Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 822: Chapter 778: Unexpected Disaster Chapter 822: Chapter 778: Unexpected Disaster As soon as Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Zeng Taiping seemed somewhat surprised. At this moment, Zeng Taiping also appeared very calm, quite normal. Since he himself could get the news, Nie Zhenbang, deep-rooted in Jingcheng, would naturally be able to receive it as well.

President Yuan’s health is not good, and this is not a secret to cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels. Although President Yuan had already completely retired, some necessary protocols still couldn’t be omitted. One mustn’t be too obvious in showing indifference once the person is gone.

After a pause, Zeng Taiping spoke up, “Zhenbang is also going? Then let’s go together.”

As soon as Nie Zhenbang heard this, he suddenly realized and nodded, “Secretary Zeng is also going over? That’s even better. In that case, I’ll leave the matter of requesting leave from the central government to you.”

Although the two sides could disregard each other’s feelings and even quarrel fiercely over certain issues, in normal times, they wouldn’t show contempt or glare angrily. As cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels, maintaining composure is a basic quality. Without this ability, it would be chaos in the standing committee meetings, with one person glaring and another cursing.

Therefore, hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Zeng Taiping also said with a smile, “Look at you, Zhenbang, taking the opportunity to slack off at times like this.”

As a high-ranking official in one’s own territory, how to arrange work and rest is very much up to oneself. However, taking leave and needing to report it to the central office is a procedure that must be followed.

Of course, this is basically just a formality. At the level of Zeng Taiping and Nie Zhenbang, there would never be a situation where leave is denied.

This time, going to Jingcheng, the two did not alert the other members of the provincial committee, nor did they arrange any grand farewell ceremony.

The two, along with their two secretaries, four people in total, boarded the plane to Jingcheng at Tianfu International Airport.

In the late afternoon, around four o’clock, upon arriving at the airport, two middle-aged men around their forties came to greet them. Beside them was also a charmful and mature woman.

As Nie Zhenbang and Zeng Taiping stepped out, the three of them came forward to greet them. The man in the middle, slightly plump, beamed with a smile that squeezed all the flesh on his face together, creating a comical effect, “Secretary Zeng, Governor Nie, welcome both of you. The cars have been prepared. Will the two of you rest at the hotel first today?”

Zeng Taiping then introduced Nie Zhenbang, “Governor Nie, let me introduce you, this is Comrade Zeng Xinhua, the director of our Bashu Province Beijing Office. The two individuals beside him are Vice Directors Comrade Huang Chaomei and Comrade Li Li.”

Listening to Zeng Taiping’s introduction, Nie Zhenbang’s gaze also fell on Zeng Xinhua. Between his brows, there was a faint resemblance to Zeng Taiping. These two must have a deep relationship.

Which was quite normal; the Beijing Office is a key department. It’s a link and bridge between localities and the central government, as well as between the various ministries based in Jingcheng. It’s crucial to have one’s own person in a key position, and there was nothing unusual about Zeng Taiping doing so.

Moreover, the Beijing Office had a substantial annual hospitality budget and managed the properties of the Bashu Building, making it a lucrative position indeed.

After shaking hands with Zeng Xinhua with a smile, Huang Chaomei also took the initiative to step forward, “Governor Nie, hello.”

Next, shaking hands with Vice Director Li Li, she greeted him with a gentle and charming smile, her voice soft and alluring, “Governor, welcome.”

In the moment of shaking hands, Nie Zhenbang distinctly felt the woman’s little finger gently provoke him in the palm of his hand.

This woman was no simple creature. Such enticing tactics. As for this, Nie Zhenbang would not point it out. Speaking of such matters could offend people, and the fact that Li Li could serve as the vice director of the Bashu Beijing Office already explained a lot.

Pausing a moment, Nie Zhenbang nonchalantly said to Zeng Taiping, “Secretary Zeng, I think we should head straight to the military hospital.”

This time, the visit to see President Yuan and the gifts they brought were secondary; the main thing was to express their sentiments and thoughts.

When Nie Zhenbang and Zeng Taiping entered the special ward of the military hospital, there were already several people standing outside President Yuan’s ward.

After waiting for half an hour, Nie Zhenbang and Zeng Taiping walked in. At this moment, the bedside and the floor beside it were filled with fresh flowers. President Yuan was half reclining on the bed, looking at the two of them and smiled, “Comrade Taiping and Zhenbang have come. You’re so considerate. It’s not a serious illness. Work is still the priority.”

Zeng Taiping also smiled at this moment and said, “Chief, you should rest well. Zhenbang and I just happened to be passing by and were preparing to come to Jingcheng to secure some funds to take back with us. We just happened to hear that the Chief was sick and hospitalized. So, we discussed it and thought we’d come to visit, to thank the Chief for the many years of support and help for the economic development of Bashu Province.”

President Yuan laughed generously at this moment and waved his hand, “It’s not really care or support to talk about, I have always been fair to all, the general idea and policy for domestic economic development are to prioritize the Eastern Region first and the Western Region later, and now it seems that the results are quite good. Bashu Province now has to seize this opportunity. Comrade Taiping is steady, Zhenbang is impactful, with courage and insight. Your combination is rare among provincial teams nationwide.”

Considering President Yuan’s health, this exchange didn’t take too much time. About ten minutes later, the outside healthcare doctor had already come in, interrupting the conversation.

As soon as they walked out the door, Zeng Taiping smiled and asked, “Where are you planning to go, Zhenbang?”

Nie Zhenbang naturally understood what Zeng Taiping meant. In Jingcheng, who didn’t have some connections and friends? Zeng Taiping was looking to take this opportunity to visit his old friends or leaders in Jingcheng. Immediately, Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “Secretary Zeng, since I’ve returned to Jingcheng, I do want to take a leave and visit my elders at home.”

Watching Zeng Taiping’s car disappear down the street, Nie Zhenbang took out his mobile phone and dialed Zhao Xinglong’s number: “Xing Long, what are you up to?”

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Xinglong sounded very excited and cheerful: “Third Brother, how come you have time to call me today? I’m in Africa. This time, Longhua Mining is planning to invest in several gold and diamond mines in Africa. Li Hua and I came over to check it out.”

Upon hearing Zhao Xinglong’s words, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback for a moment. He hadn’t expected that Zhao Xinglong, who had always been cavalier, was now starting to focus on his career. After pondering for a while, Nie Zhenbang then said, “I’m in Jingcheng. Since you’re not here, never mind then. When you come back, visit Bashu for a bit, there are some things I want to talk to you about.”

After hanging up the phone, Nie Zhenbang then called Liu Kun, and this time he was in luck, Liu Kun was in Jingcheng. After mentioning where he was, in less than five minutes, a Bentley had already stopped in front of the Military General Hospital; the Jingcheng City WaiRong Command Department’s low-profile military plate.

At this moment, Liu Kun got out from the driver’s seat with a smile and said, “Third Brother, how come you’re back at this time?”

Nie Zhenbang also smiled and teased, “Kun, the big boss, driving a Bentley is better with a chauffeur. You look quite out of place like this.”

With that, Nie Zhenbang got in the car and said to Liu Kun beside him: “Kun, find a club, I have some questions to ask you.”

This time, they did not choose his Dynasty Club but randomly picked a coffee shop on the second ring road. After finding a private room and the waiter had delivered their order, Nie Zhenbang got straight to the point, “Kun, do you know what happened between Yang Zhi and Old Xu’s child?”

The reason for finding Liu Kun and others was precisely Nie Zhenbang’s objective. A conflict had occurred between Yang Zhi and Old Xu’s child, but it shouldn’t have reached the extent that Yang Zhi had to flee. Yang Shengli and his brothers still held real power, would Old Xu’s family be so tasteless and short-sighted?

Moreover, not only did Old Xu’s family not stop there, but they also sent Xu Aiguo to Bashu. Obviously, Xu Aiguo was a sacrificial pawn. If things went well, Old Xu’s and the Li family’s plan might well be to use an official at the department level to bring him down. A department level for a province-ministerial level exchange, naturally, that’s a deal to be made.

The art of war states, to know both oneself and the enemy is the path to countless victories. Nie Zhenbang would certainly not fail to understand clearly.

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Liu Kun seemed a little startled, paused for a moment, and then said, “Third Brother, don’t tell me Yang Anguo’s boy has run off to your place?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “An Na has agreed, there’s nothing I could say. Why? Is this grudge that severe?”

Liu Kun gave a wry smile, nodded, and then said, “To say it’s severe would be an understatement. I heard that Yang Zhi crippled Old Xu’s eldest grandson. As for the exact details of the incident, several different versions have been circulating around Jingcheng. However, I’ve heard that Yang Zhi left Old Xu’s eldest grandson permanently disabled. Going forward, it’s highly likely that the kid will have some form of disability.”

On hearing this, Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows immediately furrowed. Everyone understood that this was a major taboo. To leave someone disabled guaranteed that their career prospects would be cut off; although there is no explicit rule saying that those who are not physically healthy can’t pursue a career in public service, it’s almost an unwritten rule. No wonder Old Xu’s family was so indignant.

The Yang family sending Yang Zhi to Bashu had made their stance clear. At this point, if Old Xu’s family continued to hold onto this issue, it would provoke the Yang family’s retaliation. Old Xu’s family admitted they could not withstand that, but they certainly couldn’t swallow their pride. Thus, in partnering with the Li family and encouraging Old Xu’s family to send someone to Bashu, they had inadvertently caught him in the crossfire. (