118: Chapter 118 Public Relations in the Provincial Capital

The black Audi rolled smoothly over the asphalt road in the southern suburbs of the provincial capital.

With both hands on the steering wheel, Zhu Wenhao did not drive toward the Provincial Party School to report for duty.

In the game of political maneuvering, timing is of the utmost importance.

The chessboard in Linjiang City had already been set; the Second Supervision Group had officially descended, and the various factions were reshuffling.

Under these complex circumstances, completely untangling his father, Secretary Zhu Tianhe, from the old, messy accounts was the prerequisite for securing their rear.

Turning the car, he drove straight into the tree-lined avenue of the Cadre Retirement Home.

In front of Li Zhenguo's small courtyard, Butler Wang Jianan stood waiting at the bottom of the steps early on.

Seeing Zhu Wenhao's car arrive, he stepped forward and opened the door for Zhu Wenhao.

"Thank you for the trouble, Uncle Wang," Zhu Wenhao said as he got out of the car.

"Hurry inside, the Chief is waiting for you."

Butler Wang Jianan led him inside and lowered his voice. "There is a guest inside. Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun, the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, is here."

Butler Wang Jianan whispered some background details: "Back then, Secretary Changchun was a deputy director in the Provincial Party Committee Office. He was upright and accidentally offended the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee at the time. The other party used it as a pretext to banish him to a cold bench in the History and Chronicles Office."

"It was only because the old Chief appreciated his principles that he stepped in to protect him. Not only did he suppress the matter, but he also directly transferred him from the Provincial Party Committee Office to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Zhu Wenhao nodded, indicating he understood.

He walked toward the familiar study.

The two were playing a game of Go.

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces were locked in a brutal battle, with the conflict spreading from the bottom-left corner all the way to the center.

In the main seat on the left, Li Zhenguo frowned, holding a white piece in his hand, unable to make a move for a long time.

Sitting on the right was a middle-aged man in his fifties with frosting at his temples. He reached for a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Old Master Li, thank you for the game," the middle-aged man said as he placed down two black stones.

Li Zhenguo let out a long sigh and threw the white stone back into the bowl.

He looked up and saw Zhu Wenhao standing by the door.

"Zhu Wenhao, you're here," Li Zhenguo said, pointing at the board. "Have a game with Secretary Changchun."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun turned his head and sized up the young man. "Elder Li, is this the wonderful grandson, Zhu Wenhao, whom you always praise to the heavens?"

Zhu Wenhao bowed respectfully as a junior. "Hello, Secretary Guo. I am Zhu Wenhao."

"Sit down," Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun said, pointing to the chair opposite him. "Elder Li says your Go skills are quite good. Let's play a game."

Zhu Wenhao agreed. The two cleared the board and sorted the black and white stones.

This time, Zhu Wenhao took the black stones and went first.

He did not use the ancient group-stone system he had used against Elder Li last time; instead, he opened by directly returning to modern Go concepts.

Star point, 3-4 point.

Occupying empty corners, enclosing corners, and approaching corners.

The first dozen moves were extremely steady, focusing on the efficiency and coordination of the stones.

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun was an upright man, and his style of play was similarly steady and solid. He played methodically, building strong fortresses in the corners and sides, attempting to use thick influence to squeeze black's development space.

As the game reached the mid-game, Zhu Wenhao's style of play suddenly shifted.

Instead of tangling with the white stones locally, he made several consecutive moves on the fourth and even fifth lines.

Placing stones near Tengen, he constructed an extremely grand framework.

The "Cosmic Style" of modern Go.

This style of play emphasized playing high and viewing the entire board as a single entity, forcing the opponent to actively invade black's territory.

Once the opponent ventured deep, a tempestuous attack would be unleashed.

This was precisely the imposing aura of an emperor embracing the world.

Looking at the giant web spread across the center, Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun had no choice but to invade with a white stone.

Zhu Wenhao had been waiting for this exact move.

He placed his stones incredibly fast, without a moment's hesitation. The thick influence originally meant for defense turned into a cage of strangulation in the blink of an eye.

Employing a "splitting attack" tactic, he allowed one of white's weak groups to flee, using the momentum to cut off the connection of several other white stones on the opposite side.

Both white groups needed to make life, leaving him unable to attend to one without losing the other.

The political tactic of "divide and conquer" was perfectly demonstrated on the board.

Fine sweat broke out on Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun's forehead once again.

He realized that with every move he made, he was being led by the nose by his opponent.

Not only that, but Zhu Wenhao's psychological pressure was even more intense.

He didn't need to think at all; as soon as a white stone was placed, a black stone would latch onto it like a shadow. This rapid-fire pace of play invisibly created an intense pressure akin to being in "byo-yomi."

Under the pressure of time, Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun made a mistake in the order of moves.

Zhu Wenhao seized the flaw and bared his fangs.

He unleashed a "dragon-slaying" killer move, cutting off the eye space of white's large dragon group, pursuing and attacking relentlessly.

The large dragon died in frustration.

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun could only settle for the next best option, attempting to scrape together territory along the sides and corners.

The game entered the endgame stage.

Here, Zhu Wenhao displayed an extremely delicate sense of control.

His endgame technique contested every inch of ground, leaving no gaps. He precisely evaluated the value of each area, firmly seizing the initiative in the endgame, and even frequently employed "reverse sente" maneuvers to squeeze white's gains to the absolute limit.

He did not seek a crushing victory, only to steadily stay one step ahead.

This level of control, aiming for a "1-point victory," left his opponent feeling deeply powerless.

With a few neutral points still unfilled, Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun did not bother with the tedious process of counting territory.

He swept the stones aside, messing up the board.

"You young man, your Go skills are far too seasoned," Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun said, picking up his teacup. "I lose."

Li Zhenguo stroked his beard and laughed heartily beside them.

Outside the door, Butler Wang Jianan's voice came announcing their arrival.

"Chief, Secretary Zhu Tianhe and Li Juan have arrived."

Li Zhenguo put away his smile. "Let them in. We'll talk right here in the study."

Secretary Zhu Tianhe carried his briefcase, stepping into the study one after the other with Li Juan.

Seeing Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun sitting in the guest seat, Secretary Zhu Tianhe walked forward quickly. "Hello, Secretary Guo."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun remained seated, not standing up.

He extended his right hand and gave a light shake as an acknowledgment.

That Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun was willing to sit here today and listen to Secretary Zhu Tianhe present his case was entirely out of gratitude for Old Master Li's favor back then.

Otherwise, such a private meeting would never have occurred.

Li Zhenguo gestured for Secretary Zhu Tianhe to take a seat.

"Comrade Secretary Zhu Tianhe, please describe the situation back then in detail," Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun said, adopting a businesslike tone.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe sat up straight.

He systematically laid out the background of the approval process for the South New District project in Linjiang City back then, and how Former Mayor Xiao Tianyou had forcefully pressured and intervened.

Having finished his report, he unzipped his briefcase, took out the "Statement of Facts," and handed it over with both hands.

"Secretary Guo, this is my written report. I did indeed fail in my duty to strictly oversee the project, and I am willing to accept any investigation by the organization."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun took the materials.

He flipped through them briefly, then closed the documents and placed them into his own briefcase.

"The organization's policy has always been to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones, and to cure the illness to save the patient," Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun gave the official tone. "We do not cover up problems when they arise. Secretary Zhu Tianhe, it is very good of you to report this proactively."

He raised his wrist to look at the time.

"The issue is not too severe, and the nature of it is clear. However, a disciplinary action is unavoidable."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun made the arrangements. "How about this: come to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection compound this afternoon. I'll arrange for staff to take a formal statement from you. We will file this matter in the official organizational records."

Once the official procedures were completed, any attempt by Mayor Su Changming to use this matter to make trouble would instead become a countermeasure for them.

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun stood up and smoothed the hem of his uniform.

"Elder Li, I have another meeting, so I must take my leave first," Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun said to Li Zhenguo.

As he reached the study door, he paused and looked back at Zhu Wenhao.

"Elder Li, your grandson not only plays Go well, but he also acts with great method and discipline."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun threw out an invitation. "Would he be interested in coming to work at the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection? Our discipline inspection front is precisely in need of meticulous young people who can see the big picture like him."

Li Zhenguo chuckled, deflective like playing Tai Chi. "This child is still training at the Party School. His future placement will depend on the arrangements of the Organization Department."

Executive Deputy Secretary Guo Changchun nodded, stayed no longer, and strode out of the study.

Silence returned to the study.

Li Zhenguo picked up his purple clay teapot and looked at Secretary Zhu Tianhe sitting opposite him.

"Tianhe," Li Zhenguo said earnestly. "I've told you before. When working in local government, especially with specific matters, you must be more vigilant."

"You are far too honest. You sign whatever people ask you to sign without checking how deep the water is underneath. Even though we cleared the mine for you this time, your current situation is still fraught with danger."

The father-in-law's admonishment of his son-in-law was filled with frustration at his failure to live up to expectations.

Sitting nearby, Li Juan spoke up to defend her husband. "Dad, you know Tianhe is just like this; he can't change. He has been in Linjiang for so many years; even if he hasn't made great achievements, he has worked hard. Who could have known the people below would make such a massive mess?"

Zhu Wenhao smoothed things over. "Grandfather, my father is an honest man and doesn't engage in those factional conspiracies. He and my mother support each other through thick and thin and live very well. This is also a blessing for our family."

Hearing this, Li Zhenguo's gaze swept back and forth between Secretary Zhu Tianhe and his wife.

He let out a long sigh. He had two sons and one daughter. One son was in the Organization Department in The Capital, and the other was guarding the border elsewhere.

He had only this youngest daughter left by his side. He didn't ask for a son-in-law with world-shaping talents, only an honest, reliable, and easygoing disposition who could protect his daughter so she could live a peaceful, stable life without suffering the slightest grievance.

As for the calculations in the arena of power, with his old bones holding the front line and her two maternal uncles looking out for them from above, it was more than enough.

He just hadn't expected that amidst the shifting winds and clouds, it would actually be this grandson who stepped forward, strategizing within the situation and shouldering the heavy responsibility of breaking the deadlock.

"Forget it," Li Zhenguo said as he stood up.

"It's about time," the old master waved his hand. "Old Wang has already prepared the meal up front. Let's go to the front hall and eat together as a family."

Everyone stood up and followed Li Zhenguo's steps, walking out of this study filled with hidden verbal sparring.

In the courtyard, the autumn wind swirled the fallen leaves.