Chapter 1809

Chapter 1809: Chapter 1809

The next day, Song Guanchao got up early and received a call from Liang Jianfeng.

He acted quickly, detaining Director Huang yesterday and interrogating him overnight.

Under questioning from the veteran police, Director Huang, the county bureau chief, unsurprisingly opened up.

Having collected the relevant evidence, Song Guanchao went to report to Wu Qiangwei.

"Go back after breakfast," Wu Qiangwei said.

They had breakfast at the self-service restaurant at the guesthouse. At ten o’clock, they gathered in the parking lot and drove back to the city.

At eleven o’clock, the car drove into the urban area.

Back at the City Government, Wu Qiangwei instructed, "Secretary Shu, please ask Mayor Sun to come over."

"Alright."

She returned to her office and, while brewing a pot of tea, Shu Xue had already brought Sun Jiajun over.

"Mayor Wu, did you ask for me?" Sun Jiajun had little presence at the City Government. With Lin He losing power within the Lin Family, his only backer was gone, and he was currently trying to curry favor with Director Zhang of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, which meant he was often absent from the City Government these days.

As for Wu Qiangwei, he generally avoided interacting with her whenever possible.

Usually, Wu Qiangwei wouldn’t actively seek him out, either.

But whenever she did, Sun Jiajun knew that something was certainly up.

Wu Qiangwei said, "I just returned from Gaoshui County, and I want to talk to you about the situation there."

Sun Jiajun flattered, "Matters in the county can be handled by you, Mayor. I’m fully supportive on my end."

"Really?" Wu Qiangwei’s smile made him quite uncomfortable.

"During this visit, I encountered some issues. The Education Ministry’s special subsidy fund was misappropriated. The situation has been thoroughly investigated, involving the main leadership of Gaoshui County. I have decided to remove Cao Xiaolou from his post as County Magistrate. If you have no objections, I will request to convene a Standing Committee meeting for discussion."

Sun Jiajun was visibly stunned, the air quiet for two seconds, before he silently cursed and lightly coughed, saying, "Is the misappropriation of public funds a clear fact? Couldn’t there be some misunderstanding here?"

Although he was only recently relocated to Jiangzhou and couldn’t claim to understand every official’s interpersonal relations and background connections, he was clear about those surface relationships.

The fact that Cao Xiaolou was Zhou Zheng’s confidant was never a secret.

Wu Qiangwei came back from an investigation just to remove his county magistrate, wasn’t this making trouble out of nothing?

"The facts are clear, the evidence is comprehensive, there is no misunderstanding," Wu Qiangwei said calmly.

"Mayor Wu, I think... Perhaps further investigation is needed to ensure there’s no deliberate misguidance? After all, Cao Xiaolou is the county magistrate, such a major decision to remove him requires prudence."

"Is Mayor Sun suggesting that my decision is hasty?" Wu Qiangwei asked, "Wasn’t there just a claim of full support?"

"I definitely support it in the big picture, but I think the details of handling it can be considered further."

Sun Jiajun pondered, "County Magistrate Cao was promoted by Secretary Zhou. He is quite capable, and during his tenure, Gaoshui County’s economy has improved continuously for several years. Removing such a capable official just because of one mistake feels a bit severe to me."

This remark clearly displeased Wu Qiangwei; she scoffed, "Being capable means mistakes can be made? Is it that as long as someone is capable, any mistake they make won’t be pursued? Furthermore, let me clarify, his mistake is not minor. He misappropriated public funds and illegally mobilized police to arrest people. If such serious behavior is tolerable in Mayor Sun’s eyes, then please tell me, what kind of problems are intolerable?"

Faced with Wu Qiangwei’s series of questions, Sun Jiajun remained smooth and unperturbed: "Nobody is perfect; I just think officials should be allowed to make mistakes. As long as they aren’t irreversible, it shouldn’t be blown out of proportion."

"Moreover, whether public funds were indeed misappropriated is still debatable. How about discussing it with Secretary Zhou?"

After a pause, he added another sentence: "Mayor Wu, going down for an inspection and then wanting to remove a county magistrate, especially one promoted by Secretary Zhou—this matter, when it reaches the Standing Committee, I estimate it will be difficult to pass. Moreover, if the junior officials hear of this, it will make their work effort cautious."

Listening to his sophistry, Wu Qiangwei almost laughed from anger.

She anticipated that Sun Jiajun wouldn’t support her, but didn’t expect him to oppose so boldly.

"Mayor Wu, the way of being an official is to blend with the dust," Sun Jiajun lamented again.

Wu Qiangwei’s smile was faint; she didn’t need him to teach her how to behave as an official.

She grabbed her phone and dialed Zhou Zheng’s number.

Seeing this, Sun Jiajun was slightly pleased. In his view, Wu Qiangwei’s actions were impulsive and somewhat thoughtless.

She was entirely unmindful of what consequences her actions might bring.

After the call, Wu Qiangwei stood up, "You go about your business."

Sun Jiajun said, "I’ll accompany you."

"No need," Wu Qiangwei replied without extra words, then pushed the door open and went to the City Committee.

Zhou Zheng thought she wanted to discuss some results from her investigation during this visit.

Instead, Wu Qiangwei sat down and said, "Cao Xiaolou misappropriated public funds, knowingly broke the law, and I suggest he be arrested immediately."

The sudden turn of events caught Zhou Zheng completely unprepared, his expression froze.

"What?"

"The education subsidy in Gaoshui County was misappropriated for private use by Cao Xiaolou, involving over ten million in funds. Additionally, he illegally mobilized police and detained teacher Yang Ling. The nature of this is quite malicious," Wu Qiangwei detailed emotionlessly, like a machine.

Zhou Zheng’s expression slipped, turning gloomy.

If he remembered correctly, he had told her very clearly over the phone yesterday that the matter had been resolved.

How did it escalate overnight?

"Mayor Wu, are you mistaken?"

"The evidence is conclusive, not mistaken," Wu Qiangwei sighed, "I was worried Secretary Zhou might misunderstand, so I came to you first thing upon returning from Gaoshui County. I understand Cao Xiaolou was promoted by you, but the situation is indeed too egregious."

She really didn’t need to explain, but since they were the top two officials, if possible, she wouldn’t want the relationship to become too strained.

But she also knew that even if she intended for the matter to be resolved simply and peacefully, it wouldn’t happen.

Zhou Zheng was unlikely to believe that she handled the matter entirely without a shred of personal interest.

Thud.

Zhou Zheng lit a cigarette, his expression gloomy, his brows filled with irritation and anger.

He rarely showed an uncontrolled emotional side in front of outsiders, but this time, he failed to maintain control.

Cao Xiaolou was his close associate and, since being promoted, Gaoshui County’s economy had been climbing steadily; these were achievements he could boast about when advancing his career.

Now, Wu Qiangwei wants to remove him.

If word gets out, what will others think?

What will the leaders think?

Outsiders might assume that he promoted Cao Xiaolou just to amass wealth for himself.

The leaders might believe that his inability to properly evaluate people reflects a lack of capability.

After taking a drag from the cigarette, he extinguished it and calmed his emotions: "Tell me the specifics."