Chapter 1012: My Father-in-Law’s Position Is About to Change!

In the study, the conversation continued!

Seeing that both his nephew and son-in-law were looking at him, Jiang Shiying smiled and said, “It’s true, but the higher-ups are still reviewing it, so nothing has been finalized yet.”

“Dad, haven’t you only been in your current position for a little over two years? Why are they moving you again?”

Li Yi knew full well that in his previous life, his father-in-law had served two full terms as Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, rooting out corrupt officials across the province until the streets ran red with blood—earning him the nickname “The White-Haired Slayer.”

It had only been a little over two years—why was there already talk of a reassignment?

“It’s like this: a while back, Deputy Secretary Liu of the provincial committee reached retirement age, and soon after, quite a few people began vying for the position he left vacant.”

Jiang Shiying continued, “This matter didn’t have anything to do with me originally, and I wasn’t planning to vie for that position. But unexpectedly, just a week ago, Secretary Ren from the Provincial Party Committee suddenly called me in for a talk, saying the provincial leadership intended for me to take over Old Liu’s position.”

“I was completely in the dark about this at first, but now I think I’m starting to get it. The higher-ups probably appointed me as deputy secretary because of Yi!”

“Because of me? Could it be that ten billion in foreign exchange?” Li Yi asked, sounding a bit surprised.

“Not entirely!”

Jiang Shiying then explained, “That ten billion in foreign exchange is certainly important, but it wasn’t enough to get me promoted.”

“But recently, you’ve thwarted the British Empire’s schemes and have practically taken control of the entire Hong Kong business community. This will have a significant impact on our upcoming negotiations with London. Promoting me to a higher position is a reward for you and the Jiang family, and it’s also laying the groundwork for the future!”

“Father, if that’s really how you see it, then the higher-ups are being a bit stingy!” Li Yi said.

“Stingy?”

“Exactly. As far as I know, the Deputy Secretary and the Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection are on the same level. What kind of commendation is that?”

Li Yi continued, “If the higher-ups really wanted to reward you, it would have to be a provincial governor or the top provincial official—what’s the point of a ‘deputy’ title?”

Jiang Shiying’s mouth twitched. He knew his son-in-law had little interest in the political arena, so it was only natural that he didn’t understand the difference between the two positions.

He smiled and explained, “You don’t quite understand this. Although the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission are at the same rank, their standing within the province is vastly different—especially for a full-time Deputy Secretary, who is firmly the third-ranking official in the province.”

Jiang Longyin chimed in, “Brother-in-law, you may not be aware of this, but the position of Deputy Secretary is generally a stepping stone to becoming Governor, and it carries immense influence within the province.”

Although Li Yi knew which of the two positions was higher in rank, he wasn’t very familiar with these subtle distinctions. So, after listening to the two men, he nodded thoughtfully.

After a long pause, he finally spoke up: “Dad, so does that mean the higher-ups are planning to promote you to governor?”

“It’s hard to say for sure at this point. Old Chen mentioned earlier that he wants me to serve one or two full terms at the Commission for Discipline Inspection before transferring me back to Beijing, so it’s hard to be certain!” Jiang Shiying replied.

“Hmm, I see. If it works out, it would certainly be a good thing!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“I used to think this was a bit of a long shot. After all, my experience is somewhat limited, and I have no advantage over those other candidates. But now I feel more confident—it shouldn’t be a problem!” Jiang Shiying said.

“That’s good…”

Just as they were speaking, a sharp knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Immediately afterward, the voice of his older sister’s husband, Yang Wenguang, came through: “Xiao Yi, Director Zhou is here. He’s waiting for you downstairs!”

Hearing this, Jiang Shiying immediately said, “Comrade Zhou Rui must have something important to discuss with you. You go talk to him first. I’ll go make arrangements for dinner tonight. The three of us should have a good drink tonight!”

“Alright…”

The three of them then got up and walked out of the study!

Downstairs, Li Yi indeed saw Zhou Rui sitting in the living room, talking with Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and others.

Seeing Li Yi and the others coming down the stairs, Zhou Rui, Zhang Ziqiang, and the others immediately stood up from the sofa.

“Director Zhou, what brings you here?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

Zhou Rui smiled and said, “I mainly came to let you know the plane is ready—we’re leaving tomorrow morning. Also, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you!”

“Alright, let’s go upstairs and talk!” Li Yi said.

“Alright…”

After exchanging greetings with his father-in-law and Jiang Longyin, Li Yi led Zhou Rui upstairs.

Upon entering, Li Yi poured Zhou Rui a glass of water and said, “Director Zhou, please have a seat!”

After they had taken their seats, Zhou Rui immediately began, “We’ve already delivered that sum to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Old Xu is very grateful to you. He was originally going to come over in person to thank you, but unfortunately, he has a very important meeting today and couldn’t make it. However, he said that once you return to Beijing, he’d like to treat you to a meal!”

“Old Xu is too kind. We’re all working for the country—no one owes anyone anything!” Li Yi said with a smile.

“That may be so, but with your help, his position as Director of the Foreign Exchange Bureau is now secure, and his job has become much easier. It’s only right that he treat you to a meal!” Zhou Rui said.

“You’re not wrong about that. In that case, I’m definitely going to accept that meal, ha ha ha!” Li Yi said with a laugh.

After a few more light-hearted exchanges, Zhou Rui spoke again: “I heard from Comrade Yang Qian that you have a new investment plan in the works. Is that true?”

“I do have some, but not in the near future. For the time being, I plan to stay home and spend time with my family!” Li Yi said.

Actually, Li Yi had originally planned to visit Xiao Ri’s place before the New Year. Right now, it was just before the Plaza Accord was signed, and the economy there was in a phase of rapid development.

Although the Nikkei Index was growing rapidly at the moment, it hadn’t yet entered a period of explosive growth.

If he went over to invest at this time, he wouldn’t make a huge profit, but he could get a head start on positioning himself.

However, Yang Qian mentioned that the domestic foreign exchange market had already bottomed out, and with more than two years remaining before the Plaza Accord was signed, there was no rush.

Consequently, Li Yi immediately canceled the trip.

“So when do you plan to implement your investment strategy?” Zhou Rui asked.

“Sometime in May or June of next year!”

“Could you help secure some more foreign exchange from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange by then?” Zhou Rui asked.

“Sure, but the next investment cycle will be quite long, so Old Xu and the others need to be mentally prepared!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll let them know about this,” Zhou Rui said.

“Alright…”

Zhou Yang looked at Li Yi and said again, “Comrade Li Yi, there are some matters I’d like to discuss with you. Would that be all right?”

“What matters?”

“It’s regarding the work performance of Comrades Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the other two. Are you satisfied with their performance?” Zhou Rui asked.

“Old Zhou, why are you bringing this up out of the blue?” Li Yi frowned.

“Comrade Li Yi, don’t get the wrong idea. I have no ulterior motives regarding them. This is a necessary procedure before the promotion of special duty personnel!” Zhou Rui explained with a smile.

“Promotion?”

“Yes. A while back, Downing Street sent us a signal of reconciliation through secret channels. This will have a significant impact on the upcoming bilateral negotiations. Add to that the over a billion dollars in foreign exchange—you’ve really done a great job this time, so the higher-ups will naturally show their appreciation!” Zhou Rui explained.

“We… do you mean the higher-ups will be rewarding me too?” Li Yi asked in surprise.

“That’s right. You’re listed first on the commendation report!” Zhou Rui said.

“Director Zhou, just submit the commendation request for Qiangzi, Awen, and Xiaowu. I’ll pass on mine.”

To be honest, Li Yi really had no interest in this whole commendation business.

They say the first bird to stick its head out gets shot, and since he was now on the verge of becoming the world’s richest man, he really ought to keep a low profile.

Zhou Rui smiled and said, “It’s not entirely up to me. Our team is now under direct military jurisdiction. But don’t worry—awards from the National Security Bureau aren’t usually made public. As long as you don’t mention it, no one else will find out!”

“That’s good!”

Li Yi then added, “I’m very satisfied with the performance of Comrades Zhang Ziqiang, Zhou Wen, and the others. Without them, I might not have made it back alive from Hong Kong this time.”

“Oh, and Zhang Feng and Yang Miao—they worked hard to protect my wife and children. If possible, please give them a commendation as well!”

“No problem!”

“Director Zhou, you mentioned earlier that London has backed down and conceded to us. What exactly happened? Could you tell me about it?” Li Yi asked again.

“Certainly. Here’s what happened…”

At that moment, Zhou Rui began to explain the situation to Li Yi…

……….