But no matter what, Xia Xiang still didn't change his face, not only smiled and supported him, but also blocked the wind for him, which made Old Man Wu feel a rare sigh, and for the first time in his heart, he felt guilty about Xia Xiang.

Because the reason why he came to meet Xia Xiang today was that he really wanted to have a good talk with Xia Xiang again, second, he was always curious about Xia Xiang, so he wanted to see Xia Xiang with his own eyes, and third, he didn't hear a shocking fact until he heard it with his own ears One by one, Ruohan came back from the United States, which was the result of Xia Xiang's hard persuasion.

Wu Caijiang personally told him that he was in critical condition at that time, so Xia Xiang resolutely came forward to persuade Lian Ruohan Hanguo, and offered to let Lian Xia be surnamed Wu, just to let him get through the dangerous period and give him a comfort.

The old man has been in the officialdom again in his life, no matter how turbulent he is, he is also a living person, flesh and blood, and feelings, Xia Xiang has secretly done so much for him, not only did he not appreciate it, but he also suppressed Xia Xiang once after he recovered from his illness, causing Xia Xiang to almost lose his official, if it weren't for Xia Xiang's deep connections and strong relationship network, I am afraid that even the district chief would not be able to be the mayor.

Even so, Xia Xiang silently endured his heavy pressure, and did not let Lian Ruohan leave afterwards The old man knew in his heart that the reason why Lian Ruohan stayed all the time was because Xia Xiang had the greatest influence on her, and if Xia wanted her to leave, she would have flown back to the United States a long time ago.

Xia wants to repay his grievances with virtue, but Old Man Wu has never known what Xia wants to do, is he plotting for the power of the Wu family, or does he want to get greater benefits from the Wu family? He was puzzled, and he had been depressed, so he had to come over in person today and talk to Xia Xiang in person.

Xia Xiang rejected his kindness again to his surprise, which made him feel a little shocked in his heart, Xia Xiang really showed favor and didn't want to reciprocate? He endured the humiliation of being suppressed and let Lian Ruohan's mother and son stay in the Wu family, wasn't it really to seek greater benefits?

Although he didn't believe it, Xia Xiang firmly rejected his proposal, and let the old man understand in his heart that Xia Xiang was not pretending, nor was he threatening himself with Lian Ruohan's mother and son, but he was really thinking about his body's recovery, not to mention anything else, this filial piety alone made the old man feel the long-lost warmth.

A strange young man can have a sincere heart for himself, and he has nothing to ask for, and he will be truly touched by whoever he changes.

"Tell me, why do you think that the Wu family can't get the position of secretary general of the provincial party committee?" Old man Wu is getting old, and as soon as his heart is soft, he no longer has the domineering spirit of the past, but in a normal and homely tone, and in a chatting tone, he talked about the current situation: "You don't know the real strength of the Wu family, nor do you understand the influence of the Wu family in the high-level of the central government, your vision is only limited to Yan Province, how can you come to this conclusion?" I'm interested, tell me your analysis, and I'll see if it makes sense. ”

Xia Xiang keenly noticed the change in Old Man Wu's mood and the change in his attitude, he stabilized his mind and smiled: "Old man, in fact, you should also know that since the four families have become a conventional title, the benefits to the four families are obvious, but at the same time, with the further enhancement of the strength of the four families, now the power of the four families has been excessively expanded, and they have begun to have the ability to influence central and local decision-making, which is a good thing and a bad thing."

"For the four families themselves, it is naturally a good thing. But for the whole country and the population at large, it is a bad thing. The stronger the power of the four major families, the more they are antagonistic to the people, the more likely it is to lead to high-level vigilance, and at the same time, it will also make many officials from the grassroots in the country dissatisfied. As the first of the four major families, the Wu family's influence in Yan Province at this stage is already huge enough, and if a secretary general of the provincial party committee is installed, the Wu family will have a decisive influence on Yan Province, which is not the result of the optimism of the top management and the other three families. Xia Xiang also knows that Old Man Wu can definitely see this, but Old Man Wu has been through countless major events in his life, and he has also had many means to turn the clouds and rain, maybe in his heart, public opinion is stronger than power, and opposition is not absolute strength.

But times are different now, and the rise of the Internet has shrunk the world into a global village, "no longer the times when the media spoke with one voice. It is true that the Wu family is powerful, but no matter how powerful it is, it is no bigger than a post or insider article on the Internet, and public opinion warfare is not only a weapon in various localities and localities, but also a tool that some high-level figures in the central government can use.

Xia Xiang believes that if the power of the four major families swells to the point of being out of control and exceeds the bottom line of someone at the top of the central government, maybe a public opinion war will break out, and the initiator of the public opinion war may be a high-level person hiding behind the scenes.

Absolute power is only a one-sided game, and now there is soft power, economic power, geopolitics, and so on, and the old days when no opposition was heard are gone.

Of course, Xia Xiang used to speculate on the thoughts of the high-level only based on the situation, but he had just talked to Lao Gu, and his judgment was more conclusive in his heart, and he also knew that there would definitely be high-level people who would take action to stop the four major families from devouring the interests of Yan Province.

Zhao Province is too close to the capital, so close that it can be detected by ten wind and grass, and Yan Province is related to the safety of the capital, there is the most mysterious army in the country, and the high-level will never allow any of them to sit in Yan Province.

The experience of some provinces is vivid, Lingnan Province, the magic capital, etc., have precedents of being purged because of confrontation with the central government. Although the four major families are not adjacent to some purged provincial and ministerial-level high-ranking officials who have no foundation, the four major families have power in various places, and it is also the proper meaning of the question that the central government has seized some handles to take out a few local forces.

Anyway, no matter what means are used, there are people at the top who want to prevent the family's power from becoming bigger. Old Man Wu thinks that he will reach the top in his life and can go to the world, but he is actually too optimistic about the prospects. Sooner or later, the domestic political climate may enter the elite! $$ Humanism, but not yet. At present, there is no soil for the family to sit on such a large scale that it can completely influence the political situation like the American consortium.

"After all, Lang Province is still the Yan Province of the country, not the Yan Province of a certain family." Xia Xiang said in a heavy tone, "Among the high-level members, the Q Standing Committee is actually a balance, and in Yan Province, it is also necessary to maintain a balance. The Wu family already has two people, and if they want three or four, they will provoke the anger of the public.

Fortunately, although Xia Xiang's words were sharp, they did not arouse the indignation of Old Man Wu, and the old man just nodded: "Your statement is not unreasonable, I have also considered balancing the situation." But in the final analysis, domestic politics is still based on strength, and you don't know much about the game between the top leaders, and mistakes in judgment are inevitable. But it's not easy for you to draw such a profound conclusion. ”

Old Man Wu obviously didn't take Xia Xiang's words to heart, but he seemed much more relaxed, stood up, and took the initiative to reach out to Xia Xiang to help: "For young people, the New Year is a social activity or a walk, and for the elderly, a year is less and a bumper year." But seeing you this year is also a happy thing for me, unpleasant things are not mentioned, it is rare for me to be quiet today, come, accompany me, an old man to have two drinks. ”

Lian Ruohan saw an old man and a young man talking and laughing from outside, both of them looked relaxed, and her heart was finally put back in her stomach, thinking that Xia Xiang and her grandfather had finally reached a consensus, and there was no mustard.

Xia Xiang didn't think so, his ease was because the old man was not as arrogant and arrogant as Wu Caiyang, and he hummed his human side. But he also knew that the old man was relaxed on the surface, but in fact, he still believed that the Wu family could win the throne of the secretary general of the provincial party committee, and he wanted to wait for the dust to settle, so that he would lose convincingly, and then the old man Wu would propose to solicit again.

Xia Xiang was secretly worried in his heart, no matter what the purpose of Old Man Wu was to win him over, it was not what he wanted, he already had a firm line, and he would definitely not change it. If he is unfortunate enough to say that after the Wu family's defeat this time, he doesn't dare to guess what Wu Caiyang thinks, but the old man will definitely value him more, and will try his best to pull him into the Wu family's system. Xia wanted to shake $$" to drive away the chaotic thoughts in his mind and concentrate on drinking with the old man.

The old man didn't drink much, and because the doctor didn't let him drink more, he only drank a few glasses, then put down the cup, and chatted with Xia Xiang with great interest.

Xia Xiang said as much as he could, and he didn't hide much. He also knew that now was a good opportunity to talk to the old man, and now he didn't think the old man was a powerful figure, just as an ordinary old man, when he was Lian Ruohan's grandfather, when he was an old man who could chat.

Even Ruhan was very happy when he saw Xia Xiang and his grandfather talking happily on the side, thinking that the two of them had released their previous suspicions and became New Year's friends. Xiao Lian Xia also happily ran between Xia Xiang and the old man, one moment into Xia Xiang's arms to call Dad, and one moment into the old man's arms to call Grandpa, the family was happy, in the eyes of outsiders, it was absolutely inappropriate to think that there would be anything strange.

In fact, among several people, Xia thought clearly, there may still be thousands of mountains and rivers between him and the old man, or to be precise, there is still a long distance between him and the Wu family.

The old man stayed until more than Q o'clock in the evening before leaving, and when he left, he smiled and said to Xia Xiang: "I miss Lian Xia, or let me take Lian Xia away now." ”

Xia Xiang had no opinion, and even Ruohan agreed, but Lian Xia refused to leave his parents. Lao Ye Boxing thought that Lian Xia and Xia wanted to spend very little time together all year round, so he didn't force it, got in the car and left.

After the old man left, Lian Yuehan smiled and said to Xia Xiang: "Okay, there are two hands, "I think grandpa likes your ...... very much"

Xia Xiang didn't want Lian Ruohan to worry about anything, so he deliberately teased her: "That's it, don't look at who I am, I'm dignified......"

Before the boastful words were spoken, Xiao Lianxia interjected in time: "You are Dad!" "At that time, yes, I am the dignified Lian Xia's father, and I am the dignified Lian Ruohan's man, of course I am amazing." Xia Xiang temporarily changed his ......, "Count your mouth Du, I'll spare you once tonight." Lian Ruohan's eyes were charming, and he flew Xia Xiang to glance.

Xia Xiang was taken aback, in the past few days, Lian Ruohan has been a little demanding, he is really a little afraid of her, is she still not stopping tonight?

Lian Ruohan smiled: "Think crooked, don't you?" Go, don't think about good things, I'm accommodating enough for you, you just let me rest for the night, can it be done? I said spare you once tonight, which means that you don't have to get up at night to watch Lian Xia, I'll just go. ”

Xia Xiang was relieved, patted his chest, and thought that there are some things between the two that really have to be made clear, otherwise you will accommodate me and I will accommodate you, work hard every day, and in the end it is the man's cow that dies of exhaustion" Early the next morning, Xia Xiang received a call from Lao Gude, who did not let Xia Xiang go directly to the venue, because Xia Xiang did not get an invitation, and he would definitely not be able to enter, so he asked Xia Xiang to go directly to his home.

Xia wanted to drive to Lao Gu's house, but found that Gu Yu was not there. It turned out that Gu Yu went to see a few girlfriends today, made an appointment to go shopping, exercise or something, and left early in the morning.

With Xia Xiang accompanied, Lao Gu didn't let the guards follow, just sat in Xia Xiang's unlicensed Volvo car, and led Xia Xiang to a place that would never be marked on the map.

The car passed through a number of heavily guarded areas before it came to the place of a blue-gray complex. There were no signs outside the complex, only armed police were standing guard.

As soon as Xia Xiang's car came to the door, an armed police officer reached out to stop it and asked Xia Xiang for his documents. Of course, Xia Xiang didn't have any documents, so Lao Gu said to the guard in the car: "Release!"

The guard didn't dare to look inside at Lao Gu's appearance, and when he heard his voice, he immediately looked nervous, stood upright, and immediately waved his hand to let him go.

The courtyard is very large, full of blue-gray buildings, inconspicuous, and there are no high-rise buildings, they are all small buildings of two or three floors, presenting a solemn and solemn feeling.

After walking through several small courtyards, we came to a large parking lot. Xia Xiang parked the car, and was about to go around the side of the door to open the door for Lao Gu, and came to a military vehicle next to him, parked on the right side majestically, and Xia Xiang's car was only 10 centimeters, let alone open the door, and even people couldn't squeeze through.

Xia Xiang couldn't help but be a little angry, his car didn't have a license plate, and the grade was not high, it might be normal to be looked down upon in this kind of place, but where is there such a bully, parking close to the park, it's just too much of a bully. Xia Xiang said angrily: "Please move the car away, there are still people in the car who can't get down."

Several soldiers jumped out of the car, led by a tall horse, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, with a fat emblem and a bald head, he looked at Xia Xiang proudly a few times, and waved his hand: "Your car is not parked properly, you can't move it yourself, what the effort!" ”

Xia Xiang got back into the car without saying a word, started the car, and then reversed the car, revealing the old passenger seat. Lao Gu pushed open the door and got out of the car, with his hands behind his back, with an angry face: "Who has to let my car move, it is not small!" ”

Just now, a few soldiers saw that Xia wanted to give in, so they turned around and giggled away, and after a few steps, they heard the voice of Lao Gu behind them, and a few people looked back and were immediately stunned on the spot!

The lieutenant colonel was better to say, and could barely stand, and stammered; "Chief? How are you? ”

Several other people who were not at a high level but also knew Lao Gu were all frightened, and even one of them was so frightened that he retreated again and again, didn't see his feet clearly, tripped and fell to the ground, and fell to the ground and squatted!

The power of Lao Gu, the majesty is like this, Xia Xiang saw the eight-sided majesty of Lao Gu for the first time, and he was also secretly surprised, it turned out that Lao Gu was really a powerful character, he could make a lieutenant colonel so frightened that he couldn't even speak, in the hierarchical army, it seems that he is also a very prestigious figure.

Lao Gu has something to do today, and it doesn't matter if he scares people, so he won't finish settling with them, so he shouted angrily: "Get out of here!" ”

A group of people led by the lieutenant colonel ran away without a trace in a blink of an eye, which made Xia Xiang see that at the critical moment, the potential of people is really huge, and the lieutenant colonel who is physically fat is also as fast as a rabbit like a few young men. Xia Xiang and Lao Gu came to the gate of the hall together, passed the security check at the door, and came to the lobby.

In the lobby, there is actually nothing unusual, it is just an ordinary hall layout, full of banquets, and almost full of people.

The people sitting at the banquet were all over 60 years old, including soldiers and old cadres, and it was a bit of a military-civilian party. Xia Xiang didn't ask Lao Gu who would come all the way, but now when he arrived at the venue, he asked curiously: "What level are these old cadres?" ”

"Vice-minister and above." Lao Gu nodded slightly, "You must be curious about who will come, it was originally scheduled that the general secretary and the prime minister will come, but the general secretary has something to do temporarily, and he may not be able to come, it may be the chairman and the prime minister who will come forward." ”

Prime Minister Xia Xiang has seen himself, and Chairman Gui Xia Xiang has only seen it on TV, and has not seen a real person yet.

Zong Changgui's resume Xia Xiang can almost memorize it backwards, but he knows that the resume that is open to the public has no reference value, and the part that is not revealed is the really useful part. Patriarchs started from the grassroots level step by step, almost starting from the secretary of the township party committee, the secretary of the county party committee, the secretary of the municipal party committee, and the secretary of the provincial party committee.

But officials from the grassroots may not be opponents of family power in the end, and Xia Xiang does not dare to jump to conclusions about the political opinions of several people at the top. This is because whether it is a policy or a speech that has been announced to the outside world, it is a press release that has been artistically processed, and there is no way to judge a person's political stance.

It is good to say something about the top leaders of a province and a city, and they can see the ruling style and political stance from some small things or local changes, but for the leaders of the party and the state, their preferences and political stance will definitely not be announced to the outside world! It can be seen in the department, and many of their secrets, forever hidden behind the flash, will not be exposed.