Chapter 536: Chapter 493: Defying Minister Li (6th update, ask for monthly ticket)_1
 

Eighth day of the first lunar month

It was February 23rd, 2099, by the Gregorian calendar.

There were only eight days left until the National People’s Congress and Political Consultative Conference to be held in Jingcheng on March 3rd. At this moment, the leadership of the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee “five major groups” were already waiting inside the tarmac of Wanghai Airport.

The leaders of the five major groups, plus their deputy cadres, secretaries, drivers, as well as the security team of Wanghai City Public Security Bureau – hundreds of people – had gathered at the site.

To the side, there was an array of black Audis, including the official car of the municipal party committee, a brand-new Audi with the license plate “South D-00001”.

Shi Yiwu, who was given this car, had never ridden it before. In Wanghai City, Shi Yiwu’s official vehicle had always been a Bentley. Now he was suddenly using an Audi he had never ridden before, a change that gave the cadres of Wanghai City some food for thought. Currently, Wanghai City was like a volcano. And not just any volcano, but an erupting one. At this moment, a slight mistake could lead to one falling into the volcanic mouth, leaving no trace of one’s body. Everyone was extremely cautious.

Shi Yiwu kept a poker face. He glanced at his wristwatch – an old model from the 1980s made in Hucheng City – then said in a somber voice, “Everyone, back to the cars. Minister Li’s plane will not arrive for a few more tens of minutes.”

After about thirty-some minutes of waiting, the scheduled flight from Jingcheng to Wanghai arrived as expected, circling above Wanghai Airport and gradually descending.

Even though Li Chengfang was the executive deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security, he did not yet qualify for the use of a special plane. This time, the Ministry’s office simply booked first-class seats on the flight.

At this moment, the airport’s boarding-stair truck slowly moved to the cabin door. As the door opened, Li Chengfang was the first to step out. Beneath him, the standing members of the municipal party committee, along with the Political Consultative Conference leader Hu Zhongcheng, and key persons from Minzhou including Li Weibang, the head of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and Zhuang Roshun, the permanent deputy director of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, were all lined up. Li Chengfang appeared to be around fifty-five years old. He had a large forehead, his hair dyed without a single white strand. He wore a police uniform, with the huge national emblem being especially eye-catching.

According to the standards of the police rank system, Li Chengfang was a deputy police inspector-general.

As soon as he got off the plane, Li Chengfang greeted Shi Yiwu with a handshake and a smile, “Officer Shi, the comrades in Wanghai City are too enthusiastic. With such a big incident in Wanghai City, the comrades of the Wanghai City Public Security Bureau have done quite a good job.”

Li Chengfang’s words were clearly a blatant lie, an awkward compliment, giving undue credit to the Wanghai City Public Security Bureau for a mess.

After everyone had shaken hands, Shi Yiwu also responded with a smile, “Minister Li, shall we head over to the Municipal Committee first?”

The entourage, led by police cars, roared out of the airport channel and drove straight to the Municipal Party Committee compound.

With the leadership of the Ministry of Public Security coming to inspect, Zhou Qingguo naturally gave it utmost importance. All along the route, traffic police were on duty. Wherever the convoy went, temporary traffic control was strictly enforced. Within less than twenty minutes, the convoy had gotten to the Wanghai City Municipal Committee compound.

After everyone had sat down, the first thing Li Chengfang did was to praise the economic construction, social development, and urban features of Wanghai City. Next, he shifted his tone and earnestly said, “This time, the comrades in Wanghai have overcome difficulties to capture a major smuggling criminal. This is commendable as smuggling seriously disrupts the market economy and social stability. I will commend you for this. The Wanghai City Public Security Bureau should also earnestly implement and carry forward this spirit. The relationship between the local military and Wanghai City is worth promoting. Of course, we cannot always rely on the military for everything. The military’s main duty is still to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity. In terms of investigation and interrogation, the Public Security Bureau should still be more professional. I think the Wanghai City Public Security Bureau could take over the subsequent investigation and make sure to conduct a thorough and rigorous investigation to crack down harshly on smuggling.”

As he spoke these words, Li Chengfang cast a glance at Commander Zhang, who was sitting at the side. His aura carried some amount of pressure. Li Chengfang looked at Commander Zhang with a seemingly amicable smile, “Commander Zhang, I wonder what you think?”

Li Chengfang’s performance was expected by Nie Zhenbang. His insinuations were deeply laden with hidden intentions. First, he heavily praised the capture of a smuggling case, making himself look impossibly righteous. Then, he avoided mentioning whether the Eastern Sea Group was involved. It was indeed a strategy. Right after, he suggested that the city Public Security Bureau take over the follow-up investigation, claiming that the bureau was familiar with the procedures whereas the military was not. Then, relying on his authority, he directly pressured Commander Zhang.

The entire plan was seamless, leaving no room for Zhang Zhengguang to retaliate. If he agreed, then the case was done. But if he disagreed, Zhang’s behavior treaded on forbidden territory—a military meddling in politics, which was never acceptable. If Li Chengfang used this as a pretext to take down Zhang, the military likely wouldn’t be able to object.

Seeing Zhang struggling, Nie Zhenbang coughed and smiled, “Minister Li, let me explain this situation to you.”

As he began to speak, all eyes in the room turned to him. Nie was utterly composed, turning a blind eye to hostile glances, particularly from those like Shi Yiwu who might have wanted a piece of him. Regardless of Li Chengfang’s attitude, he continued, “Regarding the handover, that’s our city’s stance and Commander Zhang is prepared to make the transfer. Yesterday, after reporting to the provincial committee, the general consensus by Qiao and Jia was to keep the case under the supervision of the Wanghai Military Region for now. Once the provincial committee has reached a unified understanding and opinion, they will send a task force to take over the case. Therefore, the case cannot be transferred to the Wanghai Public Security Bureau at this time.”

At this moment, Nie had no choice but to use the names of Jia Minfu and Qiao Yiren. Regardless of whether they had instructed him in this way, no one would question it. As long as he could get through these few days and wait for the central government’s message, everything would be settled.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengfang smiled, “I understand Comrade Nie’s point. The case is of great importance to the Provincial Committee of Minnan Province, which is absolutely correct. However, even if the provincial investigation team comes to WangHai, they would still need to draw on local resources for assistance. I don’t think this conflicts with the Wanghai Public Security Bureau taking over the case initially, does it.”

“Hehe, Minister Li’s statement is true. There’s no conflict, but the case involves a substantial amount of money, and according to the current situation, it’s rather complicated. Both Jia Minfu and Qiao suggested that before the provincial investigation team arrives, Wanghai City should not act rashly. Commander Zhang is just complying with the provincial committee’s decision, and I ask that Minister Li understand.” Nie Zhenbang replied effortlessly, successfully refuting Minister Li once again.

The meaning behind this dialogue was clear. Regardless of what Minister Li said, transferring the case right now wasn’t a possibility. Not unless Minister Li was able to produce a command from the provincial committee.

This series of events left Li Chengfang somewhat embarrassed. He, a senior vice minister of the Ministry of Public Security and a deputy party member, was blocked by a bureau-level cadre. It was humiliating.

Li Chengfang glanced at Shi Yiwu, who understood and nodded. Li Chengfang’s primary goal was to claim the people and goods seized by Nie Zhenbang so that they could form a link in the chain of evidence. Without this, Li Chengfang’s visit would be meaningless.

This opportunity had to be seized. Otherwise, Li Chengfang’s visit would have been pointless.

Immediately, Shi Yiwu blustered, “Nie Zhenbang, what’s your attitude? Minister Li is the Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Security. Do you not trust him? Do you even have superiors in your eyes?”

After a pause, feeling his pressure had not been effective, Shi Yiwu roared again, “Nie Zhenbang, your attitude is very dangerous. I suggest that you seriously study the party charter and our Huaxia culture.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang retorted, “What’s wrong with my attitude, Secretary Shi? As for learning, I don’t need your concern. It’s always been my habit to keep learning as long as I live, so don’t worry about that. Yes, Minister Li has his reasons, but the Wanghai smuggling case is a big deal. I strictly adhere to the decisions of the provincial committee, so how could I not have superiors? I welcome Minister Li’s inspection and guidance of our work. I also welcome guidance in our public security work in Wanghai City, even raising both my hands in agreement.”

His words, seemingly harmless, were piercing and clear. Yes, Minister Li, you’re the vice minister of public security, but you have no business interfering with local government affairs. You’re here to guide public security work, not to dictate over the smuggling case. Why should I follow your instructions?

His remark left Li Chengfang somewhat disconcerted. He already knew Nie Zhenbang was audacious, but what he didn’t expect was that Nie would indirectly defy him publicly under the gaze of a crowd, even after Shi Yiwu’s harsh words.

Li Chengfang was silent, feeling momentarily helpless. Despite his high ranking, his influence was inherently limited. Indeed, meddling in local government affairs would cross boundaries.

Eventually, Li Chengfang snorted and stood up, “Comrade Nie, you’re too principled. Well, I won’t say much. I just hope that after the provincial committee of Minnan issues orders, you’ll still be as principled.”

PS: The current number of monthly tickets is 474, and it is only a 26-vote gap from 500. Brothers, sisters, can we be more hardcore? Eight more updates are not far away! (To be continued. If you like my work, please vote and recommend it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my biggest motivation.)