Yuanda County in Desheng City was neither the first nor the last to play the game of deceiving superiors, keeping subordinates in the dark, and falsifying results.
Examples Zhou Yi had personally heard of were everywhere.
For instance, what happened when a tourism project had yet to open, but a leader was coming to inspect it? Local civil servants were promptly sent over to line up for tickets and pose as tourists, cycling through every few minutes to create an air of prosperity. It was much the same as Division Chief Ding's story about government employees posing as stallholders and customers.
Or, when competing for designation as a civilized and sanitary city, taxi drivers were instructed to contact the local sanitation campaign office immediately if they spotted anyone who looked like an expert evaluator...
And when the central government called for greening and environmental protection, barren hills were painted green!
Thus, deceiving superiors, concealing the truth from subordinates, and falsifying results had long been among the chronic ailments of officialdom that proved difficult to cure.
The fundamental reason was the pursuit of political achievements and promotion.
As the saying went, "Two years without promotion, and discontent starts to grow. Three years without a move, and you start pulling strings."
Shen Yuanqi, the Yuanda County Party Secretary caught red-handed this time, had been so eager to move up that he had nearly ended up behind bars instead!
Had Hou Xiangyang not been anxious to return to Chuanhai to deal with the ledgers, Shen Yuanqi would have been put through the wringer, if not worse.
"I hear Division Chief Peng is about to take up a post elsewhere for some hands-on experience. Congratulations!" Division Chief Ding changed the subject, smiling at Peng Jiaxue.
When the Provincial Party Committee Secretary's secretary said "I