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

"Brother Ding, what's up?"

Jiang Yiming came out and asked.

"Li Feng is downstairs. He said he has something to report to you."

Ding Li spoke up.

"Okay, let's talk downstairs."

Jiang Yiming knew that Wang Lifeng must have something important to discuss with him at this time.

After telling his wife, he went downstairs with Ding Li.

Downstairs, there was not only Wang Lifeng, but also a middle-aged man in his forties.

"County Chief, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Wang Lifeng apologized.

"It's alright, sit down and let's talk."

Jiang Yiming waited for Wang Lifeng to speak.

“County Chief, as I reported to you before, there is a cement pillar manufacturer in Zhulin Town who reported that there were problems with the bidding process for cement pillars.”

Wang Lifeng said, "This is Mr. Chen Xinzhen. He said he had something urgent to discuss with you, so I brought him here."

“County Magistrate, I am Chen Xinzhen from Xinzhen Construction. I have long heard of your great reputation, and today I finally have the opportunity to meet you.”

Chen Xinzhen quickly replied.

"Sit down and let's talk."

Jiang Yiming shook hands with Chen Xinzhen.

"Mr. Chen, is there something you need from me?"

"County Magistrate, I would like to ask you to uphold justice for me."

Chen Xinzhen said excitedly, "They want to push me out to take the blame and make me bear the responsibility for the quality of the cement pillar. Please help me!"

"Mr. Chen, please calm down and explain the situation clearly."

Jiang Yiming comforted him, "Don't worry, if you've been wronged, I will definitely stand up for you."

"Here's what happened. The Civil Affairs Bureau previously announced that it would use poverty alleviation funds to support farmers throughout the county in planting grapes and vegetables, and allocate 1.2 million yuan to purchase cement pillars to be distributed free of charge to the people for planting grapevines."

"In order to ensure fairness and impartiality, the Civil Affairs Bureau announced that it would determine which company would win the bid to produce cement poles through a bidding process."

“Our Xinzhen is a very strong company in the county, so we made preparations actively. However, before we could even submit the tender documents, someone came to our door and forced us to give up the project. Although I was unwilling, the other party came to cause trouble for us again and again and even threatened my family. I had no choice but to give up.”

Chen Xinzhen continued, "In the end, a small company won the bid. Calling it a small company is an understatement; it was at most a small workshop with limited production capacity, and the cement poles it produced were unlikely to meet the standards. But this small workshop somehow managed to get a project worth over a million yuan. We knew there was something fishy going on, but we could only be envious."

"Unexpectedly, a while ago, they came to our company and asked us to help produce cement poles. I thought to myself, even if I didn't win the bid, I could still do some subcontracting and earn some hard-earned money. So I was about to agree, but I was shocked by the production standards they proposed."

“A normal cement pole requires four to six steel bars, but they proposed using only one or two thin iron bars. This reduced the cost by 40%. However, cement poles produced according to this standard are very easy to break, so I refused.”

"But they refused to give up, claiming it was for their own use. Besides promising a certain profit, they threatened me again. I had no choice but to accept the order and provide them with substandard cement poles."

"I thought this matter would be swept under the rug, but then someone came to investigate. They even called me in to ask about the situation. One of them kept subtly leading me, saying that I was the one who produced this batch of substandard cement poles."

"The person who commissioned me to produce this batch of poles also told the investigation team that it was my fault. They said that the cement poles they ordered from me met the standards, and that I had cut corners, causing the cement poles to be substandard. Those people wanted to take me away for investigation, but fortunately Director Wang was there and stopped them, which gave me the opportunity to ask you for help."

"County magistrate, this matter really has nothing to do with me. Please, I beg you, do me justice."

"I understand what you mean."

Jiang Yiming said, "This matter really has nothing to do with you."

"Did your contract with them have any specific standards?"

"No, they only wrote down the price per piece, not in much detail."

Chen Xinzhen said, "The price they offered is not enough to produce qualified cement poles, otherwise they would lose money."

Jiang Yiming frowned.

This situation is indeed somewhat tricky.

Although the unit price is low, this is not a reason to produce inferior cement poles.

There's a high probability that the other party will try to shift the blame.

"Let me think about how to resolve this matter."

Jiang Yiming couldn't come up with a solution for the time being.

But he definitely has to take charge of this matter.

Those people have harmed the people and wasted national funds, yet they want to evade responsibility by shifting blame and continue to roam free.

He absolutely will not allow it!

"Lifeng, have you noticed anything on your end?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

“County Chief, I specifically asked someone to look into the background of the winning bidder. The company is called Dahua Construction, and the boss is Shen Dahua. Although Dahua Construction is not a large company, this Shen Dahua has quite a lot of connections. He has won government projects many times, and it is said that he has a special relationship with Liu Li, the Party Secretary of Zhaowan Township. And in this cement pole project, Yao Dayou, the cousin of Director Zhang Yufeng, is also involved.”

Wang Lifeng reported: "According to the investigation, after Yao Dayou was removed from his position as the Party Branch Secretary of Daling Village, he worked for Shen Dahua. It is possible that the fact that he was able to secure the cement pole project this time was related to the combined efforts of Yao Dayou and others."

"Is this related to Director Zhang again?"

Jiang Yiming frowned; this made things even more complicated.

After all, Zhang Yufeng was not only a member of the county party committee standing committee, but also deeply trusted by Niu Baogen, the top leader.

If Zhang Yufeng intervenes, things will become complicated.

"Mr. Chen, you go back first. I'll call the investigation team and tell them not to take any measures against you without clear evidence. When you get back, think about whether you have any other evidence to prove that Dahua Construction violated regulations in winning the bid."

Jiang Yiming said, "Lifeng, you keep a close eye on the issue of Dahua Construction producing substandard cement poles, find substantial evidence, and solidify this case. Once it's proven that the cement poles produced by Dahua Construction are defective, it won't be so easy for them to shift the blame."

"Okay, County Chief, you should get some rest."

Wang Lifeng and Chen Xinzhen left together.

Jiang Yiming then called the head of the investigation team directly to make his stance clear.

This way, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

Although the matter here has not yet been investigated, Jiang Yiming knows that because of the involvement of Zhang Yufeng and others, this matter will not be resolved in a short time.

His staying in Xichuan County wouldn't make much difference.

Therefore, Jiang Yiming returned to the city with his family, and after a short stay, he took his family to Xinping County.

It has been a month and a half since I last left Xinping County.

Returning once again, but only as a passerby, Jiang Yiming felt a pang of emotion as he looked at the familiar buildings and scenery.

After all, he has worked and lived here for more than 20 years.

This is his root.

In order not to alert local government officials, Jiang Yiming and his family kept a very low profile.

However, Gao Wenchang, the secretary of the Xinping County Party Committee, still found out his whereabouts and immediately called him to invite him to get together.