The Unspoken Rules of Jiangnan Officialdom

He Changlong, the newly appointed Provincial Party Secretary parachuted into Jiangnan Province, discovers within four months that what he faces is not the corruption of any single individual, but an entire set of "unspoken understandings" that have been operating for over a decade. His predecessor died in office of a "heart attack." He Changlong arrives in Jiangnan Province armed with authorization from the central government, believing he holds a sword of supreme authority, only to find that the province's officials are courteous and respectful to him, sign documents as required, and hold meetings as scheduled—yet every matter he tries to push forward "naturally" slows down at some stage. Yuan Lidong, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, is the only one who does not play tai chi with him, but Yuan Lidong has his own difficulties. The real flashpoint is not murder, not a dark conspiracy, but a signature that should not have appeared on a document changing land-use designation. This signature links Xie Jiasheng, Party Secretary of Lingcheng City; Ma Xiaosong, Executive Vice Mayor of Ninghai; Chen Xiangyang, Chairman of the Provincial Construction Group; and He Ruilin, Chairman of Ruiwen Group, along a single thread—and the other end of that thread is tied to the never-written "division-of-labor understanding" between Governor Tang Zhimin and Executive Vice Governor Ling Tianhe. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: The Unspoken Rules of Jiangnan Officialdom — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠