Power and Wealth - C.1577: Everyone is speechless

The atmosphere suddenly became tense in the City Party Committee compound. The scene fell silent for a moment.

As everyone looked at Dong Xuebing's credentials displayed there, they knew it definitely couldn't be fake, and no one dared to fake such a thing. Even if there were audacious individuals who dared to flaunt fake credentials like these, they certainly wouldn't be family members of a City party committee secretary. So, there was no need to confirm the stamps or other details on the credentials. Everyone understood clearly that this was real. Standing before them was an inspector at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a position of Division Chief level. This sudden revelation caught many people off guard.

Division Chief level?

Even in the Eighth Supervisory Office, that's a leadership position.

Many people's initial reaction was self-recrimination for judging based on appearances. Who could have thought this unremarkable, youthful man would hold such a high-ranking position in the discipline inspection system? It took a moment for the people from Xiaxing City to catch up with the reality. Although Secretary Xie Huan had just been transferred here, everyone should have realized that she, as a Bureau Director level party secretary, with her remarkable appearance and slender figure, wouldn't marry an ordinary person. Birds of a feather flock together, and with such disparity in status, it would have been difficult for them to become a couple.

They had been blind.

No wonder Secretary Xie remained silent all along.

No wonder her husband dared to speak out, criticizing provincial leaders and comrades from the inspection team.

Although everyone had initially thought Dong Xuebing was audacious and ignorant of the situation, they felt relieved now that they knew his identity and his workplace. After all, the Eighth Supervisory Office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was in charge of their Jiangnan Province, with the authority to supervise, inspect, and discipline. Even if Dong Xuebing criticized them, or if he were to speak to any provincial-level officials individually, those officials at the departmental level would have to sit quietly and listen. As for provincial-level leaders, if Dong Xuebing obtained approval and proper documentation from higher authorities, he would be entitled to question or even summon them. The extent of his power was beyond the imagination of local cadres.

Mayor Xia glanced deeply at Secretary Xie.

Other city leaders exchanged surprised looks, each with their thoughts.

Dong Xuebing paused, then looked at the young man from the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. "You can report to the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission now. Anyway, I plan to visit them in the next few days."

The young man turned pale. His face flushed red. "No, no, I…" Where would he dare to report now? That would be tantamount to seeking his death. Even if he did report, there would be no grounds for it. It was usual for the supervisory department to provide guidance and criticism on their work. Even if Dong Xuebing's remarks were excessive, reporting it to the provincial Discipline Inspection Commission would serve no purpose. The provincial Discipline Inspection Commission would likely reject the complaint without hesitation. He had only heard of cases where the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection investigated provincial discipline inspection commissions; he had never heard of a provincial discipline inspection commission investigating the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The young man regretted his earlier words and his attitude toward Dong Xuebing. He wanted to say, "When the Dragon King's temple is flooded, even the family members won't recognize each other," but he didn't have the nerve. The provincial leaders had yet to express their stance.

Dong Xuebing turned to Director Zhou. "Director Zhou, do I have the right to speak now?"

Director Zhou wished he could curse Dong Xuebing's ancestors, but he must acknowledge it. He said, " I didn't know you were a comrade from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. I thought you were a family member of a cadre, so…"

Deputy Governor Jia had been silent for a long time. He remained silent now, too. He just glanced at Dong Xuebing. There was hardly any change in his expression, making it difficult to tell whether he had known beforehand that Secretary Xie Huan had a husband working at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection or if Deputy Governor Jia had mastered the art of cultivating inner calmness.

The people from the province were all speechless.

Upstairs, some low-ranking staff from Xiaxing City felt secretly pleased when they saw the province's representatives being put in their place and remaining silent. They had borne a grudge after being criticized by the provincial officials.

Unexpectedly, Dong Xuebing wasn't about to let them off the hook. He continued, "Now that I have the right to speak let me say a few more words. This time, I didn't come to inspect but to understand the situation. However, what I see now is quite unsatisfactory. It's understandable for the province to conduct inspections, but what is the purpose? I think you should clarify that all the starting points should be to supervise and improve the work of the local government, for development, for the people, and not to disrupt or hinder the work of the local government. Have you perhaps misplaced your priorities? You were two hours late and spent half an hour discussing matters unrelated to the inspection content. In my opinion, your approach is not responsible for the work but disrespectful and irresponsible to the local work."

No one interrupted Dong Xuebing this time as he spoke.

Gao Jie watched Dong Xuebing, feeling impressed as he lectured the provincial comrades. She sighed inwardly. Based on their interactions in the office earlier, she realized that Dong Xuebing might hold a position of authority. Still, she hadn't expected him to be a mid-level leader at twenty-five or twenty-six, let alone one at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Dong Xuebing continued slowly, "I don't intend to report this matter. It's not a big deal. It just reflects some problems from a certain perspective. I can't turn a blind eye to problems. I hope that in dealing with such issues in the future, you will adopt better and more flexible approaches. Of course, this is just my suggestion. Whether you listen or not is up to you."

Can they not listen?

Even if they're wrong, they still have to listen.

Deputy Provincial Governor Jia didn't express his opinion, and Director Zhou seemed to have softened. The people from the provincial government also lost their momentum for a moment, just like the comrades from Xiaxing City couldn't argue against the provincial inspection team. They couldn't argue against a leader from the provincial inspection team who came to visit.

One second.

Two seconds.

The scene was still silent.

Seeing that no one spoke up, and he had criticized them almost enough, Dong Xuebing turned to the young man from the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and said, "Soon, I will go to the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission. I want to check the asset declaration of some cadres. Please cooperate when the time comes."

The young man agreed repeatedly, "Okay, okay."

The last words of Dong Xuebing carried some threatening implications.

This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶