The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

"Secretary Yiming, I think it would be better if you participated."

Wang Xianming said, "Secretary Yuntao specially invited you to participate. If you refuse, it will make Secretary Yuntao lose face, and he will have a bad impression of you."

"If he takes over as secretary, how will you face him? Your work will definitely be difficult to carry out."

"Are you saying I absolutely have to go?"

Jiang Yiming said calmly, "Even if I had nothing to do, I would still have the right to refuse to attend the banquet."

"As for your claim that it would hinder our work, that's utter nonsense. Is County Chief Yuntao perhaps a petty and narrow-minded person?"

“I didn’t say that. I just said that if you don’t participate in group activities, you’re more likely to become detached from the organization, which is not conducive to carrying out your work.”

Wang Xianming realized his word choice was inappropriate and immediately corrected himself.

Jiang Yiming was too lazy to waste words with him and said firmly, "I do have something to do, so I don't have time to eat this meal. If I have the chance to meet County Magistrate Yuntao, I will explain to him in person."

After saying that, he returned to his seat and began working on his documents.

Seeing that Jiang Yiming was unyielding, Wang Xianming was very annoyed, but there was nothing he could do but turn around and leave.

Upon returning to Zhang Yuntao's office, Wang Xianming began to complain.

“Secretary Yuntao, Jiang Yiming doesn’t respect you at all. I told him to personally invite him to lunch, but he refused with some excuse. When I asked him what it was about, he wouldn’t say, and even said he wouldn’t go even if there was nothing wrong.”

Wang Xianming said, "Secretary Yuntao, this Jiang Yiming is too arrogant, relying on Ma Qiyun's support."

Zhang Yuntao frowned and said, "Forget it, everyone has their own ambitions. Since he doesn't want to participate, we won't force him."

The two then went to the Xinping Hotel together.

…………

Not long after Wang Xianming left, Wan Wenbing, the captain of the county's public security brigade, arrived at Jiang Yiming's office, led by Liu Weimin.

"Wenbing is here, sit down and let's talk."

Jiang Yiming got up and personally made tea for Wan Wenbing.

"Secretary, let me do it."

Wan Wenbing hurriedly took the teacup and tea leaves and started brewing the tea himself.

Although Jiang Yiming treats him as an old classmate, he himself must have a sense of hierarchy; otherwise, he will appear disrespectful and lack political awareness.

Jiang Yiming didn't argue with Wan Wenbing. After handing him the items, he sat down on the sofa and asked with a smile, "Any new developments in the anti-pickpocketing operation?"

"Secretary, this work has achieved remarkable results."

After pouring the tea, Wan Wenbing sat down opposite Jiang Yiming and said with a smile, "I'm not here to report on this matter, but on something else."

"Didn't I report to you last time that we caught a thief and found out which store he stole from?"

"Talk about it."

Jiang Yiming laughed and said, "Let's see which leading cadre is so rich."

"The home of Wang Xianming, the executive deputy county head!"

Wan Wenbing said, "According to his description, he only took a small portion; the other party's family has a lot of money and gold bars."

"I'd heard long ago that Wang Xianming is no better than a gang leader than a cadre. Now that we have evidence of his crimes, we can get rid of this black sheep!"

“Wang Xianming is the executive deputy county head and has been operating in Xinping County for many years. It will not be easy to take him down. We must present a solid chain of evidence.”

Jiang Yiming asked, "Besides the thief's confession, is there any other relevant evidence?"

"After stealing the items, the thief only spent cash; the stolen gold bars and paintings remain untouched. Based on his identification, we have recovered the stolen goods. According to our analysis, the stolen goods bear not only the thief's fingerprints but also those of other people. We have already collected relevant fingerprints, but we are still missing Wang Xianming's fingerprints. If we can obtain his fingerprints, we can conduct a comparison, and once the comparison is successful, we can establish an airtight case."

Wan Wenbing said, "But he is the executive deputy county head, and I have no chance to meet him. So I came here today for two reasons: first, to report on my work, and second, to ask you, Secretary, for help in collecting Wang Xianming's fingerprints. If you invite him to your office and chat with him for a while, he will probably drink some water, and his fingerprints will be left on the disposable cup."

"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. You really came at the right time."

Jiang Yiming pointed to the disposable cup in the wastepaper basket and smiled, "Wang Xianming was in my office half an hour ago. That cup was the one he used. Liu Weimin touched it when he was cleaning, so I don't know if he destroyed Wang Xianming's fingerprints. Take it back and have it tested."

"If not, I'll find another way to get his fingerprints."

"Okay, Secretary, thank you so much."

Wan Wenbing used two pencils to pick up the disposable paper cup, then found a tea box from Jiang Yiming and carefully placed it inside.

"Secretary Yiming, I went back and checked it. I will report back to you after the results are in."

…………

Huang Yujian, the boss of Dezheng Construction Company, and Shen Xue, the office director, stood at the gate waiting.

"Xiaoxue, be more proactive later."

Huang Yujian said, "According to reliable sources, there is a very high probability that Zhang Yuntao will be transferred to the position of county party secretary. If we can get him, what kind of project can't we win in Xinping County?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Huang, I will do everything in my power to bring him down."

Shen Xue wore a high-slit cheongsam, showcasing her graceful figure. The cheongsam's cut cleverly accentuated her slender waist and full curves, revealing unparalleled sex appeal.

Her makeup was exquisite, with deep and captivating eye makeup and vibrant and alluring lip gloss, making it impossible not to take a second look.

Her presence seemed to be a perfect interpretation of feminine charm, making her unforgettable.

Shortly afterward, Zhang Yuntao and Wang Xianming arrived together.

"Secretary Zhang, welcome, welcome."

Huang Yujian jogged over to meet Zhang Yuntao and opened the car door for him.

"Boss Huang, we meet again."

Zhang Yuntao smiled and shook hands with him.

"We've met before, but I haven't dared to bother Secretary Zhang. Today, I asked County Chief Wang to act as an intermediary to invite you here for a get-together, to thank Secretary Zhang for gracing us with his presence."

Huang Yujian said to Shen Xue, "Xiao Xue, why don't you come over here and report to Secretary Zhang?"

"Secretary Zhang, hello. My name is Shen Xue, and I am the office director of Dezheng Company. If you have friends visiting and you don't have time to entertain them, you can arrange for me to do so. Or if you need me to run errands, please feel free to do so. I am ready to serve you at any time."

Shen Xue said in a sweet voice.

"Xiaoxue is not only beautiful, but she also has a lovely voice."

Zhang Yuntao smiled and praised her, his eyes quickly scanning Shen Xue from top to bottom.

"Secretary Zhang, County Chief Wang, please come with me."

Shen Xue swayed her sexy hips as she led the way.

Zhang Yuntao would occasionally glance at her, but Wang Xianming stared unabashedly at Shen Xue's shapely buttocks.

After the group arrived at the private room, Huang Yujian took out a jade Guanyin statue the size of a fist.

“Secretary, I heard that you have a deep understanding of Buddhist culture and specially commissioned someone to create a jade Guanyin statue with scriptures engraved on it.”

Huang Yujian smiled and said, "It roughly means that it can bless those who make long-term offerings to be promoted."

"No, no, I can't accept something so valuable."

Zhang Yuntao could tell at a glance that the jade used to make this jade Guanyin was no ordinary jade. It would probably cost hundreds of thousands of yuan to acquire. Although he was tempted, he dared not act rashly.

“Secretary Yuntao, please don’t misunderstand. This is just a small trinket and it’s not worth much. I originally wanted to inlay it with some gold jewelry to increase its value, so that it would be more in line with your status. But I was afraid that would cause you trouble. So I just used an ordinary jade carving. I hope you won’t mind.”

Huang Yujian quickly explained.

“Secretary Yuntao, this is a small token of Mr. Huang’s appreciation. Please don’t have any reservations.”

Wang Xianming laughed and said, "If you don't take it back and leave it in Boss Huang's hands, it's a complete waste. He doesn't understand these things."

"If you're still worried, you can keep it at home for now. You can admire it for a while, and then return it to Mr. Huang when you're tired of it. This way, it won't violate any rules, and you can keep it at home for a period of time."

“Alright, we’ll do as County Magistrate Xianming says. I’ll make offerings for a while and then return them to you.”

Zhang Yuntao was ultimately too tempted and nodded to accept it.

"Come, come, sit down and let's talk."

Seeing that Zhang Yuntao had accepted the jade Guanyin, Huang Yujian was in a great mood and quickly invited everyone to sit down.

Shen Xue, being a public relations professional, quickly got Zhang Yuntao quite drunk.

"Secretary Yuntao, you and Xiaoxue are really destined for each other. You were both born in the Year of the Tiger. Why don't you two drink a toast together?"

Huang Yujian chimed in.

"Yes, Secretary Yuntao, we were both born in the Year of the Tiger, let's drink a toast together."

Shen Xue pressed herself close to Zhang Yuntao, their bodies occasionally brushing against each other. Faced with a seasoned lover like Shen Xue, Zhang Yuntao almost lost control.

In the end, he restrained himself and only kept Shen Xue's phone number.

After seeing Zhang Yuntao and Wang Xianming off, Shen Xue said resentfully, "Sigh, these officials are too corrupt. I haven't even asked them for a favor yet, and I've already lost hundreds of thousands of yuan. If I were to ask them for a favor, I don't know how much it would cost."

"What do you know? I'm not afraid of spending money, I'm just afraid of not being able to spend it all."

Huang Yujian laughed and said, "The more I spend on them, the easier it is for me to earn money, and the more I earn."