Chapter 89 of 100

Chapter 89

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Chapter 45: The Vision of the Beautiful County Magistrate

Wu Qingshui had also recently been transferred to serve as the Party Secretary of Lianshui County, arriving six months earlier than Xue Xue. He was quite cooperative with this beautiful female partner of his. He rarely interfered in government affairs and generally left personnel matters to Xue Xue, to avoid being accused of bullying a female colleague.

Of course, Xue Xue also showed him great respect, never overstepping her bounds. She always sought his approval and reported matters to him, giving him, the Party Secretary, ample face.

Upon hearing Xue Xue's account, Wu Qingshui immediately flew into a rage: "How can such a person be a cadre? If one cannot manage a single room, how can they manage the world? My opinion is to deal with this firmly and without mercy! Magistrate Xue, you should act boldly and investigate thoroughly. Punish every culprit without leniency. Rest assured, I will stand behind you and support you fully! The assailant must also be punished severely! It's outrageous that someone would dare to assault a county magistrate. Is there no law in this world?"

Wu Qingshui's voice was loud and his tone urgent, but Xue Xue felt a warmth in her heart. Before making this call, she had some concerns: Would Wu Qingshui think she was making a fuss over nothing? Would he support her? Would he remove Fang Dahong from his position? These were all unknowns. To her surprise, not only did Wu Qingshui agree with her decision, but he also showed extraordinary support, which moved her and boosted her confidence.

She casually asked, "Is Secretary Shi attending a meeting in the city?"

Wu Qingshui replied, "I don't think so. Old Shi called me this morning and didn't mention anything about it. Is there something you need?"

Xue Xue said it was nothing and hung up the phone, then declared, "Secretary Wu has agreed. Comrade Fang Dahong will be removed from all his positions. If it is confirmed that he was the instigator, he will be expelled from the Party and held criminally responsible."

The officials present were all taken aback. It was just a few scratches on the secretary, yet it caused such a big stir. Clearly, this was a warning to others!

Xue Xue had not yet made a significant move since taking office.

As for who else might be implicated, it was hard to say. In the political arena, pulling one radish often brings up the mud. If they were to investigate thoroughly, who could completely escape responsibility?

For a moment, the officials present were all lost in thought.

When Fang Dahong's wife heard the immediate judgment against her husband, she was terrified and began to wail, "It's not Dahong's fault! He didn't know anything about it. A vice-county magistrate asked me to do this! He promised that if I got rid of this fox... Magistrate, he would help my husband get his position back! Dahong really didn't know anything! Don't wrong him!"

Her words were like a nuclear bomb dropped into the political landscape of Lianshui.

Everyone present was stunned, their eyes darting around, unsure where to look.

They wanted to pretend they hadn't heard, but her voice was so loud that it hurt their eardrums. Everyone heard her clearly and was filled with deep curiosity, wanting to know who this vice-county magistrate was.

Lianshui County had four vice-county magistrates. The first was Jin Yuzhong, the deputy county magistrate, who was the most suspicious.

Jin Yuzhong was in his early forties and had been stuck at the deputy level for nearly a decade. Ten years ago, in his early thirties, he was promoted to the deputy level. At that time, he was full of ambition and eager to make a name for himself in his career. After serving as a deputy county magistrate for two years, he was smoothly elected as a vice-county magistrate. After one term, he expected to be promoted, but to his dismay, he only became the deputy county magistrate. He served in this position for several more years. When the previous county magistrate was promoted, everyone in the county thought it was his turn to step up. However, a new county magistrate was appointed, and she was a young woman. Anyone could understand that Jin Yuzhong would be unhappy. Therefore, he was the most suspicious.

The other vice-county magistrates were Qu Wang, who was in charge of agriculture, water conservancy, and poverty alleviation; Fang Jicai, who was in charge of education, tourism, and culture; and Li Kaifu, who was in charge of transportation, statistics, and prices.

Among them, Qu Wang was also an old Lianshui cadre. After Jin Yuzhong, he was the most senior and respected.

Fang Jicai had only recently been appointed as a vice-county magistrate and was unlikely to have such ambitions.

Li Kaifu, though older, had only been promoted to the deputy level for a little over two years. By seniority, it wasn't his turn yet.

Fang Dahong was removed from his position by Qu Wang. It was unlikely that Qu Wang would have him reinstated so soon after removing him.

Everyone was pondering, each with their own thoughts.

Qiu Feng continued the interrogation, "What's the name of that vice-county magistrate? If you tell us, your punishment will be lighter."

Fang Dahong's wife, realizing she had said too much, denied it, "What vice-county magistrate? I don't know! I'm just a rural woman, I don't understand these things."

Qiu Feng was annoyed, "You're still being stubborn. We'll take you to the police station, and we'll see if you talk then!"

Although Xue Xue also wanted to know who that person was, she remained calm, suppressing her anger, and said, "Chief Qiu, that's enough. Take them back to the station. Report the results directly to me."

This statement conveyed an important message: Xue Xue did not want to escalate the matter.

Xue Xue was a pragmatic official. While she might not bring great benefits to the area, she at least wanted to do her job well. She was unwilling to waste her limited time on trivial political struggles.

Qiu Feng understood her meaning. Just as he was about to take the two people back to the station, a police siren sounded, and a police van arrived, followed by two police motorcycles. Qiu Feng saw the people getting out of the car and immediately ran over, saluting and saying, "Director Lu, good to see you!"

Lu Zhixin was in his thirties, over 1.8 meters tall, and very robust. He had been a reconnaissance company commander and had worked in the police force for several years, solving many major cases, earning him a high reputation in the Lianshui police system.

Lu Zhixin nodded hurriedly and ran to Xue Xue, saying loudly, "Magistrate Xue, we are late, and you have suffered!"

Xue Xue replied, "I'm fine. My secretary is the one who was injured. Although it's just surface damage, according to Director Li, they had chili water on their nails, which can cause significant skin damage."

Lu Zhixin glanced at Li Yi, who was standing silently to the side, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. The fact that the nails had chili water on them could only be determined by a professional criminal investigator. He didn't expect that Li Yi, a young scholar, would know this.

Xiao Han showed her face, and Lu Zhixin examined it. Her fair, tender face had several red, glaring scratches, which were quite shocking. Lu Zhixin immediately cursed, "Damn! This is too cruel! How could they hurt such a young girl! Secretary Xiao Han, rest assured, I will punish the culprit and avenge you!"

Xiao Han looked pitiful, sniffing and nodding, "Thank you, Director Lu."

Lu Zhixin walked over and whispered a few words to Qiu Feng, exchanging information about the case. Then he went to Xue Xue and said, "Magistrate Xue, I'll have my colleagues take the suspects back for interrogation. I'll send two of my men to accompany you to Fenglin Town."

Xue Xue immediately shook her head, "No, I'm here for a survey, not to investigate a case. Having police with me would look strange. Besides, I am the county magistrate of Lianshui. If I fear for my safety in my own jurisdiction, it would prove that I am failing in my duties and deserve to be punished! You go back! Report the results to me as soon as possible. Do you understand my meaning?"

Lu Zhixin understood, and he also looked at this beautiful county magistrate with new respect. If it were someone else, they would have made a big fuss and taken the opportunity to eliminate a few opponents.

This woman has a broad vision!

Fang Dahong's wife shouted wildly, "Why are you arresting me? That fox of a county magistrate embezzled the reservoir funds and misappropriated the poverty alleviation funds. She deserves to be beaten! Why don't you arrest her? I'm not guilty! I'm doing a public service!"

Lu Zhixin, hearing her increasingly absurd claims, said coldly, "Are you all just eating your meals? Get a move on!"

Several police officers quickly handcuffed the two and pushed them into the car.

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