Power and Wealth - Chapter 1889

The scene was a bit tense.

With the arrival of the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission, the people from Jiao Lin County already felt immense pressure. Now, with Deputy Governor Fang Wenping, who was directly in charge of foreign guest exchanges at the provincial level, also here, it made everyone even more nervous. It seemed like the province was determined to put Jiao Lin County in a tough spot. They were going after Secretary Dong, and now that the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission and a provincial leader had shown up, things couldn’t have been any more serious. Clearly, the province was unhappy with how Jiao Lin County handled the foreign guests. But the people from Jiao Lin County knew the situation wasn’t their fault. The foreign guests were overly arrogant, and the staff from the city government office, especially Niu, didn’t even show them respect. While Secretary Dong’s handling of the situation may not have been perfect—he shouldn’t have cursed—it was still hard to understand why such a major investigation was launched against them. It felt like bullying.

Everyone had witnessed what happened the day before. Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang’s opinions aligned, and the county was not divided. Seeing the people from the city and the province now involved made the people from Jiao Lin County feel uneasy.

"Secretary Dong, this time..."

"Ugh, those foreigners..."

"Who told us we’re just a subordinate county? They can step all over us."

"It’s unbelievable. How come all the blame is on us? Are we supposed just to take it? They’ve gone back on their word so many times, and now we’re supposed to tolerate it?"

"At this point, it doesn’t matter what we say."

"Deputy Governor Fang is here. They’re going to destroy Secretary Dong."

"I feel bad for Secretary Dong. If he’s punished or removed, that would be humiliating."

Although Dong Xuebing had only been in office briefly, everyone had a positive view of the new county party secretary. He had a bad temper but was genuine and straightforward. Despite his harsh words, no one could fault his work ability. Most importantly, he treated his subordinates and staff respectfully, so many liked him. But now, just after a few days in office, it seemed like he was facing the risk of being removed.

Everyone sympathized with him.

Everyone felt it was unjust.

The crowd gathered in the courtyard, watching the situation unfold.

Fang Wenping stood at the door. It was only slightly open, but she didn’t close it. Those around her could see her clearly, and it seemed like she didn’t intend to shut it at all as she walked in.

The city’s Discipline Inspection Commission people all stood up.

“Did we interrupt your work?” Fang Wenping said coldly.

Zhang Ping quickly replied, “No, we just finished handling it.”

Fang Wenping glanced at him. "Who are you?"

Zhang Ping quickly said, “I’m Zhang Ping, Director of the Second Office of the City’s Discipline Inspection Commission.”

“Oh.” Fang Wenping responded indifferently, not saying another word. She scanned the room with a casual glance.

Dong Xuebing also stood up at this moment. When the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission entered, he hadn’t even budged, not even a little bit, showing no respect. The reason was partly because he was upset and because the group leader, Zhang Ping, held the same rank as him, so there was no need to show him deference. But Fang Wenping was different. Her status was much higher, so Dong Xuebing knew he couldn’t stay seated. He was the most surprised person there. He hadn’t expected Deputy Governor Fang to come. 𝘳𝐀₦ö𝐁ÈS

Why was she here?

Why now?

Both Zhang Ping and the people from Jiao Lin County thought that Fang Wenping had come to hold Dong Xuebing accountable for the foreign guest incident. After all, she was in charge of foreign guest exchanges at the provincial level and overseeing how Jiao Lin County treated foreign guests.

Zhang Ping said, “Deputy Governor Fang, most of the questioning has been completed. The City’s Discipline Inspection Commission has already understood the situation. You can rest assured the responsible persons will be dealt with severely. The impact of this incident is too serious.”

Fang Wenping looked at him and asked, “What kind of impact?”

Zhang Ping hesitated and blinked, saying, “Well, it’s just that the foreign guests weren’t properly received. The British delegation was visiting during this time, and if this issue escalates, it could become an international matter. If not handled properly, it will affect many negotiations.”

Fang Wenping coldly responded, “You seem to be taking on a lot of responsibility, huh? International matters are for the higher-ups to worry about. What does it do with you, a city Discipline Inspection Commission official? If you have the time to meddle in this, maybe you should focus on your department and improve your work skills. You’ve got too much free time, don’t you?”

Her words were direct and sharp.

The city’s Discipline Inspection Commission officials were stunned.

The people from Jiao Lin County around them were equally shocked. What’s going on? What does she mean? Why is Deputy Governor Fang speaking so harshly, even with personal insults? Wasn’t she here to hold Secretary Dong accountable? Why is she criticizing the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission? Everyone was momentarily confused.

Zhang Ping inhaled deeply, “Uh, Deputy Governor Fang, we…”

Fang Wenping fixed her gaze on him. “What do you mean by ‘we’? Are you investigating the people from Jiao Lin County? What are you going to deal with seriously? Tell me, what exactly are you going to deal with?”

The officials from the Discipline Inspection Commission fell silent. Since the leader was speaking this way, they dared not respond.

Fang Wenping continued, “Stop talking so much about the foreign guests. If you want to be polite, you can call them ’foreign guests,’ but to put it bluntly, they’re just people coming to our province to seek investments, begging for our money and help. Why do we have to cater to them like they’re royalty? If they’re here as true foreign friends, we’ll welcome them. But if someone comes here flaunting their official background and acting all high and mighty in our province, I don’t know about others, but I, for one, will not welcome them.” She looked at the stunned crowd and then pulled out her phone.

“Uh…”

“Deputy Governor Fang…”

“This... this…”

No one had expected Deputy Governor Fang to say such things.

The phone call had already connected, but no one knew who it was for. They could only hear Fang Wenping speak coldly into the phone, “Inform all counties and cities that the tasks and exchanges for foreign guests are all canceled. I don’t care what I said. If they don’t understand, let them go wherever they want. I don’t care. They can go to any other province but are not welcome here.” She paused for a few seconds, her tone becoming even colder. “Stop talking nonsense. Just do as I say. Let them get the hell out.”

Beep, beep.

Fang Wenping ended the call.

Everyone, without exception, was left gaping in disbelief at Deputy Governor Fang. Many were still processing what had just happened. This twist was just too big and unexpected, and Fang Wenping’s tone, her accent, the way she spoke, and the way she cursed—why did it sound so much like Secretary Dong?

It was almost identical.

Both of them spoke in the same way.

Even though they were both from Beijing, it wasn’t just the accent—the way they communicated, the tone. It was so similar.

And telling the foreign guests to get lost? You’re the Deputy Governor and cursing in front of so many people?

Zhang Dongfang, Wei Zhixuan, Meng Hanmei, Chang Lin, and the other members of the County Party Committee also came out upon hearing the noise. Everyone froze with everyone else in the temporary County Party Committee courtyard. It felt as if the entire yard had been muted for a moment. The atmosphere was so tense that you could almost hear a pin drop.

It was eerily silent.

The air was thick with tension.

Everyone was stunned into silence.

They had not had much direct interaction with Fang Wenping, who had only recently taken office. Furthermore, aside from Dong Xuebing, no one in the room had the level of authority to interact with her directly. So, no one expected her to lose her temper like this. Only Dong Xuebing was not surprised. He knew this was Fang Wenping’s character—she was just as hot-tempered as he was. Back when they were in Beijing, Fang Wenping had always been like this, with her straightforward approach to work.

Cursing?

What’s the big deal? It wasn’t even important.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Only then did everyone begin to realize what was going on.

It turned out that Deputy Governor Fang wasn’t here to hold them accountable; she was here to help Jiao Lin County out of trouble.

Zhang Ping’s heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale. He suddenly remembered something. It was said that before Fang Wenping took office, she had been a leader in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and she seemed to have worked in the same department as Dong Xuebing.

Fang Wenping had already set the tone. As the provincial leader directly responsible for foreign guest affairs, she had ordered the foreign guests to leave, and Zhang Ping and the others had no way to argue. After an awkward silence, Zhang Ping still nervously spoke up, “Deputy Governor Fang, the city sent us here mainly to investigate Comrade Dong Xuebing’s behavior of insulting City government officials during work. This matter’s impact is…”

Fang Wenping interrupted, “Did you hear me on the phone just now?”

Presently, Zhang Ping was taken aback, then replied, “Yes, we heard. You…”

“I was cursing too,” Fang Wenping pointed to herself and looked at him. “Now tell me, what’s the impact of me cursing? Go ahead, investigate me too.”

The officials from the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission were sweating bullets. Investigate her? How could they even think of investigating someone of her rank? Only the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had the authority to investigate her. Not even the provincial discipline commission had the power, let alone their small City one. There was no way they could do that.

“N-No, you… you’re not…” Zhang Ping quickly tried to explain.

Fang Wenping snapped, “You’re not investigating corruption or bribery, but you’re quick to investigate these trivial matters. All these people, all these cars, just for this nonsense? You guys in the Baohong City Discipline Inspection Commission are bored?”

She lashed out without mercy.

The officials from the city’s Discipline Inspection Commission and Zhang Ping could only listen, not daring to respond. What could they say? Her rank was right there, and they couldn’t argue back.