274: Chapter 274 A Letter of Complaint

Inside the office, the heating system hummed faintly in the pipes.

Director Xu Jie stood in front of the desk.

"A report letter was submitted to the Petition Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. It alleges that you abused your power to back specific capital during the restructuring of Heishi Mining, and are suspected of trading power for money."

Zhu Wenhao's fountain pen glided across the paper.

"Is the wording professional?" he asked.

"Very professional. It lists several regulations on investment promotion and even points out our establishment of the tripartite supervisory account, claiming it's a means to evade financial supervision from higher authorities."

Zhu Wenhao put down his pen.

Being able to articulate legal provisions and loopholes in financial supervision so convincingly is definitely not the work of a rustic villager.

The goal is very clear; it is aimed at the restructuring agreement.

"The person who wrote the letter understands finance and the law."

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping had just left, and this letter arrived at the provincial level right after. The timing was perfectly calculated."

Director Xu Jie looked at him: "Is this the intention of that person in the city?"

"After suffering a loss in the mining area and losing face, they naturally have to find a way to get back at us."

"When it comes to manipulating the grassroots level, checking accounts is the most convenient method."

"Do we need to take any precautions?" Director Xu Jie asked.

"No precautions."

Zhu Wenhao took a sip of warm water.

"If they want to see the accounts, we will open our doors and let them see."

"Go, print out every single transaction of the tripartite supervisory account from its establishment until now, and stamp it with the Town Government's official seal."

Director Xu Jie frowned: "Print it all out? If the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection really sends people to investigate, even if the accounts are clean, the process will take ten days or half a month. Once the project stops, the miners and the common people below won't agree to it."

"Who said we have to wait for them to come and investigate?"

"We will report it voluntarily."

"Call Secretary Pang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection right now. In the name of the Heishi Town Party Committee, voluntarily apply for a joint audit by the provincial, municipal, and county Commissions for Discipline Inspection."

Director Xu Jie understood.

Linjiang Municipal Government, Mayor's office.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping stood in front of the desk.

Mayor Su Changming was flipping through some briefings in his hand without raising his head.

"Was the letter delivered?" Mayor Su Changming asked.

"It was delivered. The Petition Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has already registered it," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping replied. "According to the procedure, the preliminary verification will start immediately."

Mayor Su Changming threw the briefings on the desk.

"Doesn't Zhu Wenhao like to play with 'sunshine operations'?"

"Then we'll dry him out under the sun."

"As long as the audit of the account books begins, the project will have to be suspended. Capital is most afraid of delays. General Manager Zhou Shutong cannot afford the delay and will naturally withdraw her capital. Once the capital leaves, the setup in Heishi Town will fall apart."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping nodded: "Mayor, your insight is brilliant. It is reasonable and legitimate for the Discipline Inspection Commission to check the accounts; no one can find any fault with it. Even with Secretary Zhu Tianhe on the Municipal Party Committee side, he won't be able to protect his good son."

"Keep an eye on the movements at the provincial level," Mayor Su Changming ordered.

That afternoon.

General Manager Zhou Shutong's call came into Zhu Wenhao's private mobile phone.

As one of the top capitalists in Jingjiang City, her information network was exceptionally sensitive. The news that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had received a report letter had already reached her ears.

"Secretary Zhu." General Manager Zhou Shutong's voice was cold and capable. "I heard that someone at the provincial level is making an issue out of the Heishi Mining restructuring?"

"General Manager Zhou is well-informed," Zhu Wenhao said, holding his phone.

"Capital is most afraid of getting involved in a vortex," General Manager Zhou Shutong said, getting straight to the point. "But since I have signed, there is no reason to retreat. We rise and fall together."

"What do you want to do?"

"I have already contacted a top-tier third-party auditing agency in the country." General Manager Zhou Shutong threw out her trump card. "They will arrive in Heishi Town early tomorrow morning. The investor's accounts and capital flow will all be made public to cooperate with the Discipline Inspection Commission's verification. This is my sincerity."

"Good, thank you, General Manager Zhou."

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao walked out of the office.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang walked towards him, holding a document in his hand.

"Comrade Wenhao, the provincial level wants to check our accounts. What should we do? I just became the acting secretary, what if they hold me accountable..."

"Town Mayor Luo." Zhu Wenhao stopped. "If you don't do anything wrong, you don't fear a knock at the door in the middle of the night. You stamped the account books; have you ever taken a single cent?"

"Absolutely not!" Town Mayor Luo Xingbang said anxiously.

"Then that settles it."

"Eat when it's time to eat, sleep when it's time to sleep. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up."

Zhu Wenhao walked away, leaving Town Mayor Luo Xingbang standing there.

Qingjiang County Mayor's office.

After listening to Zhu Wenhao's brief summary over the phone, County Mayor Gu Mingchuan sat at his desk.

He was deeply tied to the Zhu family. If something happened to Zhu Wenhao, he, as the County Mayor, would also suffer the consequences.

"An anonymous letter sent directly to the provincial level; this is an attempt to strike a fatal blow." County Mayor Gu Mingchuan held the receiver. "Mayor Su Changming can't suppress Secretary Zhu in Linjiang City, so he is using you, a grassroots deputy, as a target. A 'bitter meat stratagem' is still a stratagem. Wenhao, your move of pulling the firewood from under the cauldron by voluntarily submitting the account books has helped you avoid a disaster."

"It's just a 'bitter meat stratagem'. Mayor Su Changming wants to borrow the knife of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, but unfortunately, he miscalculated the rules of Heishi Town." Zhu Wenhao's tone was flat.

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan lowered his voice: "Additionally, I received news from the city that Secretary Lu Guoliang has been frequently running to the city recently. He is paving the way for his next step. Secretary Lu Guoliang and Mayor Su Changming may have already reached some kind of tacit understanding. Secretary Lu Guoliang wants a position, and Mayor Su Changming wants to suppress you."

"Each getting what they need," Zhu Wenhao commented.

"The Executive Deputy Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan will arrive to assume his post tomorrow," County Mayor Gu Mingchuan reminded.

"Understood."

Two days later.

The investigation team from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection arrived quietly in Heishi Town.

The leader was the Director of the Second Inspection Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, surnamed Wei. He was a veteran who had worked on the discipline inspection front for over twenty years and was famously impartial.

There were no county leaders accompanying them, and no police cars clearing the way.

Two ordinary Jetta cars drove directly into the Town Government compound.

Second-floor conference room.

Team Leader Wei sat at the head of the table with a thermos cup in front of him.

Zhu Wenhao sat opposite him.

"Deputy Secretary Zhu, we have received a report regarding the suspected transfer of benefits in the Heishi Mining restructuring, and we are here to conduct a routine check." Team Leader Wei spoke in a routine manner, his tone devoid of emotion.

Director Xu Jie stepped forward and placed three large, neatly bound stacks of account books and vouchers heavily on the conference table.

Team Leader Wei glanced at the account books.

"Team Leader Wei, this is all the transaction records since the Heishi Mining restructuring."

Zhu Wenhao stretched out his hand and spread it flat on the table.

"Every single transaction of the tripartite supervisory account, from a ten-cent photocopying fee to a million-dollar engineering payment, is all here."

"There is also a special report issued by a third-party auditing agency from Jingjiang City. In addition, the daily income and expenditure details are posted on the whiteboard outside the main gate of the Town Government."

Zhu Wenhao continued to add.

"If you feel that the things on paper are not enough, you can go directly to the street and ask any merchant on South Street, or any miner from Heishui Village. See if a single cent of this money has fallen into a private pocket."

Team Leader Wei opened the top account book.

The accounts were kept extremely meticulously.

For every expenditure, not only was there the Finance Office's official seal and the signatures of the Town Mayor and Deputy Secretary, but it was also accompanied by the fingerprints of mass representatives and the confirmation of the construction site manager.

It was seamless and impeccable.

Team Leader Wei looked at it for half an hour.

He had checked countless accounts at the provincial level. No matter how beautiful the account books of those corrupt officials looked on the surface, there were always traces of robbing Peter to pay Paul inside.

But these accounts before him were so clean that one could not find a single flaw.

This was a defense system that integrated the law and the hearts of the people to the extreme.

Team Leader Wei closed the account book heavily, making a dull thud.

He looked at Zhu Wenhao, his eyes filled with a bit more scrutiny.

"Deputy Secretary Zhu, by exposing the account books completely under the eyes of the common people, you have blocked everyone's retreat."

"This kind of courage is rare at the local level."

"Clear water has no fish, but in the pots of the common people, there is no room for even a speck of sand," Zhu Wenhao replied.

The investigation team stayed in Heishi Town for a whole day.

They visited the mining area, inspected the construction site on South Street, and talked to several miners.

The result was clear at a glance.

The accusations in the report letter were pure nonsense.

In the evening.

The investigation team prepared to return.

In the compound, Team Leader Wei walked towards the Jetta car parked under the steps.

Zhu Wenhao saw them off.

In front of the car door, Team Leader Wei stopped and turned around.

"Comrade Wenhao." Team Leader Wei lowered his voice. "Your accounts are clean. I will truthfully include this tripartite supervisory mechanism in the report to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Zhu Wenhao's hands behind his back paused slightly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Team Leader Wei. The door of Heishi Town is open, and we welcome inspections from all sides at any time."

Team Leader Wei said no more, got into the car, and the car drove out of the compound.

The cold wind blew down a few dry leaves.

Zhu Wenhao stood in the wind, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

The officialdom is like a battlefield; if one stratagem fails, another will surely arise.

Mayor Su Changming's methods will definitely not stop at just one anonymous letter.