Chapter 810 -766 Scandal

At around half past seven, Li Jupeng arrived very punctually at the gate of Nie Zhenbang’s yard and entered. Nie Zhenbang had also finished packing his things by then.

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As soon as he stepped out the door, Nie Zhenbang noticed the expression on Li Jupeng’s face, which was somewhat awkward and solemn. This was characteristic of Li Jupeng among people he was familiar with. Li Jupeng wasn’t very good at concealing his feelings.

Seeing Li Jupeng looking this way, Nie Zhenbang, for once, teased him, “Ju Peng, why such a face? Could it be that yesterday’s date wasn’t successful?”

This was part of Nie Zhenbang’s charismatic appeal. Compared to other officials at the provincial and ministerial level, Nie Zhenbang was quite young. Other officials, whether at work or in their personal lives, naturally displayed an air of authority that came with age and years of experience. It was not something deliberate.

However, Nie Zhenbang was very approachable around his own people. In terms of age, among his subordinates at a similar level, there were none younger than him. Faced with a group of subordinates older than himself, some by quite a bit, it was understandable to maintain a dignified presence at work. But if one were to do the same in private life, it might seem a bit contrived.

Therefore, Nie Zhenbang was always very approachable at gatherings within his circle.

Li Jupeng let out a laugh, but then his expression turned serious again, and he spoke in a low voice, “Governor, there’s some bad news. Today, several mainstream TV and newspaper media outlets reported a story about excessive pricing at tourist attractions in Bashu Province.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Nie Zhenbang’s face immediately darkened. The tourism industry was one he planned to develop vigorously. At such a sensitive time, the occurrence of such a scandal was a heavy blow to the tourism industry in Bashu Province and might even affect his next step in the planning process.

“What is going on with the Propaganda Department? How could they be completely unaware of such a major issue? With all the funding they receive every year, what are they doing? How could they let such news appear in the media? Don’t they understand that this is a serious setback for our province’s tourism industry?” Nie Zhenbang was somewhat irritated.

He had only learned of the news from Li Jupeng today, which meant that the Provincial Committee Propaganda Department had received no information the night before. If they had known in advance, they would have definitely called an emergency meeting last night to discuss countermeasures. The Propaganda Department, in charge of the entire province’s propaganda work, not only had a grip on the provincial media but also had connections with most of the mainstream media in the country. They would have been informed about any negative news beforehand to prepare for it in Bashu Province. Clearly, this time they had encountered a tough nut to crack.

Who could it be? That an incident of overpricing could make it to the mainstream media at the national level? As these thoughts crossed his mind, Nie Zhenbang stepped out of the courtyard and picked up the phone to dial Zhao Xinglong’s number.

As soon as the call connected, a groggy voice came from the other end, “Who’s this? In the early morning, can’t you let people live? I only got to sleep at four this morning. Whatever it is, let’s talk after I wake up in the afternoon.”

Through the receiver, one could faintly hear the seductive moaning nearby. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was in no mood for chitchat. With such a significant issue having occurred, someone with considerable influence was involved. The situation was full of strangeness, with not even a hint of it being leaked beforehand. This was not normal.

Then, he said with a stern voice, “Xing Long, it’s me. Get off the woman’s belly. You, young man, will sooner or later perish under the peony flower.”

As soon as Zhao Xinglong heard Nie Zhenbang’s voice, he sobered up a bit, and although his voice was still somewhat lazy, it was much clearer, “Big Brother, dying under a peony flower, one would be a happy ghost. Li Bai said it well, ‘To enjoy life to the fullest, one must drink heartily with the moonlit cup.’ Life is but a fleeting moment, like grass and trees in autumn. If a man does not embrace youth with vigor, it is a life wasted. I’m still in my prime and if I don’t enjoy myself now, in ten years, I will no longer be able to.”

All of his sworn brothers came from prominent families, but they shared one thing in common: they were flirtatious but not lecherous. In matters of women, they never resorted to coercion. As for leading a somewhat dissolute life, Nie Zhenbang knew that this was quite normal for people not involved in the system. Even a good man like Yang Anbang had his affairs. This wasn’t surprising.

Immediately afterward, Nie Zhenbang spoke earnestly, “Xing Long, there’s something I need you to investigate for me. Check who from Jingcheng has come to visit Bashu lately. Let me know as soon as you find something out. This time, someone has played a trick on me.”

After hanging up the phone, Nie Zhenbang entered the provincial committee and government office building. Waiting for him in the lobby was the Provincial Committee Secretary-General, Lu Qingyu. As soon as Lu saw Nie Zhenbang come in, he promptly approached, “Governor Nie, you’ve heard about today’s incident, haven’t you?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded and said in a deep voice, “Secretary-General, are you waiting for me for a meeting?”

Lu Qingyu also nodded at this moment and said, “Just now, when Secretary Zeng saw the report, he immediately flew into a rage. He notified the standing committee members who were at home to rush to the meeting room for a meeting. I figured that Governor Nie would probably be coming over soon, so I simply waited for you here.”

In front of Nie Zhenbang, Lu Qingyu was very careful, grasping thoroughly the tone, attitude, and method of speaking, not coming across as arrogant just because he was Zeng Taiping’s chief steward.

Lu Qingyu’s attitude was indeed commendable. The role of the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee was not an easy one. Serving both above and below, although it was the position of the provincial party committee’s chief steward, it was not easy to maintain. He had to serve the leaders well in their work, gain the trust of the secretary, and also do a good job in providing services in life. The slightest carelessness could lead to getting burnt on the inside while remaining uncooked on the outside.

Upon entering the small meeting room of the provincial party committee, Zeng Taiping was already sitting in the main seat. Next to him, Sun Jialuo, Ning Bojun, Lu Yong, and others had already arrived. Several documents were placed in front of Zeng Taiping’s desk.

Subsequently, one by one, Long Genghua and Hou Wenkui walked in from outside, and finally, Tang Bingquan, who worked at the Tianfu City Municipal Committee, also hurried over, completing the attendance.

As soon as the meeting room door closed, Zeng Taiping began, “Comrades, everyone, please take a look at these materials. These are the news reports by mainstream newspapers and media in the country today. These were forwarded to me by leaders from other brother provinces and cities. Everyone, please have a look.”

Nie Zhenbang also took the photocopied materials. Due to being faxed, the pages were not particularly clear, black and white in color. However, the newspaper masthead was very clear. “Hucheng Business News” and “Nanhai City News,” although both are local newspapers, one is from Hucheng City and the other from Nanhai City. These two cities are among the most economically developed regions in the country, and their influence is significant nationally. They could no longer be merely described as local media.

On their front-page headlines it read, “Eighty yuan for a bowl of rice noodles? Five hundred yuan for a fast-food meal?” Behind that, there was a subtitle: Murder or robbery? Thoughts on overcharging at a tourist attraction in Bashu Province.

The two articles were very similar but having this kind of news on the front page was itself abnormal. After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang also said, “Secretary Zeng, someone is deliberately targeting us.”

As soon as these words were uttered, the meeting room fell silent. Nie Zhenbang’s words were too bold, too direct. It was something everyone knew, but very few could articulate it as directly as Nie Zhenbang.

Zeng Taiping nodded, agreeing profoundly, “It’s inevitable, such trivial matters being placed on the front page headline. I don’t believe that the publicity departments of Hucheng City’s and Nanhai City’s municipal committees have no brains. However, in this matter, others have reason and evidence. Although it’s a bit extreme, we don’t have much we can do. Now, what we should discuss is the issue of how to make amends.”

As the words fell, to the side, Ning Bojun raised his hand and said, “Secretary Zeng, such behavior, I think, indeed has the suspicion of being excessive, but the other party also has grounds. I think, now, we need to swiftly come up with a plan to eliminate the impact. I suggest that the responsible comrades of the Provincial Tourism Bureau be immediately suspended. Additionally, the responsible comrades from the tourism bureaus of the involved locations be dismissed from their positions. The responsible persons involved and the respective leaders of the tourist attractions be fired from public office. And also impose corresponding fines on the involved attractions. Starting from today, carry out a self-examination initiative among the province’s well-known scenic spots, to rectify the order of the tourism market and salvage our image. And to provide a certain amount of cash compensation to the parties involved.”

Ning Bojun’s suggestions were reasonable, basically, these were the most common methods used by local governments after incidents had occurred.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang’s phone began to vibrate. The incoming call display showed Zhao Xinglong’s number. Nie Zhenbang immediately pressed the button to send an automatic reply message, “In a meeting!”

A moment later, a message came through, “Checked it out, a few young ladies from the Huang family, the Chen family, and the Xu family, with nothing better to do, went to Bashu for tourism and got fleeced like pigs. They’re not happy about it.”

Upon reading this message, Nie Zhenbang smiled wryly. It was really a misfortune that they didn’t bring on themselves, making it seem like he was jumping at shadows.

However, this incident also reminded Nie Zhenbang that the development of the tourism industry wasn’t just about expanding fame or improving the hardware facilities of tourist areas; it was even more crucial to focus on the software aspects.

With that in mind, Nie Zhenbang said in a grave voice, “Secretary Zeng, since this has happened, we should face it head-on. Here’s what I think, let’s hold our fire for now. I will personally lead a team to conduct a covert investigation on several of the province’s famous scenic spots. After that, depending on the findings from the investigation, we’ll decide on the severity of the punishments. This way, we can provide an explanation to the outside world and prove the sincerity of Bashu Province.”