"I heard that Deputy Mayor Xu came to Hongshui County this morning to visit and comfort Yang Zixuan. From the looks of it, he deserves his injuries and isn't worth sympathizing with!" Tang Lu said harshly.

In fact, Tang Lu had always wanted to deal with this young county magistrate who often dared to challenge him, but he couldn't find a proper reason. He didn't want to quarrel with Yang Zixuan over trivial matters, as that would make him seem petty.

This time, what Fang Ling said perfectly aligned with his intentions, enough to make it difficult for Yang Zixuan to recover.

Tang Lu secretly smiled. Yang Zixuan, I'll see how you can escape from my hands this time!

"Let's do this. Xiao Fang, you brief the county on your work today and stay in the city for a while. No need to rush back. I'll need to ask you some more details later," Tang Lu stood up and said. "I'll go and discuss with Secretary Lin about the handling of the incident where County Magistrate Yang privately led the investment delegation to Tianma Mountain and was attacked. We'll also discuss his work attitude! I'll propose a meeting of the city Party Standing Committee to discuss County Magistrate Yang's work errors!"

Fang Ling was excited, her face flushed.

She knew that once Tang Lu believed her and pushed for the incident to be classified as a major work error by Yang Zixuan at the city Party Standing Committee meeting, Yang Zixuan's good days would be over!

A warning or even a job transfer was inevitable!

As she walked out of the city government building and headed to the Daming City guesthouse, Fang Ling couldn't help but laugh out loud. Yang Zixuan, Yang Zixuan, I'll see how you can fight against my old mother this time!

...

Yang Zixuan, who was sitting in Xu Ming's house, sneezed and thought, "Who's calling my name?"

"County Magistrate, what do you think we should do next?" An Zai asked. He had just arrived from the police station.

Yang Zixuan had Liu Kek narrate the events, and An Zai was also frowning.

He didn't expect this matter to be so deep, with the county Party leadership instructing Hei San to assassinate Zeng Jingzi.

Yang Zixuan knew this was a serious matter and had to be handled carefully. "An Zai, who do you think is the most likely county Party leader to have instructed Hei San?"

An Zai pointed to the ceiling. "The most likely person is the one above me!"

Xu Ming and his wife knew they were discussing important matters and excused themselves to the kitchen, but Liu Kek remained to listen.

"Old He and Hei San definitely have a connection. This is evident from the close relationship between his nephew and Hei San!" An Zai said confidently.

"Hei San is just a thug, with limited connections in the county Party. The most likely person he would have a connection with is Old He!" An Zai continued, seeing Yang Zixuan's skeptical expression.

"But An Zai, think about it. What benefit would Old He gain from instructing Hei San to assassinate Zeng Jingzi? What deep-seated grudge could Zeng Jingzi have with him?" Yang Zixuan countered.

Yang Zixuan's question made An Zai silent. Indeed, there was no clear motive for Old He to assassinate Zeng Jingzi.

"An Zai, you've worked with Old He for a long time. Don't you know what kind of person he is? He's a typical official who doesn't act without a clear benefit!" Yang Zixuan sighed. "He's unlikely to do something so reckless and without any gain!"

"Then who do you think the county Party leader might be?" An Zai wanted to hear Yang Zixuan's thoughts.

"I think those criminals were actually targeting me. The goal was to tarnish my reputation and bring me down!"

"The real target of the mastermind is—me!"

Yang Zixuan said firmly.

"Think about it. If a Taiwanese investor were to die in Hongshui County, who would be held responsible?"

"As the head of the Hongshui County government, I would definitely be held accountable! If the investment environment and reputation of Daming City were tarnished, I wouldn't be able to stay in my position as county magistrate!"

"Ah?" Liu Kek, listening to their conversation, was startled. He realized that the political struggles, which didn't involve bloodshed, were more dangerous than the physical confrontations he had experienced in his gang.

He never expected this young county magistrate to have such a keen insight into the situation. No wonder he could become a county magistrate at such a young age!

An Zai nodded. "It seems that way. So, the mastermind is likely not Old He but someone else!"

Yang Zixuan shook his head. "It's still too early to say who the mastermind is. This is just a guess. We need to catch Hei San and his gang to find out the truth!"

"I'll go back and deploy the manpower immediately to stake out Hei San's hideout and wait for him to fall into our trap!" An Zai, known for his decisive actions, patted Liu Kek's shoulder. "Old Liu, you lead the way. Capturing Hei San will be a great achievement. If it goes well, I'll get you into our police force! A formal position!"

"Really?" Liu Kek's eyes lit up.

"Do I look like I'm lying?" An Zai smiled. "Your skills are perfect for the police force!"

Yang Zixuan nodded. "An Zai, when you deploy the manpower, be sure to avoid Old He's attention! We still don't know if he's the mastermind, and raising his suspicions would complicate things!"

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