Chapter 1991

Chapter 1991

Monday.

A mist blanketed Jiaolin County in the early morning.

Dong Xuebing walked out of the family compound full of energy. A thin layer of water still covered the ground from last night’s light rain. The air was cool and refreshing.

“Secretary.” Su Yan was waiting downstairs.

Dong Xuebing said, “Has the Standing Committee meeting been scheduled for this morning?”

Su Yan replied, “Per your instructions, it was already arranged last night.”

Dong Xuebing nodded, “Good. Let’s eat something first, then head to the office.”

He got into Driver Xiao Wang’s car, and they drove out of the Party Committee family compound.

8:30 a.m.

Dong Xuebing arrived at the temporary county Party Committee compound.

But as soon as the car entered, it was surrounded by reporters. Some were from newspapers, others from TV stations. Cameras swayed around, their cables whipping through the air, making Dong Xuebing dizzy. He was baffled—what kind of scene was this? Why were there even reporters here? Although there weren’t many—just a dozen or so—Jiaolin County had never experienced anything like this. And judging from the logos on their microphones, there were reporters from provincial media and a Beijing-based newspaper.

“Are you Secretary Dong Xuebing?”

“Secretary Dong, I’m from the Shaanbei Daily.”

“May we have a quick interview?”

“We heard there’s an emergency Standing Committee meeting today. Can you share the main agenda?”

In the past, Jiaolin County’s Standing Committee meetings were quiet affairs. At most, some local media would be informed after the fact to write a brief news report. But now? Even the provincial TV and Beijing newspapers were here. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was thanks to the tomb discovery. Jiaolin County was no longer the same as before. Many national media outlets have already picked up the news reported by Youth Daily yesterday. When Dong Xuebing flew back from Beijing last night, the CCTV Evening News dedicated 22 seconds to covering the discovery of the Han dynasty imperial tombs in Jiaolin County. Dong missed the live broadcast while in the air and planned to rewatch it at work today.

In short, Jiaolin County was now under the national spotlight—not just among the public, but also in the media and academic circles. Everyone was eager for first-hand information about the tombs. According to Su Yan’s report, the county cleared out all the guesthouses starting yesterday to accommodate the nationwide flood of journalists. With plans to broadcast live from the tomb site soon, this would be an ongoing, long-term coverage effort. Many journalists were expected to be stationed there for a while—now this was real follow-up reporting.

The media presence was intense.

Each outlet carried weight.

A glance around the compound revealed that many county staffers wore stiff expressions—reporters were interviewing some. But Jiaolin officials had never encountered such a scene before. Local journalists were manageable, and even city-level ones didn’t rattle them. But provincial and national TV reporters? Just thinking about it made them nervous, and their nervousness made them stumble over their words. Dong Xuebing, however, had weathered many storms—this kind of scene didn’t faze him. He straightened his clothes and got out of the car.

“Secretary Dong!”

“Excuse me, can you—”

Dong Xuebing calmly raised his hand. “One at a time, please.” Checking his watch, he said, “I have thirty minutes. I’ll answer whatever I can.”

A female reporter asked, “We heard you weren’t in the county this weekend. Did you go to Beijing for medical treatment?”

Without blinking, Dong Xuebing lied smoothly, “Yes, but it’s nothing serious now.”

The reporter added, “Sources say you subdued over twenty armed tomb robbers alone, protecting national heritage and cultural history. I admire this deeply. I have no further questions—I wish you a speedy recovery.”

Dong Xuebing smiled, “Thank you. I appreciate the kind words.”

This exchange also revealed the coordination between Dong and Zhang Dongfang. Dong told Old Zhang that he had some private matters at home, but while he was away, Zhang told the media that Dong had gone to Beijing for treatment. Naturally, people would associate it with Dong taking down more than twenty criminals alone. No one questioned it further. After all, if Zhang had told reporters that Dong took personal leave during such a significant discovery, with national TV reporting it, yet the county’s Party Secretary wasn’t on-site, that would’ve sounded irresponsible.

Technically, nothing was wrong with it—it was the weekend, not a regular workday, so it didn’t count as formal leave. But this wasn’t about regulations—it was about attitude, and it would have sparked doubts. Old Zhang handled it tactfully.

Then came the next question.

Dong Xuebing answered them one by one, calm and composed.

After about thirty minutes, Dong Xuebing excused himself, citing the meeting.

Around 9:00 a.m.

Temporary Meeting Room.

Since the old government compound was still under renovation, they continued to operate out of the row houses. But with so many reporters in town—even though most were up on Qingluan Mountain—there were still quite a few at the county level. Worried that the room’s poor soundproofing might lead to leaks, Dong Xuebing had several staff members guard the area to ensure no one came close. Only then could they meet in peace.

All the Standing Committee members were present.

Dong Xuebing was the last to enter. After the door closed, he said, “We’ve got a lot of reporters today. Let’s keep our voices down during the meeting.” He even cracked a joke, looking at Public Security Bureau Chief Chang Lin, “Especially you, Old Chang—your voice is notoriously loud.”

Security officers rarely have soft voices—they’re trained that way.

Chang Lin laughed wryly, “I’ll watch it.”

In his mind: Loud voice? I’m loud, sure, but not loud enough to knock people unconscious…

The others laughed, recalling how Dong Xuebing shouted so powerfully on Qing’e Mountain that it echoed across the valleys to rescue stranded students. Compared to that, even a hundred Chang Lins couldn’t match his volume.

Dong Xuebing was oblivious to this comparison. “Let’s start.”

The joke passed, and everyone turned serious.

“Let’s talk about the situation on Qingluan Mountain first. Any updates?” Dong asked.

Deputy Secretary Wei Zhixuan responded, “I’ll go. Dozens of artifacts have already been unearthed. Some are still on the mountain, others have been sent to provincial institutions by the archaeology team. Four burial chambers have been found, but the main tomb hasn’t been excavated yet—they’re still clearing the site. As for security, the military is now stationed there, so safety is fully ensured. The staff who’ve become available are now checking IDs. Only archaeologists, relevant personnel, and journalists with passes are allowed access. That’s the situation, more or less.”

Dong Xuebing nodded, then looked at Zhang Dongfang. “Old Zhang?”

Zhang Dongfang met his gaze and took several manila folders from his bag.

“This isn’t a regular Standing Committee meeting. I’ve called everyone in urgently because of something that concerns the entire county,” Dong said mysteriously. “But because it’s sensitive and uncertain, only Old Zhang and I have discussed it until now. The time has come to share it.”

Many were surprised. What’s so secretive?

Zhang Dongfang handed out the folders. “Everyone, take a look.”

Dong Xuebing smiled, “County Chief Zhang, I think you should explain. You prepared the documents, after all.”

“Alright.” Zhang Dongfang didn’t hold back. He scanned the room. “Secretary Dong and I started discussing this last week and began preparations. What you’re looking at now is Jiaolin County’s application to become a county-level city.”

“What?!”

“A county-level city?!”

Everyone was stunned, then fell silent.

Some in the know—like Wei Zhixuan—weren’t surprised.

Meng Hanmei was excited but cautious. “How confident are we?”

Executive Deputy County Chief Xu Zhuang suppressed his excitement, “Yeah. Our previous application years ago was rejected. Could it be even harder now?”

Zhang Dongfang explained, “To be honest, we’re still slightly below the standard for upgrading to a county-level city. There are strict criteria. Besides urban infrastructure, which we meet, our population density and GDP are still just a little short. That’s why our last attempt failed. But Secretary Dong and I have studied this. We’re close—very close. And now, we’ve discovered an imperial Han dynasty tomb. That adds major points to our application.”

Dong Xuebing added, “The criteria for city status aren’t absolute—they’re flexible. There are precedents. This tomb discovery is our golden ticket. We’re just one step away. If we all work together to promote and publicize this excavation, city status won’t be far off. Once the main tomb is fully identified, we can submit our application. What do you all think?”

Think?

There’s nothing to think about.

Of course, we do it! This is a huge opportunity!

For once, the Standing Committee was perfectly united. All members expressed firm support.

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