Reborn as a Noble's Son

The proverb ‘when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter’ aptly describes Duan Changgui’s situation. The people of Duan Clan Village were once cowed by his despotic rule, living in fear of his retribution, bottling up their anger. However, now that he’s been disqualified from the National People’s Congress and under investigation by the Xinli City Municipal Committee and Government, the pent-up anger of the villagers is finally boiling over.

In just one day, the working group of the city disciplinary committee stationed in Duan Clan Village has accumulated hundreds of pages of reports – all allegations against Duan Changgui, without even a moment free for a sip of water.

Looking at these documents, the chief of the city disciplinary committee also can’t help but be astounded. Duan Changgui has truly outdone himself – his tyranny and oppression knew no bounds in Duan Clan Village, the only thing he didn’t do is declare himself emperor.

Simultaneously, everyone in the city disciplinary committee knew that Duan Changgui’s deeds were severe enough to warrant execution a hundred times over.

In what used to be the administrative building of Lixian County, now the office building of Xinli City Government, outside the office of Nie Zhenbang…

Secretary Qi Sanshui and Mayor Lu Changping of Daming Township are nervously waiting outside the office door. Originally under the jurisdiction of Yun County, Daming Township is now part of the newly established Xinli City because the entire Yun County has been incorporated into Xinli City. The administrative system of Yun County Government has been disbanded. Among the former leaders of Yun County, only Tang Fangming and Mi Fugui remain in Xinli City, and they still haven’t settled into their new roles.

With such a major incident in Daming Township, the top leadership in the township is flustered and rushed to Xinli City overnight.

Getting acquainted with the departments in Xinli City and understanding the new dynamics has taken a considerable amount of time. Initially, they thought Nie Zhenbang was at the city committee office, but their efforts came up empty. By the time they found his office, it was already afternoon working hours.

The office door suddenly opened, forcing Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping to stand upright, their backs slightly curved, displaying a cautious demeanor.

Watching their reactions, Yi Jun couldn’t help but chuckle. It seems the officials from Yun County are even more stringent in observing hierarchical norms than those from Lixian County.

Now, in Xinli City, the officials from the old county of Lixian stride with chests puffed out – they are clear about Nie Zhenbang’s character. Bootlicking won’t work with Secretary Nie Zhenbang; he values actual work results and contributions to the locals.

“Secretary Qi, Mayor Lu, please, make yourselves comfortable. Come in, the Secretary is waiting for you in the office.” Yi Jun also offered with a smile. As a secretary, sometimes he also has to assist the leader in facilitating the mood of the lower-level officials, which is quite indispensable.

The two men expressed their gratitude. Qi Sanshui took out a box of Zhonghua cigarettes from his briefcase and stuffed it into Yi Jun’s pocket, quietly saying, “Thank you, Secretary Yi.”

Once they entered the office, they found Nie Zhenbang engrossed in a document. To be honest, Nie Zhenbang was extremely dissatisfied with the party and government leadership of Daming Township. In their jurisdiction, such a major scandal had occurred. To Nie Zhenbang, this was a severe dereliction of duty by the township government. If this had happened in any of the townships in the old Lixian County, with Nie Zhenbang’s temper, they would have undoubtedly been sacked by now.

Considering that Yun County was newly incorporated into Xinli City, sweeping changes in personnel might give the impression of an adversarial approach or favoritism.

For this reason, Nie Zhenbang agreed to meet with Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping. He glanced at them and noted their nervous demeanor. Nie Zhenbang gestured towards the sofa then said, “the heads of the Party and government of Daming Township are all here. Sit down first while I finish reading this document.”

The document on his desk contained information about Duan Changgui. Duan Changgui had ruled by fear during his term in office, resulting in the disability of three villagers and the death of another. this point alone was enough to warrant execution. With the powerful intervention of the disciplinary committee, Duan Changgui’s last line of defense was shattered. He no longer denied his criminal deeds.

He has now been indicted, and Nie Zhenbang promptly signed his opinion on the document: “Please forward this to the city disciplinary committee Secretary Sun and other city committee leaders for review! The political and legal systems should strictly and severely deal with this in accordance with national laws. Such a man must be executed; it’s the only way to quell public outrage and assuage the public’s fear. Nie Zhenbang.”

A city committee secretary endorsing such a suggestion in writing might seem to compromise the impartiality of the judicial process. The impact of Nie Zhenbang’s opinions would certainly influence the court’s sentencing. However, Nie Zhenbang didn’t care. He believed that a man must stand for something and not be constrained by every little thing. If he were always worried about this or that, Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t be the man he is – he would merely be an ordinary man among the multitudes.

Putting down the documents, Nie Zhenbang looked up and said, “Comrades Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping, what brings you here? Although Yun County has just been merged into New Li City, the normal workflow needs to be maintained. The Municipal Committee and Government have a comprehensive plan for the entire New Li City. The original officials of Yun County will also be properly handled. You should focus on your work without any worries.”

The two men exchanged glances; indeed, Nie Zhenbang’s way of doing things was as pragmatic as the rumors said.

Next, Qi Sanshui nodded and said, “We will follow your instructions, Secretary Nie. This time, our main purpose of coming here is to apologize. The issue in Duan Clan Village is the consequence of our negligence in Daming Township Party Committee and Government. I request the Municipal Party Committee to punish me.”

At his side, Lu Changping also nodded and said, “Secretary Nie, I also ask the Municipal Party Committee to punish me. This time, we in Daming Township Government, both Qi Secretary and I, paid high attention to the change in election issues in Duan Clan Village. We personally supervised the election. The villagers selected a trustworthy village committee for Duan Clan Village. The villagers are inviting Secretary Nie to visit Duan Clan Village again.”

Although their attitudes seemed a little pretentious, Nie Zhenbang wasn’t bothered. He was aware of the mindsets of these lower-ranking officials – saying nice things like voluntarily asking for punishment was just a show of attitude.

Immediately after, Nie Zhenbang said solemnly, “There’s no need for punishment. We’re in a new era now and collective punishment is not in vogue anymore. However…”

Nie Zhenbang shifted his tone, and his voice grew strict, “However, the Daming Township Party Committee and Government did mishandle the issue in Duan Clan Village. You were too focused on the honor and glory that the village brought to Daming Township, and missed the essence of the issue. There is a sense of responsibility here. This can be considered a superficial act. Remember, in the future, you must adopt a pragmatic attitude—focus on the quality of life of the people and the development of the locality. If you do well in these areas, success will naturally follow.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words made Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping feel somewhat ashamed. The gap between them and Nie Zhenbang was evident. While they were only holding section-level positions in their thirties, Nie Zhenbang was a deputy bureau-level official in his twenties. However, in terms of capability, a few words from Nie Zhenbang thoroughly convinced them.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Yi Jun walked in with a serious look, walked straight over to Nie Zhenbang, and whispered in his ear, “Secretary, we just received news. Zhao Kunlun is about to be transferred. His new position has already been confirmed—he’ll be the head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau. It should happen in the next few days.”

Seeing this, Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping stood up and said, “Secretary Nie, we won’t disturb you any further. Rest assured, when we return, we will strengthen the ideological education of the entire township officials, putting the people first and working diligently.”

After Qi Sanshui and Lu Changping left, Nie Zhenbang frowned. Zhao Kunlun’s departure was rather sudden. He was still pondering about the impact his departure would have on the future of New Li City.

However, with the position of Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of New Li City now vacant along with the position of Mayor of New Li City, there would likely be a struggle during the next Bazhou City Party Committee Standing Committee meeting.

Anyone could see the current development of New Li City. A national-level Economic and Technological Development Zone in the northwest was indeed a rare occurrence. With New Li City’s expansion in area and increase in population, Yun County, although temporarily burdensome, would likely provide long-term benefits to New Li City’s development due to the population base.

Therefore, the positions in New Li City became highly coveted within Bazhou City and even the entire autonomous region. This time, there would probably be an intense competition again.

Just as he was thinking about this, the phone on Nie Zhenbang’s desk rang. As soon as he picked up, Bazhou City Party Committee Standing Committee member and Secretary-General Li Qingde’s voice came through, “Hehe, is this Secretary Nie Zhenbang? This is Li Qingde. Yes, I’m calling to notify you of the topics that need to be discussed in this Bazhou City Committee Standing Committee meeting. Please make a note of them.”

Looking at the topics on his desk, Nie Zhenbang’s brow frowned again. This time, the city was acting so quickly. Zhao Kunlun hadn’t even left yet and the committee was already discussing the issue of the replacement for the Secretary of the Political and Law Committee. It seemed like the city was well-prepared.

After contemplating for a while, Nie Zhenbang turned to Yi Jun and said, “Xiaoyi, call Chen Le and ask him to come over.”

Hearing Nie Zhenbang say this, Yi Jun’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Chen Le would have to treat them this time. Yi Jun was well aware of Nie Zhenbang’s character – if he said this, it meant that Nie Zhenbang already had an idea about the position of the Secretary of the Political and Law Committee.