Rebirth of Corrupt Officials

He called Qu Zhendong. Earlier, Qu Zhendong received a call from Yue Huasheng. At that time, Jiang Xiaochuan was released, but the news had not yet been made public; Yue Huasheng informed him first.

For some ulterior motive, he asked Jiang Xiaochuan to meet him at the business hotel in Chengzhou at nine in the morning.

Jiang Xiaochuan laid in bed, just closing his eyes, but he did not sleep a wink that night.

The next day, he went out with bloodshot eyes, but he felt like he was in good spirits.

Before he left, he was given a cell phone with a recording on it.

Yue Huasheng’s car took him to the hotel, but instead of allowing the car to drive in, he got out outside.

In the car, he listened to the recording until he could almost memorize the short conversation.

He should have been grateful to receive such a gift in the end.

The recording was of Qu Zhendong conspiring with someone to have him killed. It seemed that Qu Zhendong did not believe him, which Jiang Xiaochuan expected.

Jiang Encheng’s death might have been an unintentional fault of Qu Zhendong, but for his own unintentional fault, he felt no guilt. Now, he was set to completely eliminate the son of the deceased—where was his conscience?

In the recording, there was a conversation that seemed to have taken place after Yue Huasheng’s call to Qu Zhendong the previous day. It was broadcast from Qu Zhendong’s mobile phone. Although the secret line was confidential, it was monitored by the higher-ups. What Qu Zhendong wanted to discuss could not be known by them, so he was speaking on a regular line. However, this routine gave Yue Huasheng an opportunity. He found someone to monitor Qu Zhendong’s calls.

Yue Huasheng proved his ability to maintain his position through thorough scheming methods. He called Qu Zhendong about Jiang Xiaochuan, expressing Jiang Xiaochuan’s desire to ask for help and hoping to arrange a meeting. Qu Zhendong eagerly contacted Qiu Yu and others.

In the eyes of others, Jiang Xiaochuan was Qu Zhendong’s insider, but in Qu Zhendong’s eyes, he was an insider of the disciplinary committee. Qu Zhendong sensed that Jiang Xiaochuan was extremely unsociable. Such a person was an anomaly in officialdom; although rare, whenever such a person existed, they were bound to stir up earth-shattering waves.

Just like Xue Yan, that foolish kid who turned Chengzhou upside down. If there were a few more like him in the official circles, politics might have become clearer too. But Qu Zhendong was most afraid of such people.

While on the phone with Qiu Yu, they discussed that since they failed to frame him, it was better to find a chance to kill him. After all, it was him who shook the underworld side. Jiang Xiaochuan stirred up trouble, and any issues could be attributed to his failure to heed advice.

The person they wanted to promote was the obedient executive vice mayor, Wu Kui. With Wu Kui in charge, managing the rest of the affairs would be easy. For example, deciding who would handle the renovation of the old district and auctioning off spare land… Chengzhou’s underground trade could be properly restored…

Qu Zhendong was afraid that Jiang Xiaochuan might come back for revenge. No one knew if he said anything during the investigation. He planned to deal with Jiang Xiaochuan immediately but needed to confirm what Jiang Xiaochuan had said first to feel secure about the future.

So, although it was not a good time to meet him, circumstances changed. The sooner the matter was resolved, the better, before Lian Cheng returned.

This was a great opportunity for Qu Zhendong.

But he did not anticipate that Jiang Xiaochuan was not seeking help; he was aiming to end all this.

By the time Lian Cheng returned, Qu Zhendong would already secure absolute power. It was too late.

Lian Cheng was investigating the entire bureaucracy of Chengzhou. He needed to create an opening, but resistance was strong. Now, because of Jiang Xiaochuan, a crack appeared in the otherwise impregnable fortress. It was time for him to take action. The court was unable to refute it until last week. He could only clear his name by confessing the real person behind the plot. However, Zhang Xiaoli would never forgive those responsible because her child, who had not yet been born, was taken from her.

Chengzhou was on the verge of collapse; whether Qu Zhendong or Lian Cheng would emerge victorious was soon to be seen. However, due to a crucial file, Lian Cheng had to return to the capital at a critical time to address its own issues. In his absence, the changes in Chengzhou were anyone’s guess.

As the state was in chaos, Qu Zhendong demanded absolute power from the top to the provincial party committee. Once absolute power was given to the provincial party committee, the provincial government and the departments below were almost entirely under its control. This was a one-sided situation, and provincial party secretary Zheng Liangyou could not obtain this power. Absolute power would fall into Qu Zhendong’s hands.

At that point, the accounts would be settled, and the relevant witnesses who needed to be removed would be dealt with. Based on the loopholes their testimonies could fill, they would be addressed one by one. Then, the gangsters in Chengzhou would be appeased once again, and Chengzhou would be at peace. The leadership team would be united, helping each other, and unified under the party’s leadership. Qu Zhendong could manage these matters and restore order to Chengzhou, achieving first-class results. At that time, absolute power would truly and completely belong to him.

What would Lian Cheng find out by then?

It was always the case that what was distant was irrelevant.

Jiang Xiaochuan bowed his head and smiled, knocking on the door of the room. Qu Zhendong, with a kind smile on his face, welcomed him in.

Early in the morning, there was only a simple breakfast on the table. Qu Zhendong said, “It’s so early in the morning. You haven’t eaten, have you? I haven’t eaten either. Let’s eat together. Look at you. You must have suffered a lot in there. How much weight have you lost? Those bastards…”

If it were sometimes ago, Jiang Xiaochuan might have been very touched, but now he was only pretending to be moved.

“Old leader, long time no see. You are still as elegant as ever.”

.

As they sat down to eat, Qu Zhendong used the conversation to test Jiang Xiaochuan’s situation.

“Those individuals from the disciplinary commission. They couldn’t catch any evidence, and the matter was in my hands. I could make it up as I wanted. Who could do anything to me? Weeks ago in court, they tried to bite me, but Zhang Xiaoli tried to clear my name. I did nothing to her. They couldn’t get me to talk, and had to let me out. It wouldn’t have been so easy, you know—but you told me to make friends with the district. Luckily, I didn’t let you down. There was someone behind this putting pressure on the CCDI’s people, so I came out quickly.”

Jiang Xiaochuan picked up a piece of pickle and remarked, “Old leader, you still like this kind of thing after so many years, just as frugal as before.”

The pickle was astringent, and not much better pickled.

The pickles had long been out of date.

Qu Zhendong remembered when he had been a poor village official, “When I was poor, I liked this kind of thing. Now…”

‘Now you’re too high up to let this thing go?’

Was it genuine, or was it just an act for Jiang Xiaochuan?

Jiang Xiaochuan felt complicated. Although he knew that Qu Zhendong was faking everything in front of him, Qu Zhendong had helped him greatly in the past—even helping with the municipal house. Yet, it was this man who had killed his father, and who was an absolute corrupt official. He was neither a good officer nor a good person.

Thinking of Jiang Encheng’s death, his heart’s struggle and hesitation vanished, replaced by cold hardness.

In the recorder, Qu Zhendong mention Jiang Encheng’s death was also a matter of course, not half a minute of repentance and guilt.

The two of them chatted about everything from the official world—about when Jiang Xiaochuan had first met Qu Zhendong and received help from the old leader—to everything that had followed. Their conversation ranged from the gongs and drums of the City God Temple to the antiques in the suburban parks, to the covered bowls of tea under the stage…

Even a simple breakfast had taken more than an hour.

Qu Zhendong wiped his hands with a paper towel and smiled with narrowed eyes. “You’ve eaten enough. You said you want to resume your job. This matter is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Have you thought it through? If you really want to follow my path…”

“Now, who can I trust? I’m listening to you,” Jiang Xiaochuan pretended to be very helpless.

Qu Zhendong added, “I do know a great man who might have a way. Let me take you to see him.”

Jiang Xiaochuan’s eyes showed a different colour, and he seemingly inadvertently gripped Qu Zhendong’s hand. “This… really, thank you, old leader.”

“No, no, don’t mention it. Let’s go.”

“I’m going to the bathroom first.”

“Oh, okay.”

Qu Zhendong smiled and watched Jiang Xiaochuan walk away. Then, he took out his phone and informed the people on the other side that he was about to bring the target over.

Jiang Xiaochuan, this young man whom he helped, was now to be destroyed by his own hand.

Qu Zhendong’s heart filled with a sense of pleasure from controlling other people’s lives and deaths. At that moment, he felt like the emperor who controlled life and death according to his will. After today, he would have absolute power. At that time, not only Chengzhou but the whole of province would be under his control.

Lost in this wonderful reverie, he finally dialled the number. However, he did not notice that behind him, Jiang Xiaochuan, who just stepped out, was standing at the door.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked coldly at the old man, who was sitting at the table with only a few chopsticks of pickles.

The pistol had a silencer, so it was probably quiet when it was fired.

Arms raised steadily, Jiang Xiaochuan thought, how absurd it was to start this farce and how absurd it would be to end it.

Bang.

Beijing, twenty-three degrees Celsius, sunny, easterly breeze, light.

Lian Cheng picked up the phone. “Well, how’s it going?”

“He woke up just in time. Now that he’s all right, let bring him in. No more mistakes.”

“Back here, I’ll handle it.”

.

A brief pause.

Lian Cheng looked at the sky outside. Although it was sunny, there were many clouds floating around. It was not very blue yet, but it would brighten up in a few days. There were only a few days a year when the sky was truly clear.

He turned, walked into the office, and placed a document in front of his former boss.

“It’s time to sign, Secretary Zhang.”

“Did you bring him back?”

“Probably.”

“… I’ll sign it.”

In times of corruption, there was always a pair of eyes watching from above. No matter how good one’s reasons might be, in the moments of making mistakes, party discipline and national law leave no room for leniency.

It was useless to try and make amends later.

Chengzhou, twenty-eight degrees, clear, with a southeasterly breeze and light.

At the cemetery, Jiang Encheng’s black-and-white photos stood in front of the tombstone.

Jiang Xiaochuan sat next to the tombstone, leaning on it. Exhaustion from the sleepless night overwhelmed him, and he fell asleep. When he woke up, the sun had already set.

A thin, pale man stood in front of the tombstone and said to him, “It’s time to go.”