Chapter 386: The Whistleblower Letter (Part 1)

Chapter 386: The Whistleblower Letter (Part 1)

A whistleblower letter lay on Hou Weidong’s desk. He read it carefully, twice.

The letter was signed by “an informed insider.” It accused Ma Youcai of abusing his position to collude with Yi Zhongling of the Yiyang Native Produce Company, embezzling two million yuan in state assets. The letter detailed the specific matters for which the Yiyang Native Produce Company had sought Ma Youcai’s help, the exact times cash was withdrawn from the bank, and how the company’s business was successfully concluded after the cash was taken.

The letter contained specific details, and the events described aligned with logic and the unwritten conventions of officialdom. Hou Weidong felt the letter was likely genuine.

He slowly sipped a mouthful of Shangqinglin handmade tea, which carried a slight burnt aroma. He couldn’t help but recall the first time he had seen Ma Youcai at the Yiyang County Government. At that time, Hou Weidong had just graduated from the academy and was going to the Personnel Bureau to process his paperwork. He had encountered Ma Youcai on the ground floor of the government compound. Ma Youcai was dressed in a suit and tie, exuding an extraordinary aura. He was already the County Party Secretary then—a towering mountain that could be seen but not reached.

Years later, he sat in the office of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee, looking at a letter that might determine Ma Youcai’s life or death.

Hou Weidong recalled the regret of the failed investigation into the Yiyang Company. He thought to himself, “Zhu Yan had foresight when he kept an eye on the Yiyang Native Produce Company. Unfortunately, it fell short of success. The major suspect was killed by someone while in the custody of the Procuratorate. This time, perhaps we can overturn this long-standing cold case.”

After categorizing the documents, he walked next door to Zhou Changquan, who was reading an editorial from the People’s Daily.

“These documents are quite important and require your instructions,” Hou Weidong said. He added, “There is also a whistleblower letter accusing Ma Youcai, the Party Secretary of Yiyang County, of misconduct. Please take a look.”

Zhou Changquan read the whistleblower letter first. After reading it word by word, his expression turned grim.

“You were working in Yiyang at the time. Which department were you in?”

“I was working in the County Party Committee Office.”

“Based on what you know, how do you assess the authenticity of this letter?”

Hou Weidong hadn’t expected Zhou Changquan to ask for his opinion so directly. He tried to be as objective as possible. “The Yiyang Native Produce Company was famous for producing copper rods. It had its glory days, but from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, it began to struggle. At that time, the County Party Committee and County Government used many methods to revitalize the company. Two years ago, the company underwent restructuring through an all-employee shareholding system. Production is now normal, and it is beginning to recover its vitality.”

His words were subtle, but Zhou Changquan understood them clearly. In those days, there were municipal enterprises, county enterprises, and street-level collective enterprises. The municipal and county governments acted not only as referees but also as players. During this period, a large number of corruption cases emerged in this sector.

Zhou Changquan pondered for a moment, then picked up his fountain pen and wrote several lines on the whistleblower letter. “Give this to Secretary Ji. Let him handle the matter.”

Shazhou Municipality governed four counties. Yiyang County was the most important. By convention, the Party Secretary of Yiyang County was also a member of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. Zhou Changquan put forward clear requirements to Ji Daolin: “Do not let a single bad person go, nor wrong a single good person. Be strict with cadres, but also protect them. Please handle this matter with caution, Secretary Ji, and report any significant developments to me immediately.”

Hou Weidong took the document to find Ji Daolin, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission. As he walked, he pondered, “Secretary Changquan’s signature is very principled, but from the wording, one can still see that he is unwilling to investigate this matter deeply.” He could make this judgment not only from the feel of the words but, more importantly, based on his understanding of Zhou Changquan.

Ji Daolin held considerable prestige among the Standing Committee members of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee. Since taking office as the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary, he had handled several cases with appropriate severity and moderation, perfectly implementing the intentions of the Municipal Party Committee. Zhou Changquan was very satisfied with him, and their personal relationship was also quite good.

After reading Zhou Changquan’s instructions, Ji Daolin accurately grasped the essence. He put the whistleblower letter into his drawer and then said to Hou Weidong, “Many graduates from our academy work in Shazhou, but there are not many at the divisional level—only about ten. You are the youngest among them.”

Hou Weidong was about to respond with modesty when Ji Daolin’s attitude suddenly became serious. “I have received a whistleblower letter about you. You are a young cadre with great potential. You must strictly demand excellence from yourself in both life and work. Do not ruin your bright future over trivial matters.”

Hou Weidong was somewhat bewildered by Ji Daolin’s words. He quickly searched his mind and identified two vulnerabilities: first, his involvement in business—the Shangqinglin quarry and shares in the Jinggong Group, which contradicted the policies of the Party and the state; second, his relationships with Duan Ying and Li Jing.

Money and women had always been the surefire ways to destroy a cadre. Hou Weidong was currently involved with both. Although he had taken many preventive measures, he still felt uneasy.

Ji Daolin’s tone softened slightly. “Sit down and talk.”

“Someone wrote a whistleblower letter to the Shazhou Discipline Inspection Commission, claiming that you run a business in Shangqinglin, Yiyang. Is this true?”

Hearing this, Hou Weidong breathed a sigh of relief. “So it’s about this.” He answered honestly, “After graduating from the academy, I came to Qinglin Town. My specific role was Deputy Head of the Shangqinglin Working Group. At that time, Shangqinglin was the only town in the county without a road. To accomplish this practical task, the working group mobilized more than 7,000 people from three villages in Shangqinglin to build the road themselves. Building the road required crushed stone and slab stone, so we raised funds ourselves and opened several quarries.”

Hou Weidong emphasized, “After the road was completed, I withdrew from the operation of the quarries.”

Ji Daolin watched Hou Weidong calmly, listening to the rest of the story without revealing his thoughts.

Due to Hou Weidong’s special position, after receiving the report, the Shazhou Discipline Inspection Commission had specifically sent people to Shangqinglin to investigate. Ji Daolin knew the truth clearly: “It is a fact that Hou Weidong ran a quarry. However, the business license, bank account, and tax registration were all under the name of his mother, Liu Guangfen. The actual operator was He Hongfu.”

Ji Daolin had always turned a blind eye to cadres engaging in business. Moreover, from a legal standpoint, this matter had nothing to do with Hou Weidong. Therefore, the conclusion of the Discipline Inspection Commission’s investigation was “no evidence found.”

After the investigation results came out, Ji Daolin had specifically reported the matter to Zhou Changquan. Zhou Changquan had said, “While the Discipline Inspection Commission investigates corruption, it must also protect cadres. Do not let cadres sweat and cry.”

Seeing Ji Daolin’s expression, Hou Weidong added, “There are five large quarries in Shazhou now. One of them is called the Goubeiwan Quarry. This quarry was funded by my mother, Liu Guangfen. During the construction of the quarry, I was mainly in charge of operations. After the road construction ended, I stopped managing it completely. My mother hired a local high school graduate, He Hongfu, to help manage it.”

What Hou Weidong said matched exactly what Ji Daolin knew. A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Ji Daolin’s eyes. “The Central Committee has issued several notices prohibiting Party and government cadres from engaging in business. The matter of the Shangqinglin quarry is not baseless. It is normal for someone to report this. I hope you understand this correctly.”

The fact that Ji Daolin was willing to discuss this with him face-to-face meant that this was merely a minor issue. Hou Weidong’s mood completely relaxed. “Secretary Ji, rest assured. I will strictly follow the Party’s policies and national laws and regulations. I will not bring shame to my alma mater.”

A smile finally appeared on Ji Daolin’s face. “The highest-ranking graduate from our academy has reached the level of Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member. He is two grades senior to me. At your age, working in such an important position, you are the pride of our alma mater.” He spoke earnestly, “You are Secretary Zhou’s full-time secretary and a deputy divisional leader. Your position is special. You must be strict with yourself. This is responsible to Secretary Zhou, and even more so, to yourself.”

Hou Weidong nodded continuously. “Dean Ji, I have remembered that.”

Ji Daolin smiled and shook hands with Hou Weidong. “Alright, don’t be nervous. This matter ends here.”

After Hou Weidong left, Ji Daolin thought to himself, “Hou Weidong is a top student from the Law Department. He is clear-headed, and his work is watertight. He is material for doing great things.”

Hou Weidong hadn’t expected anyone to still hold onto the Shangqinglin quarry issue. He felt indignant inside. “Damn it, who exactly wants to take me down?” He thought for a long time but found no clues. He comforted himself, “The tree that stands out in the forest will be battered by the wind. Whistleblower letters have existed before, and they will certainly exist in the future. There is nothing I can do about it.”

In Yiyang County, the door to Ma Youcai’s office in the County Party Committee was closed tight. The layout of Yiyang was different from Shazhou. Ma Youcai’s office was a separate small suite, while the offices of his secretary and the Director of the Committee Office were in other rooms.

Yang Dajin, the Director of the Committee Office, said, “Who did this? It’s pure slander. I’ll have the Public Security Bureau investigate this.”

Ma Youcai had long since deposited the two million yuan into the Discipline Inspection Commission’s integrity account, so he was not panicked. “Using the police for this kind of matter is truly absurd. Please invite Secretary Ji to my office. I want to talk to him alone.” Since Yang Dajin, the Director of the Committee Office, had received the whistleblower letter, Ji Haiyang must have received one too. He might as well invite Ji Haiyang over to discuss the matter.

After Ji Haiyang entered the room, Ma Youcai smiled bitterly. “County Mayor Ji, did you receive this whistleblower letter?”

Ji Haiyang had read the letter. “I received a similar whistleblower letter.” During Zhu Yan’s era, Ji Haiyang had been a member of the County Party Committee Standing Committee and the Director of the Committee Office. He knew very well about Zhu Yan’s investigation into the Yiyang Native Produce Company. Deep down, he believed ninety percent of the content in the whistleblower letter.

Ma Youcai snorted. “This letter is one hundred percent written by Yi Zhongling. He approached me regarding the Yiyang Old City Renovation, the Yiyang South City Bridge, and the new Government Office Building. I refused him on all three occasions. In Yiyang, all projects with investments over one million yuan must be publicly bid through the Bidding Office. This is an unshakable iron rule. As the County Party Secretary, how could I agree to his requests?”

He tapped the desk with his finger. “This is framing and retaliation.”

Ji Haiyang found it hard to see through Ma Youcai.

Over the past two years, there had been a large volume of engineering projects in Yiyang. However, Ma Youcai had insisted on establishing a Bidding Office and appointed Ji Haiyang as its Director. Ji Haiyang knew clearly that all major government projects in Yiyang were handled by the Bidding Office. Ma Youcai truly did not give private instructions or approve informal notes. Even if there were special reasons, matters had to be submitted to the Standing Committee for discussion.

“People are truly complex. What kind of person is Ma Youcai? Is he a corrupt official who secretly takes bribes, or an honest official who puts everything in the sunlight?” Ji Haiyang thought to himself.