191: Chapter 191 Li Qiang's Pledge of Allegiance

Office of the Executive Deputy Secretary, Qingjiang County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Papers lay silently on the desk.

Director Zhang Qiu's confession, along with the case filing and investigation report signed by "Director Li Qiang" below it, was particularly jarring.

Written in black and white, there was no superfluous embellishment.

This was ironclad proof of betrayal.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang sat in his large leather chair, while the Deputy Director of the First Division stood two steps away from the desk, holding his breath.

He had been sent to deliver these materials, well aware that this was tantamount to pouring water into a frying pan.

The heating in the room was on high, yet Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang felt a chill down his spine.

Director Li Qiang was a trusted subordinate he had personally promoted, and he had been sent to Heishi Town to handle matters regarding Village Secretary Zhang Dahai.

Yet, within mere days of arriving, he had turned around and bitten back with this.

The Deputy Director lowered his eyes, not daring to meet his superior's gaze.

Just when he thought Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang was about to explode, Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang merely waved his hand irritably.

"You may leave."

The Deputy Director turned and left the room immediately.

The moment the door closed, it was as if all the strength had been drained from Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang.

Lose his temper? Throw a cup?

In this office building, the slightest commotion would spread to every department within half an hour.

How many eyes were currently watching him, the Executive Deputy Secretary.

The landline on his desk rang.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang pressed the speakerphone button.

"Secretary Tian." The voice of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection Office Director came through. "Secretary Pang has instructed that a standing committee meeting of the Discipline Inspection Commission will be held at three o'clock this afternoon. Please be sure to attend on time."

Half a month ago, when this office director called, he would still warmly address him as "Old Leader."

Now, that title had been stripped of all its lingering warmth.

Secretary Pang Jianguo bypassing him to issue approval documents to Heishi Town, the Second Division Director, Director Zhao Tiejun, going down to force Director Li Qiang to turn, and now the defection of the office director.

This was by no means a trap that Secretary Pang Jianguo could have set alone.

An invisible hand was stirring the waters of Qingjiang County, turning everything upside down.

He felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He couldn't stay here any longer; he had to find someone.

Outside the office of the Deputy Secretary in the Qingjiang County Party Committee building.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang walked to the door, but the door next to it opened, and Chen Lei, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's dedicated secretary, stepped out, blocking the way two feet from the door.

"Is Deputy Secretary Qin inside?" Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang paused; in the past, he never needed to announce himself when he came here.

"What a coincidence. Deputy Secretary Qin is currently on a call with a superior leader and has instructed that it is inconvenient to receive guests. If you have any work to report, please make an appointment with me first, and I will coordinate a time with you as soon as the Deputy Secretary finishes his call."

He had been given the cold shoulder.

Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang's expression darkened, and he was about to turn to leave a note in the registry.

Chen Lei leaned half a step closer to him, his voice dropping extremely low.

"Secretary Tian. Deputy Secretary Qin specifically instructed me to pass a message to you just now. He said he would call you later. He is aware of the situation regarding the Discipline Inspection Commission."

With that one sentence, Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang's tightly wound heartstrings relaxed.

"Thank you, Division Chief Chen." Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang reined in the irritability he had felt just moments ago, turned back the way he came, and his steps felt a bit lighter.

Watching Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang's back disappear at the end of the corridor, Chen Lei knocked on the door twice and went in.

"Deputy Secretary, Deputy Secretary Tian has left. I have conveyed the words you instructed me to say, word for word."

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was sitting in a master's chair and merely nodded upon hearing this.

Chen Lei tactfully retreated and closed the door tightly.

Alone in the office, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan pondered.

That useless Deputy Secretary Tian Wenguang couldn't hold his ground, and Secretary Pang Jianguo was pushing step by step as if he had eaten gunpowder.

With just these few remnants in Qingjiang County, they couldn't suppress that young man surnamed Zhu.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan put down his teacup, picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed the mobile number of the Secretary-General of the Linjiang Municipal Government.

Ever since Secretary Li Changgeng hanged himself in the detention room, Mayor Su Changming had not designated a new liaison officer, so all daily confidential communications relied on this Secretary-General to coordinate.

"Hello, Secretary-General. This is Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan from Qingjiang County." Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan spoke in an extremely slow tone, "I wonder if Mayor Su is available right now? I have some urgent work here that I need to report to the Mayor."

The Secretary-General replied officially from the other end: "Please wait a moment, Deputy Secretary Qin. I will make a note of it and then ask the Mayor."

Before he could finish speaking, the voice in the receiver suddenly changed.

Another voice cut straight in.

"Yuanshan, I am listening."

It was Mayor Su Changming's voice.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan unconsciously straightened his back a little.

Over the next twenty minutes, this phone call re-stitched the map of interests between Qingjiang County and Linjiang City.

After hanging up the phone, Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan leaned back into his chair.

With that big shot from the city backing him, Heishi Town couldn't turn the world upside down.

Heishi Town, temporary case handling point on the second floor of the town guesthouse.

Ever since signing that pledge of allegiance, Director Li Qiang had no way back.

Only by sacrificing spoils of sufficient weight could he prove his worth to Secretary Pang Jianguo.

Director Zhang Qiu had suffered greatly these past few days.

Gone were the preferential treatments he had upon first arriving; exhaustion interrogation and policy-based psychological warfare were used in turns.

Director Li Qiang had hardened his heart and personally conducted the interrogations, with a strong tendency to dig deep into the protective umbrella behind him.

Director Zhang Qiu had confessed; unable to withstand the interrogation of the Discipline Inspection Commission, he had spilled everything quite readily.

Not only were there details of Director Zhang Qiu abusing his power to extort and solicit bribes, but there was also incriminating evidence of the Zhang Clan using the Red and White Council as a front to forcibly interfere in construction projects and monopolize the building materials business in the town.

There were even several clues pointing to Secretary Qiu Dehai, the Town Party Committee Secretary.

Secretary Qiu Dehai accepted everything, from cigarettes and alcohol as tributes during holidays to cash equivalents for local specialties.

Director Li Qiang flipped through the confession, but his brows gradually furrowed.

There was plenty of dirt on Secretary Qiu Dehai, but another heavyweight figure—Town Mayor Luo Xingbang—was surprisingly squeaky clean in this confession.

Director Zhang Qiu confessed that whenever he went to deliver local specialties to Town Mayor Luo Xingbang during holidays, he couldn't even see the man, and everything was returned intact.

In the foul-smelling, murky environment of Heishi Town, this was simply an anomaly.

However, Director Li Qiang was not concerned with Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's integrity; his gaze was locked on a name that appeared repeatedly in the confession.

Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi.

This was the true linchpin. All the illicit wealth accumulated by the Zhang Clan ultimately converged in this clan elder's private treasury.

It was late at night.

Director Li Qiang made a copy of the organized case files and stuffed them into his briefcase. He put on his overcoat, braved the night, left the guesthouse, and headed straight for the Town Government compound.

On the second floor, the light in the Deputy Secretary's office was still on.

Director Li Qiang knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Pushing the door open, Zhu Wenhao was sitting upright behind the large desk.

Director Li Qiang no longer had the arrogance he had when he first arrived, nor did he feel awkward.

Before Director Zhao Tiejun left, he had made it crystal clear: in Heishi Town, consult Secretary Zhu for everything.

He walked forward and handed over the materials with both hands.

"Secretary Zhu, this is Director Zhang Qiu's confession material. I organized it overnight." Director Li Qiang stood before the desk.

Zhu Wenhao took the materials but did not immediately flip through them; he simply gazed at Director Li Qiang silently.

An enlightened ruler controls his subjects like one controls a fine horse—not by worrying about its temperament, but by utilizing its strength.

Under that penetrating gaze, Director Li Qiang felt a thin layer of sweat break out on his back.

A full minute passed before Zhu Wenhao began to look through the materials.

The Zhang Clan's wealth-accumulation network, Secretary Qiu Dehai's bribery records, and Clan Elder Zhang Laoqi's behind-the-scenes manipulation were all presented one by one.

Zhu Wenhao finished reading the last page, closed the materials, and pressed his palm down on them.

He still did not speak.

This prolonged silence was more unsettling than a severe reprimand.

Director Li Qiang stood where he was, his legs even beginning to tense up involuntarily.

"Director Li." Zhu Wenhao finally spoke.

"These materials should not be appearing here with me."

"Since you are the Director of the First Division of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection, you should personally deliver this interrogation material to Secretary Pang Jianguo's desk." Zhu Wenhao pushed the materials back. "Secretary Pang is the one who will grade your performance."

Just as Director Li Qiang was about to explain, Zhu Wenhao changed the subject.

"However." Zhu Wenhao tapped his index finger lightly on the desk. "This case involves Heishui Village. Police Chief Zhao Gang at the Town Police Station is currently handling a criminal case regarding the Zhang Clan's involvement in organized crime. The clan's economic ledgers and their organized crime activities are fundamentally of the same root and origin."

He looked at Director Li Qiang.

"Tomorrow, Director Zhao will send you some materials that the Police Station has uncovered. You should verify them, combine the Discipline Inspection Commission's leads with the Public Security's leads, and create a detailed special report to submit to the county together."

"Just say that it is the result of a joint investigation between the grassroots public security, procuratorate, and judicial organs and the County Commission for Discipline Inspection."

Having struggled and climbed within the system for so many years, Director Li Qiang instantly understood the meaning of these words.

This was called merging forces.

Zhu Wenhao had not only not turned him away but had instead shared a portion of the Town Police Station's investigation results with him, allowing him to submit an extremely impressive pledge of allegiance, characterized by a joint investigation, before Secretary Pang Jianguo.

This was helping him overcome the difficult situation at the county level.

Director Li Qiang let out a long sigh of relief.

This hurdle could be considered completely cleared.

"Secretary Zhu is right to point this out. I understand what to do now." Director Li Qiang agreed repeatedly.

He put away the original and left the copy on the desk.

"I'll leave the copy for your reference, and I'll go coordinate with Director Zhao now."

Zhu Wenhao nodded slightly.

Director Li Qiang took two steps back and turned to leave the room.

The door closed tightly.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the remaining copy, his gaze falling on a line of text.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang did not accept gifts.

He chuckled softly.

This Town Mayor, able to remain unstained in the mud, was certainly not being morally lofty, but rather employing an extremely slippery fence-sitting tactic.

He wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit; before the situation was clear, he would not give others any leverage.

Interesting.

Zhu Wenhao picked up the white porcelain cup at his side.

Since Town Mayor Luo Xingbang had a clean record, the administrative reins of Heishi Town would sooner or later have to be handed over to him.

But to use him, he would have to force him to jump down from the fence.

The wind outside the window tightened a bit more.

The counterattack from Qingjiang County had already begun.