The day after Feng Jing had spoken with Ji Yang, Ji Yang received news that Tian Yong had been cornered by his wife in a hotel, where he was accompanied by a female subordinate.
Feng Jing, smiling, sat across from Ji Yang and said with a grin, "It was quite a scene. You wouldn’t believe it; the two women ended up fighting out of the hotel with their clothes torn. Passersby took tons of photos and even uploaded them to video-sharing websites."
Ji Yang looked at Feng Jing and asked, "Did you orchestrate this?"
Feng Jing just laughed and said, "Tian Yong also climbed the ranks because of his wife. This time, he wanted to take advantage of the trouble in the provincial city to stir things up secretly. I couldn’t let him get away with it."
Ji Yang fell silent, comprehending that Feng Jing intended to display her capabilities to him.
Feng Jing smiled again and then left the room, achieving her objective.
After Feng Jing left, Xun Liqiang gave him a call.
When Ji Yang arrived at Xun Liqiang’s office, he noticed that Xun Liqiang’s hair had grayed considerably, and he looked much older.
"Mr. Ji Yang, Tian Yong has gotten into some trouble and the county is very annoyed. They specifically called to inquire about the situation."
Ji Yang responded, "I’ve also just received the news, and it seems it has gone online."
"Yes, you wouldn’t imagine how widely this news has spread; not only do the county leaders know about it, but the provincial leaders have also called to inquire about it. It’s a severely negative impact."
Ji Yang said, "These things aren’t something we predict, can we?"
"The responsibility of the leaders is inevitable, and it truly is a problematic time."
Ji Yang passed a cigarette to him, then added, "This situation indeed has a very adverse effect. What do the higher-ups intend to do?"
"The decision is to first suspend him and then initiate an investigation."
Ji Yang wasn’t sure how Feng Jing and her team managed to cause Tian Yong’s wife to act so drastically.
Ji Yang said, "Secretary Xun, as you know, many team members in the township are missing, and now with Tian Yong’s incident, much of the work is stalled. It’s hard to proceed."
"It’s unavoidable. You should focus more on government-oriented tasks." Xun Liqiang seemed unsure of his own fate, appearing lifeless and dispirited.
Seeing Xun Liqiang in this condition, Ji Yang realized it was pointless to discuss further; under the circumstances, this was beneficial for his staffing plans. Discover more novels at novel✦fire.net
Back in his office, Ji Yang seriously considered his options.
Feng Jing had competent people, regardless of whether they worked directly under her; in terms of personnel, she was more skilled than him.
He reassessed his own situation and found he lacked steadfast supporters.
Of course, Ji Yang understood that his rapid rise meant his foundation was not solid, an unavoidable issue.
Since everyone was struggling with township work, he might as well select and promote some people.
After arriving in Huancheng Township, he knew people who sided with him, and after considering for a while, Ji Yang identified some potential personnel.
In fact, the situation in Huancheng Township was favorable for Ji Yang. With Xun Liqiang’s heart not in it, a good conversation with him could gain some favor.
Feng Jing might also be willing to make some trades in support of him. As for others, after phone conversations, they seemed uninterested in local affairs, making it easy to insert his people.
Ji Yang carefully planned his next steps.
By now, Ji Yang felt certain he needed his own group of proficient people.
Huancheng differed from Qingyuan Village, where he had many employable people; here, he was starting from scratch, making it unlikely to quickly utilize many people. Fortunately, now that Ji Yang knew it was unlikely for anything adverse to happen to him, he planned to run this place properly.
What Ji Yang didn’t know was that the township officials were also contemplating their strategies.
Various rumors were circulating in the township, and seeing those leaders leave to maneuver, everyone felt uncertain about who would come into power next.
The more grassroots the officials were, the more they tended to read between the lines—an almost instinctual skill for them. Any small indication allowed them to deduce quite a lot.
In various offices, during private gatherings, everyone discussed potential forthcoming events.
In the Party and Government Office, a few individuals sitting there also harbored their own thoughts.
Sitting at a less conspicuous table was a man in his thirties named Zhan Yongtao, seemingly looking at a newspaper, but filled with various thoughts inside.