Petitioning over the Shantytown Redevelopment Zone
The open space outside the municipal government compound was already packed with a dark mass of people, though the morning workday had yet to begin.
This gathering was no accident. Over the past few days, residents of the Jingzhou Zhongfu Shantytown Redevelopment Zone had quietly coordinated through vegetable markets, mahjong and card rooms, and open spaces where people gathered to cool off in the evenings. They avoided their usual neighborhood WeChat groups, which might be under scrutiny, relying instead on the oldest and most dependable method-word of mouth-to evade monitoring.
"Seven Monday morning, outside the municipal government! Demand an explanation!" The message spread like an undercurrent among the long-suffering residents. When they set out, they traveled in groups of three to five households, pretending to be going out for morning exercise, grocery shopping, or visits to relatives. Taking different bus routes and approaching from different directions, they quietly converged on the square outside the municipal government before the appointed time, instantly forming a tide of people that could not be ignored.
Over a hundred people held up white banners with black lettering. The words were shocking to behold: "Unscrupulous profiteers cut corners-who will pay for the people's blood and sweat?" and "We demand a thorough government investigation! Give us justice!" The crowd was agitated, their shouts and discussions blending into a roar that penetrated the glass windows of the municipal government office building.
Several staff members from the petitions office, district and neighborhood officials who had rushed over after hearing the news, and officers from the local police station formed a human wall. They did their utmost to maintain order and patiently reasoned with the crowd, with little success.
"Everyone, we understand how you feel! Please trust the government. We will get to the bottom of this! Could you choose a few representatives to come inside and talk first? Gathering like this won't solve the problem, and it disrupts normal office operations!" a deputy director of the government general office shouted through a megaphone, only for his voice to be drowned out by an even louder wave of sound.
"We don't believe you! You said the same thing last time. And what happened? We haven't seen so much as a shadow of our compensation!"
"Get your leaders out here! Get someone whose words carry weight!"
"Don't fob us off with that talk! We want to see Mayor Lin! Only Mayor Lin is willing to stand up for ordinary people like us!"
"That's right! Get Upright Official Lin! Only his words count! He's the only one we'll listen to!"
Inside his office at the municipal government, Lin Yanzhou stood before a huge map of Jingzhou City, his gaze resting on the words "Jingzhou Zhongfu Shantytown Redevelopment Zone," circled in red marker.
The faint uproar outside the window, with cries of "Mayor Lin!" rising ever louder, hammered against the silence in the room.
This area was a long-festering scar on the body of Jingzhou City. It involved several thousand households, and demolition and relocation had stalled for years. Later, it became the site of the Jingzhou Shantytown Redevelopment Zone Explosion Case, which shocked the upper ranks. It was this explosion case that brought down Lin Manjiang of the Zhongfu Group, Jingzhou City mayor Wu Xiongfei, and others. It was one of the biggest messes the previous mayor had left behind, a hot potato that even municipal Party secretary Li Dakang was reluctant to touch.
And now, the voices outside the window left no doubt that this festering wound pointed straight at him.
Chen Mo entered quietly, his expression grave. "Sir, they're residents from the Jingzhou shantytown redevelopment zone. There are a lot of them, and they're quite agitated. Our colleagues from the petitions office and the district are trying to reason with them, but they insist on seeing you."
He placed a thick document envelope on the desk. "These are all the materials on the Zhongfu Shantytown Redevelopment Area. Every approval, contract, and fund disbursement record from the project's establishment to the present-everything we've compiled so far is here."
The secretary lowered his voice further. "Also, the audit bureau has encountered some resistance over the list of government investment projects and audit reports from the past three years. But they're pressing ahead and will try to send over some of the key material this afternoon."
Lin Yanzhou did not turn around, merely giving a quiet grunt of acknowledgment. His instincts told him that what lay buried beneath this stalled redevelopment zone might be even murkier than the sewage in the Qingshui River. Starting here could address a pressing livelihood issue and win public support; it might also tear open a corner of the iron curtain shielding Jingzhou's vested interests.
"Have the arrangements been made for the fact-finding visit to Jingzhou Urban Investment?"
"We've made preliminary contact. It's tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday morning," Chen Mo replied. "They said Mayor Lin would be most welcome to inspect their work and offer guidance."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Yanzhou's mouth. Welcome? More likely they're drawn up in battle formation.
Just then, a soft knock came at the office door. The municipal government's secretary-general entered, looking troubled. "Mayor Lin, there's something I need to report. Regarding the redevelopment zone and government investment project materials you requested, particularly those involving earmarked funds, the archives office says some original files may be missing or in disarray because of office relocations years ago and poor management. They're doing everything they can to locate them, but it may take some time."
Here it was-the first velvet-gloved rebuff. He had long expected that the investigation would not go smoothly.
"Missing? In disarray?" Lin Yanzhou turned around. "Which projects have missing files? Make a list. At what stage did the mismanagement occur, and who was responsible for handling them? Write a report. Secretary-General, oversee this personally. I want a clear explanation and a specific timetable for corrective action."
A faint sheen of sweat appeared at the secretary-general's temples, and he nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, Mayor Lin. I'll personally keep a close eye on this right away!"
After the secretary-general left, Lin Yanzhou said to Chen Mo, "See that? We haven't even started stirring the water, and it's already muddy. Someone doesn't want me seeing what's really there."
He walked to the desk and picked up the envelope containing the Zhongfu Shantytown Redevelopment Area files. The first document he pulled out was a thick summary of an audit report, with several startling figures clearly marked: enormous investments, construction progress so slow it had all but stalled, and records of several huge payments with unclear destinations and vaguely stated justifications.
"Tell the audit bureau to focus on the sections covering problems and corrective action in the audit reports. For the project list, concentrate on checking whether the flow of funds matches actual project progress."
Lin Yanzhou continued his instructions. "Also, issue a notice in the name of the municipal government general office. Add the officials in charge from the audit bureau and the state-owned assets supervision and administration commission to next week's fact-finding visit to the state-owned enterprise."
He intended to bring more than eyes and ears. He would also bring "blades" capable of cutting into the accounts.
Meanwhile, in his office at the municipal discipline inspection commission, Zhang Shuli stared at the complaint letter forwarded by the provincial discipline inspection commission and the suspicious financial transactions his subordinates had reported, sinking into an even deeper struggle.
Li Dakang's instruction to act "in accordance with laws and regulations" was like a head-tightening spell, and also like a bank of fog. Was acting in accordance with laws and regulations an excuse not to dig deeper, or a principle requiring them to investigate to the very end?
He looked repeatedly at Ding Yizhen's name in the complaint letter, then at the unfamiliar third-party company listed in the transaction records-Jingzhou Haixiang Trading Co., Ltd. Why would a trading company seemingly unrelated to construction take on so much construction work for the Guangming Peak Project, and have such large financial dealings with the Shanshui Group?
His instincts told him something had to be wrong here. Investigating might plunge him beyond redemption; refusing to investigate would leave him unable to eat or sleep in peace.
At last, he made up his mind. He pressed the intercom button and summoned the director of the First Supervision Office, the man he trusted most.
"Take two absolutely reliable people and handle this personally, in secret." Zhang Shuli wrote "Jingzhou Haixiang Trading Co., Ltd." on a slip of paper and pushed it across. "Don't go through the usual business registration and tax systems. That could beat the grass and startle the snake. Use other channels to establish this company's background, its shareholders' backgrounds, its actual controller, and its main business partners. The more detail, the better. Remember, strict confidentiality. Report directly to me and no one else!"
He decided to proceed on two tracks. Publicly, he would follow Li Dakang's instructions and handle the complaint letter "in accordance with laws and regulations," conducting procedural inquiries. In secret, he would dig out this hidden thread that might lead deeper.
Meanwhile, in a secluded private room at Shanshui Manor, Zhao Ruilong listened to Ding Yizhen's report about the files' "poor management," a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Exactly! That's how to do it! Stall him, wear him down! Drag him into a maze of old accounts!" Zhao Ruilong's gaze was icy. "Is everything ready at Jingzhou Urban Investment too?"
"It's ready." Ding Yizhen nodded. "We'll steer him toward the Dafeng Factory project. That mess involves illegal lending by Jingzhou City Bank, where Li Dakang's wife Ouyang Jing works, as well as old grievances from the demolition and relocation Li Dakang forced through back then. That'll give him a bitter cup to swallow!"
"Very good." Zhao Ruilong took a sip of red wine. "Let him investigate. Let him touch Li Dakang's real sore spot. When the time comes, we won't need to lift a finger. Li Dakang will personally sever his feelers. That's called killing with a borrowed knife."
He thought his scheme had succeeded, never realizing that Lin Yanzhou's target had never been merely Ding Yizhen, or even entirely Li Dakang. What he wanted was to get to the bottom of Jingzhou's books and reshape the rules.