Chapter 387: The Whistleblower Letter (Part 2)

Ma Youcai said, "I did receive two million yuan from Yi Zhongling. What he said was not entirely a lie."

Ji Haiyang’s heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, Why is Ma Youcai telling me this? He took the money; that is his business. I have no desire to wade into this muddy water. Keeping his expression calm, he smiled and said, "Secretary Ma, you’re joking, aren’t you?"

Ma Youcai sighed. "These are old, rotten matters."

"Back then, the Yiyang Native Produce Company was the most profitable county-owned enterprise. Yi Zhongling wanted a loan for technical upgrades, so he often came to see me. Once, we were talking in my home study. After he left, he called you, saying he had left a card on the sofa with a six-zero PIN."

"At that time, it was an unwritten convention for state-owned subordinate enterprises to give small bonuses or red envelopes to county leaders. This money was considered gray income. I assumed it was just a thousand or eight hundred yuan, so I didn’t pay much attention to it and casually put it in the study."

"After that conversation, I went to the Provincial Party School for training. I was away for over three months and completely forgot about that card. The year before last, I happened to see it in the corner of a drawer. I asked my wife to take it to buy some clothes. When she tried it at the bank ATM, she was shocked. There were actually two million yuan inside."

Ma Youcai’s account was half true and half false. Yi Zhongling had given Ma Youcai money three times—twice in cash and once via card. To explain why he had only deposited the money into the integrity account two years later, Ma Youcai chose to focus solely on the incident with the card.

Of course, if the Discipline Inspection Commission were to investigate this matter in detail, problems would inevitably arise. Ma Youcai’s primary goal at the moment was to resolve the issue while it was still in its infancy, which would be most beneficial to him.

Ma Youcai said with lingering fear, "That wasn’t money; it was clearly a life-threatening bomb." This was his most genuine feeling. Ever since the incident at the Yiyang Procuratorate, lying in bed and thinking about those thick stacks of RMB, he always felt as though they were bombs. He never knew when they might explode. Yi Zhongling was the fuse, the button, and the detonator of that bomb.

"After discovering this money, I considered several ways to handle it. First, I could return it directly. But I had held onto this money for over two years, and the Yiyang Native Produce Company was already on the verge of bankruptcy. Returning it now would be inappropriate."

"Second, I could hand the money over to the Discipline Inspection Commission. But that would be like yellow mud falling into my trousers—I would never be able to clear my name. At the very least, others would believe that I had indeed accepted bribes from Yi Zhongling at the time, and the repercussions of such news spreading would be terrible."

"Third, I could donate it to Project Hope. That was my initial plan, but I realized it wasn’t a formal channel, so I abandoned that idea as well."

"In the end, I sent the money to the integrity account." Ma Youcai continued, "Once the money was sent, my heart was at ease. I could eat with an appetite and sleep soundly. Having learned this painful lesson, I deeply understand the truth that 'a selfless heart leads to a broad world.' Therefore, I must insist on the bidding system for major projects. This prevents me from developing greedy thoughts, allows me to sleep well, and helps me live longer."

Ji Haiyang carefully examined the receipt Ma Youcai handed him. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "As long as it was sent to the integrity account, there is no problem."

He did not fully believe Ma Youcai’s story. He calculated in his mind that Ma Youcai must have deposited the money after Zhu Yan began investigating the Yiyang Native Produce Company. With such a large sum, Yi Zhongling would surely demand an explanation. Ma Youcai is lying. Zhu Yan’s judgment back then was accurate. Sending the money to the integrity account was likely related to Zhu Yan’s investigation of the Native Produce Company. During the review of the company, the procuratorate was involved in arson and murder cases. Ma Youcai must have been terrified, which led him to resolve to cut ties with Yi Zhongling as quickly as possible.

No wonder he sent the money to the integrity account. No wonder he established a Bidding Office in Yiyang. He was using institutional mechanisms to curb Yi Zhongling’s desires.

Ma Youcai said, "Since we have obtained this whistleblower letter, Secretary Changquan and other municipal leaders must have received copies as well. I intend to go directly to Secretary Changquan to report my thoughts and accept criticism from the leadership."

Ji Haiyang replied, "Secretary Ma, you sent the money to the integrity account two years ago. The organization will handle this matter correctly."

"County Mayor Ji, according to common sense, I should have handled this quietly. But after careful consideration, to prevent these letters from causing a rift between us, I feel it is necessary to discuss this openly and honestly with you." Ma Youcai sighed, "Over the past few years, I have partnered with several comrades. My greatest realization is that cooperation leads to a win-win situation, while conflict results in mutual destruction. I hope we can cooperate sincerely, so as not to give opportunists a chance to sow discord."

He had another layer of meaning that he did not explicitly state: Ji Haiyang had a good relationship with Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Huang Zidi and Deputy Director of the Commission Office Hou Weidong. In handling this matter, he needed to leverage Huang Zidi and Hou Weidong. Therefore, he informed Ji Haiyang in advance.

Ji Haiyang was currently only the acting county mayor and still relied on Ma Youcai in many ways. Seeing that Ma Youcai was speaking openly, he stated his position: "This is not just your personal matter; it is a matter for our entire leadership team. Yiyang is currently entering a fast lane of rapid development. We cannot let these issues disrupt Yiyang’s progress. Yi Zhongling is a person of poor character. We must firmly expel him from Yiyang. He must not be allowed to interfere in any major engineering projects."

He then offered a suggestion: "I have an idea. At the previous municipal conference for county and division-level cadres, Secretary Changquan mentioned the need for institutional innovation. Yiyang County has included all major projects in the government’s unified procurement process over the past two years. This is a significant achievement in terms of integrity and is something Secretary Changquan pays attention to. Could we make this a key point? We could indirectly promote and report Yiyang’s integrity achievements to municipal leaders through government references and news media."

Ma Youcai agreed immediately, saying, "Good, good. Let’s handle it this way. You have a good relationship with Hou Weidong. Let’s go to Shazhou tonight to sound him out."

Ji Haiyang immediately called Hou Weidong. "Weidong, are you free tonight? I’m coming to Shazhou. Let me treat you to dinner."

Hou Weidong had been eating out every day recently. Yesterday, Zhang Zhongyuan from the Landscape Bureau had treated him to a meal. Zhang Zhongyuan was Xiaojia’s superior, so it was difficult for him to refuse. Today, he had to give face to Ji Haiyang as well. Although he wanted to stay home and drink some thin porridge, he happily agreed, saying, "Alright. If Secretary Changquan doesn’t have any major arrangements, I’ll treat the two leaders to dinner."

After getting off work in the afternoon, Hou Weidong saw Zhou Changquan home and then rushed to the Chongqing Jianghu Cuisine Restaurant. Ma Youcai and Ji Haiyang were already waiting there.

Upon entering the room, Hou Weidong cupped his hands and said, "I’m truly sorry to make the two leaders wait for me." He noticed that only Ma Youcai and Ji Haiyang were in the room. He thought, Why aren’t Yang Dajin and Liu Kun here? Ma and Ji are being so mysterious. It’s probably about that letter. This is Ma Youcai’s business; why is Ji Haiyang getting involved?

After sitting down, Ma Youcai said, "I recently received a whistleblower letter. Little brother, have you seen it?"

The letter was almost identical to the one sent to the Municipal Party Committee Office. Hou Weidong thought, So they came for this letter. Ma Youcai handed Hou Weidong the receipt for the deposit into the integrity account and recounted the entire sequence of events.

Hou Weidong finally breathed a complete sigh of relief. He said, "Secretary Changquan read this letter very carefully. He signed it and passed it to Secretary Ji. He wrote a note, which I remember clearly: 'Do not let a single bad person go, nor wrong a single good person. We must strictly require cadres, but also protect them. Please handle this with caution, Secretary Ji, and report any important developments to me immediately.'"

Upon learning the content of Zhou Changquan’s signature, the stone in Ma Youcai’s heart finally dropped. He raised his glass and said, "With a leader like Secretary Changquan, comrades fighting on the front lines can feel at ease. The heavy stone that has been pressing on my heart for two years has finally fallen. Let us three have a good drink."

At this point, all three understood that the matter had reached a conclusion. They drank a bottle of baijiu with high spirits.

Ma Youcai, slightly intoxicated, said, "Haiyang, Weidong, I have served as county mayor and county party secretary for many years, and I have partnered with many people. The one I admire most is Secretary Zhu Yan. Maoyun was a mess when he took over, but he didn’t stay long and gained considerable prestige among the cadres and the masses. I heard the Provincial Party Committee is very satisfied with him."

"To be honest, I learned a lot from Secretary Zhu Yan. He has the ability to grasp the overall situation and the magnanimity to unite comrades. He is a respectable and good comrade. The reason the Yiyang New Management Committee has achieved its current success is largely due to the support of the Provincial Development Bank. Comrade Zhu Yan’s contribution is indispensable."

Both Ji Haiyang and Hou Weidong were part of Zhu Yan’s inner circle. By expressing respect for Zhu Yan, Ma Youcai was also signaling his desire to maintain good relations with Ji Haiyang and Hou Weidong. Both Ji and Hou were smart men and understood this implication clearly.

Ji Haiyang said, "Yiyang’s current achievements are the result of the joint efforts of Secretary Zhu, Secretary Ma, Secretary-General Yang, and others. I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders is heavy. However, with Secretary Ma steering the ship, and with the support of comrades like Secretary-General Yang and Director Hou, I believe I can do a good job in the Yiyang government, satisfying the people and reassuring the masses."

This statement was one-third truth, one-third drunken talk, and one-third official rhetoric.

Ma Youcai smiled broadly and said, "Good. To Yiyang’s tomorrow, let us have a big drink."

Returning to the Xinyue Building with the smell of alcohol on him, Xiaojia covered her nose and said, "Change your clothes quickly and brush your teeth. Don’t let the smell bother the baby."

When Hou Weidong came out after showering, Xiaojia was sitting in the room listening to music. She said happily, "You’re a smelly dad. You promised to read poetry to the little one every day. Tell me, have you ever read a complete poem?"

Hou Weidong lay on Xiaojia’s lower abdomen and recited, "Bright moonlight before the bed, suspected to be frost on the ground. Raising my head to gaze at the bright moon, lowering my head to think of my hometown." After finishing, he smiled and said, "Xiaojia, that counts as a complete poem. I have read it. Don’t say I haven’t finished a poem in the future."

"You’re cheating. That poem doesn’t count. To read Tang poetry, you have to read something as long as 'Spring River on a Moonlit Night.'" Xiaojia leaned against Hou Weidong’s shoulder and added, "Tomorrow you’re going to Lingxi to study. Drive slowly. Don’t exceed 120 kilometers per hour."