"Cheng Lu, don't worry, I'm an old hand in officialdom. I won't be foolish enough to challenge the unspoken rules of China's officialdom."
Chen Feng responded immediately.
"Chen Feng, since you don't want to challenge the unspoken rules of officialdom, then turn a blind eye to the matter of road construction fees in the industrial zone,"
Cheng Lu continued to advise with a serious expression.
"Xiao Lu, you've misunderstood me. Me not challenging China's unspoken rules of officialdom doesn't mean I won't challenge Mingshan City's unspoken rules. China's unspoken rules of officialdom are extensive and involve too many high-level officials. As a deputy mayor of a county-level city, I don't have the strength to challenge them. However, I still have the strength to deal with the shameless unspoken rules in Mingshan City's industrial zone."
Chen Feng said with a firm expression.
"Chen Feng, putting it mildly, even if you have the strength to manage Mingshan City's unspoken rules of officialdom, have you considered this? If you really crack down on the unspoken rules of officialdom, won't you offend all the officials in Mingshan City? If your subordinates are all against you, how will you carry out your work in the future?"
Cheng Lu asked tentatively.
"Xiao Lu, if it were a general unspoken rule, I would do as you suggested, turning a blind eye and not being the only sober one when everyone else is drunk. However, on matters of principle, I cannot compromise. Once compromised, the cost is huge. Mingshan City, which has developed with great difficulty, will experience an uncontrollable economic recession. To put it bluntly, the more economically developed a place is, the fewer instances of unbounded officialdom there are. Conversely, in less economically developed places, unchecked corruption and extortion are very common, leading to the bankruptcy of profitable enterprises. Consequently, no one dares to invest there. Therefore, Mingshan City must take this situation as a warning and not repeat the same mistakes!"
Chen Feng continued with a firm expression.
Cheng Lu stopped trying to persuade him upon hearing this.
Having been with Chen Feng for so many years, she understood him well.
If asked to play along or chase women, Chen Feng wouldn't refuse.
If asked to learn from other powerful officials and accept money from the rich, Chen Feng wouldn't refuse.
If asked to bow down and flatter superiors, Chen Feng wouldn't refuse.
...
However, if asked to turn a blind eye to certain malicious incidents without any principles or bottom line, Chen Feng would absolutely not do it.
"Chen Feng, since you're going to handle this, how do you plan to do it?"
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Lu asked Chen Feng tentatively.
"It's simple. Fire the main culprits. As for the others, a reprimand will suffice. A clean sweep is out of the question; it would cause unrest in Mingshan City's officialdom."
Chen Feng explained with a serious expression.
"Chen Feng, it seems I was worrying unnecessarily. I thought you would act rashly and sweep up all the officials who defrauded outside investors."
Cheng Lu exclaimed.
"Xiao Lu, don't worry. I haven't been in officialdom for just a day; I understand the basic principle of not escalating conflicts."
Chen Feng replied humbly.
"Chen Feng, since you've already figured out how to handle this, tell me the plan, and I'll handle the specifics."
Cheng Lu said excitedly.
"I'll do this myself."
"Chen Feng, don't you trust me? Or don't you believe in my abilities? Why did you let Mayor Qin handle the dual construction policy, but you don't trust me to handle the industrial zone matter? Why?"
Cheng Lu said, feeling hurt.
This hurt wasn't just about her abilities not being recognized.
The most painful part was being outshone by Qin Yan.
Her vanity as a woman made her feel deeply wounded.
"Xiao Lu, you're overthinking. If I didn't trust you or believe in your abilities, would I have kept you as my deputy all these years? That's impossible. The main reason is that the few individuals in the industrial zone who defrauded outside investors are very cunning and insidious. As a woman, it would be difficult for you. Not only would you find it difficult, but even Qin Yan would find it difficult. That's why I decided to handle it personally. This criminal group must be dealt with, otherwise, Mingshan City cannot achieve great economic development. In politics, forming factions is acceptable. Throughout China's history, forming factions in politics has been a common practice, enduring for millennia. Even in China's most developed province, Sanhai Province, factionalism in officialdom is common, with terms like the 'Southern Faction,' the 'Hong Family Faction,' the 'Hong Kong Faction,' and many more. However, this has not hindered Sanhai Province's economic development. But, political factionalism must not spread to the economy. Mingshan City's largest industrial zone has committed this cardinal sin."
Chen Feng's explanation immediately eased the stone in her heart.
After Chen Feng and she engaged in a passionate encounter in the office, Chen Feng went to the industrial zone.
Chen Feng did not go to the industrial zone alone but took a truckload of police officers with him.
As Chen Feng had anticipated, when the big shots in the industrial zone saw that their scheme of defrauding outside investors had been exposed and Chen Feng had come to hold them accountable, they immediately incited local investors and other low-level officials in the industrial zone to surround Chen Feng and demand an explanation.
The message was simple: to exert pressure on Chen Feng, so that the law would not punish the masses.
It had to be said that these big shots in the industrial zone were indeed old foxes.
China's officialdom did have a tradition of "the law not punishing the masses."
For example, China's shared property area in housing.
Everyone knows that this is neither legal nor reasonable.
The shared property area is not part of the actual living space, yet fees are collected as if it were.
This is a major characteristic of China.
Europe, America, and Japan do not have such peculiar regulations.
However, every region in China uses this practice.
Does the Chinese leadership know that the shared property area policy in real estate is disgusting and illegal?
They do.
But since every region in China uses this method to extort money from the public, the Chinese leadership can only turn a blind eye.
Initially, they turned a blind eye, but the real estate sector was still not satisfied and used immense profits to force the Chinese leadership to legislate.
They even incorporated such a disgusting and peculiar shared property area into the law.
This fully exposes a disgusting aspect of China's officialdom: the law does not punish the masses.
Not only does the law not punish the masses, but it also enacts incredible laws to accommodate the majority.
For instance, the juvenile protection law.
In recent years, most countries in the world have taken strong measures against juvenile delinquency.
However, China still adheres to the so-called juvenile protection laws at ages 12 and 14.
This results in 11-year-old children committing murder, arson, rape, and robbery... as if nothing happened.
It leads to persistent school bullying.
It causes many adult women to be harmed by minors but be unable to seek justice.
The reason why such unreasonable laws persist is precisely the principle of "the law not punishing the masses."
The parents of all delinquent children exert pressure on the Chinese leadership from various channels, demanding adherence to the juvenile protection law.
When an 11-year-old commits a crime, they are still children and must be held blameless.
Due to these inexplicable laws, juvenile delinquency in China has been increasing in recent years, becoming more severe.
Unlike Europe and America, where anyone who commits a criminal offense, regardless of age, must pay the corresponding price!
Facing the encirclement, Chen Feng remained unfazed.
"You have one minute to return to your respective posts immediately."
Chen Feng said with authority.
"Don't listen to Deputy Mayor Chen. Today, Deputy Mayor Chen must give us an explanation. Why did we carry out road planning according to the relevant regulations of the industrial zone, and why is Deputy Mayor Chen treating us unfairly?"
The big shots in the industrial zone mingled with the crowd, deliberately shouting and inciting public anger to escalate the situation.