Fang Mo "confessed" that he had secretly met with a wanted criminal who had been on the run for years.
According to his account, the man was an old acquaintance. He had only met him out of regard for their past friendship and had provided no substantive assistance. However, he also admitted with "deep remorse" that a moment of misplaced compassion had kept him from promptly reporting the man to the United Government.
To the United Government, such a minor offense, voluntarily confessed, was practically a model case delivered to its doorstep. To set an example of leniency toward those who confessed, the Department of Justice, acting on Gu Weiyang's instructions, handled the matter generously-no criminal charges, only an administrative penalty removing him from his current post. And so Fang Mo lost his position as district chief.
While processing his subsequent reassignment, officials in the United Government's personnel department received instructions from their superiors to fully respect Fang Mo's choice of where he wanted to serve.
Fang Mo was exceptionally sincere and humble. He claimed to have profoundly recognized his mistake and hoped to temper himself somewhere remote and austere, where he could reflect properly.
"Incidentally, my former colleague from Area No. 42, Lü Boming, is serving as director of the Agriculture Office in State No. 12. He's a dependable, hardworking man. If I could be transferred there to do some support work under him and make a modest contribution to State No. 12's agricultural development, it would help make up for my wrongdoing."
The personnel officials then asked Lü Boming for his opinion.
Lü Boming responded with delighted surprise, "I wholeheartedly welcome the arrival of this old colleague and friend! I eagerly look forward to working alongside him again and contributing together to the revitalization of agriculture in State