June twelfth brought persistent light rain.
Lu Zhao received news that Lü Jinshan had been officially suspended for one month, with no other charges brought against him for the time being. Barring any surprises, he would be reinstated in a month.
It was entirely expected. Even without backing, Lü Jinshan could hardly be cast out over a single dereliction of duty; otherwise, the iron rice bowl would not live up to its name.
The news spread quickly, and its most obvious effect on Lu Zhao was a great deal of peace and quiet. The people who used to run in and out of his office were virtually nowhere to be seen today.
June thirteenth.
At the station's routine flood-prevention meeting, Chen Hongtao criticized Lu Zhao out of nowhere for acting autocratically, pointing out that flood-prevention efforts should center on Liang Fei instead. He then stripped Lu Zhao of his role as temporary director.
His enemy was Lü Jinshan, yet far more than Lü Jinshan alone. Without Lü Jinshan, there was Chen Hongtao; without Chen Hongtao, there would still be Liang Fei rising to take his place.
When the meeting adjourned, Lu Zhao walked down the hallway of the administrative building and suddenly paused, looking out the window at the drizzling rain. He finally understood what his teacher meant about where he had gone wrong.
Only titles and regalia cannot be lent to others.
Turned around, it could also mean that titles and authority should never depend on another's grant. What others promised did not count; only what he could decide for himself mattered.
A temporary director?
"Just an empty title. Losing it doesn't matter in the least."
Lu Zhao strode forward, paying no mind to the strange glances cast his way once again. The thing he feared least was cold water thrown in his face; pouring it over his head only made him sharper.
On June thirteenth, the water levels began to rise.
Yet judging from past years of experience, this was still a stable period. Water from the Three Rivers was continuously backflowing into the underground karst caves, and it would not be until July that the water levels would begin to surge violently. By then, the entirety of Ant Ridge's culverts, streams, and valleys would be submerged.
As usual, after finishing his daily tasks, Lu Zhao sat quietly at his desk refining spirit, seeking to perceive his true self, or took life supplements to refine qi into essence. In an administrative post, his time had suddenly become remarkably abundant.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
A knock sounded on the door. Lu Zhao drew back his breath and said, "Come in."
Chen Hongtao stepped inside, a smile plastered on his face. "Advisor Lu, busy?"
Lu Zhao immediately sensed something unusual about him, while feeling justifiable suspicion: Were all the people at this border defense station from Zhongnan Circuit? Why else would they love changing faces so much?
Lu Zhao answered flatly, "Not busy. The troops are occupied with flood-prevention deployments lately, so there are no training plans."
"Advisor Lu has worked diligently on the front line for so long, so you really do need a good rest." Chen Hongtao walked over, placed a green slip on the desk, and said, "I was a bit rash yesterday. I hope Advisor Lu won't take offense. I was also acting on someone else's behalf, left with no other choice."
Lu Zhao glanced at the slip. It was neither paper currency nor a check, but an exchange voucher for life supplements.
Life supplements were hard currency, naturally accompanied by all kinds of methods to handle "lawful" gift-giving. For instance, Honglang liquor: it was called liquor, but it might actually be filled with life supplement.
"Station Chief Chen, please take it back. You wouldn't want me reporting you to the Oversight Bureau, would you?"
Lu Zhao's uncompromising attitude made Chen Hongtao look awkward. Before Chen Hongtao could trot out his prepared excuses, Lu Zhao continued, "I won't accept this, but I'd like to ask you a question, Station Chief Chen: what great figure left you with no other choice?"
Taking a page from Zhang Like's purchase of Honghualang through internal channels, although it skirted the suspicion of bribery, it served to put minds at ease. When someone offered a goodwill gesture, handling it poorly could easily turn them into an enemy. Lu Zhao had learned from that: taking a small, appropriate advantage could set people at ease.
Chen Hongtao hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. "It was the Fangshi city executive."
City executive—the full title was municipal chief executive, the city's top official.
Fangshi was a third-tier city, which normally corresponded to an adjutant-level post, but because of its border location, it was elevated one rank to a Federation standard officer. Higher still was Martial Marquis, above Martial Marquis was Palace Martial Marquis, and at the peak stood Chief Heavenly Marquis. Of course, differences existed within the same tier: a prefecture-level chief official outranked a municipal one, and a circuit-level chief official outranked a prefecture one.
Lu Zhao had never interacted with the city executive, nor had he ever clashed with him directly, yet now the man had suddenly made a move.
This was another hound of the Chen family.
As long as Lu Zhao kept his head down, the other side naturally would not leap out unprovoked; like Chen Qian, they might have nearly forgotten about the matter. Conversely, the moment he showed the slightest sign of rising, he would inevitably be suppressed. This was not on orders from the Chen family or Chen Qian, but the spontaneous initiative of countless officials along the way. If Lu Zhao ever rose to power, he would surely take an eye for an eye, and they undoubtedly believed the same.
Chen Hongtao pulled a bitter face and said, "Advisor Lu, I'm not in league with them."
"I believe you, Station Chief Chen," Lu Zhao said, then asked, "So can you tell me now why you're sharing all this with me?"
Chen Hongtao took out a document and set it on the desk.
*Notice of Appointment for Comrade Lu Zhao from the Yulin Prefecture Public Security Bureau.*
The Yulin Prefecture Public Security Bureau was effectively the direct superior to all the border defense stations, and the signature at the bottom of the document belonged to Liang Chengyun. That prominent figure was on the same rank as the Fangshi city executive, but the real gap between them was night and day.
Within the prefectural government, the Personnel Bureau held the greatest power, followed by the Oversight Bureau, then the Judicial Bureau, and only then the General Security Bureau. However, Nanhai Circuit was a border circuit with the highest number of foreigners; the General Security Bureau's authority fell short of the Personnel Bureau by barely half a step, and could even rival it on equal terms. If a riot broke out, the General Security Bureau had the authority to temporarily take full command. And what Nanhai Circuit never lacked were riots—violent crime, drug smuggling, and human trafficking were commonplace.
"This is an order from the prefecture. Effective today, you will concurrently serve as a temporary advisor attached to the special investigation team."
A trace of reverence and speculation crept into Chen Hongtao's eyes. Perhaps Lu Zhao really had encountered a benefactor, and from now on, he might soar straight into the clouds. That was precisely why Chen Hongtao truly did not want to get caught in the middle. The Chen family was powerful, while Lu Zhao had the backing of the General Security Bureau; he could not afford to provoke either side. If the two forces clashed, a small fry like him could easily be flipped by the waves.
Lu Zhao read through the document carefully, and the image of a woman with shoulder-length short hair surfaced in his mind.
Lin Zhiyan.
Only she possessed the influence to move the General Security Bureau.
He spoke up. "Thank you for delivering this, Station Chief Chen."
"It's only right." Chen Hongtao nodded, just about to steer the conversation back to his criticism at the meeting.
Lu Zhao spoke first: "Station Chief Chen, you'll be transferred next month, won't you?"
This transfer order had not been won by Chen Hongtao; his apology at the door was merely lip service.
Hearing that, Chen Hongtao instantly grasped Lu Zhao's implication. He wanted a recommendation. When an administrative chief was transferred, higher departments would arrange a successor for a seamless transition, but a deputy post was allowed to sit vacant. That left an opening, giving human resources flexibility for reassignment.
Chen Hongtao said, "An appointment for deputy station chief has to go through the prefectural Personnel Bureau. However, I can recommend you, Advisor Lu, allowing you to bypass the nomination process."
He did not make any absolute promises; after all, a recommendation was not an appointment. But since Lu Zhao could secure a direct appointment from the General Security Bureau, he must have connections to help him push it through.
Hearing this, Lu Zhao also knew things would not be that simple. Even after getting the recommendation, he would still need to seek connections before an exceptional promotion could go through. But human effort determined the outcome. There was no harm in trying first; even if it failed in the end, he lost nothing.
Chapter 48