184: Chapter 184 Qi Tian's Imagination

In the Jiangnan region, winter brought a biting chill on this Sunday.

Inside the office building of the Provincial Organization Department, there was no sign of the usual weekend quiet; instead, it was a scene of bustling activity.

Within the office areas of Cadre Division 1, Division Two, and the Third Division, the hum of photocopiers intertwined with the rustling sound of flipping through files.

With the end of the year approaching, the Provincial Party Committee's recent cadre assessment work had reached its most critical stage.

The Third Division was responsible for the cadre management of the Provincial Party Committee's working departments and the Provincial Government's constituent departments, among other provincial-level organs.

Division Two specialized in the assessment and deployment of key party and government officials in prefecture-level cities.

These two powerful divisions, which held the lifeline of the province's bureaucracy, were now both firmly in the hands of one man.

Qi Tian sat in his spacious private office, circling a few items on a resume of a municipal-level cadre.

Ever since the former Executive Deputy Minister Liao Changxing was placed under investigation and removed from his post, the Provincial Organization Department had experienced a massive upheaval.

At the departmental meeting, Minister Xiao Dingyu had pushed aside all dissenting opinions and directly decided that Qi Tian would take full control of the power vacuum left by Liao Changxing.

Not only the Third Division and Division Two, but even the First Division, which was in charge of reserve cadres, were all brought under Qi Tian's jurisdiction.

He held absolute power, with no one else matching his prominence.

As for Minister Xiao Dingyu, he legitimately reclaimed absolute control over the Party Committee of the Organs and the General Office.

In the past, when Liao Changxing was present, the General Office was under his supervision; now, personnel deployment and financial approval authority had completely returned to the Minister's hands.

Administrative orders were unified.

Knock, knock.

Two short knocks sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Office Director Chen Jian pushed the door open and walked in.

"Minister Qi," Chen Jian said with a smile, "The Minister would like you to come over."

Qi Tian put down his pen, closed the file, stood up, and walked around the large desk.

"Sorry to trouble you with a personal trip, Director Chen. Thank you for your hard work." Qi Tian's words were polite, giving the man plenty of face.

Chen Jian waved his hand, "Not at all, Minister Qi, it's just part of my job."

Chen Jian's spirits had been exceptionally high lately.

Back when Liao Changxing was in charge of executive affairs, Chen Jian had felt extremely stifled as the Office Director.

Liao Changxing's liaison, Deputy Director Zhang Ming, holding the title of Deputy Office Director and relying on his backing, often overstepped his authority, meddling in the office's budget approvals and vehicle scheduling.

Times had changed.

Liao Changxing and Deputy Director Zhang Ming were now imprisoned, and most of the other cronies who had attached themselves to the Liao faction had been banished to insignificant posts to sit on the sidelines under Minister Xiao Dingyu's swift and decisive purge.

Now, the Organization Department's General Office was under Chen Jian's sole control.

Even the vice ministers were three parts more polite when they encountered him.

The two walked one after the other toward the Minister's office.

Upon reaching the door, Chen Jian stopped and knocked lightly three times.

"Minister, Minister Qi is here."

"Come in."

Minister Xiao Dingyu's voice came from inside.

Chen Jian pushed the door open, stepped aside to let Qi Tian enter, then tactfully retreated and closed the door.

Behind the large desk.

Minister Xiao Dingyu was reviewing a mountain of documents on his desk; hearing footsteps, he looked up.

Since sweeping away Liao Changxing, Minister Xiao Dingyu's demeanor had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

The once elegant Minister, who smiled at everyone and always left room for maneuver, now showed his sharp edge.

In his every gesture, the pressure of governing the province's officialdom was no longer deliberately concealed.

"Sit," Minister Xiao Dingyu said, pointing to the leather sofa on the side.

Qi Tian stepped forward quickly and sat on the front third of the sofa, his back straight and hands resting flat on his knees.

Minister Xiao Dingyu went straight to the point.

"Regarding your succession to the position of Executive Deputy Minister," Minister Xiao Dingyu picked up his purple clay teacup, "Two days ago, I made a special report to Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua and Secretary Lao Liguo respectively."

Qi Tian's breath hitched slightly. Executive Deputy Minister was a powerful position at the department-bureau level.

It was the hurdle he had dreamed of crossing throughout his half-lifetime of ups and downs in the officialdom.

"The results were not ideal." Minister Xiao Dingyu blew away the steam from his cup. "Secretary Yang has other candidates in mind. He believes your qualifications still need polishing and that it shouldn't be rushed."

Qi Tian lowered his eyes, masking that momentary dimness.

As the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee in charge of party affairs, Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua had great influence over personnel in the Organization Department.

He wanted to insert his own people to balance Minister Xiao Dingyu; this was an open conspiracy, and beyond reproach.

"Then... what is Secretary Lao's opinion?" Qi Tian probed.

If his superior supported him, as long as the head of the Provincial Party Committee made the final decision, Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua's opposition would not be a concern.

"Secretary Lao did not express a clear stance." Minister Xiao Dingyu put down his teacup. "He only said that the work of the Organization Department is currently running smoothly, and the selection of the executive deputy can be put on hold for a while to observe the comprehensive performance of a few more comrades."

No stance meant shelving.

Qi Tian's heart sank.

However, his years of experience in the officialdom gave him the composure not to show even a hint of resentment on his face.

Since the higher-ups said to wait, it must be that the various factions had not yet reached a balance in their interest exchanges.

"I understand." Qi Tian straightened his back. "Personal advancement is a minor matter. Currently, the assessment tasks for several divisions are heavy, and I will absolutely not let this matter affect the progress of the Organization Department's daily work."

Minister Xiao Dingyu was quite pleased with his composure.

"The fact that you can think this way proves I didn't misjudge you." Minister Xiao Dingyu took a file bag from the drawer. "I called you here today because there is an urgent task for you to handle."

Qi Tian stood up and took the file bag with both hands.

"It's about the recommendation for the Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission." Minister Xiao Dingyu clasped his fingers. "There are two lists in this bag."

"Remove the original list of candidates. The first recommended candidate remains Deputy Director Liu Qiang of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission."

"However, for the second and third candidates, you must create a new, detailed assessment and recommendation material according to the new list in the bag."

Qi Tian sat back down, untied the string of the file bag, and pulled out the A4 paper inside.

The moment his eyes swept across the paper, his heart skipped a beat.

The second candidate was Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang.

Another Deputy Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

More importantly, the background of this Deputy Director Zhao was no secret in the core circles.

He was a direct subordinate personally promoted by Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong.

Qi Tian's political instincts went into overdrive at that moment.

Not long ago, at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong had defected at a critical moment and cast a crucial vote.

That vote directly secured Secretary Lao Liguo's victory in the power struggle and also exposed Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong, a hidden piece of the Lao faction, to the public.

Taking sides had a price.

After being exposed, Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong's life in the Provincial Government compound was difficult at every step.

Governor Zhou Zhiwen and the other Executive Vice Governor Wu Jianguo had formed a tacit pincer movement and exclusion against Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong in the daily affairs of the government sector.

As fellow members of the Provincial Standing Committee, while Governor Zhou Zhiwen could not inflict substantial harm on Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong, criticizing him by name at the Provincial Government's executive meetings made things very uncomfortable for him.

Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong's subordinates had it even worse; Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang of the Development and Reform Commission had been in dire straits recently.

The several key project approval reports he submitted had been rejected face-to-face by Executive Vice Governor Wu Jianguo with various excuses, and he had even been criticized multiple times in public for having "a weak sense of the big picture and economic indicators that were seriously detached from provincial realities."

Suppressing Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang was Governor Zhou Zhiwen and Executive Vice Governor Wu Jianguo's way of hitting the target by attacking something else, slapping Vice Governor Liu Zhiyong in the face.

Looking at the three characters "Zhao Bingzhang", Qi Tian's mind suddenly cleared.

This was a brilliant move of using one's strength against oneself!

Governor Zhou was desperately suppressing Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang on the government side, but Secretary Lao was doing the opposite.

He directly had the Organization Department openly place Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang's name into the recommendation list for the Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

You criticize his lack of ability? I will insist on recommending him as the top leader!

You push Deputy Director Liu Qiang to take the position? I will bring out Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang to rival you!

This was no routine personnel recommendation; it was clearly Secretary Lao Liguo using such an extremely glaring method to disgust Governor Zhou Zhiwen and respond to the exclusion by the Zhou faction in the Provincial Government.

Qi Tian felt a surge of heat in his chest; his deduction was impeccable.

If all this was instructed by Secretary Lao, then he, as the executor, was crucial in this power struggle.

Secretary Lao had previously been "unclear" about his appointment as Executive Deputy Minister.

Why unclear?

Because the pledge of allegiance wasn't weighty enough.

If he could make Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang's assessment materials look spectacular, make this list used to block Deputy Director Liu Qiang unassailable, and submit it to the Provincial Standing Committee.

That would be charging into battle on the front lines for Secretary Lao.

If this was done well, could the position of Executive Deputy Minister still escape him?

Qi Tian suppressed his inner excitement and continued to read.

The third candidate was a deputy official from a marginal provincial bureau.

The resume was mediocre, with no shining achievements; he was purely cannon fodder used to make up the numbers.

This further confirmed his conjecture.

The focus was on Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang.

"Minister Xiao," Qi Tian looked up and stuffed the document back into the bag. "I fully understand the leader's profound intention."

"I will immediately summon the writers of Division Two and supervise it personally. I will create the most detailed and persuasive draft of the recommendation, focusing on Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang's resume and his recent work at the Development and Reform Commission."

"I must let the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee see that when our Organization Department assesses cadres, we fully integrate their practical working ability and political stance." Qi Tian pledged confidently.

Minister Xiao Dingyu sat behind the large desk, watching Qi Tian's high-spirited appearance, as if he had seen through the secrets of heaven, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Understood my profound intention?"

"What profound intention do I have?"

Minister Xiao Dingyu couldn't help but think of when Zhu Wenhao had laid out this plan to him over the phone.

He had once casually instructed: "Minister Xiao, for the second candidate on the list, write Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang."

"Qi Tian is an extremely smart and sensitive person." Zhu Wenhao said as if he had everything under control. "As soon as he sees Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang's name, he will complete the entire logical loop in his head. He will conclude that this is Secretary Lao using Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang to disgust Governor Zhou."

"Once a person falls into self-persuasion, they will spare no effort in doing things. You don't need to explain too much; just hand him the list, and he will make Deputy Director Zhao Bingzhang's materials look better than real gold and silver."

And Qi Tian's performance at this moment was exactly as Zhu Wenhao had deduced, without the slightest discrepancy.

"Very good." Minister Xiao Dingyu collected his thoughts, his face remaining calm.

"Since you know what to do, hurry up and implement it. This list and the assessment report must be flawless."

Qi Tian nodded heavily.

"Please rest assured, Minister Xiao, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished."

Qi Tian turned around, clutching the file bag, and walked out of the office with a steadier and more powerful stride than when he arrived.

The office returned to silence.

Minister Xiao Dingyu picked up the slightly cool purple clay tea and took a sip.

The tea was bitter, but the aftertaste was extremely lingering.

He looked out the window at the gray winter sky and slowly put down the teacup in his hand.