Chapter 93

Chapter 31: The New War Horn

For the political arena of Daming City, the first month of the year was destined to be anything but peaceful!

Of course, this unrest had both positive and negative aspects.

But anyone within Daming City who knew the true inside story of the previous days would remember one name—Yang Zixuan!

It was this young man who had intruded into the chessboard of the Standing Committee members, profoundly altering the political landscape of Daming City once again.

Mayor Tang Lu, a local figurehead in Daming City, had his prestige significantly diminished after the farce he created at the Standing Committee meeting.

This profound defeat was like a whip lashing down on Tang Lu's already withered, yellow face.

Many people realized that this once powerful mayor was now irreversibly old, and they had to make preparations for the worst. They needed to start looking for new backers without changing their stance, as Tang Lu might no longer be reliable!

After the Xu Li case, two more deputy county-level officials in Hongshui County fell—Party Standing Committee member and Deputy County Magistrate Fang Ling, after being investigated by the Discipline Inspection Commission, confessed to the fact of framing Yang Zixuan and was transferred to the judicial authorities. Party Standing Committee member, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and County Public Security Bureau Chief He Longbin, who did not manage to escape, was taken away by the city's Discipline Inspection Commission for investigation. He was suspected of accepting bribes and protecting organized crime, and was involved in the planning of the Tianma Mountain assassination attempt!

On March 3rd, the Daming City Party Committee held a meeting to announce the Tianma Mountain assassination incident in Hongshui County. Party Standing Committee member and Deputy County Magistrate Fang Ling was expelled from the Party and removed from her position as Deputy County Magistrate, and the judicial authorities would pursue criminal responsibility. After a meeting of the Daming City Discipline Inspection Commission and approval by the Daming City Standing Committee, Party Standing Committee member and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission He Longbin was expelled from the Party and removed from his position.

With this, Yang Zixuan's status and prestige in the Hongshui County government reached new heights.

Few dared to challenge Yang Zixuan in the county government, as the former Deputy County Magistrate Fang Ling was already sitting in the Daming City prison.

The seasoned officials in the county government, who were previously fence-sitters and observers, all joined Yang Zixuan's camp, becoming his vanguard in pushing for reforms!

...

In early March, the trees along the main streets of Hongshui County were already sprouting green leaves, exuding a vibrant spring atmosphere.

A Santana with the second license plate of Hongshui County slowly navigated through the dense crowd.

During this period, Xiao Chen, who drove for Yang Zixuan, was particularly spirited. First, Yang Zixuan had resolved his employment issues shortly after taking office. Second, since Deputy County Magistrate Fang Ling was sent to prison, the people in the county government had become increasingly cautious and flattering towards Xiao Chen, Yang Zixuan's driver. As a result, Xiao Chen's status in the car pool was even subtly higher than that of Xiao Gao, who drove for the County Party Secretary Su Nan!

Yang Zixuan sat in the back of the car, eyes closed, reflecting on recent gains and losses.

The handling of Fang Ling and He Longbin was not made public or reported to the media, mainly to avoid the Taiwan Strait Group knowing that the assassination attempt was orchestrated by the county government, which could tarnish their image and add more uncertainty to the investment in the Tianma Mountain tourist area!

Now, Zeng Jingzi had returned to Taiwan, and the investment was already decided. According to her, she would return to Hongshui County in a few days to sign the investment agreement after holding a board meeting in Taiwan.

Thinking back to their farewell, Zeng Jingzi, dressed in a comfortable and soft knitted cardigan, with a dark yellow scarf around her neck and a tight-fitting pair of jeans that accentuated her graceful figure, gave Yang Zixuan a light hug, causing ripples in his heart.

Although Yang Zixuan knew that the hug did not carry much emotional significance, just a formality, he couldn't help but feel a bit different whenever he thought about it.

Zeng Jingzi was different from Su Chen's cute and pure demeanor, Lu'er's mysterious and simple nature, and Lin Ruoshui's obsessive and refined character. As a strong woman who had long been in the business world, supporting the giant electronics manufacturing company, the Strait Group, she had a unique charm of her own.

Yang Zixuan shook his head and smiled, finding himself rather uninteresting. Many of these women would ultimately have no connection with him.

It was like two intersecting lines; the intersection was just a point, and after that point, they would drift further apart!

The emotional scars and regrets from his past life left too much to be mended in this life.

...

The Santana stopped outside the Wangjiang Hotel, immediately drawing the attention of a few people. The hotel's general manager, with his sharp eyes, immediately recognized Yang Zixuan's license plate and hurriedly came forward to greet him.

"County Magistrate, you're also attending the wedding banquet at the Public Security Bureau, right?" the general manager asked, bowing and nodding.

Yang Zixuan casually closed the car door and straightened his clothes. Even at the county government's standing meetings, he usually dressed casually, but today, for An Zai's wedding, he was dressed in a suit and tie, looking sharp and handsome, with a commanding presence.

"You fatso, aren't you just asking the obvious? At least 90% of the cars parked outside your hotel today are here for An Zai's wedding!" Yang Zixuan laughed.

The fatso and Hei San were good friends, and he knew that Hei San had been sent to the Daming City prison by the young man in front of him, causing him to shiver. "County Magistrate, please come in. There are already many people inside."

Lin Ruoshui arrived early and had a chat with the bride. Seeing Yang Zixuan come in, she came out and said with a smile, "Your good friend's wedding, and you, the big County Magistrate, are so late! That's not very considerate."

Lin Ruoshui was wearing a tight, mid-length dress similar to Audrey Hepburn's, exuding a charming aura that made Yang Zixuan worry that the bride, Pan Jie, would be overshadowed by the County Party Secretary.

"I was reviewing some materials and plans from the Planning Commission last night, and I overslept this morning," Yang Zixuan said with a light smile. In public, he maintained a certain distance from Lin Ruoshui to avoid any suspicious signs.

Just as they were about to enter, a voice called out from behind, "Ruoshui! Ruoshui!"

Lin Ruoshui, hearing the familiar voice, suddenly grabbed Yang Zixuan's hand and turned around to see the annoying Zhuang Yixi.

Yang Zixuan also turned around, surprised to see the man who had sat next to Lin Ruoshui on the train the first time they met.

Zhuang Yixi immediately noticed Lin Ruoshui's hand on Yang Zixuan's arm, and his joyful expression turned cold. "Ruoshui, who is this man? Aren't you going to introduce him?"

Lin Ruoshui didn't even glance at him, turning her head and walking into the hotel as if nothing had happened.

Yang Zixuan smiled and followed her in.

"Lin Ruoshui, what kind of attitude is this! We are at least friends, right? Do you have to treat me with such coldness?" Zhuang Yixi, seeing that Lin Ruoshui ignored him, became anxious and lowered his tone.

Lin Ruoshui stopped, turned around, and said, "You said it, we are friends. Our relationship can only be that of friends. If you keep spreading rumors to my uncle and coming to my house, don't blame us for not being friends anymore!"

"This is County Magistrate Yang Zixuan of Hongshui County. Don't misunderstand our relationship. Of course, if you want to misunderstand, I don't care!" Lin Ruoshui pointed to Yang Zixuan and introduced him to Zhuang Yixi.

Zhuang Yixi looked at Yang Zixuan curiously. Although he was not in the government, his family had many people in politics, and it was rare to see someone so young in a high position.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be from Secretary Zhuang Daohuan's family," Yang Zixuan said, having studied the vice-provincial officials of Luofu Province. The only political family with the surname Zhuang in the province was Secretary Zhuang Daohuan's family.

Zhuang Daohuan's father was once the First Secretary of the Luofu Provincial Party Committee and the Director of the Provincial Revolutionary Committee, with many disciples and old colleagues in Luofu, and a significant influence in the province. Zhuang Daohuan was a key figure in the local faction led by Tang Lu.

"He is Zhuang Daohuan's son," Lin Ruoshui said, clearly not having a good impression of Zhuang Yixi, and by extension, not having a good impression of Zhuang Daohuan, calling him by his name.

"Why are you here today?" Lin Ruoshui was puzzled by Zhuang Yixi's sudden appearance.

"Is it strange? An Zai is my university classmate. I came to attend his wedding and visit Daming. Is that not allowed?" Zhuang Yixi said with a smug tone.

After the three entered, An Zai, who was not familiar with Zhuang Yixi from university, was also unhappy with this unexpected guest. However, as the son of a current member of the Luofu Provincial Party Committee and Secretary, Zhuang Daohuan, An Zai did not dare to be too rude.

...

Su Nan looked at the red invitation on the table, smoked a cigarette, and stood by the window.

He was hesitant about whether to attend An Zai's wedding. Undoubtedly, after He Longbin's downfall, An Zai was the undisputed first in the Hongshui County political and legal system, and it was only a matter of time before he took over as Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

The sudden downfall of Fang Ling and He Longbin was something Su Nan and Huang He had not anticipated. These two were allies that Su Nan had been trying to win over, but they were suddenly taken down by Yang Zixuan.

While feeling regret, Su Nan was also chilled to the bone, his fear of Yang Zixuan deepening.

Even a highly cautious and experienced figure like He Longbin, who had been in the political and legal system for over a decade, was quietly and effortlessly ensnared by Yang Zixuan's trap. How could Su Nan sleep soundly?

In fact, Su Nan had another worry.

It was the incident of throwing a shoe at Yang Zixuan, which had not yet been resolved. Now that An Zai had taken over the normal operations of the Public Security Bureau, he would certainly take over this case!

Su Nan's mind began to race!

...

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