"Don't you even start, County Head Zhang, that's your own nephew we're talking about! He should at least call you 'uncle'! And drop the harsh talk of castration, your sister would never agree to that. Forget it, no more chit-chat, alright? Congratulations on your new appointment as the county head. If necessary, let's get together so we can all see you off properly!"
From the window, Liu Zhizhong saw that Lu Yumei had finished her call with Zhao Han and was about to come back in to get ready to leave. He ended the voice message.
Zhang Hongyang's final roar still came through, "Screw your send-off! I don't need any damn farewell from you! Don't you get cocky either, I'll have my day and take you down, you son of a bitch!"
After listening, Liu Zhizhong shook his head and felt a surge of excitement. Idiot, you've been banished, and you still want to play tough? I'm not afraid of you!
Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted over as the enchanting Lu Yumei returned to the first floor and approached Liu Zhizhong, maintaining her usual icy pride, "You're laughing and shaking your head. Who's giving you such an amusing chat?"
Liu Zhizhong, steady as ever, held up his phone, "Oh, it's Zhang Hongyang! He's become a county head and he's venting at me!"
"Oh?" Lu Yumei's brow furrowed, "Wasn't he supposed to become the head of Jiangdong District? Zhao Han mentioned it just last night! Why is he heading off to be a county head now? Where to? It isn't Pengshan County, is it? That position suits his qualifications perfectly. But for him, that would still be a demotion, wouldn't it?"
Liu Zhizhong inwardly sighed, his mother-in-law truly lived up to being an official's wife; she understood the officialdom well, especially the Yangzhou scene.
He promptly responded, "Mrs. Lu's analysis is spot on, but the outcome is even more surprising. Take a look, it's this..."
As he spoke, he pulled up the official appointment to show Lu Yumei.
Leaning in close, almost brushing against his shoulder, Lu Yumei read each word carefully.
Her full-bodied, pleasant scent was so tempting that Liu Zhizhong's heart rate picked up.
Midway through, Lu Yumei burst out with surprise and delight, "Wow, that's fantastic! The beast, the son of a bitch, has been banished to the borders! This is perfect! The heads of Shadong County all hate the Zhang Family. He's going to suffer now! Since it's come to this, and he's fallen out of favor, things will be much easier - Zhao Han can divorce him! Wait for me a moment, I'm going to go upstairs and get ready. I'll go and meet with Zhao Han in a bit."
The alluring widow spoke as she went upstairs to change clothes.
Watching her gracefully ascend the stairs, full of youthful vigor, Liu Zhizhong's heart warmed.
Ah, she really is beautiful!
Ah, she truly seems happy today!
However, before, she was the one stopping Zhao Han from divorcing Zhang Hongyang. Now with the new developments, she's agreed, clearly grasping the nature of officialdom. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
It looks like Zhang Hongyang's really been given the cold shoulder, which doesn't quite add up!
Zhang Hongyang's uncle Du Yuesheng, the Mayor, must've lost his mind. But Zhang Tianbao, the newly appointed head of the City Organization Department, couldn't be that thoughtless, could he?
And Zhang Yuxing normally treated her nephew well; she wouldn't have agreed to this, would she?
What exactly went wrong in the process?
Men in officialdom all like to play the game of strategy, making a few rounds in their minds, tracing the connections.
Thinking it through, Liu Zhizhong still couldn't figure it out, so he sent a text message to Zhang Yuxing.
"Hey, my Shui Xing, you got home already? I just arrived. So, what's with our nephew and his banishment to the border? He gave me quite an earful earlier, full of complaints and seeming like he still has a bone to pick with me. Not snitching here, just trying to understand. Shui Xing, do you know anything?"
During his time in Hainan, like an Emperor, Liu Zhizhong endowed Zhang Yuxing with this quite distinctive pet name. He took the last character of her name and added something that really drives men wild – the 'Shui'… that 'something-something' plentiful…