Power and Wealth-Chapter 1887

A few minutes later.

The door slammed open.

Director Zhang and his two subordinates left Meng Hanmei’s office, their faces darkened. After a lengthy session, they hadn’t gotten anything useful and were seething with anger. The City Disciplinary Committee officials were very dissatisfied with Meng Hanmei’s attitude. The higher-ups had already set the tone for them, and they had evidence; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to investigate Dong Xuebing. But these people were still stubbornly denying everything. Was there any point in resisting?

"Director."

"So, what’s the next step?"

"Let’s go to Comrade Zhang Dongfang’s office."

Director Zhang and his team went to Zhang Dongfang’s office.

The two of them knew each other, though not very well. After greeting each other politely, they each took a seat.

Director Zhang said, "County Mayor Zhang, you were at the scene the whole time yesterday, so you should know the situation better than anyone. We’ve come because we received a report about a series of issues involving Comrade Dong Xuebing. We’re here to understand the situation. Around 6:00 p.m. yesterday, did Comrade Dong Xuebing scold Comrade Niu from the city government office over the phone?"

"This…" Zhang Dongfang replied.

Director Zhang stared at him and asked, "Yes, what was the situation like then?"

Zhang Dongfang paused for a moment. "I didn’t pay much attention. I saw Secretary Dong was on the phone, but I was behind him, so I didn’t hear clearly what was said." Zhang Dongfang was careful not to throw Dong Xuebing under the bus, even though he knew the matter couldn’t be covered. The City Disciplinary Committee had already come, and no matter what they said, it wouldn’t change anything. It was going to be investigated. However, Zhang Dongfang didn’t feel it was right to speak against Dong Xuebing. After all, Dong Xuebing’s outburst was due to his concern for the county’s people, and he was speaking up for everyone. Zhang Dongfang had also been upset, so even though the city was taking a tough stance, he felt he couldn’t add more fuel to the fire.

Director Zhang was getting impatient. He knew Zhang Dongfang didn’t get along with Dong Xuebing, but he wasn’t like Meng Hanmei. He came to him to ask about the situation, but the answers were almost the same. Frustrated, Director Zhang snapped, "Then, you also don’t know about Dong Xuebing canceling the hotel reservations?"

"I do know," Zhang Dongfang replied. "But that was discussed, and it was a decision made by our entire county. After all, we didn’t know whether the foreign guests would come. We couldn’t waste resources by reserving all those rooms, especially since we’ve been renovating the old County Committee building, and the county’s funds are tight." When Dong Xuebing announced this decision at the meeting, Zhang Dongfang and the others hadn’t opposed it so that he couldn’t go back on it now. That would make him look bad.

One, two, three, five…

Several county leaders were asked, but the City Disciplinary Committee officials couldn’t extract anything useful.

It seemed like Jiao Lín County's leadership had coordinated in advance. No one said anything concrete; they all gave vague answers, such as "I don’t know" or "I didn’t hear clearly," as if they were parroting what Dong Xuebing had told them. Dong Xuebing hadn’t instructed any of them. Even if there had been communication, it was among the lower-ranking county leaders, and Dong Xuebing did not know of it.

However, no wall doesn't have a crack.

While Director Zhang had no success, the City Disciplinary Committee inspectors sent to gather information from other staff members managed to make a breakthrough elsewhere.

It was a newly assigned staff member from the city government office who had only been in the system for less than two years. He had been part of the reception team yesterday and had been present the entire time. He didn’t have remarkable psychological resilience, and when he saw the City Disciplinary Committee people arrive, he first froze. The inspectors, being seasoned professionals, quickly noticed his reaction. With a sharp look and some words invoking party principles to intimidate him, the county government staff member spilled everything, including what Secretary Dong had said during his outburst and the subsequent events.

Once the crack was opened, things became much more straightforward.

The matter would have eventually been addressed without this opening, but it would have taken more effort.

Director Zhang came in after he had learned the situation, closed the door, and sat across from the staff member, asking, "Is there anything else we should know?"

The staff member hesitated, "What do you mean?"

Director Zhang guided him, "I heard that Comrade Dong Xuebing has a bad reputation here. When he first took office, there were many issues, including signs of verbal and even physical abuse. Is that right?"

The staff member stammered, "I... I don’t know about that."

Director Zhang asked, "Has Comrade Dong Xuebing ever hit or scolded any staff members?"

"No, he didn’t hit anyone... He said some harsh words, but they were work-related..." The staff member didn’t finish before Director Zhang interrupted him.

"So, there was verbal abuse," Director Zhang said, turning to the recorder. "Make sure to note that down."

The City Disciplinary Committee inspector immediately began writing furiously in his notebook.

In grassroots work, how could there not be a few swear words or some people being scolded? What kind of leader would you be if you were all soft-spoken and polite? Some work can’t be done without a certain level of firmness. That’s the reality at the grassroots level. However, the Central Disciplinary Committee members didn’t consider these factors. They directly focused on these issues, clearly targeting Dong Xuebing, and determined to dig up everything they could, even twisting some of the things said to suit their narrative.

Director Zhang stared into the staff member's eyes. "Is there anything else you want to report, like bribery? Your secretary personally paid for so many hotel rooms, and they were all high-end ones. The total cost must be quite a sum—at least 400,000 or 500,000 yuan. He’s only been in office for a few years. Where would he get that kind of money? He must have been saving up by not eating or drinking, right?"

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The staff member was now completely flustered, wiping sweat from his brow. "I... I don’t know about that."

One of the City Disciplinary Committee members shouted, "If the organization is asking you, just answer! Why are you hesitating?"

This was another form of verbal abuse, but it seemed to have no effect on the City Disciplinary Committee members; they had the authority to shout, while others were not allowed to.

After a long session, the City Disciplinary Committee uncovered several details. There was no lead on bribery, but other issues were clearer and could be more easily defined.

Alright.

It was time to talk with Dong Xuebing.