Reborn as a Noble's Son

Upon receiving a summons from Secretary Ouyang Xia, Nie Zhenbang didn’t dare to delay. Hanging up the phone, he promptly stood up. Liu Bin beside him remarked in a solemn voice, “Looks like there’s a case, and a big one at that. We should go together. We could lend you a hand if necessary.”

Although Zheng Gensheng’s organizational relationship hadn’t been transferred yet, it was only a matter of time. After this call, once Nie Zhenbang left, the remaining three wouldn’t much enjoy their meal, after all, Nie Zhenbang was the protagonist.

The foursome set off immediately and headed directly to the central disciplinary committee’s administration building. At this moment, it was after office hours, but many officers in the building still had their lights on, a testament to the number of people working overtime.

They took the elevator directly up to the eleventh floor, where the high-level officials of the central disciplinary committee had their offices. This was Nie Zhenbang’s first visit to Deputy Secretary Ouyang Xia’s office. Being a high-ranking official of equivalent level, Nie Zhenbang took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Shortly after, the door opened and Huo Qiuyuan greeted Nie Zhenbang in a low voice, “Director Nie, please come in.”

As he walked into Ouyang Xia’s office, Nie Zhenbang respectfully greeted, “Secretary Ouyang…”

Ouyang Xia appeared around sixty with some grey hair, but his eyes were sharp. His thick-set nose gave an impression of inherent authority.

A coat hung aside due to office heating. Ouyang Xia wore thermal underwear inside, a white shirt outside, further layered with a grey knitted vest. Ouyang admired Nie Zhenbang’s demeanor. No wonder Elder Nan and Secretary General Yuan thought so highly of him, a descendant of the Nie family.

He motioned for Nie Zhenbang to sit across him. Ouyang Xia threw a document across the table, “Take a look, it’s from an old comrade of mine in Ludong Province.”

The letter was from Dameng county, Dongmeng region, Ludong Province, a familiar place to Nie Zhenbang, known for historical significance.

Opening the letter, the first line deeply moved Nie Zhenbang – “To the leadership of the Central Disciplinary Inspection Commission, I am an old soldier from Dongmeng Mountain area. I wonder if this world still belongs to our party.”

Having finished reading, Nie Zhenbang was shocked. Although he had heard of such incidents from media in his past life, this direct experience was a first. A meritorious veteran of the resistance against Japan, the liberation war, driven to desperation, was like a slap in the face for Nie Zhenbang and Ouyang Xia.

“Have you finished reading, Nie? This case falls under your fifth department’s jurisdiction. Do you have the confidence to complete it?” Ouyang Xia’s long-standing position in the field of discipline inspection exuded an imposing aura.

Nie Zhenbang stood up and replied in a serious tone, “Secretary Ouyang, we promise to complete the mission.”

Ouyang Xia appreciated Nie’s straightforward and resolute attitude. Such a spirit was required in disciplinary investigators who, if squeamish, would be unfit to handle any serious cases.

Nodding in satisfaction, Ouyang Xia ordered, “Nie, for this investigation, I wish to bypass the Ludong Provincial Committee and Ludong Provincial Disciplinary Committee. After all, we are investigating a county-level unit. Doing so can avoid giving the impression of mistrust in the local government. Your investigation team must quietly gather evidences. You should contact the Ludong Provincial Disciplinary Committee when you have sufficient evidence. For the Ludong Provincial Committee side, I’ll handle the coordination. Understand? If so, organize a team right away. Set off for Dameng County early tomorrow.”

Nie Zhenbang was somewhat excited. After all, this would be the first case under his supervision since taking up the position, and it was not a big case which was more suitable. For Nie Zhenbang, a big case being the first would be challenging to manage without experience. However, this was an opportunity to get hands-on experience. Immediately, he assured Ouyang Xia, “Secretary Ouyang, rest assured, I’ll assign a competent team to form an investigation group. We’ll reach Dameng County by tomorrow evening.”

Upon returning to his office, the three people sitting on his office sofa drinking tea all stood up, their faces filled with confusion as they looked at Nie Zhenbang.

Nie Zhenbang placed the materials on the table and pulled up a stool to sit down. He then announced, “Comrades, we have a case.”

Speaking, Nie Zhenbang explained, “In Dameng County of Ludong, an old revolutionary area that is categorized as a national-level poverty-stricken county, Secretary Ouyang received a whistleblowing letter with real-name disclosure. The whistleblower is an old veteran of the Anti-Japanese War. The incident is a common tale of a county party secretary’s son raping the old soldier’s granddaughter. The girl, overwhelmed with despair, hanged herself. When the old soldier sought justice, he was beaten. The whistleblowing letter also enclosed evidence of the county party secretary’s arrogance and tyranny. Meanwhile, the old soldier had been detained, imprisoned, and brutally beaten up and threatened multiple times by the local public security bureau. His house was dismantled under various pretexts by the local government, and now, the old man is renting a place in Dameng county town. In the past year, the old soldier has visited several places and conducted investigations. According to the materials, the county party secretary’s son has victimized at least a dozen young girls. Regardless of the truth, at least, we have to go there in person. Secretary Ouyang has already issued an order. We are to assemble an investigative team overnight and set off first thing tomorrow. If this is true, we have to ensure that the perpetrator is held accountable and put behind bars.”

Nie Zhenbang paused, and then looked around at the three men, “This time, I’ve decided to tag along. I’m inexperienced in disciplinary committee work, so I’m taking this opportunity to learn. Old Zheng, why don’t you come with me, and let Liu Bin manage the organization-related issues.”

Seeing the case details, Gao Wei was somewhat taken aback. He could imagine an aging veteran tirelessly seeking justice for his granddaughter, gathering evidence, and petitioning everywhere.

Gao Wei nodded and said, “Normally cases like this are transferred to the provincial disciplinary committee. But this time, Secretary Ouyang is personally overseeing it. It seems that this case has infuriated Secretary Ouyang.”

Liu Bin, sitting beside him, also nodded, “Wei Zi, I guess you don’t know. Secretary Ouyang began his career in Dameng County several decades ago. So, it’s no wonder he’s so angry.”

Gao Wei nodded at that moment and said, “Third Brother, the cases in Ludong fall under our Division Six’s responsibility. I think the three of us, plus the four clerks from our Division Six, a total of seven people, should go.”

Hearing Gao Wei’s proposal, Nie Zhenbang nodded. Though Gao Wei was young, he was very experienced in disciplinary work. Seven people were just right – more would be too conspicuous, fewer might miss out on something or be overwhelmed by the workload. With seven, they could focus on the investigation without drawing undue attention.

Nie Zhenbang then spoke calmly, “Alright, I agree with the headcount. Wei Zi, you should go contact them and arrange our flight to Lu Quan City. I’ve assured Secretary Ouyang that we will reach Dameng County by tomorrow evening.”

Gao Wei was evidently more familiar with the process of case investigation than Nie Zhenbang. Immediately, he made a call to Jingcheng City Airport. Once he had confirmed Nie Zhenbang and the others’ identity information, he booked seven plane tickets. As for his four subordinates, their ID numbers were already on file at the airport, so there was no need to ask. After finishing these arrangements, Gao Wei called his four teammates, instructing them to pack their belongings and meet at the airport early the following day.

The next day, Nie Zhenbang woke up early. While this was indeed his habit, he also felt a tingling sense of excitement. After all, this would be the first time for him to handle a case.

When Nie Zhenbang reached the airport around eight o’clock, Gao Wei and Zheng Gensheng, along with four young men, were already waiting there.

Seeing Nie Zhenbang, Gao Wei and the others greeted him. Gao Wei introduced the four men, “Director Nie, let me introduce you to our comrades: Xiao Song, Xiao Zhao, Bai, and Xiao Zhang from our division. They are all seasoned disciplinary inspectors with rich experience in handling cases.”

In official settings like this, Gao Wei knew how to maintain propriety. Naturally, it was not the time to call Nie Zhenbang “Third Brother”. Addressing him as “Director Nie” was the most appropriate.

Nie Zhenbang shook hands with each of the four men, and then asked, “Is everyone ready? I won’t waste any more time with pleasantries. I’ll let you in on something, don’t laugh – this is actually my first time investigating a real case. This time, primarily, I will be learning from you all and Director Gao, while Director Zheng and I are here to learn. Let’s go.”

After exchanging their boarding passes, the plane took off at half-past eight. After a little more than an hour, the plane landed at Lu Quan Airport in Ludong Province.

When they stepped out of the plane, Nie Zhenbang checked the time. Since there was still approximately an eight-hour drive from here to Dameng County, Nie Zhenbang didn’t want to delay further. He said to Zheng Gensheng, “Director Zheng, get us a charter van. If we take the bus, I’m afraid we might not make it in time.”

PS: Brothers and sisters, we have the last nine days left. Currently, we are ranking 17th in the monthly ticket ranking and 6th in terms of monthly tickets in our category. We could achieve such results this month thanks to your support. As the Chinese saying goes, ‘The last leg of the journey is the hardest.’ Let’s not overturn our boat in the gutter just before the finish line. Please cast your monthly votes to support us. Let’s maintain this advantage till the end. We thank all the brothers and sisters.