36: Chapter 36 "Honey Trap" Incident Handling Results

Lu Waner said indifferently, "It doesn't matter."

"Heh, then how much did you spend? Tell me."

"Do you think I have money? Even if I did, would I spend it? Minister Xia Nanfeng, not all leading cadres are like you." After finishing, Lu Waner pulled open the door and walked away haughtily.

"How dare you speak to me like that?! Lu Waner, you haven't been transferred yet!" It took a while for Minister Xia Nanfeng to react. Furious, she slammed her hand on the desk, but didn't notice a party emblem lying there, which poked her, making her wince and cry out in pain.

At five in the afternoon, just as Zhang Huaijing returned to his office in Haizhou from the provincial capital, he saw two people sitting in the adjacent reception room: Secretary Ji Xuewen and Director Tu Jianping.

Secretary Jiang Tao was still on duty, but having already spoken with Secretary-General Fang Yuan, he was about to be transferred, and his morale was somewhat low.

Zhang Huaijing politely invited the guests into the inner office.

"Secretary, I have brought Director Tu Jianping to report on the handling of Friday's incident," Secretary Ji Xuewen said. "Jianping, go ahead and report."

Director Tu Jianping's attitude was respectful. The gist of his report was that Ah Shun, 24 years old this year, was a native of Jinghu Town, Wanghai County, and that Green Field Resort was located in Jinghu Town.

He was an enthusiastic young man who loved his hometown and was well-acquainted with the front desk manager of Green Field Resort. Upon learning that Municipal Party Committee leaders were staying there on Friday night, he especially wanted to give the leaders a feeling of being at home and leave a deep impression. Consequently, he paid out of his own pocket to find three young women, but the plan backfired, coinciding with the anti-prostitution campaign being carried out by the county.

The anonymous call made to Hu Zhengren was from a public phone; the source has not been traced and is still under further investigation.

Zhang Huaijing sneered inwardly. Are you kidding me? Who do you think you're fooling? A guy like Ah Shun would spend his own money to hire prostitutes for others? And he chose the top girls at that!

On the surface, however, he remained composed and asked, "How was Ah Shun handled?"

"He was detained for 5 days and fined 2,000 yuan; the three women were also given corresponding administrative penalties for prostitution."

Zhang Huaijing looked at Secretary Ji Xuewen, whose expression was somewhat dim. It seemed that in the power struggle with County Magistrate Du Huaishui, he had failed to gain the upper hand again. He really was a hopeless case. However, this was also good; it would numb the opponent.

Zhang Huaijing's gaze darkened as he turned to Secretary Ji Xuewen: "Secretary Ji Xuewen, what is your opinion?"

Secretary Ji Xuewen lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said, "This scoundrel Ah Shun has a criminal record and is involved in the underworld. Director Tu Jianping, you must investigate further and dig deeper."

"Understood, I will continue to conduct an in-depth investigation into him," Director Tu Jianping declared loudly. "Furthermore, the incident that night has been strictly sealed off, and no one has spread the news."

Zhang Huaijing pretended to be a little dissatisfied, but had to accept it. He sighed and said, "It's rare for two leaders to personally come over to report the investigation results. Thank you for your hard work; let's leave it at that."

"Thank you, Secretary. You are a leader with grace and a broad mind!" Director Tu Jianping flattered him. "Secretary, do you have any plans for tonight? It's almost dinner time. Give me a chance to treat you to a meal?"

"I have plans," Zhang Huaijing said as he raised his wrist to check his watch.

Secretary Ji Xuewen stood up and said, "Then we won't disturb your work, Secretary. We'll be going."

Secretary Ji Xuewen went first, followed by Director Tu Jianping, and they walked out together.

After Secretary Ji Xuewen left the room, Director Tu Jianping suddenly pulled the door shut, walked back quickly, threw an envelope onto the desk, and cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "Secretary, just a small token, please don't take offense."

Zhang Huaijing picked up the envelope and called out, but saw that the little fatty had already slipped away.

The envelope was left unsealed for the convenience of the leader to check.

Zhang Huaijing opened it and took a look. It was a stack of hundred-dollar bills—US dollars—estimated to be ten thousand dollars.

As a public servant, where would he get so many US dollars?

Just then, Secretary Jiang Tao came in to clear the tea set, so he called him over: "Catch up with Director Tu Jianping and return this to him."

Secretary Jiang Tao took the envelope and, without a word, prepared to chase after him.

"Wait, if Director Tu Jianping and Secretary Ji Xuewen are together, just play dumb and return it to Director Tu Jianping in front of Secretary Ji Xuewen."

Secretary Jiang Tao paused for a moment, quickly agreed, and ran out. Having been with Secretary Zhang Huaijing for almost a month, he already knew the leader's style: he absolutely never accepted money.

Almost every day, people came to pay respects or report on work. Secretary Zhang Huaijing never accepted money, but he had to accept gifts brought by subordinates such as tea, cigarettes, alcohol, health products, books, and calligraphy and paintings, all of which were currently piled up in the storage room.

Zhang Huaijing hadn't figured out how to deal with them yet, but whenever someone came to visit, he had also returned quite a few gifts.

Two minutes later, Secretary Jiang Tao returned, the envelope no longer in his hand.

"Secretary, it has been returned."

"Good." Zhang Huaijing glanced at him, trusting that he wouldn't dare to keep it for himself.

Secretary Jiang Tao was also afraid that the leader would overthink it, so he added, "I returned it in front of Secretary Ji Xuewen, so Director Tu Jianping couldn't refuse to take it back."

Secretary Zhang Huaijing nodded and began to review documents.

He was in charge of several departments, including organization and mass organizations, so there were quite a few documents, especially documents from superiors, many of which he saw first, and some of which required his instructions.

Secretary Jiang Tao hesitated for a moment and said, "Secretary, this morning, I brought up the matter of a transfer to Secretary-General Fang Yuan. He asked why, and I told him about what happened last Friday. He said that when you returned, he would communicate and discuss it with you in person."

"Good, he has made an appointment with me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary-General Fang Yuan knocked on the door and entered the room. Once Secretary Jiang Tao had left, Secretary-General Fang Yuan asked in a low voice, "Secretary, is what happened last Friday true? It's unbelievable."

Secretary Zhang Huaijing nodded: "Just now, Secretary Ji Xuewen and the Public Security Bureau Director came to see me to report their investigation and handling results. They pushed the responsibility onto that underworld thug named Ah Shun and even made excuses for him, saying that Ah Shun acted out of kindness, wanting me to experience the enthusiasm and beauty of Wanghai County, but unexpectedly, the Public Security Bureau's anti-prostitution raid ruined it."

"How were the relevant responsible persons handled?" The more Secretary-General Fang Yuan heard, the more outrageous he felt it was, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

"Ah Shun was detained for 5 days, fined a bit, and the women were criticized, educated, and fined," Secretary Zhang Huaijing said with a chuckle.

They turned a political incident into an administrative penalty? Secretary-General Fang Yuan found it absurd.

As a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary-General, Secretary-General Fang Yuan was the chief steward of the Municipal Party Committee and the lubricant between the standing committee leaders. He needed to have political sensitivity, be adept at observing facial expressions, mediating conflicts, and, more importantly, have the patience and time to manage all sorts of trivial matters and messy affairs.

He was easygoing and cheerful, always wearing a smile. He was tactful and resourceful, making him an excellent Secretary-General.

He naturally understood the seriousness of Friday's "honey trap" incident. The key was that Wanghai County handled it so lightly, and Secretary Zhang Huaijing accepted it so lightly, which made him smell something unusual in it.

He knitted his brows and pondered, "Secretary Zhang Huaijing, I'm afraid this matter isn't that simple. Should we report it to Secretary Man?"

"Forget it. Matters of eating and drinking are, in principle, against the regulations. Besides, my Secretary didn't hold his ground, making the situation difficult to resolve." Secretary Zhang Huaijing shook his head and sighed.

"I think Secretary Jiang Tao is not bad; I didn't expect him to be so muddled after drinking! However, it's understandable; he's only 26, a bachelor, and at the age of being full of vigor."

Secretary Jiang Tao was able to be transferred to the Municipal Party Committee Office and selected as Secretary Zhang Huaijing's Secretary because his father had privately given gifts to Secretary-General Fang Yuan, so Secretary-General Fang Yuan had to help him try to secure a position.