173: Chapter 173 Reaching a Stalemate

Zhu Wenhao placed his phone face down on the table, his knuckles tapping slowly, rhythmically, against the cold casing.

The thought of going to the Town Commission for Discipline Inspection to oversee the situation was completely abandoned.

Village Secretary Zhang Dahai was already meat on the chopping block; his fate was sealed. Whether or not he went personally would not affect how the blade fell.

Moreover, he had already maneuvered the people from the County Commission for Discipline Inspection into direct opposition with the Zhang Clan.

The strategy of setting tigers against wolves was already in motion. As long as he held the key witness testimony and physical evidence, he could let them tear each other apart; they wouldn't be able to escape his control.

The situation in Heishi Town could be played out slowly, but the issues with his own foundation were what truly gave him a headache.

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission had always been the private preserve of successive governors.

Governor Zhou Zhiwen, a young and ambitious leader in his early fifties, had lain dormant for a long time, finally swallowing up all the resources left behind by the previous Liu Family.

This forced promotion of Deputy Director Liu Qiang was the first trumpet blast of his strategic deployment.

On the other hand, there was Secretary Lao Liguo in the Provincial Party Committee Compound.

He was a few years older than Governor Zhou Zhiwen. Although he had managed to suppress the edge of Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua and Secretary Lei Zhen's faction at the Standing Committee meeting by leveraging the thunderous momentum of the Red Star Machinery Factory affair, that was merely suppression, far from total annihilation.

Regarding Governor Zhou Zhiwen's grand scheme to seize the position of Director of the Development and Reform Commission, Secretary Lao Liguo's current attitude was extremely ambiguous.

This position had never been under his direct control, so if Governor Zhou Zhiwen wanted to snatch it, Secretary Lao Liguo could easily stand by and watch.

In fact, he might even be happy to see it happen.

Deputy Director Liu Qiang's defection was tantamount to slapping the face of the local faction's bigwig, Old Master Li, in public.

If Old Master Li wanted to maintain his remaining prestige in Jiangnan Province and prevent his subordinates from thinking the Li Faction was collapsing, he had to intervene to block this personnel appointment.

However, for a retired official who had stepped back to the second line, the only card he had left to play was Minister Xiao Dingyu of the Provincial Organization Department. His son in The Capital's Organization Department was too far away to help.

Although Minister Xiao Dingyu had aligned himself with Secretary Lao Liguo at the previous Standing Committee meeting, deep down, he still maintained the three parts of independence befitting an Organization Department Minister.

If Old Master Li wanted Minister Xiao Dingyu to block Deputy Director Liu Qiang, Minister Xiao Dingyu would have to completely abandon that bit of independence and lean entirely toward Secretary Lao Liguo in order to exchange for Secretary Lao Liguo's support.

This was a multiple-choice question with no second option.

From then on, there would no longer be a Li Faction in Jiangnan Province that could play both sides; it would only be swallowed up by Secretary Lao Liguo.

Zhu Wenhao sat silently in his leather chair for a long time.

To break the stalemate, he absolutely could not make an issue out of Deputy Director Liu Qiang's candidacy.

He had to light a fire elsewhere and burn a big hole through the situation.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the phone on his desk, opened his contacts, and dialed.

After three steady beeps, the call connected.

"Uncle Qi," Zhu Wenhao skipped all the tedious formalities. "How is the progress on the case involving Lei Zhenzi's involvement with underworld gangs, as pushed down by the Provincial Public Security Department?"

On the other end of the line, the voice of Director Qi Shan of the Provincial Public Security Department revealed a sense of exhaustion and indignation.

"It's difficult, as difficult as ascending to heaven." Director Qi Shan paused for a moment. "The initial case files have already been returned once by the Jingjiang Municipal Procuratorate. Their reasoning is that the chain of evidence is incomplete, the facts are unclear, and the police engaged in inducing confessions, which does not meet the criteria for an arrest warrant."

"Can't the Provincial Public Security Department suppress the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"After all, the case is within the jurisdiction of Jingjiang City." Director Qi Shan's tone was heavy. "Secretary Lei Zhen is still the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and he has significant influence over the Jingjiang City political and legal system. Captain Xiao Zhan of the Criminal Investigation Corps is down there keeping a close watch, but those people at the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau are all feigning compliance while acting in opposition. Our Provincial Public Security Department can only provide professional guidance; we can't overstep our authority and write the request for approval of arrest on their behalf, can we?"

"Weren't confessions recorded at the time of the arrest, along with audio evidence?" Zhu Wenhao's fingers slowly rubbed against the desk. "Didn't those thugs who took money to do dirty work identify Lei Jun as the one funding the hired violence from behind the scenes?"

"They all recanted, and the Procuratorate does not recognize the audio evidence." Director Qi Shan's voice was filled with deep helplessness. "Before they entered the Jingjiang City Detention Center, they all promised to confess, but after being in the detention center for two days, their stories were suspiciously consistent. Now, this bunch insists that they only know 'Boss Lei,' and that all financial transactions and orders for violence were passed through 'Boss Lei.' No one dares to point out that Lei Zhenzi is the one standing behind it all."

"The current deadlock lies in the fact that we cannot find this 'Boss Lei'." Director Qi Shan's voice sank lower. "This is the second time we've requested an arrest warrant after supplementary investigation. If we still can't produce new evidence, not only will the Procuratorate not approve it, but according to procedure, once the detention period expires, we have to change the mandatory measures. Once Lei Zhenzi is released on bail, the case will truly become an unresolvable mess."

After listening, Zhu Wenhao's gaze darkened completely.

No wonder Governor Zhou Zhiwen dared to challenge the authority of Secretary Lao Liguo so blatantly at this critical juncture.

Secretary Lei Zhen had taken down the Taiyao Gang in Linjiang City, securing immense political achievements, while the mess of his son's involvement with underworld gangs was being tightly covered up by the Jingjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau, and it looked like he was about to escape unscathed.

This smooth sailing gave them renewed confidence in the Provincial Party Committee Compound.

"I understand, Uncle Qi." Zhu Wenhao didn't dwell on it further. "Hold your position at the Provincial Public Security Department and remain still. The more critical the moment, the less we can afford to give others ammunition against us."

Hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao leaned back into his leather chair.

The situation had reversed.

He had originally intended to use Lei Zhenzi's case to keep Secretary Lei Zhen firmly stuck in the mud, forcing the faction of Deputy Secretary Yang Jianhua to submit. He hadn't expected that Secretary Lei Zhen would ride the wind of the anti-gang campaign in Linjiang, not only washing himself clean but also maneuvering the case into a stalemate.

The enemy forces had united, and the grand game of chess in Jiangnan Province had once again fallen into a quagmire.

Just as he was closing his eyes to deduce the connection between Qingjiang and Jingjiang.

"Knock, knock."

Two rhythmic knocks interrupted the silence in the room.

"Come in." Zhu Wenhao opened his eyes.

The wooden door was pushed open. Director Xu Jie walked in with a steady gait, holding two dark blue government folders.

She walked to the large solid wood desk and first gently placed a red envelope with gold lettering on the corner of the desk.

"Secretary Zhu," Director Xu Jie said in a flat, narrative tone. "This is an engagement invitation sent by Comrade Liu Ruobing. She has invited some classmates from the Spark Class. The date is set for the eighteenth of next month."

Zhu Wenhao's gaze dropped.

That splash of red looked extremely glaring against the dark tabletop.

This invitation was not meant to convey joy; it was the Zhou Faction announcing to the entire province their victory in recruiting their opponents.

"Leave it there." Zhu Wenhao did not reach out to take it.

Director Xu Jie casually opened the other dark blue folder.

"Regarding the video of the violations and the receipt materials for Zhangs Noodle Shop, I have turned them all over to Director Li Qiang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection." She continued to report on specific government affairs. "Director Li Qiang's expression was unpleasant when he received the materials. But since he was operating under the banner of rectifying the work style in Heishi Town, and with Comrade Su Qinghan from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection witnessing it personally, he had no way out. The news just received by the Party and Government Office is that Director Li Qiang has already taken people to the town health center and has directly placed Director Zhang Qiu under isolated investigation."

Using one force to strike another; this nail in the County Commission for Discipline Inspection had finally been driven into the veins of the clan forces.

"Well done." Zhu Wenhao nodded slightly and then said no more.

His thoughts remained on that stalemate in the provincial capital.

Time passed minute by minute in silence.

The office was so quiet that only the ticking of the wall clock remained.

Zhu Wenhao raised his eyes and discovered that Director Xu Jie had not left.

Director Xu Jie stood quietly in front of the desk, her back straight, her hands folded in front of her abdomen.

Those eyes hidden behind narrow-rimmed glasses were gazing at him calmly and fearlessly.

"Director Xu," Zhu Wenhao's voice deepened. "Is there anything else you need to report?"

Director Xu Jie did not back down.

"Secretary, your brows are tightly furrowed, your gaze is unfocused, and the rhythm of your knuckles tapping on the table is erratic." Director Xu Jie hit the nail on the head. "Seeing you in this state, I fear you are not calculating the minor case in Heishi Town."

She extended a slender finger and tapped the red invitation on the corner of the desk.

"May I ask, Secretary Zhu, is the stalemate you are trying to break the one regarding Deputy Director Liu Qiang's promotion to Director of the Development and Reform Commission?"