vncnus Chapter 30: Retribution Came Too Quickly
Chapter 30: Retribution Came Too Quickly
Several investigators came down.
A young comrade approached the director of the Tenth Inspection Office and asked, "The people in the county are all eating in the canteen. Should we go straight in and take them away, or...?"
Who's inside?
"Zhou Xiangzhang and the city's investigation team are all here."
"You two should call the person out. It'll minimize the impact, since the city officials are here."
The director of the provincial discipline inspection commission's inspection office who came today is a deputy director-level cadre, and he is already very experienced in handling cases like today's.
As instructed by Zeng Yongqiang, one of the principles for handling the case today is to minimize the impact on the stability of the local leadership.
The leadership has set the tone that this operation is specifically aimed at eliminating corrupt elements in Yuanshan County, injecting clean energy into the leadership team, and ultimately helping Yuanshan County achieve continuous purification of its political environment and a comprehensive improvement in the team's combat effectiveness.
The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has 13 inspection offices.
The first through eighth discipline inspection and supervision offices mainly perform supervisory and inspection duties.
The Ninth to Thirteenth Discipline Inspection and Supervision Offices are primarily responsible for disciplinary review and lawful investigation and handling of cases.
Today we're here to handle Xie Changhe's case of violating laws and regulations, so the Tenth Inspection Division has been dispatched.
The two young comrades headed straight for the canteen.
Upon entering the cafeteria, I immediately spotted Zhou Xiangzhang and Xie Changhe's table and walked past the other tables toward Xie Changhe.
Their appearance quickly attracted the attention of the people dining in the cafeteria.
"Who is this?"
"Don't you recognize me?"
"I've never seen it either."
"Hey, look, they're heading towards Secretary Zhou's table."
……
Two comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission stood straight in front of Zhou Xiangzhang and his group.
When they reached into their coat pockets, Zhou Xiangzhang's expression suddenly changed; they were about to take out their identification.
Sure enough, the two young comrades took out their identification cards from their pockets, held them high, and showed them to Xie Changhe.
Zhou Xiangzhang, who was sitting next to Xie Changhe, thought that Xie Changhe had come to see him. His shoulders slumped and he almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, he had experienced some big scenes and was able to sit up with difficulty.
"Xie Changhe, we are from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Please cooperate with our investigation."
As soon as she said that, Zhou Xiangzhang's ashen face suddenly brightened, while Xie Changhe was so shocked that he opened his mouth wide and stood there stunned.
Seeing that he showed no intention of getting up, the two disciplinary committee members moved closer to Xie Changhe.
Xie Changhe came to his senses, looked at his former elder brother, and tears welled up in his eyes.
It is said that fortunes change every thirty years, sometimes east and sometimes west.
But how come Xie Changhe had an accident in less than three months?
The retribution came too quickly.
I still remember that when he and Zhou Xiangzhang were plotting to frame Qiao Yong, Qiao Yong was taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission in this very canteen.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the next one to be taken away was Xie Changhe.
Didn't you say everything was stable?
Didn't you say nothing bad would happen?
He was taken away before he even got rid of the "acting" title of his county magistrate position.
"Secretary Zhou..."
At this moment, Zhou Xiangzhang was afraid that Xie Changhe's emotions were unstable and he might say something inappropriate on the spot, so she immediately pressed his thigh hard with her hand.
"Cooperate well with the comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission."
At the same time, she gave Xie Changhe a fierce look.
Xie Changhe could fully understand the meaning behind those glances.
From the moment he decided to join Zhou Xiangzhang's ship, he clearly defined himself as Zhou Xiangzhang's firewall and vanguard.
He steps up when there's trouble, and he also shoulders responsibility when there's trouble.
Otherwise, Xie Changhe wouldn't have been chosen as the acting county head.
Now that something has happened, he has to take responsibility and not let the fire spread to Zhou Xiangzhang.
Otherwise, this fire will soon spread to his family.
Xie Changhe slowly stood up and walked towards the cafeteria door.
Two young discipline inspection comrades followed closely behind him, without grabbing his arms, which was to save face for Yuanshan County.
Once outside, Xie Changhe discovered that the people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's inspection office were already waiting in ambush.
I was so scared that I couldn't walk. I lifted my leg but didn't dare to step down the stairs.
It took him more than ten seconds to shakily climb down the three steps at the entrance of the cafeteria.
The further he walked, the more frightened he became. At first, his legs trembled, and now his whole body and arms trembled. He walked as if he were performing some kind of strange dance.
His face was stiff with tension, almost numb, with no obvious expression, and he looked somewhat dazed.
Two disciplinary committee members behind him, fearing that Xie Changhe would be so frightened that he would collapse to the ground, quickly went up and grabbed Xie Changhe's arms on both sides.
Upon the first touch, Xie Changhe's body went limp, and he knelt on the ground.
Fortunately, two young comrades were strong enough to lift him up, and Xie Changhe was eventually dragged into the car.
The car quickly drove away from the compound.
Inside the canteen, the members of the investigation team remained silent, and the team leader's face was extremely grim.
"Old Zhou, we have other things to do. You guys take your time eating."
The team leader jumped up. He had almost peed his pants in fright, but he felt relieved when he saw that they were there to deal with Xie Changhe.
Quickly lead your team members away from this troublesome place.
Those were all people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.
If the disciplinary committee asks who was at the dinner table and what they were discussing, the members of the investigation team might get into trouble.
The people from the city didn't want to stay a moment longer.
At the dinner table, only Zhou Xiangzhang and Wu Maocai remained.
At this moment, Wu Maocai had one hand on the dining table and the other in his pocket. His expression was one of feigned surprise and unease, but in his heart he was constantly grateful for his teacher's guidance.
It seems this move was the right one.
Fortunately, the teacher called in time. He sided with the new county head and helped deal with the acting county head, Xie Changhe.
According to the rules of the martial arts world, it's better to die for your fellow practitioners than for yourself.
He took action today by submitting a formal complaint; the newly appointed county head should reserve a position for him.
Looking back now, if the teacher had called a day later, he wouldn't have had this opportunity to make a move, and what awaited him would have been the new county head's reckoning with him.
Losing my position as director is secondary; I might be dealt with much worse.
"Maocai, has Changhe recently made enemies with anyone?" Zhou Xiangzhang suddenly asked.
According to his understanding, the fact that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection suddenly appeared and took Xie Changhe away must mean that someone had reported Xie Changhe, and that the materials the Commission had obtained were very solid.
Wu Maocai blinked, feigning innocence as an outsider: "I don't know."
Li Taoying, director of the county party committee office, leaned over and whispered to Zhou Xiangzhang, "Secretary, Mayor Chen is on the phone."
Zhou Xiangzhang's brows furrowed like the Chinese character "川" (chuan), and she glanced at the busybodies standing by the cafeteria window, looking out at the courtyard. She was very annoyed.
He took the phone Li Taoying handed him, got up from the table, and walked towards his office.
Wu Maocai hurriedly took out a cigarette, lit it, and took two quick puffs before calming himself down a bit.
A plump figure sat down next to him, carrying a plate.
Xiao Lili from the old cadre bureau, wearing a white shirt and black trousers with black stockings underneath, paired with simple black high heels, looked very stylish.
She scooped up a piece of potato with a spoon, eating it while smiling at Wu Maocai.
Why are you looking at me like that?
"I knew it was you."
"What do you mean, 'me'?" Wu Maocai looked at Xiao Lili warily.
Xiao Lili leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear, "Stop pretending. Xie Changhe was taken away by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wasn't it you who submitted the report?"