Chapter One: A Place That Tests the Political Wisdom of Grassroots Officials
Chen Mo is the secretary to Zhou Mingyuan, the county magistrate of Tianqing County. After his mother passes away, exhausted and grieving, he decides to resign from public service and head to the provincial capital, Yunzhou, to make a fresh start. County Magistrate Zhou Mingyuan recognizes his talent and earnestly tries to persuade him to stay. In the end, he secures Chen Mo a position as director of Tianqing County’s Yunzhou liaison office, granting his wish to move to Yunzhou while keeping him in the civil service.
Full of ambition, Chen Mo hopes to make his mark in his new position. But Zhao Kai, the deputy director of the county liaison office, keeps secretly obstructing him, repeatedly stalling his work and leaving him unable to put his talents to use. More difficult still, even after moving to Yunzhou, Chen Mo remains tied to the political maneuvering and personnel feuds back in Tianqing County, as if by an invisible thread. Caught awkwardly between the county seat and the provincial capital, his position is sensitive and precarious. The slightest misstep in word or deed could affect the relationship between Gao Hongbin, the county Party secretary, and County Magistrate Zhou Mingyuan, the county’s two top officials. He has to tread carefully at every turn.
