Reborn as a Noble's Son

Seeing the two of them taken aback, Nie Zhenbang spoke again, “The fine will be transferred by the county Treasury Department to your accounts immediately. This afternoon, the two of you should respectfully go and settle the account.”

After seeing off both Manager Zhang and Director Wang, Nie Zhenbang immediately called Lin Weimin of the County Treasury Department. In the phone call, Nie Zhenbang first mentioned about the allocation of funds and immediately switched the topic, saying,”Weimin, this period, the Treasury Department here, immediately recruit professionals, and thoroughly audit all enterprises and institutions in the entire county. Any units that need to pay taxes should all be audited, and all overdue taxes should all be paid. Stop causing me trouble, one million today, one million tomorrow, the county’s finance just can’t handle the fines.”

After hanging up, Nie Zhenbang took out the contact directory for leaders in Bazhou City and found the phone number of Song Chaohui, the director and party secretary of the Bazhou City Tax Bureau.

Song Chaohui was a low-profile person in Bazhou City, who had come directly from the Autonomous Region Tax Bureau before taking up his post as director of the Bazhou City Tax Bureau. Nie Zhenbang and Song Chaohui had little interaction on a daily basis.

As soon as the call was answered, Song Chaohui’s voice came through, “Director Nie, hello, hello. What brings you to call me today?”

Underneath the warm tone, there was a hint of reluctance, typical of Tax Bureau employees. Even a sectional-level cadre like Xing Wenbiao dared to oppose Nie Zhenbang, let alone Song Chaohui, who was on an equal footing with Nie Zhenbang.

Nie Zhenbang was rather forthright at this moment, laughing as he said, “Director Song, you’re being too polite. I also believe in ‘no courtesy visits without a cause’. On this occasion, I should thank Comrade Xing Wenbiao of the Li County Tax Bureau for his support of our Li County economic development work.”

Nie Zhenbang also had a hidden message in his words. He fully understood Song Chaohui’s intent. Nie Zhenbang couldn’t believe that Song Chaohui wouldn’t know about the hefty fine set by Xing Wenbiao. As such, there was no need to say anything else. It was enough to make a point here. If Song Chaohui was smart, he would change his mind. However, if he didn’t take any action, then he couldn’t blame Nie for being rude.

However, Song Chaohui did not react as Nie Zhenbang had expected, instead, he laughed and said, “Director Nie, you’re too polite. Supporting local work is just our duty in the Tax Department. After all, Li County can still get a 25% cut from the tax collected. In the future, please give more support to the work of Li County Tax Department, Director Nie.”

After hanging up the phone, Song Chaohui’s face also darkened, thinking Nie Zhenbang really considered himself to be someone important. In local government, he could show off his power, but he couldn’t touch the tax authority, especially since Xing Wenbiao was the nephew of his wife’s old boss. This was someone who had to be taken care of no matter what. If he couldn’t even handle that, then he would be failing the trust of his leader.

Over at the Li County Tax Bureau, Xing Wenbiao’s office, Deputy Director Ma Zhixian was standing by, watching Xing Wenbiao, who was sitting in a chair with his feet on the table. Honestly, Xing, as the Bureau Director, was not very distinguished when it came to personal demeanor. What kind of bureau director was he supposed to be? But there was no choice, he was the director after all, and he had influential people backing him. Ma Zhixian had to follow along.

“Director, there is one thing I need to report to you. Today, Lin Weimin of the County Treasury Department brought Old Wang and Old Zhang from the construction company to pay the fines,” Ma Zhixian said in a very compliant tone, always giving Xing Wen biao a sense of being highly respected.

On hearing this, Xing Wenbiao immediately put down his feet, sat up straight, acknowledged with a sound, then nonchalantly said, “Well, they paid, which is good. We can take this opportunity to achieve some accolades within the tax service.”

Ma Zhixian’s face twitched. Xing Wenbiao was really bold. Doing this in Li County was clearly handling affairs in a principled way. Nie Zhenbang was definitely going to have a backup plan. Yet Xing Wenbiao still seemed so relaxed; he really didn’t know how Xing Wenbiao became the director.

Then, Ma Zhixian continued, “Director, there’s one more thing to report to you. Although Lin Weimin paid the fine, he… he…”

Seeing Ma Zhixian stuttering, Xing Wenbiao was a bit annoyed and said, “What’s the ‘but’? I say, Old Ma. Why are you so twitchy? That’s not like a man. Just say it. I want to see what Nie Zhenbang can do. With this fine, can he make a flower out of it?”

Chided by Xing Wenbiao, Ma had no choice but to reveal, “Director, Lin Weimin did pay the fine promptly, but he deducted the 25% that belonged to Li County Treasury, saying that it was supposed to be given at the end of the year. So he thought he might as well deduct it now, and so he only paid 75%.”

It’s an established rule that the county finance gets 25% and the rest of 75% is remitted to the central government. But usually, it’s settled annually, unlike this time where it was deducted directly. Xing Wenbiao was a bit furious. He stood up and said, “Fine, since he wants to bear with me, let’s see. It’s high time that the tax bureau system adheres to the superior’s directive to conduct a large-scale investigation of the enterprises in the county to resolutely prevent tax evasion. Old Ma, you organize this personally. Dispatch several investigation teams to strictly scrutinize all the enterprises and institutions involved in national taxes throughout the county. Li County Treasury can still afford this 25%. I’d like to see how much money they can still be fined.”

Just as the words left his mouth, suddenly, all the lights in the entire building went out. At this moment, Xing Wenbiao also stood up, his countenance somewhat angry. “What’s going on? Why has the power cut out?”

As a governmental institution in Li County, ensuring power supply was a top priority. It was an unspoken rule. Suddenly losing power, without any prior notice or warning, was highly abnormal.

Stepping out of the office building, many employees had already gathered in the yard of the tax bureau, discussing amongst themselves.

Upon seeing Xing Wenbiao come out, everyone immediately straightened their postures. Xing Wenbiao’s face darkened as he barked, “What the hell is going on? Are you not going to work? During work hours, and you’re out here. Is this appropriate? Everyone, go back calmly to your work.”

“Director, our office building is an old one. The side facing away from the light, if the power cuts off, the lighting will become dim. It really is not conducive for working. What do you think?” At this time, the Director of the Bureau Office, Wang Lili, also came over to explain.

At the same time, a few people wearing red safety helmets also walked in from outside. On seeing them, Xing Wenbiao immediately stepped forward with a smile, “Director Zheng, what’s going on? Checking for power malfunctions? You should have given us a heads up. This time, you haven’t played fairly. Next time, let’s have a dinner at Millionaire Hotel in the city, I’ll be the host.”

Director Zheng, was in charge of Li County Power Bureau. There’s a saying, his name sounds like he’s in control, a chief on his own.

If it had been any other time, Director Zheng would surely have accepted the invitation readily. Xing Wenbiao, although somewhat overbearing, was quite generous when it came to spending money. But, having offended Director Nie, Director Zheng wasn’t going to show the same courtesy. With a smile, he said, “Chief Xing, I’m really sorry. The line suddenly malfunctioned, it’s part of an emergency maintenance. Li County is under heavy development, the whole county’s power supply is strained, and the lines are aging severely. The county government has reiterated many times to improve the power supply. This time, the need for maintenance came suddenly. The Tax Bureau and the surrounding areas require extensive repair. The power will probably not be restored anytime soon. As I see it, the Tax Bureau should arrange for a few diesel generators to conduct uninterrupted supply. Here, we can send a few people over to assist in installation. I have a lot of things to do, won’t be able to stay any longer. The dinner, we can discuss it later. Whenever you’ve bought the generators, just give me a call, we’ll be there as soon as you call us.”

Soon after, the Power Bureau’s people quickly departed. Wang Lili stepped up, in Li County’s Tax Bureau, she was quite the standout. At the age of thirty, she’d become a member of the bureau’s party group and the director of the office. She had a full figure, large breasts, and when she spoke, with a soft coquettish tone. She was very charming.

“Chief, it doesn’t seem right. The residential area and other offices still have power, only our Tax Bureau’s supply has been cut. I’m afraid this doesn’t bode well,” Wang Lili whispered.

Her sweet breath, a tacky perfume scent. However, Xing Wenbiao loved it. It made him feel good. Even from a distance, you could catch a whiff of the fragrance, coupled with the exceptionally vibrant lipstick. It was exciting.

Xing Wenbiao looked at her, feeling his temperature rise. This temptress was too alluring, he devoutly wished he could take her then and there. However, hearing her words, Xing Wenbiao understood, this was probably Li County’s response. You want the Tax Bureau to impose fines? We’ll just cut off your power. Let’s see who can hold on longer.

It wasn’t just the office building at the Tax Bureau, there were family quarters in the back. With the power outage, won’t it be chaotic? A generator wouldn’t be able to cover everything.

However, Xing Wenbiao was also livid now. He immediately ordered, “Director Wang, get someone to go to the city immediately to the electrical machinery company. Buy back all the generators they have. We’ll produce our own power.”

Just as these words fell, suddenly, a member of the Tax Bureau party group and Chairman of the union, Liu, also came out of the office building cursing, “Damn it, why is the power off, even the water’s cut off.”

Upon hearing these words, Xing Wenbiao’s rage reached a new peak. An issue with the power had not been resolved, now the water supply was cut off too. Dig a well? That couldn’t be resolved in one or two days.

Just at this moment, outside, a large group of people began to move around. The noise from reversing vehicles and directing commands filled the air. Xing Wenbiao, like a frightened bird, ran out immediately. Seeing the vehicles, Xing Wenbiao roared out in fury, “Nie Zhenbang, you bastard, I won’t let you off.”

PS: First of all, I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support. At this time, we are bravely holding the second spot, no easy feat. Next, I would like to once again ask for your support by voting for us this month. This month, I’m grateful only has 29 days, and it’s already the 21st. There’s only eight days left. I would be grateful for a vote of support. It is important to hold on to our position and to preserve our accumulated honor. Thank you. (.)