Official Career Storm Chapter 251

Song Guanchao’s words were harsh, and Minister Cheng’s expression grew a bit stiff, but he still managed a strained smile.

Song Guanchao continued, "If you don’t want to offend anyone, why not just apply for a different position and let soone more capable take over as the head of the organization departnt?"

"How bad things have gotten in Dujiang County, you, as a local, know better than I. As a mber of the County Committee, you’re not thinking about solving problems proactively or reporting them upwards. Instead, you want to keep out of it and save yourself."

"True, I know Minister Cheng always plays by the rules, neither fawning over superiors nor bullying subordinates. Perhaps you think you are the only clean official in Dujiang County."

"But when corruption becos the norm, being clean is also a cri!"

"You had the chance to set things right, but you chose not to. You just thought about getting by until you could retire early."

At this point, Song Guanchao slamd his white wine glass down on the table and coldly chuckled without expression, "Does Minister Cheng still rember his oath when he joined the party? Do you rember standing under the solemn national flag, declaring your dedication to serving the people?"

"Ha, I see Minister Cheng has been an official for too long, probably turning into a cold-blooded creature."

Song Guanchao sneered, drank his last cup of wine, and stood up to leave, "Take your ti eating, Minister Cheng. County Magistrate Fu, let’s go."

Fu Ying watched, her mouth agape, observing Song Guanchao’s stern face and sharp words.

Then she turned to look at Minister Cheng, seated at the table, seemingly struck where it hurt, his face flushed red, on the verge of anger and sha.

She had never imagined that tonight’s eting would escalate like this.

She hesitated for a mont, then stood up and followed.

"Sigh~"

Minister Cheng suddenly exhaled forcefully as if trying to expel all the foul air from his chest.

He grabbed the wine glass, downed it in a burst of release, and, with his back to Song Guanchao, said, "Secretary Song doesn’t need to provoke with such words."

"Provoke you?"

Song Guanchao stood in the doorway, coldly chuckled without turning back, "Do I need to provoke you? What do you think I invited you for tonight?"

"I just wanted you to transfer County Magistrate Hou’s file to !"

"But you think, without you, I couldn’t get County Magistrate Hou’s file?"

"I’m just heartbroken, heartbroken that a cadre who clearly has conviction and wants to do real work has degenerated to laziness, idleness, and just waiting to eat."

"I haven’t been lazy!" Minister Cheng responded as if struck.

Song Guanchao sneered, "Dujiang County is ridden with criminal forces, its business environnt is terrible, and Secretary Tu only cares about GDP, not about issues that matter to the people."

"Right now, as the local county is about to upgrade to a city, what should be beneficial policies have beco a channel for so to make money. Minister Cheng, you know this all too well, yet you do nothing, just laugh it off. Minister Cheng, where has your initial resolution gone? Where have your beliefs and principles gone? How can you face and claim you haven’t been neglectful?"

Minister Cheng opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t retort.

He grabbed the bottle, continuously drinking one glass after another, as if trying to drown his cowardice.

But the more he drank, the clearer his mind beca, and Song Guanchao’s words lashed him like a whip, leaving clear marks on him.

One bottle of wine was gone.

Minister Cheng stared blankly, then suddenly said, "The power in the county lies in the hands of Secretary Tu and County Magistrate Hou. My authority is limited, but I have not been lazy or indifferent. I just refuse to be corrupted."

"If Secretary Song wants to do sothing, just say it straight. If I can help, I won’t refuse."

Fu Ying’s eyes widened, sowhat incredulously looking at Minister Cheng’s silhouette.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the silhouette of the over-fifty-year-old organization departnt head seed to have beco more upright at this mont.

Song Guanchao sat back down at the table, picked up the wine bottle, only to realize it was empty.

He grabbed so tea, poured it, and said, "I want to see County Magistrate Hou’s records."

Minister Cheng pointed to his head, "His records are all here, no need to look elsewhere."

"County Magistrate Hou was initially a street office clerk, and he was very capable, having diated several disputes."

"That year when the county was acquiring land, residents were dissatisfied with the policy, and it was County Magistrate Hou who resolved the issue. After that incident, the county leaders took notice of him and transferred him to the City Committee to serve as a secretary."

"After joining the City Committee, County Magistrate Hou wrote several reports and research materials that greatly satisfied the county leaders, who valued him highly and intensified his training."

"Under the guidance of the county leaders, County Magistrate Hou went down to the local level as a deputy town mayor and later entered the county office to serve as the director of the office and deputy county magistrate."

"Not even half a year after he had taken up the post of deputy county magistrate, the county magistrate and the head of the organization departnt were reported for style issues. He stepped in to serve as acting county magistrate and also as acting head of the organization departnt."

"One year later, during the City Committee’s standing committee eting and after a vote, he was elected as the county magistrate and stepped down as the acting head of the organization departnt."

Listening to County Magistrate Hou’s resu, Song Guanchao was astounded.

Such a bright and promising resu!

Simultaneously acting as the county magistrate and head of the organization departnt was extrely rare.

Logically speaking, even if two standing committee mbers fell from power at the sa ti, it wouldn’t require one person to act in both positions.

This indicated that, at that ti, the leadership in Dujiang County exceptionally valued County Magistrate Hou and had overco all objections to grant him this once-in-a-lifeti opportunity.

Song Guanchao asked, "How old is County Magistrate Hou?"

"48 years old."

"Why hasn’t he taken a post in the city?"

With his golden resu, entering the city’s standing committee seed a certainty.

Logically speaking, after Li Fuhai was ousted, if he wanted to advance, it would have been very easy.

However, Song Guanchao rembered that this County Magistrate Hou didn’t seem to have co to the city to make connections at that ti.

Upon hearing this, Minister Cheng rely smiled lightly and said, "In Dujiang County, he is the unrivaled leader. Going to the city, he would have to start all over again."

"County Magistrate Hou is already 48 years old. Does Secretary Song think that he previously had no opportunities to transfer to the city?"

"On the contrary, he had many opportunities, and his starting positions would have been actual power departnt heads or deputy mayor, but he gave those opportunities to others."

Song Guanchao’s mind stirred, and he asked, "Which leaders in the city is County Magistrate Hou particularly close to?"

Minister Cheng hesitated for a few seconds before responding, "Director Qin from the city bureau, who in his early years was the captain of the Dujiang County criminal police team."

"Director Qin?"

Song Guanchao’s pupils narrowed slightly, an unexpected piece of information.

He suddenly realized that he had perhaps never looked at Director Qin’s file.

But, his file was not sothing that just anyone could see.

To look at his file, one would need to go to Minister Zhou.

Even Wu Qiangwei would need to go through Minister Zhou to check it.

Minister Cheng said, "During the period when County Magistrate Hou acted as head of the City Committee Organization Departnt, he recomnded Director Qin. Director Qin first served as the head of a bureau in the city before gradually climbing to his current position as the city bureau director."

The string of information sowhat overwheld Song Guanchao.

He sipped his tea, quickly organized his thoughts, and soon found a critical point.

Even if Director Qin was recomnded to the city by County Magistrate Hou, Hou was, after all, just a county magistrate.

For Director Qin to advance in the city without help would be difficult.

Who helped him?

Song Guanchao thought of soone—He Kang!

To be precise, it was He Kang’s father, the forr mayor of Lingjiang City, He Sen!

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