428: Chapter 428 Discussing the selection of the propaganda minister, Liu Wenming struggles with whether or not to compete.

This...

Almost everyone fell into a state of shock, except for He Jilin.

His face instantly turned a bit pale, especially when he saw that the leader of the group was none other than Deputy Secretary Zhao of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Deputy Secretary Zhao led his people in, walked up to Qin Chuan, and said very politely, "Secretary Qin, we will be taking He Jilin away now."

Qin Chuan nodded.

Deputy Secretary Zhao instantly swapped to a majestic expression and waved his hand, saying, "He Jilin, you are suspected of serious corruption and accepting massive amounts of property from others. On behalf of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, I am now taking you away for investigation!"

"Take him away!"

Two young staff members from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection flanked He Jilin, gripping him by the arms, and led him out.

He Jilin struggled, shouting loudly, "Let go of me! I want to call Secretary Wu!"

"You, surnamed Qin, this is retaliation! This is a frame-up!"

The voice gradually faded away. Being publicly announced as taken away for investigation by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection meant there was basically no possibility of a comeback; besides, his issues were indeed very serious.

As for why the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection personally sent people, and why it was led by Deputy Secretary Zhao himself...

The reason was simple: Qin Chuan had called the Provincial Party Secretary, saying he had received a report containing shocking details about He Jilin's corruption.

This information was faxed to the Provincial Party Secretary. After reading the contents, the Provincial Party Secretary was furious, which led to the people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection coming to take He Jilin away directly.

To maintain secrecy, almost no one was notified—not even Liu Wenming. However, to show respect for the top leader, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had coordinated with Qin Chuan before arriving, and Deputy Secretary Zhao had kept an open line of communication with Qin Chuan throughout.

The call just now was from Deputy Secretary Zhao, and Qin Chuan had told them to come directly to the meeting room.

He Jilin had been taken away for investigation!

The news instantly spread throughout the entire Dongjiang City officialdom.

"My god, Minister He was taken away directly during a meeting of the Municipal Standing Committee!"

"I'd heard rumors before about Minister He's corruption, but I never thought they were actually true!"

"Zero tolerance for corrupt elements; he deserved to be arrested!"

"..."

With a dark face, Liu Wenming returned to his office and slammed the door shut with a loud 'bang.'

His secretary, Yang Ming, was startled. He had originally intended to follow him into the Mayor's office but immediately stopped in his tracks. He knew his boss was in a terrible mood and that he shouldn't go looking for trouble; anything else could wait.

The situation on Qin Chuan's side was exactly the opposite.

He returned to his office in a good mood, sat in his office chair, and took a leisurely sip of tea. With He Jilin being investigated, Liu Wenming's faction was even weaker and could no longer cause any significant trouble.

Next, it would depend on whether Liu Wenming was sensible. If he completely submitted, he could barely be allowed to remain in the position of Mayor. If he feigned compliance while secretly acting against him, then he would have to go.

A while later, Tian Chaoqun came over, followed by Zhou Nan, Li Wei, Liang Dawei, and others. The Municipal Party Secretary's office became quite lively.

Some people outside could even faintly hear bursts of hearty laughter coming from the Municipal Party Secretary's office from time to time.

That evening, both Jiangnan Provincial News and Dongjiang News reported on He Jilin's serious disciplinary violations and his subjection to an organizational investigation.

Liu Wenming and his group seemed to have become completely well-behaved.

During several consecutive Standing Committee meetings, they expressed no objections. Basically, whatever Qin Chuan said was what went.

This continued until the matter of the new candidate for the minister of publicity arose.

The position of Municipal Standing Committee member and minister of publicity was vacant, and Dongjiang City needed to recommend a suitable candidate to the Provincial Party Committee.

As the Municipal Party Secretary, Qin Chuan could have bypassed the Standing Committee and recommended a suitable person directly, but that had a drawback: it might be exploited by some people to claim behind his back that he was acting arbitrarily and not seeking the opinion of the leadership team.

Since that was the case, he decided to discuss it at the Standing Committee to solicit everyone's opinions.

Minister of the Organization Department Xiao Ruojun said, "He Jilin has been under investigation by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection for several days, and the issues are very serious. The position of minister of publicity cannot remain vacant indefinitely. The opinion of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee is for us in Dongjiang City to recommend someone ourselves."

Why was there such a good thing as Dongjiang City being allowed to recommend someone instead of the Provincial Party Committee appointing someone directly? It was, of course, because of Qin Chuan. Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Jiasheng had communicated with Qin Chuan privately and asked for his opinion.

Qin Chuan had explicitly suggested selecting someone from Dongjiang City, and Zhao Jiasheng naturally agreed. This led to the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee requesting a recommendation from Dongjiang City.

Seeing Xiao Ruojun speak, most people knew that this was likely Secretary Qin's intention.

Xiao Ruojun said, "Our Organization Department has vetted two candidates. The first candidate is Deputy Mayor Li Xiaofei, who is in charge of science, education, culture, and health..."

He introduced Li Xiaofei's situation in considerable detail.

Li Xiaofei, who was in her forties, had been in a deputy-department level position for over three years. Her abilities were excellent, and her seniority was perfectly sufficient; she simply hadn't had anyone to promote her until now.

"The second candidate is Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun, the current Executive Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department..."

He then introduced Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun's situation.

There was a lot of nuance here. Since Li Xiaofei was introduced first, the likelihood of her being recommended was higher, and she was clearly the candidate in Secretary Qin's mind.

Deputy Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Nan, who assisted the Municipal Party Secretary in managing personnel and party building, said loudly, "Both candidates from the Organization Department are good and very outstanding. Everyone, please voice your opinions on which comrade we should recommend to the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee."

Liu Wenming was a bit anxious.

His power was already weak. If Qin Chuan's person was recommended, his power would be even thinner. Although he had been putting on an act and maintaining a proper posture of respecting the Municipal Party Secretary lately, he had to fight for this matter today.

He glanced at Qu Boming, giving him a look.

Qu Boming understood immediately, knowing he was to start the charge. "I think Comrade Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun, the current Executive Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department, is good. He has always worked in the publicity sector, has rich experience, and his professional ability is unquestionable..."

As soon as he finished, someone immediately expressed a different opinion.

Executive Vice Mayor Cheng Yuzhu said, "I think Deputy Mayor Li Xiaofei is more suitable. As we are both female comrades, I have a good relationship with Mayor Xiaofei and know her very well. It is precisely because I know her that I strongly recommend her..."

The situation was almost one-sided because most of the Standing Committee members stood on Qin Chuan's side, and they knew even better that Secretary Qin's preferred candidate was Li Xiaofei.

Now, Liu Wenming was getting anxious.

He was weighing in his mind whether he should stand up and say a few words for Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun.

Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun had always been one of his own and was promoted by Secretary Wu Qiaoxi. If he could become a member of the Municipal Standing Committee, he would definitely stand on Liu Wenming's side.

But seeing this situation, even if he spoke up for Executive Deputy Minister Huang Kun, it probably wouldn't change anything. Liu Wenming became a bit conflicted.

Taking in all the changes in Liu Wenming's expression, Qin Chuan smiled.