Chapter 1810

Chapter 1810: Chapter 1810

Wu Qiangwei was somewhat surprised, as Zhou Zheng calmed down faster than she had imagined.

She recounted the situation in Gaoshui County to him in detail, leaving nothing out.

Zhou Zheng listened while analyzing the situation thoroughly.

When she finished speaking, Zhou Zheng suddenly realized that this matter seemed not to be intentional on Wu Qiangwei’s part, but rather an accidental occurrence.

This is both a good and bad thing.

The good part is that since Wu Qiangwei wasn’t deliberately targeting anyone, County Magistrate Cao Xiaolou still has a chance to maintain his position.

The bad part is that this incident is overly coincidental.

When coincidences abound, there is inevitably someone stirring things up behind the scenes.

He suspected this was a scheme aimed at Cao Xiaolou.

As for who might be behind it, he was unsure.

"I’ll make a phone call to inquire." Zhou Zheng did not overturn her conclusion; to protect Cao Xiaolou, he had to seek another path.

"County Magistrate Cao, did you misappropriate the education subsidies?"

Zhou Zheng spoke sternly, leaving Cao Xiaolou confused.

Asking so abruptly without any setup would confuse anyone.

But he quickly realized that Zhou Zheng had company.

This inquiry felt more like offering him a chance.

"Secretary Zhou, I did take the money." He admitted willingly.

"How much did you take?"

"11 million."

"Why did you take it?"

Cao Xiaolou knew this was an opportunity to explain himself, so he pondered for a few seconds and swiftly thought of an excuse: "Secretary Zhou, I didn’t take this money for personal use. For the past couple of years, the county’s economy has been developing, and we’ve given many businesses tax incentives. But many incentives remained verbal, and upon implementation, it was discovered that the county finances had run out."

"No choice, so I mobilized the county’s officials to use their salaries to cover the shortfall."

"But the officials have gone without pay, and their own lives are tough, so I thought of the education subsidies..."

He transformed the misuse of public funds into his own political achievement.

Zhou Zheng was very satisfied listening, but still criticized: "If funds are inadequate, you can apply to the City Government. How can you misuse the education subsidies? As a County Magistrate, how can you lead by committing such violations?"

"Yes, what Secretary Zhou says is correct, I have recognized my mistake."

"Has the county finances balanced out now?"

"They have, I will return the funds immediately. The salary arrears for teachers, this week... no, today, today I will have all paid back!"

"Is it just back pay?" Zhou Zheng said: "I heard some teachers have been owed for 17 months. Teachers have been supporting the county’s economic development from their salaries, and the county should also compensate them."

"Yes, what Secretary Zhou says is correct."

"You go ahead and do it, report back to me and Mayor Wu later."

"Understood."

Zhou Zheng put down the phone, and his face showed a bit more of a smile, pointing at the phone: "This County Magistrate Cao lacks organizational discipline, and sometimes acts too rashly. But it’s precisely his personality that has allowed him to govern Gaoshui County so well. Under his governance, Gaoshui County’s economic ranking has consistently been among the top five in provincial counties."

Wu Qiangwei knew what he wanted to say, listened patiently, and nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Zheng said: "The matter of misappropriating public funds, I have also clarified, and there is a slight discrepancy in the story."

He immediately told her Cao Xiaolou’s explanation.

Normally, since Wu Qiangwei wasn’t intentionally targeting Cao Xiaolou, this matter would basically pass at this point.

But Wu Qiangwei clearly didn’t want to let it slide.

She frowned and said: "Secretary Zhou, the misappropriation of public funds is no small matter. Moreover, County Magistrate Cao’s problem is not just the misuse of public funds. Village teachers came to the city to report violations, accusing him of violating public security regulations and sending people to arrest them. At minimum, this is misconduct and violation; at its worst, this is authoritarianism, dictatorship, and suppressing the public’s voice!"

Zhou Zheng’s smile faded a bit: "This matter may have been a misunderstanding."

"It’s not a misunderstanding." Wu Qiangwei did not give him a chance to call again: "Mayor Liang has thoroughly investigated the specifics. The facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. Secretary Zhou, I am here to convey the situation to you, and the City Government has already made a decision on how to handle it."

Zhou Zheng’s smile completely vanished, realizing he had guessed wrong.

Wu Qiangwei truly wanted to proceed against Cao Xiaolou!

He suppressed his burgeoning anger, and said solemnly: "Mayor Wu, we must allow officials to make mistakes. Furthermore, County Magistrate Cao’s intentions were good; problems only arose during implementation. We shouldn’t completely negate someone’s efforts over a minor issue. If you proceed this way, other officials in the future will be cautious, and how will work be carried out?"

This familiar argument echoed Sun Jiajun’s exact sentiments.

She was too tired to argue these fallacies with Zhou Zheng, stood up and said: "I don’t want to make the situation too ugly either. I won’t pursue criminal responsibility, but the County Magistrate’s duty must be dismissed. I will propose this at the Wednesday’s Standing Committee meeting."

With that, she turned and left.

Zhou Zheng was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring; once she left, he slammed the tea cup heavily on the table.

Secretary Pan walked in, saw how angry he was, and softly asked: "Secretary, what’s wrong?"

Zhou Zheng waved his hand, drank several sips of tea to quell his anger, and said: "Please invite Secretary Lu and Secretary Guo for a meeting."

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the office.

Zhou Zheng said: "At Wednesday’s Standing Committee meeting, Mayor Wu intends to dismiss Cao Xiaolou."

The two were stunned, as the matter seemed too sudden; why was Wu Qiangwei doing such a thing out of the blue?

Lv Jie asked: "What happened?"

Zhou Zheng beautified the situation and briefly explained.

The two were not fools, and instinctively ignored his embellishments, knowing the specific reasons.

According to them, while Cao Xiaolou’s actions were excessive, they did not warrant dismissal from his position.

But knowing Wu Qiangwei, making such a decision didn’t seem entirely unexpected.

Zhou Zheng looked at the two: "At Wednesday’s Standing Committee meeting, she will propose dismissal."

Hearing this, Guo Han immediately understood what he meant, smiled slightly, and expressed: "County Magistrate Cao doesn’t deserve this."

Lv Jie had many thoughts passing through his mind; outwardly, he catered to Zhou Zheng, but inwardly he hoped Wu Qiangwei would prevail.

But Zhou Zheng had called them over hoping they would side with him at the Standing Committee meeting.

At this stage, he awaited their stance, and Lv Jie could only say: "Let’s discuss this at a small group meeting first to see if we can persuade Mayor Wu to change her mind."

Zhou Zheng responded with affirmation; prior to the small group meeting, he still needed to catch up with several other members of the Standing Committee.

This issue was different from the pollution in the industrial park.

If Wu Qiangwei could move against his personnel today, tomorrow she might move against others in the Standing Committee.

Although her actions weren’t intentionally offensive, others didn’t know this; he could subtly modify his descriptions when discussing with others, altering their perceptions of Wu Qiangwei.

After dealing with these two, Zhou Zheng prepared to call Wang Jinming.

At this point, a call from Sun Jiajun came through.

"Secretary Zhou, has Mayor Wu talked to you about Gaoshui County’s situation?"

"Yes," Zhou Zheng replied, "What is Mayor Sun’s position?"

Sun Jiajun said: "I think Mayor Wu has gone too far."

Zhou Zheng smiled and said: "I just met with other comrades and exchanged views, and they share the same thoughts as you."

Sun Jiajun exhaled: "That’s good, otherwise I would have thought I was isolated."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Zheng’s smile widened, excellent, gaining another vote.

He then proceeded to call Wang Jinming, asking him to come over for a discussion.