BEIJING — The specter of corruption continued to hound China’s leaders Friday, the second day of a weeklong Communist Party congress at which the country’s next generation of top leaders are expected to be unveiled.

At several group events during the day, reporters were allowed to watch party leaders discuss policy in a pre-scripted manner — mostly designed to give the party congress a veneer of democratic dialogue. But the veneer was shattered, in most cases, when leaders opened the floor to questions.