145: Chapter 145 Maximum Penalty

What Yang Fuguo wanted most was for Qin Chuan to stick to the severe punishment passed by the Market Supervision Bureau's leadership meeting—canceling Jianwei Chemical's registration, holding the responsible parties legally accountable, and imposing a massive fine.

However, Qin Chuan seemed completely oblivious to Yang Fuguo's thoughts. With a look of shock, he suggested increasing the fine to two hundred thousand yuan.

"Mayor Yang, is two hundred thousand still not enough? Then let's add another fifty thousand. A two hundred and fifty thousand yuan fine should be sufficient, I think."

"Then I'll head back immediately to issue the penalty notice and fine Jianwei Chemical two hundred and fifty thousand yuan."

After saying this, Qin Chuan stood up to leave.

Yang Fuguo felt stifled and cursed inwardly. It looked like he had to be the one to overturn his own previous words. He quickly called out to Qin Chuan.

"Little Qin, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Sit down first."

Qin Chuan wore a look of feigned surprise. "Mayor Yang, is a two hundred and fifty thousand yuan fine still not enough? Tsk tsk, then how much would be enough?"

Yang Fuguo's old face flushed red again as he braced himself. "Well, I feel that a fine alone isn't enough. I've been thinking, and the situation at Jianwei Chemical is actually quite serious. Let's proceed with the penalty decision passed by your bureau's leadership meeting."

Qin Chuan was laughing his head off internally.

Yang Fuguo, it's only been a few minutes, yet you've already gone back on your word and personally overturned your own decision to only fine them a hundred thousand.

Though he was laughing inside, his face showed none of it. Qin Chuan said with deliberate astonishment, "Mayor Yang, is such a heavy penalty really necessary? I don't think it's quite right. Your son is a shareholder of Jianwei Chemical, and Deng Jianwei calls you 'Cousin-Uncle.' We should try to be as lenient as possible within the allowed range."

'Motherf*cker, now he's the one insisting on leniency!'

Yang Fuguo was so angry he could vomit blood. He even suspected Qin Chuan was doing this on purpose, but he had no proof. He had only just seen the Provincial Party Secretary's instructions; Qin Chuan shouldn't know about them yet.

"Little Qin, Even the Son of Heaven must be punished like a commoner if he breaks the law. Everyone is equal before the law. Don't consider those factors. It's decided—impose the maximum penalty on Jianwei Chemical according to your bureau's leadership meeting decision."

Qin Chuan took out the inspection report. "Mayor Yang, then please cross out your previous instructions and rewrite them."

Yang Fuguo had no choice but to swallow his pride. He picked up the pen and honestly rewrote the instructions.

Qin Chuan smiled. "Mayor Yang, with these instructions in black and white, we have the confidence we need. I'll head back now and immediately impose the heavy penalty on Jianwei Chemical."

"Go on, go on."

Yang Fuguo waved him off, feeling extremely stifled. He never thought that as a dignified Mayor, he would lose face like this.

As for Qin Chuan...

He returned to the Market Supervision Bureau in high spirits and called Director Huang over, telling him to immediately convene another bureau leadership meeting.

Several deputy directors soon received the notice and trickled into the meeting room. While waiting for Qin Chuan to arrive, they sat there chatting.

"Director Qin is calling another leadership meeting. It must be about the Jianwei Chemical matter again."

"Likely so. Director Qin went to Mayor Yang's office and probably got chewed out. Calling a meeting now is probably to implement Mayor Yang's instructions."

"I told you, a heavy penalty definitely wouldn't work. Deng Jianwei calls Mayor Yang 'Cousin-Uncle,' and Young Master Yang Wenhao has shares. It'll just be a symbolic slap on the wrist."

"..."

While they were chatting, Qin Chuan entered, followed by Director Huang. The meeting room immediately fell silent.

Qin Chuan took his seat and said loudly, "Everyone, the meeting is now in session!"

"Just now, I went to the Mayor's office and reported the situation regarding Jianwei Chemical to Mayor Yang in person. Mayor Yang takes this matter very seriously and has issued important instructions. He requires us to punish Jianwei Chemical heavily and swiftly, and fully agrees with our previous leadership meeting's penalty decision..."

Hearing these words, the deputy directors were all dumbfounded.

Once they recovered, they only had one thought: 'That's impossible. If Mayor Yang gave such instructions, then he wouldn't be Mayor Yang.'

Finally, one deputy director couldn't help but ask, "Director Qin, did Mayor Yang really say that?"

Everyone looked at Qin Chuan in unison.

They wouldn't believe it even if they were beaten to death. It was impossible for Yang Fuguo not to give Qin Chuan a harsh scolding, let alone give such instructions.

Qin Chuan smiled and took out the inspection report. "Everyone, take a look. Mayor Yang's instructions are right here in black and white. This can't be faked."

The inspection report was then passed around, and everyone saw the lines written on it.

It was indeed Mayor Yang's handwriting, and it bore his signature.

Except...

Why were there two sets of instructions? The first set only fined Jianwei Chemical a hundred thousand yuan, but it had been crossed out with two thick black lines.

Crossing out such instructions and then rewriting completely different ones—what on earth was this? Everyone was baffled, unable to understand what had happened.

Since the first set was crossed out, they certainly had to follow the second set, as the second one carried Yang Fuguo's signature.

Qin Chuan didn't offer an explanation. Once everyone had finished reading, he said loudly, "Since Mayor Yang has given his instructions in black and white, we must strictly follow them and uphold the penalty decision from the last leadership meeting."

The meeting only lasted ten or twenty minutes. With Yang Fuguo's instructions right there, everyone quickly reached a consensus.

Jianwei Chemical would be heavily fined until it was bankrupt, and the responsible parties would be held legally accountable, among other things.

Not long after the meeting ended, as Qin Chuan sat down in his office, Director Huang hurried in to report.

"Director Qin, Deng Jianwei is acting up again. He's being extremely arrogant, refusing to cooperate with our investigation, and even trying to hit people."

The Market Supervision Bureau didn't have the power to arrest people, but they did have the right to bring people in for investigation. Deng Jianwei and several others had been called in to cooperate.

Relying on the fact that his Cousin-Uncle was Yang Fuguo and his cousin Young Master Yang Wenhao held shares, he was very arrogant and didn't respect the bureau's staff at all.

Led by Director Huang, Qin Chuan walked over and could hear Deng Jianwei's voice from a distance.

"Are you guys done yet? Hurry up and tear off all those seals! Isn't it just about a bit of money? Is it fifty thousand or a hundred thousand?"

With a grim face, Qin Chuan pushed the door open and walked in.

"Deng Jianwei, behave yourself now that you're here. This isn't a place for you to act out!"

Seeing Qin Chuan enter, Deng Jianwei wasn't afraid at all. He shouted, "Qin, I was just looking for you. It's even better that you showed up yourself!"