Chapter 685: Chapter 641: Running Into the Gun Muzzle_1
Everyone present was not a fool; a fool could not have made it to this point. At the sa token, the last shred of luck in their hearts was completely eliminated. With the Secretary and the Mayor in agreent, it was clear that a unified understanding and opinion had been established. To continue to oppose this point would not only invite their wrath, but would likely also draw the ire of the deputy Party Secretary.
At this juncture, Yao HeKun stopped speaking. He also stopped discussing the matter of disciplinary action. Mayor Nie’s words had been very clear. The person in charge would take responsibility. Although it stemd from a district issue, if they continued to rely pretend, it might inevitably incur punishnt for themselves, a loss outweighing the gains.
The heads of the various city bureaus unanimously kept silent, not speaking until the eting adjourned. After Tian Xujian and Nie Zhenbang left the conference room, the others finally stood up.
As they left the city committee office building, a voice from behind called out: “Old Yao!”
Yao HeKun turned around to see Director Zhang of the Tax Bureau erging from the building. Stopping in his tracks, he waited for Director Zhang to catch up.
Yao HeKun greeted him with a smile, “Old Zhang, what’s up?”
...
As the head of the Tax Bureau, Director Zhang carried an air of arrogance. Among the leaders of the bureaus in Wanghai City, Director Zhang was the most relaxed. The Tax Bureau was vertically managed, with personnel and organizational relationships all managed by the superior departnt, with the State Taxation Administration directly managing Wanghai City. This was where Director Zhang’s confidence ca from.
Seeing Yao HeKun, Director Zhang looked sowhat disdainful and said in a low voice, “Old Yao, what is this? Are you afraid? Our tax system has two sets of teams. If worst cos to worst, you can be transferred to the Tax Bureau. Why bother with these things?”
Director Zhang’s words caused Yao HeKun to raise an eyebrow. He had done his research on Mayor Nie. Years ago, while in Xibei, the head of the tax system had fallen under Mayor Nie’s jurisdiction. To think that the Tax Bureau would not be subject to jurisdiction would be a huge mistake. Even the military, a completely independent system, emphasized on the relationship with local authorities, let alone a vertically managed unit.
With any other person, Yao HeKun would not have bothered to argue, but Old Zhang, although a bit arrogant due to his position in the tax system, was generally a good friend.
Thinking about this, Yao HeKun smiled and said, “Old Zhang, it’s not that I, Yao HeKun fear or dread, it is a must to obey and respect the decisions of superiors. Regarding this, Old Zhang, I suggest you ask the leaders of the State Taxation Administration about how the head of the Tax Bureau in the Xibei Autonomous Region fell from grace years ago. I believe after this, you will understand.”
Upon returning to the Local Tax Bureau, Yao HeKun imdiately called for a full committee eting of the Bureau’s Party Group. After surveying everyone present, Yao HeKun cleared his throat and began, “Calling everyone here on such short notice is to primarily convey the spirit of the higher-ups’ eting.”
“This ti, a eting has been held across the entire city, convening the leaders of all relevant departnts. The purpose: to start an extensive campaign to improve the investnt environnt across the whole city. This campaign will last half a year. It will harshly rectify any issues of corruption in all departnts, including taking bribes and seeking personal gain.”
At this point, Yao HeKun’s tone hardened: “This ti, Secretary Tian and Mayor Nie have stated that the principal in charge will be held responsible, regardless of the unit or departnt at fault. No rcy will be shown. If the Local Tax Bureau doesn’t prevent tax collection officers from bribing the enterprises they’re in charge of, the leader will imdiately be investigated. If it’s any of my subordinates, I will be the one in trouble.”
After pausing, Yao HeKun said solemnly: “I would like to reiterate here, if anyone causes problems, before Secretary Tian and Mayor Nie co after , I will deal with you first.”
Yao HeKun’s words made everyone in the Local Tax Bureau fell silent. It seed that Director Yao was quite furious today; had he been criticized?
Just as these thoughts were stirring, Yao HeKun asked sternly: “Is Li Mingjun from the First Section Office present?”
A man in his mid-thirties stood up in response: “Director Yao, I’m here.”
Looking at Li Mingjun, Yao HeKun’s expression changed, and he sternly asked: “How co I heard about Captain Fu of your sub-office? Even Mayor Nie ntioned him in his speech today. It seems rather admirable that after work hours, he led a group of people, in uniform, to inspect the Wal-Mart departnt store. Were they hungry? They were so shaless, just to get a free al. My suggestion for him would be imdiate suspension for inspection, demanding a thorough self-examination, and submitting a written reflection!”
Originally, so people wanted to speak out for Captain Fu, but after hearing that Mayor Nie had singled him out, they all kept quiet. At this point, anyone who stepped forward would only make a fool of themselves. The dissenting voice would not be opposing Yao HeKun, but Mayor Nie.
Consequently, the Local Tax Bureau unanimously agreed to suspend Captain Fu Jiacheng of the Wanghai City Local Tax Bureau’s First Office for self-reflection and ordered him to submit a written self-criticism.
These past few days, life hadn’t been so great for Comrade Fu Jiacheng. The once proud captain of his division’s inspection unit was now suspended, forced to write a self-reflection of over 10,000 words. To Fu Jiacheng, this was pure torture.
He barely managed to complete the daunting essay, hoping it would be enough to put him back in his bosses’ good graces.
But much to his dismay, Director Li passed on Director Yao’s ssage. Until Director Yao reported to Mayor Nie, he would remain in this state of limbo – no clear answers and no reinstatent to his previous job. This was starting to take a toll on Fu Jiacheng.
In Fu Jiacheng’s eyes, Mayor Nie was making a mountain out of a molehill. So what if he accepted a bit of food and gifts? These traders and companies were more than willing to play along. A bit of leniency from him almost always saved them a substantial amount of money each month. Mayor Nie’s stance was not only damaging his own livelihood but also that of these corporations and their bosses.
Days of being cooped up at ho were driving Fu Jiacheng insane. In the past, as the captain, there wouldn’t be a single day without a banquet or a treat. But now that he had lost his title, all of that was gone. No one even bothered to invite him for a al.
Suddenly, Fu Jiacheng’s phone rang, a welco relief for him. He answered the call with much enthusiasm and a voice from the other end suggested, “Brother Fu, are you busy? If you have ti tonight, how about we get so dinner? I suggest we go to the Seacloud Seafood Restaurant.”
Under normal circumstances, Fu Jiacheng wouldn’t even consider dining at a seafood place like that. But he wasn’t in a position to be picky now. He imdiately agreed, “Good. Peng, I appreciate your thoughtfulness. Rest assured, once I’m back at work, I’ll rember your kindness.”
At the Seacloud Seafood Restaurant, Fu Jiacheng, his subordinate Peng, and about a dozen of Peng’s young friends were gathered in a private room, sharing drinks and stories.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man entered the room, smiling and asking, “Captain Fu, Peng, leaders, is there anything else you need?”
Truth be told, they had finished most of their al. Generally, these als ended with a courtesy visit from the restaurant owner. These were influential people after all, in charge of tax regulations for the restaurant industry. The owner would be in deep trouble if they weren’t treated properly.
To the owner’s surprise however, Peng, who was a junior officer in the inspection unit, casually asked, “Boss Liu, we don’t really need anything else. Bring us ten packs of Zhonghua cigarettes.”
The owner was dumbstruck by this request. A couple of packs he could perhaps give away but ten packs… That amounted to thousands, and together with the food and drinks, the total had crossed ten grand. His was a small business, and this type of expenditure was far beyond his ans.
While he was hesitating, Peng raised an eyebrow and said suspiciously, “Boss Liu, what’s this about? Are you afraid we’re not going to pay?”
Boss Liu awkwardly laughed it off, “Officer Peng, you must be joking. You would never do such a thing.”
A short while later, they were ready to leave. Liu quickly scrambled to see them off. But what he did not anticipate…
At this point, Captain Fu wiped his mouth and prepared to leave. Peng, feeling around his pockets, said, “Boss Liu, it seems I brought less cash today. How about you keep a tab for ? I’ll settle it later.”
This put Boss Liu in a tough spot. “Officer Peng, you should know that I took those cigarettes from the shop next door on credit. Plus, I don’t have enough cash for the rest of the bill either.”
Peng’s facial expression darkened at Liu’s response, “‘Boss’ Liu, are you suggesting that I won’t pay my debt?”
Seeing Peng’s reaction, Liu supported a forced, disappointed smile, but remained silent.
Peng was indeed put in an awkward situation. He got furious and said, “Fine, ‘Boss’ Liu. You’ve got the guts, charging for sothing I ate.”
Just as the words left his mouth, a voice echoed from the doorway of the restaurant, “Paying for your als is the most basic and universally accepted principle. What’s so daring about asking for it?” (.)
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