307: Chapter 307 Playing the Second Card

Zhu Wenhao raised his eyes and slowly swept his gaze across the people present.

Li Zhengxing sat up straight, eager to demonstrate his acumen as the eldest son of the Li Family before Minister Xiao Dingyu, and spoke first: "Secretary Lao's study is not a place just anyone can enter. Zhu Wenhao, who did you meet? Which leader from the Provincial Party Committee?"

In his view, anyone appearing in the study of Compound No. 1 at that time could, at most, be a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee.

Zhu Wenhao leaned back into the spacious chair, his tone flat.

"Deputy Secretary Zhou Rui of the Capital Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

The short sentence was like a depth charge, detonating with a roar inside the study.

Minister Xiao Dingyu's hand holding the teacup froze in mid-air. This Minister of the Organization Department, who held the fate of countless officials in Jiangnan Province in his hands, felt a rare surge of turbulent shock in his eyes.

Li Zhenguo's fingers gripping his cane tightened suddenly, and several veins bulged on the back of his withered hand.

Only Li Zhengxing was stunned for a moment. His brain quickly searched the roster of Jiangnan Province officials, but he couldn't place the name. He blurted out: "Deputy Secretary Zhou Rui? That name sounds a bit familiar... From The Capital? What is his background?"

With that one sentence, the difference in caliber was immediately apparent.

Minister Xiao Dingyu slowly placed the teacup back on the table and glanced at Li Zhengxing. The undisguised disappointment in his eyes stung like a needle.

"He is the older brother of Governor Zhou Zhiwen." Secretary Zhu Tianhe, sitting nearby, spoke clearly, filling in this critical gap in information for his brother-in-law. "This time, The Capital sent a working group down to Jiangnan Province to thoroughly investigate the Secretary Lei Zhen case. Deputy Secretary Zhou Rui is the overall team leader from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

Li Zhengxing's face twitched twice. He gave a dry laugh, trying to cover up his loss of composure, and quickly picked up his teacup, using the tactical maneuver of drinking water to defuse the awkwardness.

"Secretary Lao let you into the study and even had Deputy Secretary Zhou Rui present to listen in." Minister Xiao Dingyu's gaze refocused on Zhu Wenhao, his expression unprecedentedly serious. "Zhu Wenhao, Secretary Lao is using your mouth to send a message to The Capital!"

For someone who has reached the position of a Standing Committee member of the Provincial Party Committee, a single spark is enough to perceive the whole situation.

"Minister Xiao, your eyes are like torches." Zhu Wenhao leaned forward slightly. "Executive Deputy Minister Liu entered this compound with great fanfare yesterday precisely because he wanted to forcibly stamp the Liu Family's mark onto our Li Family. He thought that by muddying the waters, Secretary Lao would become suspicious of the Li Family, thereby triggering turbulence in the Jiangnan officialdom, which would give Secretary Lei Zhen a chance to catch his breath."

"The Liu Family's methods have always been sinister." Li Zhenguo let out a cold snort and slammed his cane heavily on the floor.

"Sinister, but it also shows they are desperate." Zhu Wenhao continued his analysis. "They miscalculated one point. What Secretary Lao needs most right now is the absolute stability of Jiangnan Province. He wants to prove to The Capital that even if he pulls out the tumor of Secretary Lei Zhen that has been entrenched for many years, the sky of Jiangnan Province will not collapse, and he, Secretary Lao Liguo, can control this situation."

"Today in the study, Deputy Secretary Zhou Rui used grassroots issues and capital to pressure me." Zhu Wenhao's tone remained as relaxed as if he were just chatting. "I only replied to him with one sentence: 'Transparent ledgers, public supervision.' I treat the common people of Heishi Town as my greatest backing; no one will be able to find a single fault with me."

Minister Xiao Dingyu nodded slowly, his gaze at Zhu Wenhao changing completely.

A deputy section-level cadre from a township, standing before two ministerial-level officials, showed not a shred of timidity or retreat. Instead, he used an impeccable set of grassroots principles to flawlessly deflect the harassment and probing on behalf of the head of the Provincial Party Committee.

Such intellect and shrewdness, looking across the entire younger generation of Jiangnan Province, are truly unique.

"Zhu Wenhao, since Secretary Lao has already figured out the cards, what should our Li Family do next?" Li Zhengxing put down his teacup, eager to regain control of the conversation. "How about, after I return to The Capital, I visit the Liu Family privately? We can talk things out and clear up the misunderstanding. Or, I can proactively leak some information to friendly media to clarify things?"

Utterly foolish.

Zhu Wenhao couldn't even be bothered to refute him; he leaned back into his chair and picked up his teacup.

Secretary Zhu Tianhe glanced at his brother-in-law and took over the conversation. "Big Brother, if you visit the Liu Family at this time, it is equivalent to telling everyone that our Li Family wants to bet on both sides and have it both ways. As for finding the media, that will only make things messier and cause us to lose our footing."

"Resilient despite a thousand blows, let the winds blow from any direction." Zhu Wenhao finally spoke, setting the tone for this game of chess. "We don't need to do anything. Silence is the loudest answer. As long as we remain as steady as Mount Tai, the Liu Family's solo performance will only be seen by the blind."

"What a 'let the winds blow from any direction'!" Minister Xiao Dingyu praised, his appreciation undisguised.

He stood up and straightened the hem of his jacket. This New Year's visit had yielded results far exceeding his expectations. Although the old man of the Li Family had retired, there was Secretary Zhu Tianhe holding the line at the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee, and now there was this unfathomable young man, Zhu Wenhao. This force was worth Minister Xiao Dingyu putting in great effort to deeply bind with.

"Elder Li, Secretary Zhu Tianhe." Minister Xiao Dingyu's attitude became instantly more cordial. "The Organization Department is going to adjust a batch of cadres after the New Year. In Qingjiang County, County Mayor Gu Mingchuan has done a good job this year; he is very solid. If he has time, have him come to the province; I would like to hear his ideological report."

Secretary Zhu Tianhe understood immediately. This was Minister Xiao Dingyu actively releasing benefits.

"I will certainly have him come to report to Minister Xiao in person as soon as possible." Secretary Zhu Tianhe immediately agreed.

Minister Xiao Dingyu did not stay long. He politely declined Li Zhenguo's invitation to stay for a meal and, accompanied by Secretary Zhu Tianhe, walked out of the old residence's gate.

Li Zhengxing sat in his chair, watching Minister Xiao Dingyu's departing back, a deep sense of unwillingness flashing in his eyes. He had racked his brains to win over the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department, Qi Tian, and the man hadn't even given him a definitive answer. Yet, a few light words from Zhu Wenhao had caused Minister Xiao Dingyu to proactively extend an olive branch.

The balance of power had tilted so completely, and so cruelly.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in The Capital.

Inside a heavily guarded courtyard house, the heater was burning brightly. Executive Deputy Minister Liu sat in a grand chair, turning two glossy, polished collector's walnuts in his hand. The walnuts collided in his palm, emitting a dull sound.

A middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit walked quickly into the room and stopped three steps away.

"Minister, there is news from Jiangnan Province." The middle-aged man lowered his head to report.

"Speak."

"The Li Family has made no moves. They have neither clarified anything publicly nor sent anyone to contact us privately." The man spoke quickly. "Furthermore, this morning, the Li Family's grandson, Zhu Wenhao, was driven by the eldest daughter of the Xu Family into Compound No. 1. He stayed inside for a full hour."

"Click."

The sound of the clashing walnuts ceased abruptly.

The muscles at the corner of Executive Deputy Minister Liu's eyes twitched unnaturally. He had thought that by going to the Li Family's old residence himself, he could force Li Zhenguo to lose his composure and scramble for connections to smooth things over. As long as the Li Family moved, the muddy waters would be stirred up.

As it turned out, the Li Family was like a stone in a latrine—stinky and hard—stuck in place and unmoving. That young brat named Zhu Wenhao had actually bypassed all intermediate levels and gone to see Secretary Lao Liguo.

Secretary Lao Liguo being willing to see him meant that this open conspiracy had already been seen through clearly by the other party and neutralized with even tougher measures.

"Good methods, and enough patience." Executive Deputy Minister Liu placed the walnuts on the table, his eyes as cold as ice.

Secretary Lei Zhen had operated in Jiangnan Province for half a lifetime; that was the Liu Family's base in the South. Now that Secretary Lei Zhen was suspended and the working group was descending immediately, if they couldn't create enough chaos in Jiangnan Province, Secretary Lei Zhen would have no choice but to sit and wait for death.

"Since they won't enter the game, then we will force them into it." Executive Deputy Minister Liu stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bare locust tree in the courtyard.

"Deputy Team Leader Liu Hao has collected quite a bit of material regarding Linjiang City over the past half year in Jiangnan Province." Executive Deputy Minister Liu issued his instructions. "Those peripheral scraps of information regarding the mining industry restructuring in Heishi Town and the allocation of funds in the financial accounts—find a few people who are good with their pens and process them well for me."

He turned his head, his gaze gloomy.

"Do not use our channels in The Capital. Find an internal opening within Jiangnan Province and, in an anonymous manner, deliver these materials directly to the Case Management Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"Make a big scene for me. As long as the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection accepts the materials and registers them, the Li Family and Secretary Zhu Tianhe will have to come forward to respond. Even if there is no evidence in the end, just going through the process will peel a layer of skin off them."

The middle-aged man accepted the order and retreated quickly.

The Liu Family's second card was sinister and vicious, pointing directly at the discipline inspection system.