Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 718: Chapter 674 Modified Audi A8_1
 

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Yang Anguo knew precisely what his brother-in-law intended to do. His brow furrowed and he said seriously, “Zhenbang, aren’t you afraid this might cause great upheaval?”

Upheaval?

Nie Zhenbang gave a soft laugh at this moment and calmly replied, “Big brother, you can trust me on this. You won’t go wrong listening to me. Help me pull some strings here. Jiangbei Province is a classic example of me killing a chicken to scare off the monkeys. Plus, don’t you think the contents of these reports are merely minor issues that are hardly earth-shattering?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Yang Anguo began to think. At first, he didn’t think much of it. Now, on further consideration, he realised that though these news reports were shocking and would be published in national media outlets, the issues found during their investigation were trivial errors. These mistakes would have certain impacts on Jiangbei Province and would certainly result in Shen Yanshuo receiving some criticism from the central government. However, these small flaws could reflect the effects of implementing the three public consumptions regulations, making it appear more genuine.

After a moment of silence, Yang Anguo nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll arrange it for you. Wait for any updates.”

Yang Anguo moved quickly. The next day, top national news outlets, such as “Hope Daily”, “Jingcheng Youth Daily”, and “Huaxia Daily”, published stories on their front pages reporting numerous issues found during the inspections of the three public consumptions in Jiangbei Province.

The atmosphere today in the office building of the Jiangbei Provincial Committee and government was somewhat tense and oppressive. The ordinary staff members were exceptionally cautious in their work and speech.

It was seven fifty-five.

Shen Yanshuo had just walked into the office. Now, Shen seemed significantly older. His age was over sixty, a time when people couldn’t fend for themselves unless they had an elite role, like being a member of the central political bureau and secretary of the Jiangbei Provincial Committee, like Shen himself. Otherwise, he would probably be too old to serve a full term.

As soon as he entered his office, Chen Huazhang, the Secretary-General of the Provincial Committee, approached him with a grave expression. Chen was a long-serving secretary-general and was one of Shen’s trusted subordinates.

Seeing the look on Chen’s face, Shen frowned and reprimanded, “Comrade Huazhang, what’s the commotion? That expression is unbecoming of a Provincial Committee Secretary-General.”

In response to Shen’s criticism, Chen could only force a bitter smile and not retort. He lowered his voice and said, “Secretary Shen, you should take a look at these newspapers.”

Chen then handed him today’s issues of “Hope Daily” and “Huaxia Daily”. Upon seeing the headlines, Shen slammed the papers on the table.

Old Shen, with his gray-white hair, displayed his fiery temper. However, as a seasoned veteran, Shen still maintained his composure. Before long, he regained composure.

He sat in his chair, picking up “Hope Daily” and carefully read it. After a while, he put down the newspaper and said with a calm tone, “Huazhang, make a call to Yi Jingchao in the Propaganda Department. Tell him it’s my idea. Regarding the regulatory violations reported by “Hope Daily” and “Huaxia Daily”, the heads of the departments and their party leaders are to be given an internal party warning. The directly responsible personnel should be given major administrative demerits. For the next five years, they will not be considered for promotion. Post this on the front page of “Jiangbei Daily”. Also, tell the Jiangbei TV station to feature this in their news.”

That night, as Nie Zhenbang and the others were preparing to leave Jiangzhou City and the offices of the Jiangbei Province’s direct bureaus for their next stop, the evening edition of “Jiangbei News” left Nie Zhenbang with a smile on his face.

As expected of the old fox, Shen Yanshuo. He handled the situation beautifully. Despite the reports from “Hope Daily” and “Huaxia Daily” making the Jiangbei Provincial Committee lose face, they quickly resolved the situation and even provided corrective measures. Hence, Shen managed to effectively turn the tables and elevated the image of the Jiangbei Provincial Committee.

Nie Zhenbang chuckled at Huang Xudong’s disgruntled expression. Although Huang, as Old Liu’s son-in-law, was capable, he was best fitted as an executor. If they let him govern a side, he lacked ability. Perhaps the Liu Family saw this, which was why they let Huang Xudong stay in Jingcheng.

“Xudong, don’t look so upset. We anticipated these types of incidents. Did you think Shen Yanshuo dared to defy us without backup? Although the Three Public Consumptions Office seems powerful, it’s position can be awkward. If things don’t work once, we’ll continue to investigate rigorously,” Nie Zhenbang said, comforting Huang Xudong and subtly hinting at what they should do next.

Hearing this statement, Huang Xudong’s eyes widened and he nodded, “Director, your thinking is indeed profound. Since Shen Yanshuo is arrogant, we’ll continue to investigate him rigorously. This way, once other provinces and cities see this situation, they will likely take it seriously.”

Nie Zhenbang nodded, revealing a look that said “it’s teachable.” He then said, “That’s enough. You should communicate this to the comrades below you. Try not to be emotional or subjective, as that would inevitably invite unwanted comments. Go back and prepare thoroughly. Tomorrow, we’re heading to Pengcheng City.”

…

Pengcheng City is a stronghold of Jiangbei Province and a renowned epicenter of heavy industry. The city, located on the Jiangbei plain, connects with northern Huaxia and has always been commended for its charm of “southern elegance and northern heroism”.

This is also a significant characteristic of Pengcheng City. The southern area of the city boasts the beauty of southern water towns, while the northern area exudes the grandeur of the north.

Nie Zhenbang’s group, upon leaving Jiangzhou City, did not inform the Jiangbei Provincial Committee. After all, they insisted on maintaining the independence and impartiality of the inspection team. So why bother notifying them about their next stop?

By the time they arrived in Pengcheng City, it was already past four in the afternoon. The group checked into a privately-owned three-star hotel.

Xiong Taishun, however, was just coming out of the hotel with a colleague.

Xiong Taishun is a staff member of the ‘San Gong Ban’, equivalent in rank to a departmental director. In local areas, this would equate to the top leader of a town. However, inside the ‘San Gong Ban’, he is merely a regular employee.

Xiong Taishun is an outstanding graduate of Jingcheng University. As his elder classmate, Nie Zhenbang, who also graduated from Jingcheng University, has always been Xiong Taishun’s role model and aspiration.

In the ‘San Gong Ban’, Xiong Taishun is solely responsible for the car inspection section. Stepping out onto the street, Xiong Taishun took a deep breath and lamented, “Quan, the air quality in Pengcheng City is really good.”

His colleague, standing next to him, laughed and said, “As the base of heavy industry in Jiangbei Province, Pengcheng City indeed deserves praise for its air quality. Taishun, perhaps you didn’t know. The sustainable development strategy, which emphasizes balancing economic growth and environmental protection, was first proposed and implemented by our Director.”

Mentioning the Director, Xiong Taishun’s face was filled with admiration and respect. He nodded, “Indeed. The Director’s vision and strategy are worth studying and learning from.”

While they were talking, Luo Quan, a colleague standing beside them, suddenly said, “Taishun, do you see the car in front of the entrance to the Emperor Nightclub? It’s hilarious. They even modified it. This is not what you call being low-key.”

Looking in the direction Luo Quan was pointing, about fifty meters from the hotel, a black Audi was parked on the roadside. This caused Xiong Taishun to doubt and meticulously inspect the car again. He was then surprised, “Quan, this is just a basic Audi A6 1.8T. What’s the problem?”

Speaking of cars, Luo Quan’s face showed confidence and pride, “Taishun, aren’t you aware of my hobby? No car escapes my scrutiny. Don’t believe me? Let’s go up and I’ll introduce it to you in detail.”

They quickened their pace and stopped two or three meters from the car. Luo Quan then laughed, “Taishun, look, the length of this car is at least 5.2 meters. The A6 is only 5 meters long. This car is obviously an Audi A8, and it’s 20 cm longer than an A6.”

Pausing for a moment, Luo Quan curiously said, “It’s odd, isn’t it? An A8 is obviously a higher standard than an A6. One costs only three hundred and forty thousand, and the other costs more than a million. Not only did they remove the A8 logo, but they also removed the engine size marking and replaced it with 1.8T. Why would they need to make it so low-key and discrepant?”

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Luo Quan’s words made Xiong Taishun stall. Discrepancy, low-key? Why hide? A businessman? Not likely. This might have been necessary more than a decade ago when the socialist market economy had not yet been clearly defined. But nowadays, domestic businessmen highly value their public image. So who needs to hide?

Thinking about this, seeing a license plate covered by a camouflage cover, Xiong Taishun felt the impulse to uncover the truth.

Paying no attention to Luo Quan, who was still marvelling, Xiong Taishun approached the car, stood at its rear, and gently lifted the license plate cloth. The vehicle’s plate number, JiangC-00001, stunned Xiong Taishun. It turned out to be the City Committee’s number one license plate!

Then, Xiong Taishun pulled out his phone and took a picture, then moved to the front of the car. At the bottom left of the driver’s seat, two bright red special passes were strikingly conspicuous. One was a pass from the Jiangbei Provincial Committee, and the other was a special pass from the Municipal Committee and Municipal Government of Pengcheng City. Immediately, Xiong Taishun picked up his phone and started clicking pictures.

As he was doing this, a voice sounded from behind him, “Damn it, what are you doing? Immediately delete that photo for me.”

PS: No monthly tickets, requesting one to comfort myself for today. After all, I’m updating three times today. Please give me some face, brothers and sisters. (