Chapter 37

PS: Thank you for the support from '_Vivian' and 'Guzhu Yujian'! Tomorrow, I will be on the Sanjiang page, hoping everyone can vote for "The Supreme Official Path" with a Sanjiang ticket every day. Thank you all!

"Time is getting late. I'll have someone drive you back to the county government compound. I wonder if you're free tonight? Director Yang wants to treat you to dinner." Seeing Yang Jie get up to leave, Chen Yinglong followed him out of the office and asked in a low voice.

"Actually, I'm not free today. I have a dinner appointment with my colleagues from the county office. How about tomorrow night? We can celebrate Director Yang's promotion then." From Chen Yuan, Yang Jie learned that Secretary Zhou intended for Yang Hua to take over the Public Security Bureau. Apart from a few standing committee members of Zhou Dalong's faction, only Yang Jie knew this in advance.

Hearing this, Chen Yinglong's eyes lit up. He looked at Yang Jie with gratitude, nodded, and smiled, "Thanks for your good words, Brother Yang. It seems Director Yang really has to treat us. There's no way out of it! Let's make it official. I'll pick you up from the county government compound tomorrow night."

"Then I'll wait for you at the county office, Brother!" Yang Jie nodded and smiled. Seeing Chen Yinglong call a police officer to bring a police Jetta, he said goodbye to Chen Yinglong and got into the car, heading straight for the county government compound.

After returning to the county government compound, Yang Jie hurried to Chen Yuan's office but found the door tightly closed. No one answered when he knocked, clearly indicating no one was inside.

"Brother Yang, are you looking for Director Chen? A standing committee meeting is being held upstairs. Director Chen is attending the meeting," Gu Zhongyi, holding a document, came out of the deputy director's office next door and saw Yang Jie standing at Chen Yuan's office door.

"Is the meeting starting so soon? I thought it was supposed to be before the end of the workday?" Yang Jie glanced at his watch; there was still an hour before the end of the afternoon shift.

"Except for emergency standing committee meetings, Wuhe County usually holds the secretary's office meeting in the morning. After the secretaries have discussed, the standing committee meeting is held at 4:30 PM, ending before the end of the workday. If you need to find Director Chen, come back just before the end of the workday!" Seeing Yang Jie's question, Gu Zhongyi smiled and explained the usual practice of the two high-level meetings in Wuhe County.

"Brother Gu, I have a document that needs to be delivered to Director Chen promptly. Can it be delivered during the standing committee meeting?" Yang Jie, being new to the job, was unfamiliar with these procedures and humbly sought advice from Gu Zhongyi.

Gu Zhongyi glanced meaningfully at the document in Yang Jie's hand, a glint of insight flashing in his eyes. He smiled and whispered, "The document you're holding is related to the discussion in the standing committee meeting, right? Normally, no one is allowed to enter during the meeting, but if there's a special situation, an exception can be made."

"What kind of special situation?" Yang Jie's eyes lit up.

"There are many special situations, such as a large-scale group event or a major safety accident, a sudden inspection by a higher-level leader, an important phone call that a leader needs to take immediately, or a document related to the meeting that needs to be delivered promptly. All of these count as special situations. However, even in special situations, not just anyone can enter the meeting room. Only the secretaries of the secretary or the county head can enter. If you have something to do, you can go directly to the sixth-floor meeting room and see if Secretary Jiang Yi is there." Gu Zhongyi whispered a suggestion to Yang Jie, patted his shoulder, and leisurely walked toward the stairs.

Following Gu Zhongyi's advice, Yang Jie hurriedly took the document to the sixth floor. During the standing committee meeting, the large iron door at the entrance to the sixth floor is temporarily closed, and outsiders cannot enter. Looking through a small window on the door, Yang Jie saw two middle-aged men sitting in the corridor outside the meeting room.

The secretary and the county head are both at the level of a full county, and according to regulations, they do not have the right to have a secretary. However, there are always ways around the rules. Both the secretary and the county head have designated communicators who serve them exclusively, and these communicators are usually referred to as secretaries.

Secretary Zhou's secretary, Jiang Yi, is around 35-36 years old, a graduate of a teacher's college, and an excellent writer. Yang Jie had met him a few times. Seeing Jiang Yi through the small window, Yang Jie quickly knocked on the iron door.

Hearing the noise, Jiang Yi turned to look at the large iron door. Seeing Yang Jie waving at him, he quickly got up and walked to the door. "Brother Yang, the secretary is in a meeting. Is there something important?"

Yang Jie's special relationship with Zhou Dalong was well-known to Jiang Yi. If it were a township official or a department head, Jiang Yi would not be so friendly, but facing Yang Jie, he did not dare to be arrogant. After all, Yang Jie's father was a war hero who had fought alongside Zhou Dalong for over a decade.

"Brother Jiang, this document is about Luo Song instructing Deputy Chief Wang Biao of the Public Security Brigade to arrest Jameson without reporting. It also includes evidence of Wang Biao bribing Luo Song. Director Chen asked me to deliver it promptly. Could you please help me pass it to the secretary?" Yang Jie, seeing Jiang Yi call him brother, naturally went along with it.

"Great! You are truly a timely rain for the secretary. I'll deliver the document right away! Thank you for your hard work!" Jiang Yi's face showed a hint of joy. He never expected that, right in the middle of the standing committee meeting, Yang Jie would directly provide the secretary with direct evidence against Luo Song.

During the morning secretary's office meeting, the conflict between the county head and the secretary was still fresh in Jiang Yi's mind. He knew that in the afternoon standing committee meeting, the factions led by the secretary and the county head would engage in a fierce battle. With the confession about Luo Song instructing Wang Biao to arrest a foreign businessman and the evidence of Wang Biao bribing Luo Song, Zhou Dalong would have a significant advantage in dealing with Luo Song.

Taking the document from Yang Jie through the window, Jiang Yi quickly walked toward the meeting room. Seeing this, the county head's secretary, Mi Dingbang, felt a sense of foreboding. Glancing at Yang Jie outside the iron door, his eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his face turned cold.

Yang Jie's repeated interference with the county head's plans, making Zhou Dalong stand out in the investment attraction, not only earned him high recognition from the city but also praise from the county's residents. This naturally made Zhang Daxian furious.

Zhang Daxian was the deputy leader of the project team. Logically, the county's outstanding achievements in investment attraction should also be credited to him. However, everyone knew that the credit for this success belonged entirely to Yang Jie and Zhou Dalong, with no contribution from the county head. This naturally made Zhang Daxian angry.

Especially Yang Jie, who had completely overshadowed the county head, not only successfully attracting 80 million US dollars to Wuhe County but also ensuring that all the projects invested by Jimmy were related to Yang Jie. In Zhang Daxian's view, it was as if Jimmy was voluntarily giving money to Yang Jie. If Yang Jie had any authority, it could be considered abuse of power.

However, for a new employee, a war hero who had been injured in battle and was now a disabled veteran, Zhang Daxian knew that any attempt to smear Yang Jie would not be allowed by higher-ups. Therefore, unable to deal with Yang Jie, Zhang Daxian vented his anger on Zhou Dalong.

The debate at the standing committee meeting was reaching a fever pitch. The standing committee members led by Party Secretary Zhou Dalong, including the Party Masses Secretary Luo Changyuan, Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Li Bing, Deputy Secretary in charge of economic and industrial work Lei Shuping, County Armed Forces Political Commissar He Xingli, County Office Director Chen Yuan, and Propaganda Minister Sun Jiayun, demanded a thorough investigation into Luo Song and Chen Jian's dereliction of duty and corruption.

On the other hand, the standing committee members led by County Head Zhang Daxian, including Political and Legal Affairs Secretary Guo Xin, Organization Minister Zhao Yu, Executive Deputy County Head Deng Zixiang, and Deputy Secretary in charge of agriculture and forestry work Liao Guojin, believed that Luo Song and Chen Jian had not committed serious violations during their tenure. Even if there were some violations, they did not warrant severe punishment. They argued for a certain level of party discipline, rather than a complete crackdown.

Sitting at the head of the meeting table, Zhou Dalong watched the standing committee members of Zhang Daxian's faction casually mention the principle of "punishing past mistakes to prevent future ones and curing the sick to save the patient." He felt extremely annoyed. Just as he was about to make a final decision through a vote, he saw Jiang Yi enter the room with a stack of documents.

The minutes of the standing committee meeting are usually taken by the secretary's communicator, but this time, Chen Yuan had asked Jiang Yi to wait outside while she, as the county office director, took the minutes herself. Jiang Yi had not understood why until he saw Yang Jie with the documents.

"Secretary, this is the confession about Luo Song instructing Deputy Chief Wang Biao of the Public Security Brigade to arrest Jameson without reporting, along with evidence of Wang Biao bribing Luo Song." Jiang Yi handed the documents to Zhou Dalong, leaned down, and whispered a few words in his ear before quickly leaving the meeting room.

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