"Old Master Lu, you've misunderstood my words. That's not what I meant at all," said Han Dong-Min anxiously when he heard what Lu Cang-Qiong had just said. Fear had his heart racing a mile a second.
He did not really know the extent of Lu Cang-Qiong's influence. But this was a man whom He Lan-Shan had personally welcomed when he had arrived at Yunzhou. It was clear that he wasn't someone whom Han Dong-Min could trifle with.
"Is that so? What do you mean then?"
Lu Cang-Qiong had reached the limits of his patience.
He could tell that Han Dong-Min seemed intent on speaking up for Ye Fan and helping the young man. He had no intentions of helping the Lu family with their revenge.
A dark look appeared on his face. He turned towards He Lan-Shan and thundered furiously. "Lan-Shan, is this the way the Jiangdong provincial government works? Is this the way you train your men? You seem to have lost your way. Instead of exacting justice for the people of Yunzhou, your men are now speaking up for ruffians and gangsters."
"How do you expect the folks of Yunzhou to sleep at night? Can the Jiangdong provincial government rest easy at night? Can our great country rest easy at night? If we don't get rid of these bad apples, the entire barrel will soon be filled with rotten apples. There will be chaos in Yunzhou!”
His harsh words were filled with judgment and disapproval.
He Lan-Shan was humiliated by the reprimand.
He flushed and began to apologize profusely.
"Please don't be upset, Old Master Lu. I'll make sure this matter is dealt with. You'll have a satisfactory answer." Having said that, he turned and glared at Han Dong-Min furiously. "Han Dong-Min, I'm going to ask you one last time. Are you going to make the arrest or not?"
"Secretary He, you're putting me in a terrible spot. This is above my paygrade," lamented Han Dong-Min. He was stuck between He Lan-Shan and Ye Fan, a rock and a hard place.
"I see what's going on here. You're going to disobey my direct orders," said He Lan-Shan furiously.
"You've failed in your duty as a government official and in your obligation as a member of our law-abiding society. Your disobedience of my direct orders is an explicit show of insubordination. You have no regard for the law, for your leaders and for your organization. You have neither principles nor morals that you uphold. You defied your superiors and aligned yourself with criminals and ruffians. As the head of the Jiangdong provincial government, I strip you of your authority and office in Yunzhou. You shall never be promoted or given another office."
He Lan-Shan was truly livid.
He had felt embarrassed by the farce that was happening in Jiangdong and causing him so much grief. Lu's presence had made things worse.
Han Dong-Min's open and public insubordination had added insult to injury. There was no way He Lan-Shan could have kept his temper under control in such a circumstance.
In a fit of anger, he had stripped Han Dong-Min of his title and office.
He was to be sent away to the impoverished and remote countryside to live amongst the poor villagers.
With a few words, he had destroyed Han Dong-Min's future.
All blood drained from Han Dong-Min's face. He shook violently and nearly collapsed onto the ground.
Devastation and despair filled his eyes.
Like Ye Fan, he had been born in a rural village and had come from a family of
farmers.
His parents had scrimped and saved so that he could get a college education and get a job in the government.
He had toiled and labored over the years and risen from the position of a lowly clerk to where he was today.
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