Reborn as a Noble's Son

At exactly seven o’clock in the evening, all the officials from Li County had gathered in Nie Zhenbang’s suite. Room 609 of the Guangzhou Lihua Hotel. This was Nie Zhenbang’s suite.

The suite was arranged into a living room and a bedroom. After all, Nie Zhenbang represented the image of Li County Government. Sharing a room with others would not befit a county head. However, at present, all corners of the bedroom and the living room were piled up with various publicity materials.

Everyone had gathered here at this moment. Nie Zhenbang naturally sat on the sofa directly facing the television, with Yan Fengjiao on his left and Fan Zhenming on his right. They were, aside from Nie Zhenbang, the highest-ranking officials in the present assembly. On both sides of the latter part of the sofa sat Yi Jun and Huyan Apo, and on the other side Li Yan and an office director of the Investment Attraction Bureau. As for the other staff members, they could only stand at the back.

With the sound of the punctual time signal, “Daily at Seven” began broadcasting on time. The early segment of the show mainly reported on scenes of the nation’s leadership attending events and on-the-spot work inspections. As the midsection screen transitioned, the host appeared and announced in standard Mandarin: “A few days ago, the Guangzhou Fair officially opened in Guangzhou. The numbers of participating enterprises and the number of businessmen have reached a new high. This Fair saw the Houses of the Xibei Autonomous Region and The Li County government participate for the first time in the name of the government.”

Then the screen transitioned to footage of the Guangzhou Fair site. Everyone present saw themselves appear on the television screen, and all of them were very excited. The room instantly buzzed with excitement.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was listening to the voiceover on the screen. The reporter from Huaxia, moreover, reported: “A few days ago, at the Guangzhou Fair, we received a group of special guests, a group of staff members from the Li County Government offices of the Xibei Autonomous Region. They brought excellently made promotional booklets and an investment guide for Li County. They have brought an abundance of Li County’s specialty products. This initiative has made a significant impact nationwide and received positive evaluations from all sectors of society. In just one day, the Li County government has preliminarily reached over a dozen intents to invest. It has also opened up new possibilities for the economic growth and development of governments nationwide. How to change concepts, from waiting for their arrivals to inviting them back. This is a new exploration in socialist construction.

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Daily at Seven” was the national mouthpiece, and often, signs of the top leaders’ policy changes could be detected therein. The reporting and arrangement of the leaders’ activities can reveal the atmosphere amongst the top leaders.

This time, in the report on Li County, “Daily at Seven” seemed to speak moderately, with nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, if you read into the deeper meanings of it, there was a hint of praise. Stirring a great response, receiving praise, and acknowledging the achievements of Li County. By the final conclusion, it pointed out that Li County had carved out a path for local governments throughout the country. These phrases, while seemingly insignificant, carry a lot of weight.

As that news segment ended and the next one began, everyone in the room burst into cheers. As Yan Fengjiao looked on, preparing to say something, Nie Zhenbang gestured with his hand and said: “Mayor Yan, there is no need to be so strict. At this time, it’s only right for everyone to celebrate and be happy.”

The stir that Nie Zhenbang created in Guangzhou, however, also stirred up quite a response in Jingcheng’s quarter. Inside the Yang family’s courtyard.

At the moment, Elder Yang was in his study, splashing ink and wielding a brush. Next to him, his health care doctor glanced at the clock, and according to Elder Yang’s health condition, there were regulations about what activities he could perform daily, the quantity of food he could consume, the types of food and nutrition plans he could supplement his diet with, the number of cigarettes he could smoke, and the amount of time he could walk. All of these had strict regulations and drank alcohol where it was utterly forbidden. Elder Yang’s condition was related to the cardiovascular system, and drinking alcohol was like the god of longevity eating arsenic—asking for trouble.

Elder Yang’s calligraphy was very standard, neatly written, each stroke and line were square and upright, much like his character.

A “quiet” character in regular script emerged on the paper. Seemingly satisfied, Elder Yang put down the brush and reached for a special panda-brand cigarette on the table. He was just about to smoke and relax.

At the side, his health care doctor came forward: “Chief, you are allowed four cigarettes per day, and you have already smoked two today. Have one after dinner tonight. I assume you won’t smoke before going to sleep?”

Hearing this, Elder Yang paused, then put the cigarettes down with a smile, saying, “This little Zhang, I sometimes think I’m worse off than farmers. Although they don’t have health care doctors, they can live at their own pace, eating when they want to eat, smoking when they want to smoke.”

At this time, the door to the study was pushed open from the outside. Yang Shengli, the current Minister of Transport of China, walked in. Seeing Elder Yang and the health care doctor, he smiled and said, “Dr. Zhang, you’re here too. I have to thank you for looking after my father’s health.”

At this moment, Dr. Zhang politely stood up, smiled, and said, “Minister Yang, welcome back. It is our duty to serve the leaders. You and the Chief talk. I will step out.”

At this time, it would be unwise for Dr. Zhang to stay any longer. It was clear that Elder Yang did not write the word “quiet” in his study without purpose. Moreover, Yang Shengli was transferred from the position of Executive Deputy Director in Jingcheng to be the leader of Jiangnan Province less than three years ago and suddenly he got called back to Jingcheng to become a minister of a ministry. Although there was no change in rank, it appeared to outsiders as a demotion. Being the head of a ministry was nowhere near as comfortable as being a local magistrate.

After the health doctor left, Elder Yang took a seat on the nearby sofa, picked up the cigarette holder, and plucked a cigarette with a laugh, saying, “This Xiao Zhang is really suffocating me, limiting me to four cigarettes a day; it’s quite a torment.”

Taking a deep drag, Elder Yang looked at Yang Shengli and said, “You came back because of Nie Zhenbang’s matter, right?”

The Yang family’s eldest son had always been engaged in the propaganda front. This time, several heavyweight state media outlets, especially the “Daily at Seven,” seemed to be supporting Nie Zhenbang.

At this moment, Elder Yang chuckled and said, “Shengli, do you know why you were asked to serve a term in the Ministry of Transport? Besides the issues of age and seniority, the deeper reason is for you to fully understand the balance of politics while at the Ministry of Transport.”

The Nie family was also paying attention to this matter at this moment. Nie Zhenbang’s current position has been finalized. Given the size of the disturbance this time, naturally, the entire Nie family is extremely concerned. Old Nie even personally went to Elder Nan to have an exchange and communication.

At this moment, in the Zhou family’s house in Jingcheng, members of the Zhou family had gathered together. In the living room, the Zhou family’s old man was resting with his eyes closed. The older generation had all stepped back, but the new generation of the Zhou family was not satisfactory. A wrong choice had left the Zhou family isolated from the circle, a rather desperate situation.

Fortunately, Elder Zhou was decisive. His resolute action saved them from total loss. The second generation of the Zhou family, the two brothers Zhou Hongwei and Zhou Hongtu, eldest son Zhou Hongwei, is now the executive deputy minister of the Ministry of Public Security (ministerial level). Zhou Hongtu is a little behind, although he serves in the Ministry of Agriculture. Now, the Zhou family is making every effort to maintain good relations with the current leaders, finally recovering some lost ground. However, one wrong move made led to consistent losses. Now, both sons of Old Nie have achieved high-ranking positions, one holds the major military region position, and the other is a high-level official.. Elder Zhou despises this level of achievement to the extreme.

What’s even more important is that the third generation of the Zhou family has already lost a round at the starting line. This is what annoys Elder Zhou the most.

“Dad, do you think the Yang family’s protection for Nie Zhenbang might be because of the Yang family’s little princess?” Zhou Hongwei started to ask at this time.

On the side, Zhou Hongtu chimed in, “That can’t be. Would a shrewd guy like Yang Shengli, would the Yang family really be so blinded? No matter how much they spoil her, they wouldn’t risk her future and destiny, would they?”

At this time, Elder Zhou said in a low voice, “Old Yang Head wouldn’t be so foolish. This is nothing more than going with the flow, now that the Chen family is already married to the Nie family. The Li family naturally has to worry. This is just a normal suppression and defense, don’t take it too seriously. It’s not like before, once the overall situation is stable, everyone will converge. People of our generation are not fit to be in the spotlight anymore.”

Speaking of which, Elder Zhou turned to Zhou Chen and asked, “Chen is already a deputy-level cadre now, right?”

These words seemed rather inexplicable, but Zhou Hongwei guessed some of the old man’s thoughts and nodded readily, “Yes, little Chen had a good stint at the grassroots level. After coming up in a year, he was promoted to the deputy office level. By the time Nie Zhenbang’s illegitimate son took up a post in the Youth League, Chen had already been promoted. He has been serving as a secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture’s office for more than three years.”

At this moment, Zhou Chen, who was sitting on the side, appeared very obedient. He’s Zhou family’s elected successor, very exacting and obedient at home, just as a 28-year-old should be; like a kid. Upon hearing his grandfather and father’s conversation, Zhou Chen also began to get excited. Is he about to be promoted and move up a bit more?

As expected, Elder Zhou fell into a moment of contemplation and slowly said, “Well, at 28, it’s time to make a move. I think he can go to the Xibei Autonomous Region and serve as a deputy mayor in Bazhou City. He won’t be a standing committee member, but a deputy mayor is suitable.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Hongwei knew that the old man planned to let his grandson go to Nie Zhenbang’s place and grab a piece of the political achievement, giving Nie Zhenbang a taste of his own medicine. But when it came to his son, back then, he was forced to go to the countryside by Nie Zhenbang. At this point, can he outmaneuver Nie Zhenbang? Immediately, Zhou Hongwei expressed his concerns, “Dad, letting little Chen go to Bazhou City… would that be a bit difficult for him?”

At this moment, Zhou Chen’s mind went blank. Although he had been promoted to deputy department level, he was to go to Xibei. However, when he thought that once he arrived, he would become Nie Zhenbang’s immediate superior, Zhou Chen was exceedingly excited. With rare initiative, he stood up to express his stance, “Grandfather, let me go to Bazhou. I’m not afraid of difficulties.”(To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to Qidian ) to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation).