57: Chapter 57 Zhu Wenhao's Breakthrough

In the main office area of the First Division of the Municipal Organization Department, the crisp sound of keyboards mixed with the ringing of telephones.

Acting Division Chief Old Sun stood before the whiteboard, repeatedly circling and marking a list of candidates for exam question experts that had just been drawn up.

For this public selection for the Young Cadre Training Class, Old Sun had truly brought out all the drive he had been keeping in reserve.

From borrowing the venue from the Party School to arranging accommodations for interview examiners brought in from other cities, he handled everything, big or small.

He had been a marginal figure in this building for over a decade, viewed by everyone as dispensable furniture.

Now that he had been hand-picked by Secretary Zhu Tianhe for this core position, he was holding his breath, determined to handle this task spectacularly and show everyone what Old Sun was capable of.

A familiar sound of footsteps came from the corridor.

Division Chief Zhao Desheng of Division Two walked into the entrance of the First Division with a kraft paper bag tucked under his arm.

He didn't walk inside, but just waved at Old Sun from the doorway.

The two of them, one after the other, followed the stairwell to the smoking area at the corner of the floor.

Division Chief Zhao Desheng pulled a cigarette case from his pocket, took one out, and handed it over.

"Old Zhao, I've already had the letters for those out-of-town examiners sent out, and the venue arrangements should be finalized by this afternoon."

Old Sun flicked the cigarette ash, his tone revealing a long-lost sense of stability.

Division Chief Zhao Desheng didn't take the cigarette; he reached out and patted his arm.

"Old Sun, put the preparatory work for the Young Cadre Training Class selection exam on hold for now."

Old Sun froze for a few seconds and turned his head.

"Old Zhao, you shouldn't joke like that."

"This is something decided by the Municipal Party Committee. Minister Zhao, Secretary Zhu Tianhe, and Secretary Tian—three major leaders have signed off on it in black and white."

The First Division has been working overtime and burning the midnight oil for the past few days; now that the venue and personnel are all set, you want to stop just like that?

This was his first battle as Acting Division Chief; the arrow was on the string, and it had to be fired.

Division Chief Zhao Desheng didn't offer much explanation; he untied the string of the kraft paper bag, pulled out a document of several pages, and handed it directly to him.

"It's a document just issued by the Provincial Organization Department. See for yourself."

Old Sun took the urgent document and scanned down from the first line; the opening paragraph was full of official jargon intended to elevate the matter.

The document first highly praised the grassroots exploration of the Municipal Organization Department of Linjiang in cadre selection and appointment, commending it for "actively responding to the spirit of The Capital that 'all entries must be tested,' being courageous in research, and leading the province."

The higher the praise at the beginning, the more abrupt the twist that followed.

The document immediately pointed out that since the open selection model of Linjiang City was so excellent, in order to reflect fairness and justice, Jiangnan Province had decided to fully upgrade this Young Cadre Training Class exam.

The special recruitment quotas for all prefecture-level cities in the province would be executed uniformly according to this model.

The most fatal part was in the last two paragraphs.

Because it was a unified selection across the province, to ensure the authority and confidentiality of the exam, the written test papers would be set and issued uniformly by the Provincial Organization Department.

The examiners for the interview stage would be randomly selected by computer from the provincial examiner pool and dispatched from other locations.

The Municipal Organization Departments would only be responsible for organizing the entry of candidates within their jurisdiction and providing the physical exam venue.

Old Sun's gaze moved down.

At the end of the document, the name of Executive Deputy Minister Liao Changxing of the Provincial Organization Department was clearly signed.

And just above Liao Changxing's signature was the handwritten instruction from the head of the Provincial Organization Department, Minister Xiao Dingyu: "Agreed. Comrade Liao Changxing shall take the lead and be fully responsible for the examination work of this provincial Young Cadre Training Class."

Using the most high-sounding reasons, they had completely stripped the Municipal Organization Department of Linjiang of its right to set questions and grade papers.

Old Sun gripped the two pages, his thumb pressing on the bright red seal, unable to move for a long time.

"I understand."

Old Sun handed the document back, his voice sounding a bit dry.

Division Chief Zhao Desheng put the document away. "Old Sun, take a long-term view. You have to think, this matter is actually a good thing."

"This is the first year we're doing such a large-scale open selection, and the rules are all being explored; one slight misstep and it could become an incident. Now that the higher-ups are overseeing it, if the sky falls, the province will hold it up."

"We'll just do the manual labor of organizing the candidates' entry, and nothing can go wrong. The venue is ready-made; just open the doors of those lecture halls at the Party School."

After saying this, Division Chief Zhao Desheng patted Old Sun's shoulder again.

"Get ready and go to Minister Zhou's office. With a document of this level coming down, he wants to have a talk with you and give instructions on the subsequent coordination work."

Old Sun agreed.

He turned around and walked step by step back to the First Division office area.

His back revealed a sense of loneliness.

This old comrade, who had been in the bureaucracy for over a decade, had just wanted to straighten his back and achieve something to prove he deserved this position as Acting Division Chief, but the flame had barely started to burn before it was completely extinguished by a bucket of cold water from the upper-level power struggle.

A very faint sigh scattered in the empty corridor.

At the same time.

In the Municipal Government compound, at the office of the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee.

Zhu Wenhao pushed the door open and entered.

He had received a call from Secretary Gao Ming and had dropped his work to rush over.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe was sitting behind the desk.

Seeing his son enter, he didn't use any extra pleasantries and directly pointed his index finger at the photocopy in the center of the desk.

"Zhu Wenhao. The Provincial Organization Department has issued a document."

"The right to set questions and the right to appoint interview examiners have all been confiscated by the province. Liu Family has already made their move."

From the time the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee passed the open selection plan to the time the Provincial Party Committee issued the document for the province-wide unified exam, only three or four days had passed.

This kind of administrative efficiency could be called light speed.

For the sake of his daughter Liu Xiaolei's future, Division Chief Liu Haiping had clearly mobilized every resource he could in the province.

Zhu Wenhao walked to the desk, picked up the photocopy, and quickly browsed through it.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the signatures of Executive Deputy Minister Liao Changxing and Minister Xiao Dingyu, and then he threw the document back onto the desk.

"Father, the essence remains the same regardless of the changes." Zhu Wenhao sat down in the chair opposite.

"Division Chief Liu Haiping moved the entire chessboard to the province, aiming for nothing more than control over the exam papers. At most, Liu Xiaolei will be able to get a copy of the written test questions in advance and prepare for a few more days."

"As for the interview stage, as long as a person is speaking in the exam room, whether they have real substance inside or not cannot be disguised for long."

"What is worth noting is the logic behind this document."

He looked straight at Secretary Zhu Tianhe.

"Don't you think that the way this matter was handled by Minister Xiao Dingyu is very strange?"

Secretary Zhu Tianhe leaned forward slightly. "Son, tell me in detail."

Zhu Wenhao held up one finger.

"According to past practice, this first point doesn't hold water. For a new type of selection model that breaks with convention like this, the common practice everywhere is to first select one or three prefecture-level cities in the province for a pilot run."

"Crossing the river by feeling the stones, checking grassroots feedback, and after fixing the loopholes, promoting it fully across the province in the second year."

"But this time, relying solely on a paper draft submitted by Linjiang City, without any data support, it was implemented directly across the province."

"This is too rash and does not conform to the style of the Provincial Party Committee Compound, which always pursues stability."

Zhu Wenhao held up a second finger.

"The second point is the overstepping of authority in personnel division. In this document, Minister Xiao Dingyu instructed Executive Deputy Minister Liao Changxing to take the lead."

"According to the normal principle of business alignment within the organization system, this kind of specific examination work regarding civil service exams and the selection of young cadres should be the responsibility of Minister Qi, who is in charge of the relevant divisions."

"As Executive Deputy Minister, Liao Changxing has to handle a massive amount of macro-scheduling work every day, yet now he is personally getting involved to handle a set of exam papers and select a few examiners?"

"This is what you call using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; it's not according to the rules."

Hearing this, Secretary Zhu Tianhe had already sensed something unusual.

"The third point, and also the most important one."

"Father, during the last provincial exam interview, people from Liu Family colluded to suppress scores in the exam room, and you personally called Minister Xiao Dingyu to report the chaotic scene in the exam room face-to-face."

"Minister Xiao Dingyu is well aware of this."

"Since they want to hold an exam again this time, and the person leading it is Executive Deputy Minister Liao Changxing, who has a close relationship with Liu Family, according to common sense, Minister Xiao Dingyu would more or less communicate with you, his old subordinate, consult on Linjiang's opinion, or give a hint."

Zhu Wenhao looked at his father. "Think carefully. Before the document was issued, did he make a single call to you or reveal even half a word?"

Secretary Zhu Tianhe shook his head repeatedly; there was no phone call, no hint.

A document was just smashed down.

This was simply not the conventional style of an old leader.

"When things are abnormal, there must be something sinister."

"Combining these three points, I believe this is an exam question that Minister Xiao Dingyu has specifically set for you."

"He is watching coldly to see if you, the Deputy Secretary, can use your own methods to break this situation when facing the power struggle pressed down by the province."

"Instead of running to the Provincial Party Committee Compound to cry and seek help from the old leader whenever you encounter a problem, as you did before."

Zhu Wenhao's words pointed directly to the core essence of the struggle.

"This is also a comprehensive assessment of you by Minister Xiao Dingyu."

"Father, don't forget that Minister Xiao Dingyu is already fifty-eight years old this year. For a deputy provincial-level cadre at this age, the top priority they ponder every day is no longer how to fight for a position with real power."

"He is considering the issue of a successor."

"In a few years, he will retreat to the second line, and he needs someone to inherit his legacy."

"And you, with your track record of practical work at the grassroots level, and now stuck in this key position as Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, are undoubtedly the person he most hopes to push up to take over the basic foundation of organization and personnel in Jiangnan Province."

"Since you want to take over, you must have the thunderous means to stabilize the situation. If you can't even break the overt conspiracy of a division-level cadre like Division Chief Liu Haiping, how would Minister Xiao Dingyu dare to entrust you with heavier burdens?"

Secretary Zhu Tianhe nodded heavily.

Having come from a background as a mason, once he saw the structure of the wall bricks, he had no more fear.

"Zhu Wenhao, tell me, how should we solve this problem next?"

"Actually, it's very simple."

"The great way is simple; just keep a close eye on Liu Xiaolei."

"Once Liu Family gets the right to set the questions, they will find a way to give them to Liu Xiaolei so she can memorize them in advance; as long as people are doing it, they will definitely leave traces."

"Moreover, a young lady like Liu Xiaolei, who has been pampered since childhood and has not experienced the baptism of cruel struggle, will not be able to hide her tail during the highly tense pre-exam preparation period."

"Father, some time ago, you withstood the pressure from the top two leaders and forcefully made such a heavy investment in Police Chief Li Jianguo of the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

"Now, it is time to get some return."

The technical investigation means and tailing capabilities of the Public Security system are the most efficient intelligence network.

"Have the Municipal Public Security Bureau send a few of the most reliable veterans."

"From now on, conduct 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring and record-keeping of Liu Xiaolei's residence, communications, and travel trajectory in Linjiang."

"There is no need to catch her in the act; just record any abnormal contact she has with the provincial capital regarding the handover of exam questions."

Zhu Wenhao stood up and adjusted his coat.

"She will definitely show flaws."

"As long as the evidence falls into our hands, we will have plenty of room to maneuver in how we handle it."