Inside the Party and Government Office at that time, everyone in the office was quietly discussing the events happening in the countryside. There had been many incidents lately, and everyone had heard some rumors. Regarding what would happen next, everyone appeared curious and somewhat excited.
Everyone understood that every time there was a reshuffle at the top, it presented an opportunity for those below. Thus, the jockeying for positions had started early.
Zhan Yongtao sat there, listening to everyone talking, but his mind was preoccupied with why Ji Yang still hadn’t sorted out his own situation.
Since the day he had backed Ji Yang, Zhan Yongtao had been waiting. But after such a long wait, he hadn’t received any news about his promotion, which made him anxious.
Could it be that his allegiance had been misplaced?
Looking at several others, Zhan Yongtao felt somewhat relieved. Compared to them, he was doing better; hadn’t the people who sided with Xun Liqiang already turned pale?
In the beginning, everyone thought that aligning themselves with those influential offspring would reap some benefits. However, what nobody had expected was for the situation to change so rapidly and to learn from various channels that Xun Liqiang, the initially most promising candidate for secretary, was probably finished.
Inside the Party and Government Office, Old Qian was one of the first to side with Xun Liqiang, and initially, he also fared quite well. Unfortunately, now he could hardly keep his position.
Then there was Old Gui, who had thrown in his lot with Guo Huaijie early on.
Old Zhou had also allied himself with Le Jianjun right from the start, both hoping to secure a deputy director’s position.
However, today new information had come in: first, Le Jianjun’s father was rumored to have been placed under shuanggui (a secretive detention), and then, while everyone was still speculating, it was said that Guo Huaijie’s aunt had also been subjected to shuanggui.
These two pieces of news arrived one after another and deeply shocked everyone.
It was well known that the seniors of these two individuals were powerful figures. As they boasted themselves, there was a chance they could climb even higher, at least to become people who wielded significant power.
Now, with the trouble befalling their elders, everyone understood that it would be difficult for them to maintain their positions in the foreseeable future.
Suddenly, with three people in trouble, combined with the earlier incident involving Tian Yong, that made four people in total.
In an instant, everyone realized their choices might have been wrong.
Now, looking back at the situation in the countryside, everyone hesitated once again.
It really was incomprehensible!
Disciplinary Committee Secretary Liang Xiaoyu was, by all accounts, someone who should have been secure. Yet everyone understood one thing about the officialdom: relations matter as long as one is in power, and once retired, maintaining such status becomes impossible. Liang Xiaoyu’s father-in-law had some influence, but as he was about to retire, that influence would quickly fade.
The Armed Forces Minister, Zhou Shan, had now caught everyone’s attention. As far as they knew, Zhou Shan was connected to the military region’s leadership and should be secure.
Consequently, many people were now trying to curry favor with Zhou Shan.
As for Ji Yang, not many had high hopes for him. Everyone knew he was part of the Chu faction, and with the Chu faction being completely transferred out of Tiannan Province, Ji Yang was set to lose his backing; his prospects of significant advancement were slim.
Even as Zhan Yongtao heard such analysis, he couldn’t help but shake his head internally. Many thought Ji Yang relied solely on the Chu Family, but in fact, Ji Yang had his own connections.
After taking a sip of tea, Zhan Yongtao understood the principle of "no regrets in the game of chess." From now on, he considered himself aligned with Ji Yang, so it made sense to report some of the happenings to Ji Yang.
Zhan Yongtao saw the situation in the countryside clearly and was contemplating creating a list of possible factions for Ji Yang.
Thinking of those two beautiful committee members, Zhan Yongtao also hesitated about whether they had any support behind them.
While pondering these matters, Old Zhou suddenly said, "Gentlemen, so much has happened in the countryside in one fell swoop; what direction do you think things will take?"
Zhan Yongtao looked over, as did everyone else, towards Old Zhou.
Old Qian sighed and said, "The changes in our countryside have been too rapid. We haven’t even had time to react properly; let’s not discuss these matters." Fresh chapters posted on NoveIＦire.net
The crowd immediately fell silent. They were all bureaucrats and weren’t surrounded by saints; one careless word could bring misfortune upon oneself.
Old Zhou said, "It doesn’t matter, after all, we are just small fry. Even if we speak incorrectly, it’s not a big deal. Little Zhan, don’t you agree?"
Zhan Yongtao sighed inwardly; the kid was trying to set him up. If it were a less experienced young person, he might have started spouting about the situation in the countryside. Then those with intentions could use that opportunity to ingratiate themselves with someone, and who could predict what might happen as a result?
Zhan Yongtao responded indifferently, "We just need to do our own jobs; we don’t need to worry about the affairs of those above."
Old Zhou looked at Zhan Yongtao over and over again.