222: Chapter 222 Teahouse Conversation (Part Two)

Zhu Wenhao sat in the wooden chair, quietly observing the struggle of the person opposite him.

Those who hold high positions all despise being forced to hand over power. Minister Xiao Dingyu could not have reached his current position without considerable political acumen; all he lacked was a push to make up his mind.

Zhu Wenhao turned his head and gave Su Qinghan a look.

The young woman was extremely perceptive; she took out an unremarkable kraft paper bag and placed it steadily in the center of the tea table.

"Minister Xiao," Zhu Wenhao said, pointing to the paper bag. "You are my father's old superior. I've come to pay my respects today and brought a few good things. I'd like you to take a look."

Minister Xiao Dingyu glanced at the paper bag, his brows instantly knitting together, a flicker of irritation rising in his already unsettled mind.

Occupying a high position in the Organization Department, he despised nothing more than this kind of under-the-table dealing.

"Wenhao," Minister Xiao Dingyu said, not touching the object, his tone stern. "When young people act, they shouldn't always be thinking about taking shortcuts."

"I am well aware of your talent and methods. If you hone yourself honestly at the grassroots level, given your abilities, while it might be difficult to reach those chairs in the Provincial Party Committee, positions that ordinary people spend their whole lives seeking would be no challenge for you."

"Focus your mind on the right path."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wenhao was not angry. He knew deep down that this old-school cadre had a bottom line.

"You are right to lecture me," Zhu Wenhao said, smoothly shifting the conversation. "Before I came to Jingjiang City, my father gave me strict instructions over the phone. He said his old superior has always been upright and incorruptible, unable to tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes, and told me that once I arrived here, I must strictly observe my duties."

"As for the phrase 'upright and incorruptible,' during my time in Heishi Town, I have truly come to understand it deeply."

At the mention of Heishi Town, Minister Xiao Dingyu's expression softened slightly.

"The case in Heishui Village was closed two days ago," Zhu Wenhao said slowly. "We cleared out the village bullies who had entrenched themselves for years and returned every cent of the withheld compensation to the farmers. And guess what? The village elders scraped together scraps of old cloth and spent all night sewing a 'Ten Thousand People Umbrella,' covered in red fingerprints, which they delivered to the Town Government hall."

Zhu Wenhao straightened his posture.

"The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is solid, the state is peaceful. Looking at that tattered cloth umbrella, my heart felt clear."

As Minister Xiao Dingyu listened, his tense jawline relaxed.

A cadre who could personally accept a 'Ten Thousand People Umbrella' was, in his bones, certainly not the type of greedy, petty sycophant.

Seeing that the timing was right, Zhu Wenhao reached out and opened the seal of the kraft paper bag.

Inside lay a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor.

There was no flashy packaging, only a striking, pure white background.

Minister Xiao Dingyu's gaze fell upon the white-packaged cigarettes and the plain-bottled liquor.

At his level, the expensive vintage liquors on the market were merely decorations. The truly significant items were exactly these kinds, without even a label. Every year, the top leaders in the Provincial Party Committee only had a limited quota of them.

A few days ago, he went to Secretary Lao Liguo's office to report on the cadre deployment plan. Secretary Lao was in a great mood and, before he left, opened a drawer and gave him a pack of these white-packaged cigarettes. He had kept them in his briefcase and hadn't been able to bring himself to open them yet.

And now, this twenty-four-year-old township deputy official had produced a whole carton at once.

Thoughts raced through Minister Xiao Dingyu's mind. Old Master Li could never get his hands on items of this quality. Secretary Zhu Tianhe certainly didn't have such connections in Linjiang City.

He re-evaluated the Zhu Wenhao sitting across from him.

He had originally thought this young man was just relying on the shade of his elders to cause a little trouble, and that coming here today to analyze the pros and cons was just to seek survival space for the Zhu family in Linjiang City.

The interesting thing was that once these white-packaged cigarettes were revealed, the cards on the table completely changed. The line behind this young man had long since bypassed the Li Faction and reached the very top.

Minister Xiao Dingyu did not refuse; he reached out, took the carton of white-packaged cigarettes, and deftly tucked it into his briefcase. However, he did not touch the plain-bottled liquor.

"Wenhao," Minister Xiao Dingyu said, pressing his hands on the edge of the table. "I accept your father's gesture."

"But as for this liquor, I have 'three highs,' and the doctor has advised me to avoid alcohol; I haven't touched it for many years. Take it back and give my regards to your father."

The cigarettes could be broken up and distributed. Giving a few to core cadres was called borrowing influence and establishing prestige. By not accepting the liquor, he was signaling his intentions to Zhu Wenhao: I, Minister Xiao Dingyu, know the weight of things, understand when to stop, and am certainly not insatiably greedy. I accept this deal, and I can still hold my bottom line.

Zhu Wenhao saw everything, reached out to take the bottle of liquor back into the paper bag, and placed it back by his feet.

"Minister, taking care of your health is most important. I will take this liquor back to honor my father."

With the cigarettes and liquor dealt with, the air in the private room became clear. The two reached a tacit understanding and resumed the previous topic on the right track.

"Regarding the matter we mentioned earlier," Minister Xiao Dingyu gave his final decision. "The Organization Department is already evaluating the proposal for Comrade Qi Tian to succeed as the Executive Deputy Minister. Combined with his daily performance during this period, his work is indeed solid, and he has a strong sense of the big picture. In two days, I will submit the recommendation report to Secretary Lao again and do my best to ensure he gets the position."

This was fulfilling his promise.

"As for…" Minister Xiao Dingyu paused for a beat. "The news about Comrade Li Zhengxing transferring to the Provincial Organization Department is indeed being brewed. After all, it is an inter-provincial transfer, and the organizational procedures are cumbersome."

"If Comrade Li Zhengxing really does come to the department, the environment is different, and there must be a period of adaptation. I think it is better to focus on familiarizing himself with the overall cadre structure of Jiangnan Province. As for those specific cadre evaluation and approval matters, they involve a wide range of issues and should not be rushed. It won't be too late to assign him specific duties once he has thoroughly grasped the situation in our province."

Marginalization.

Letting Li Zhengxing hold the empty title of Deputy Minister, flipping through files in the office building for two or three years without even touching the edge of cadre management. Without real power in personnel deployment, this eldest son and grandson of the Li family would be nothing more than a clay bodhisattva in Jiangnan Province, worshiped by others but powerless.

Zhu Wenhao received the answer he wanted and did not stay a moment longer.

"Minister Xiao, your thoughtful consideration is a blessing for all the cadres in the province," Zhu Wenhao said, standing up. "I have disturbed you for too long; I shall take my leave."

Su Qinghan stood up as well, tidied up the tea set, picked up her handbag, and followed by Zhu Wenhao's side.

From beginning to end, Zhu Wenhao did not introduce Su Qinghan's identity to Minister Xiao Dingyu, and Su Qinghan did not utter a single word. But in some matters, one's mere presence is the strongest attitude.

The wooden door pulled open, and the two walked out of the private room, their footsteps fading along the carpet.

Inside the room, Minister Xiao Dingyu sat alone in front of the tea table, his gaze lingering for a long time on the bulge of his briefcase.

He picked up the cup of leftover tea in front of him, which had long since lost its warmth.

He tilted his head back, like a great whale drinking water, and downed the bitter cold tea in one gulp. His swallowing motion was exaggerated, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, carrying a sense of determination akin to drinking strong liquor and burning his boats behind him.

On the way back, night had already fallen over Jingjiang City. The shadows of neon lights flashed across the car window.

Zhu Wenhao did not say a word.

Su Qinghan sat beside him, reviewing the briefing sent by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection on her phone, maintaining this same tacit silence.

When the car came to a stop outside the hotel entrance, Zhu Wenhao pushed the door open and got out.

Entering the lobby and returning to his room, Zhu Wenhao took out his phone and dialed his father Secretary Zhu Tianhe's private number, while Su Qinghan took a set of clothes to change.

The ringing tone sounded four times before it was answered.

"Wenhao," Secretary Zhu Tianhe's voice was filled with unconcealable fatigue.

"Father, are you busy?" Zhu Wenhao's tone was calm.

"I just finished processing the files on hand and was preparing to go back to my residence," Secretary Zhu Tianhe replied. "You called at this time; have the matters in Jingjiang City been handled properly?"

"It is done." Zhu Wenhao replied with only two words, not going into detail about the heart-stopping moments in the tea house. "If my uncle really does come to Jiangnan, he can only be an idle guest minister. The Li Faction's affairs must still be run according to our rules."

A heavy sigh came from the other end of the phone.

"Good, good," Secretary Zhu Tianhe replied repeatedly.

"As for the matters in Linjiang, don't trouble yourself too much; let things take their natural course," Zhu Wenhao shifted the conversation.

"Father, how many years has your head secretary, Gao Ming, been with you?"

Secretary Zhu Tianhe was slightly stunned by this abrupt question.

"Gao Ming? He has been with me for four years. Since I was the Vice Mayor, he has been organizing my documents. He is very clever and has accomplished many things. Why do you suddenly bring him up?"