Chapter 77: The Leaders Reach a Consensus

A New Situation?

Wu Xinkai gazed at Guan Mushan’s solemn face and listened to the heaviness in his voice, and, for reasons unknown, a sense of foreboding suddenly crept into his heart.

He lowered his head and glanced at the phone resting on the coffee table. The screen still hadn’t lit up, let alone any sign of a message. Che Jinping from the Municipal Procuratorate—utterly useless! In hindsight, not giving him special promotion back then had been a stroke of brilliance. He couldn’t even handle something as minor as this!

“Comrade Mushan, go ahead,” Hou Yong said, crossing his legs and leaning back slightly in his chair, motioning for Guan Mushan to speak.

But Guan Mushan didn’t speak immediately; instead, he looked toward Wu Xinkai. No matter what, the Party Secretary was the undisputed number one, the true captain of the city’s leadership. As Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Guan Mushan understood the respect due to Wu Xinkai.

Seeing Guan Mushan seek his opinion, Wu Xinkai felt considerably better. Whatever else could be said, his authority as the top leader must remain unchallenged. If only he were five or eight years younger, he would never have been so overshadowed by Hou Yong, the mayor who had just turned forty. It was only because of age and waning energy that Hou Yong, an upstart, had managed to dim Wu Xinkai’s former brilliance.

“Comrade Mushan, speak!” Wu Xinkai gestured to Guan Mushan, leaning back against the sofa. He had already steeled himself mentally; if things truly turned against him, he would have to make a decision.

“Secretary Wu, Mayor Hou,” Guan Mushan began, “during the interrogation of Tian Guanghan, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection discovered that he is strongly suspected of major job-related crimes: embezzlement and bribery, using his official position for improper gain for businessmen, engaging in illicit transactions of power and money.”

“As our investigators dug deeper, we uncovered two main pieces of evidence. First, in June 2006, Tian Guanghan exploited his authority in a municipal office supplies procurement, designating a fixed supplier and colluding with them in an exchange of power and money. The supplier inflated prices, siphoning off city funds, and afterward split the illicit proceeds with Tian Guanghan on an 80-20 basis.”

“This procurement involved a total embezzlement of 830,000 yuan, which Tian Guanghan’s wife and brother laundered, converting the illicit gains into legitimate income.”

“Second, during his tenure as Deputy Secretary-General of the city government, Tian Guanghan used his position to shield businessmen and ensure their successful bids for city projects by wielding his influence.”

“We obtained a video from September 2004 showing Tian Guanghan at a banquet with businessmen. In the footage, he accepted one million yuan in cash—two suitcases, each containing 500,000—and at the table, he agreed to allocate a yet-to-be-bid municipal project.”

“Tian Guanghan, right at the banquet, promised to go all out to ensure the businessman’s successful bid,” Guan Mushan continued. “Secretary Wu, Mayor Hou, fellow leaders, Tian Guanghan’s actions have gravely violated the principles of Party cadres and trampled on Party discipline and national law. The nature of these acts is extremely vile; the sums involved in these two alone approach two million yuan!”

“We believe that as we continue to dig, all of Tian Guanghan’s crimes will come to light—thoroughly and unflinchingly.”

“I would like to request instructions from Secretary Wu, Mayor Hou, and the other leaders: should we single out Tian Guanghan’s case for a thorough and rigorous investigation?”

“Currently, the Tenth Special Task Force of the Commission for Discipline Inspection is in charge, having taken over after Tian Guanghan was placed under dual-designation measures. However, this same team is also responsible for investigating Gu Santong, Director of the Municipal Education Bureau, for suspected violations.”

“This puts undue pressure on the Tenth Team. With only five members, they’re stretched thin investigating both a full department-level and a deputy department-level official.”

Guan Mushan looked toward Wu Xinkai and Hou Yong, awaiting further direction. The issue had grown beyond Tian Guanghan’s individual actions; what mattered now were the far-reaching consequences of the case. As a veteran of over twenty years in the discipline inspection system, Guan Mushan could see at a glance that Tian Guanghan was but a minor pawn at the gates.

Frankly, as Deputy Secretary-General, Tian Guanghan couldn’t decide unilaterally who would win a municipal project. He was merely the first link in the chain, opening a convenient door for businessmen within the procedural framework required by bureaucracy—ensuring things appeared legal and regulated.

But the subsequent approvals and signatures would have come from someone much higher up—at least at deputy mayor level. Whether this was the executive deputy mayor, or the deputy in charge of urban development and highways, remained to be seen.

As for Hou Yong being involved? Impossible. Hou Yong had been mayor of Lingyun City for less than three years, and the timeline didn’t match Tian Guanghan’s crimes. It was evident that, as an outsider, Hou Yong had managed to suppress the local faction led by Wu Xinkai, a testament to his formidable abilities.

Yet now, Hou Yong’s expression was growing darker, for he had realized a major hidden danger—one that could have serious negative consequences for him. Perhaps Wu Xinkai had been right all along: over the years of Hou Yong’s administration, problems had surfaced in the education bureau, the municipal office, and even within city government itself.

As a mayor focused solely on economic development, perhaps he had neglected too many things; perhaps he had sacrificed everything for growth and the people’s welfare. But with the education bureau director, so many educational officials, and even Tian Guanghan as Deputy Secretary-General implicated, there was surely bigger fish lurking behind this case.

For such a serious issue to arise along the municipal government line was a grave failure on his part as mayor.

If this matter wasn’t handled well, Hou Yong stood to lose a lot with the provincial authorities. But there was still time to remedy things—indeed, now was the perfect moment to seize this opportunity and clean house.

“Tian Guanghan serves as Deputy Secretary-General in my city government. With his misconduct, I, as mayor, have only one stance: severe punishment, zero tolerance!” Hou Yong declared. “Comrade Mushan, regarding Tian Guanghan’s violations, your commission must continue to dig deep—fearlessly, no matter who is involved.”

“I, Hou Yong, am here to express my firm support for your investigation. If necessary, I will personally oversee the proceedings at the Commission for Discipline Inspection and see who dares undermine our work.”

As Hou Yong mentioned ‘those with ulterior motives’, he glanced subtly at Wu Xinkai.

Wu Xinkai, his expression grave, turned to Guan Mushan and spoke in a low voice, “Comrade Mushan, Tian Guanghan once served as my secretary when I was county chief of Kaiyang County.”

“He was a principled Party member in those days, always willing to help others and very much a promising young cadre—he was only in his thirties back then.”

“But if Tian Guanghan truly has committed so many offenses, as his former superior, it pains me deeply,” Wu Xinkai said, sighing and shaking his head repeatedly.

“Secretary Wu, what is your opinion?” Guan Mushan asked, his tone serious. He didn’t need Wu Xinkai to recount Tian Guanghan’s youthful merits or past conduct. All that mattered was how to handle Tian Guanghan now—a senior official already caught with nearly two million yuan in illicit gains.

The mayor’s stance was clear: investigate thoroughly, no cover-ups. Guan Mushan understood Hou Yong’s underlying message—if the problem lay within city government, the Commission for Discipline Inspection was free to investigate, and the mayor would remain open and supportive.

After all, three years ago, Wu Xinkai himself had been mayor of Lingyun City, leaving behind considerable influence and loyalists within the administration. For Hou Yong to now call for a rigorous investigation into the city government spoke volumes.

“Investigate!” Wu Xinkai was not without resolve. He now saw there was no saving Tian Guanghan; it was time to let him go. He struck the table with his finger, his words ringing with finality.