Chapter 318 - Chapter 318: Chapter 312: Opponent? You are not worthy! _1

Chapter 318: Chapter 312: Opponent? You are not worthy! _1

The patriarch of the Li family hadn’t spoken the entire evening. However, he made his stance clear with just one concluding sentence.

Even though Li Jiangshan currently leads the Li family, the one truly in charge is still the elder patriarch. In domestic politics, it has always been a world governed by the elderly. It could be inferred that the Li family had now given up on the Zhou family. Li Jianghe, alone, simply could not carry such weight.

At the guesthouse of the General Hospital of the Military Region

The Zhou brothers had already gathered together. Zhou Mu, the head of the Zhou family and father of Zhou Chen, had a gloomy expression. Under the maneuverings of the Li family, Zhou Mu had already been transferred to serve as the standing committee member of the provincial party committee and vice secretary of the provincial government of Yuzhou Province. His younger brother, currently serving as the Minister of Agriculture, would also soon be dispatched to a local position. With two members of the Zhou family serving in high-ranking positions in two provinces, they were considered significant figures in Jingcheng. The Nie family was thriving, with the Nie brothers only holding top positions in a military region and at the province-ministry level.

Yet, just as the Zhou family had not completely risen to power, the patriarch suddenly fell ill with an incurable disease, throwing the Zhou family into chaos.

“Hiding it would be impossible,” Zhou Mu began after a moment of reflection.”There are many direct relatives of other families in the General Hospital of the Military Region. This news must have already spread far and wide. Now, we can only wait and see.” His tone was deeply dejected.

At that moment, Zhou Chen’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Zhou Chen quietly exclaimed, “Dad, it’s Li Guohua.”

If Li Guohua was calling at this point, it meant the Li family had reached a decision. At this moment, everyone in the Zhou family was hoping for good news. However, both Zhou Mu and his brother exchanged a look. The call had been made by the younger-generation Li Guohua, which gave them a sense of unease.

After some time, Zhou Chen, looking somewhat dismayed, hung up the phone and said in a low tone, “Dad, Uncle, Li Guohua said that his uncle, Li Jianghe, will come to visit Grandfather later.”

The moment they heard this, Zhou Mu and his brother understood. Given the stature and status of their patriarch, it would be only natural for the patriarch of the Li family to personally visit in such a situation, or at least for Li Jiangshan, the leading figure of the second generation of the Li family, to do so. However, the fact that Li Jianghe was chosen to do this spoke volumes.

In the ensuing days, after the Li family made their statement, some of the clans in Jingcheng who had close relations with the Li family sent representatives to extend their condolences to the Zhou family. However, without exception, all the representatives were of relatively lower standing in their respective clans.

Meanwhile, President Yuan, Premier Yun, and other party and state leaders also sent their representatives to the Zhou family to convey their condolences.

The patriarch of the Zhou family fell ill quite suddenly. There was always a health care doctor accompanying him, and he had quit smoking. Hence, there were no noticeable symptoms at first. By the time it was discovered, it was already too late for him. After half a year in the General Hospital of the Military Region, he passed away on July 4, 1995, just three days after the party’s birthday. The former member of the Central Political Bureau and Deputy Premier of the State Council, the patriarch of the Zhou family, was no more.

At the same time, the successor to the governor of Jiangnan Province was officially determined. A local candidate was successfully elected. This signal was an unambiguous indication that the position earmarked by Agriculture Minister Zhou had been taken away from him. The Zhou family had been completely marginalized.

The passing of the patriarch of the Zhou family changed the dynamics in Jingcheng. The Li family’s stance further fuelled this momentum. Every family in Jingcheng, including the Yang and Dong families, began to make their moves.

At this moment, the Nie siblings had gathered in the Nie family courtyard. Their eldest sister, Nie Guoping, as always, refrained from joining the family conferences. Nie Guodong appeared calm, with a ‘rest and recuperate’ kind of demeanor. Beside him, his second sister Nie Guorong was conversing with Nie Guowei.

“Guowei, the patriarch of the Zhou family’s collapse may be our opportunity,” Nie Guorong began after some consideration. “Many clans have already begun to take action. It’s clear that they are after the positions that the Zhou brothers held. I think we should also make a move this time.”

As these words left her mouth, the Nie siblings fell into contemplation, especially Nie Guowei. Granted he lacked talent and could, at best, be described as average in terms of governing ability. His intention on his position as the governor of Yanbei Province had been merely to not offend anyone and to tread carefully. However, after years of serving as an official, particularly after being tempered at the local grassroots level, Nie Guowei was no longer impulsive or indiscriminate in his thought process.

Nie Guorong’s statement held profound implications. Her older brother Nie Guodong had already reached the pinnacle of his career as the commander of the Jingcheng City Military District. In terms of position, rank, and military title, there was no more room for promotion unless he became the Vice Chairman of the Military Commission. However, such a position couldn’t be conferred at this stage; it would need to be at the Party Congress at the very least. As for Nie Guorong herself, she also held a provincial ministerial position, as did both members of the Zhou family. There was no room for negotiation and other families wouldn’t think of making such exchanges. It seemed that Nie Guorong was asking for an official position for the Xiao family.

The husband of Nie Guorong and the second son of the Xiao family, Xiao Zhenchang, had been the Major General of a certain army group in the Jingcheng City Military District for seven years without any promotion. One of the reasons was the Nie family’s unwillingness to support him, especially due to the Xiao family’s performance during the Nie family’s crisis, which had left the patriarch somewhat displeased.

After a moment of silence, Nie Guowei spoke up in a low voice, “Second Sister, I think we should think this through in the long term. We have to consider our father’s opinion. Even if we discussed this with our elder brother, it wouldn’t be definitive.”

Nie Guodong sighed at this moment. It was said that a mother could become honored through her son. However, in the Nie family, it was the fathers who were honored through their sons. Without such an outstanding son like Nie Zhenbang, Nie Guowei couldn’t possibly have risen to his current status. Nevertheless, Nie Guodong understood that the children of prestigious families either flourished together or declined together. If Nie Guowei was doing well, then he would be doing well too, admitting to himself he had nothing to be jealous of.

Just then, their father came out with the help of his health care doctor. As he had been feeling increasingly unwell, both Nie Guodong and Nie Guorong stood up and quickly approached to help him from Doctor Lin.

After their father had settled down in his seat, he paused before instructing, “Guodong, make some arrangements and transfer Zhenchang to the Xibei Military Region.”

These words furrowed Nie Guorong’s eyebrows. Seeing her reaction, Nie Guodong felt some disapproval towards his second sister. She was being shortsighted. Due to Xiao Zhenchang’s close ties with their family, would those above allow him to get promoted in the Jingcheng City Military District? Absolutely not. Their father’s words were clearly geared towards promoting Xiao Zhenchang.

Meanwhile, their father continued, “Guowei, I think we should set Zhenbang’s wedding for New Year’s Day. After the wedding, let him resign. Having weathered the trials at the Discipline Committee for a year, it’s about time.”

At the Dynasty Club, Nie Zhenbang who was frequently in Jingcheng after getting transferred back, commenced a gathering of his quota.

Liu Kun and Zhao Xinglong had just gotten back from Northwest Xinli city, and looked fairly travel-worn at the moment.

Since it was a casual get-together, everyone was seated in the main hall on the first floor. There were performances from celebrities, both domestic and international, on the central circular stage, which was one of the special features arranged by Li Lixue to highlight the unique character of the Dynasty Club.

“Third Brother, the development in Xinli City is impressive this year. In the first half of the year alone, nearly 600 million was invested. Furthermore, the team under your leadership truly adheres to your policy of sustainable development. Now, there’s a high demand for Xinli City to be upgraded to a prefecture-level city.” Liu Kun cheerfully brought up the topic.

At the side, Zhao Xinglong joked, “Don’t even mention it; your team of bottom-rankers had no mercy when they fined Longhua Mining. Collecting over 10 million in mining pollution fees really shows their mercilessness.”

At Zhao Xinglong’s words, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but laugh. Over 10 million was not a pressure for Zhao Xinglong at all.

At this moment, the door opened, and Li Guohua, among others, entered the room. Seeing Nie Zhenbang, Li Guohua paused, and then greeted him with a smile. “Isn’t this the young master of the Nie family? I heard you’ve been posted in Jingcheng and accepted a position on the Discipline Committee. Have you given up so soon? Ha ha.”

By saying “given up”, Li Guohua’s intention was clear. On the political stage of Huaxia, those appointed to the Discipline Committee usually didn’t have bright future prospects. The Discipline Committee was a position with great limitations; it was easy to offend people and inevitably became a target. Those who rose to the top were at most level-5 leaders. For those like Nie Zhenbang and Li Guohua who aspired to rise to the peak, accepting an appointment to the Discipline Committee symbolized the loss of hope of attaining the top. Hence, Li Guohua mocked Nie Zhenbang this way.

The remark made the scene awkward and silenced everyone present, because what Li Guohua had said was indeed logical. Nevertheless, Nie Zhenbang appeared calm. He got up and said, “Li Guohua, have you always seen me as your competitor? Ha ha, competitor? You feel like you are at my level? You’re not even close to it!” (To be continued. If you like this novel, I would appreciate your support by voting at novelhall. Your support is my biggest motivation.)