Chapter 1146 - Chapter 1146 Chapter 1102 A Letter
Chapter 1146: Chapter 1102: A Letter Chapter 1146: Chapter 1102: A Letter From Hongcheng to Jingcheng, Nie Zhenbang must have taken this flight route at least dozens of times a year. Every airline that serviced this route knew Nie Zhenbang, the top official of the Hongjiang Provincial Committee.
On today’s flight, Nie Zhenbang unusually took a short nap. It was not until the flight attendant came by and softly reminded him that he awoke.
Looking out the airplane window at the white clouds, the plane gradually descended, dived, touched down, and taxied; it landed on the tarmac of Jingcheng City International Airport and slowly approached the terminal building.
As the sound indicating that it was safe to open the cabin door rang through the plane, Nie Zhenbang unfastened his seatbelt and turned on his mobile phone.
Walking out of the airport, as soon as he exited the terminal, he saw the figure of Liang Yuan. Walking up to him, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Liang, sorry to trouble you.”
At that moment, Liang Yuan’s expression was somewhat serious. He waved his hand and said, “Younger brother, we don’t need to be so formal with each other. Get in the car quickly. It seems the Chief is somewhat anxious. Just this morning, he asked me three times whether Nie Zhenbang had arrived? Furthermore, by the look of it, the Chief’s expression seems quite stern today.”
Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang felt a jolt of unease. This was the advantage of having a good relationship with those close to a leader. His friendship with Liang Yuan began back when they were in Minan Province and had remained solid over the years.
Having a good relationship with people close to a leader always keeps one informed of the leader’s mood swings and certain matters. In this way, one can avoid unwarranted disasters to the greatest extent.
It’s like right now; yesterday, when Liang Yuan called, the Chief was in a pretty good mood. And yet, in just a day’s time, rushing to Jingcheng, the leader’s mood had turned upside down. If not for his relationship with Liang Yuan, if one were to measure the situation with the previous mindset, it was certain that not only would the Chief’s opinion of him be questionable, but at the very least, a scolding would be inevitable.
“Liang, let’s not talk too much. How about we get together tonight with Old Fang?” Nie Zhenbang nodded and suggested.
Liang Yuan glanced at the driver’s seat in front of him and smiled faintly, saying, “We’ll see. You better focus on what to do now.”
This car was from within the Forbidden Sea, a Red Flag. It had all the proper credentials, whether it be the vehicle plate or the passes, and encountered no issues at all.
The car moved smoothly, passing through the first checkpoint of the Forbidden Sea unobstructed and entering its interior. On the side was the core of the national agencies, and further ahead, another checkpoint; beyond that was the heart of the Forbidden Sea.
Even Liang Yuan, because he brought someone with him, had to show his ID. At the same time, Nie Zhenbang’s documents were also checked, along with a file. After a careful inspection, the guards allowed them to pass.
The car drove straight in and parked steadily in front of a two-story building. A palace-styled structure with the layout of a small quadrangle courtyard.
Nie Zhenbang had been here many times and walked straight in. Liang Yuan led the way to the study’s door and knocked. From inside, Chief Qiao Yiren’s voice came: “Come in.”
Pushing the door open, Liang Yuan half stepped in, reporting in a low voice, “Chief, Comrade Nie Zhenbang has arrived.”
“Mhm, Zhenbang has arrived, let him come in. Also, Liang, inform Comrade Hu Shangzhi to come over.”
As he spoke, Qiao Yiren glanced at his wristwatch, saw it was half-past ten, and then continued with instructions, “In that case, have him come have lunch with me.”
Liang Yuan nodded. The Chief usually had lunch at twelve o’clock; with it now approaching noon, there was just an hour and a half’s gap, which was about the time allocated for Nie Zhenbang as well.
Do not underestimate this hour and a half. With the Chief’s status and the busy state of national affairs, finding an hour and a half was already quite difficult.
“Understood, Chief.”
Having said this, Liang Yuan stepped aside, gestured to Nie Zhenbang, who immediately got the hint, nodded, and walked in.
Upon entering, President Qiao was already seated on the sofa, clad in a white shirt with a vest-like cardigan on top. Even though it was summer, the greening efforts around Forbidden Sea were quite impressive. The lush canopy of trees meant there was no pollution or high-rises, and amidst the hustle and bustle, a unique tranquility was preserved. Here, the average summer temperature was about one or two degrees lower than outside.
Furthermore, the area comprised mostly single-story houses, at most two-story buildings, which kept the rooms pleasantly cool. President Qiao, after all, was getting on in years, and could not compare to someone in their forties like Nie Zhenbang.
“Chief,” Nie Zhenbang called out from the doorway.
Chief Qiao Yiren then looked up, saw Nie Zhenbang, and smiled as he nodded his head and gestured toward the sofa beside him, “Zhenbang has arrived, please sit.”
After Nie Zhenbang had taken a seat, Chief Qiao Yiren slowly began, “Zhenbang, this time, I’ve specifically called you over from Hongjiang Province because there’s something I want to discuss with you. But before that, take a look at some things.”
Saying this, Chief Qiao Yiren pulled out a letter from among the documents on the coffee table and handed it to Nie Zhenbang, “Zhenbang, this letter was sent from a teacher in Qinxi County, Longxi Province. It wasn’t sent to me directly but to my wife, who then passed it on to me. You read it first.”
Nie Zhenbang was aware of these matters. It wasn’t easy for a leader to receive letters. On the one hand, out of safety considerations, security departments, from a safety standpoint, wouldn’t allow chiefs direct access to these potentially unknown origins of correspondence.
After all, in this era of advanced technology, who’s to say whether the paper or ink contained some fatal substances? If that were the case, the consequences could not be borne by just anyone.
Usually, letters would undergo inspection and sanitation by a dedicated department, and only after being declared free of any toxic substances would they be passed on.
This then raised another issue. Most letters wouldn’t necessarily make it directly to the chief’s desk.
On the one hand, a leader’s energy was finite; governing and developing a country is, after all, an intricate, intricate, and challenging task. To describe it as totally exhausting wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Where would the chief find the time to deal with letters? Most were processed by the Central Office.
Within this process undoubtedly came another scenario; some letters detailing prominent contradictions and problems, even those seeking redress, would be withheld.
This isn’t to imply the subordinates intentionally deceive their superiors. The main problem is that most letters report issues at the prefecture and county level, or merely issues within townships or local villages. To expect a head of state to personally handle such matters would require an enormous amount of energy. Thus, most letters ended up redirecting this way.
Indeed, it was no small stroke of luck for this letter from Qinxi County to have found its way to the chief’s hands.
Filled with puzzlement, Nie Zhenbang didn’t understand why President Qiao would say such a thing. However, since President Qiao mentioned it, Nie Zhenbang could only pick up the envelope, extract the letter, and begin reading.
The beginning was very standard.
“Respected Chief Qiao, greetings. I am an ordinary teacher at Qinxixian First Middle School. Today, I write to you mainly to report serious issues involving the Zhao Clan Group of Jinan City, which behaves arrogantly, recklessly endangers lives, and harms the local community.”
Nie Zhenbang’s heart skipped a beat just reading that part; this person truly was a teacher, wasn’t he? The way this Zhao Clan Group was described was serious and severe.