38: Chapter 38 Qi Shan, Director of the Public Security Bureau

The phone rang persistently for five seconds before Li Juan's voice came through the receiver, getting straight to the point without any polite pleasantries.

"Zhu Wenhao, do you need me to step in?"

"Mother, I must trouble you to make a trip to the provincial capital."

"Go see Director Qi Shan of the Provincial Public Security Department."

"Qi Shan..." Li Juan repeated the name, her tone carrying a hint of understanding.

He was a former subordinate whom Elder Li had personally helped appoint back in the day, and a crucial piece of the Li family's puzzle in Jiangnan Province's political and legal system.

The Li family's foundation was far beyond what Liu Family could compare to.

Above, they had powerful regional officials like Minister Xiao Dingyu of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department holding the center, while in the middle, they had influential figures like Secretary Zhu Tianhe guarding their local territory.

This lineup was the true heavenly net of Jiangnan.

"We will proceed as we discussed," Zhu Yuntong's voice carried no emotion.

"Please have Director Qi step in and issue a transfer order from the Provincial Public Security Department."

"Transfer the current political commissar of the Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau to the Provincial Public Security Department's Security Corps as deputy commander."

"Cutting the ground from under their feet." Li Juan instantly saw through the ruthlessness of this move.

Although transferring from political commissar to deputy corps commander kept the same administrative rank, the platform was larger, making it effectively a promotion. This also significantly reduced the difficulty of coordinating the move through the Provincial Public Security Department.

The Municipal Party Committee wouldn't be able to utter a single word of objection.

"Secretary Tian Limin used the internal unity of the public security system as an excuse to refuse to let people go," Zhu Yuntong's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Then I'll clear the position for him."

"Once the political commissar's position is vacant, there will be no further obstacles to Political Commissar Wang Haitao's appointment."

Furthermore, it would serve as a demonstration of strength to Secretary Tian Limin.

"This move is risky enough, and ruthless enough," Li Juan agreed on the other end of the line. "I'll head to the provincial capital to arrange a meeting now. However, you'll have to personally repay the favor of using Elder Li's network in the future."

"Understood."

The call ended.

Zhu Yuntong tossed his phone onto the desk, but his mind was reviewing another matter.

Last night, he had a long, overnight talk with Secretary Zhu Tianhe, thoroughly mapping out Secretary Zhu Tianhe's network of relationships in Jiangnan Province.

The result was frustrating.

For someone who had operated in Linjiang City as the executive vice mayor for so many years, Secretary Zhu Tianhe's network of connections was laughably sparse.

He was like an ox that only knew how to pull the cart with its head down, never knowing how to look up at the road, let alone build a network.

Every time he went to the provincial capital to report on his work, he never visited any department other than his old superior. He never had any private contact with his supervising vice governor outside of official business.

If not for the arrival of his soul as a Great Ming Emperor...

Within a few years, the sinking ship of the Zhu family would surely be sunk by the combined efforts of Secretary Tian Limin and Mayor Su Changming, leaving not even a piece of driftwood behind.

Minister Xiao Dingyu's and Elder Li's disciples and old associates were, after all, someone else's assets, not his own core team.

Borrowing influence was only temporary.

Once the dust settled on this game in Linjiang, he would have to personally visit the provincial capital to weave a network that truly belonged to them, for Secretary Zhu Tianhe's sake.

Only by weaving a net could one catch fish.

Having finished his day's work, Zhu Yuntong drove back to Donghuwan Apartment.

Pushing open the door, warm light spilled out from the room.

Su Qinghan had already brought three dishes and a soup to the dining table. She wore a casual beige dress, her long hair loosely tied back, exuding a down-to-earth warmth that transcended her usual elegance.

The two sat down in tacit agreement, not discussing the day's open and covert struggles, but simply eating their meal in silence.

The occasional clinking of bowls and chopsticks was the only sound in the apartment.

This unspoken companionship felt exceptionally real outside the scheming arena of power.

Night fell.

The master bedroom door was left slightly ajar.

Su Qinghan had finished washing up. Her silk, champagne-colored slip nightgown shimmered softly under the dim bedside lamp.

She pushed the door open and walked in.

There were no superfluous words.

She simply walked to the bedside, leaned down, and claimed her sovereignty over the night with an irresistible kiss.

...

After a long time.

Su Qinghan lay on his broad shoulder, her warm breath brushing against the side of his neck.

She could clearly hear his steady and powerful heartbeat, sounding like a drumbeat, one after another, right next to her ear.

She shifted her posture, making it easier for him to caress her chest.

"Today, the people from the Discipline Inspection Commission called me in for questioning."

"What did they ask?" Zhu Yuntong half-closed his eyes, his hand gently stroking her smooth back to soothe her nerves, which had been tense all day.

Sensing the nonchalance in his tone, Su Qinghan felt a bit slighted.

This man had been insatiable just a moment ago, yet in the next second, he switched back into a cold machine.

Reluctant to let go, she pressed her back even tighter against him, almost merging with him, using this method to assert her presence.

"They asked me why I went to dig up the old accounts of Chengnan High-tech Industrial Park, and why I repeatedly lingered on the transaction logs."

"How did you answer?" Zhu Yuntong's voice remained steady.

"Just as we agreed," Su Qinghan rested her head against his chin. "I said I was a newcomer who wasn't familiar with the business, so I used last year's large projects for practice. I kept clicking them because the system was lagging."

"Their reaction?"

"No reaction at all. After the questioning, they had me sign and let me go."

Zhu Yuntong opened his eyes, and his previously lazy gaze instantly became as sharp as an eagle's.

This piece of news completed the final missing link on his chessboard.

"Team Leader Qiu Rui is casting a net."

Zhu Yuntong's fingers tapped rhythmically against her chest. "He screened everyone who might have come into contact with the clues, trying to find the fish that got away."

"Yet you, Mayor Su Changming's biological daughter, are auditing the accounts of Mayor Su Changming's direct subordinates."

"This in itself is the biggest flaw."

Su Qinghan propped up half her body, the cold moonlight outlining her beautiful silhouette. "Then why didn't they expose me on the spot?"

"Because they didn't need to."

Zhu Yuntong pulled her back into his arms, holding her tight against his warm chest.

"Your excuse was clumsy, but Team Leader Qiu Rui already had his conclusions. You might be the whistleblower who sent the report. Questioning you was merely to observe your reaction and see if you really are the informant."

"And they are still waiting," Zhu Yuntong made his final judgment.

"Waiting for Mayor Su Changming to make a mistake himself."

The Inspection Team's patience was the sword of Damocles hanging over Mayor Su Changming's head.

"There's no movement on Mayor Su Changming's end," Su Qinghan said softly. "The Finance Bureau is in a state of panic right now, with people being called in for talks every day, yet he remains completely unperturbed."

Of course Mayor Su Changming made no move.

He was certain that the Inspection Team had no fatal evidence in hand; any unnecessary action at this moment would only expose his guilt.

Moreover, he wasn't the one who had handled the specific operations, and the project had run within the framework of the Municipal Government anyway; he had merely approved a few documents.

Zhu Yuntong changed the subject and laid out Secretary Zhu Tianhe's situation over the past two days: "Secretary Tian Limin allied with him to divide up the positions in the Development and Reform Commission and the executive vice mayor. My father is already at a disadvantage regarding personnel authority."

Su Qinghan's body stiffened. "They won't even leave a drop of soup for Secretary Zhu? Then what about Political Commissar Wang Haitao?"

"That's why I had my mother go to the provincial capital."

"Secretary Tian Limin wants to bind us with local municipal rules, so I will use provincial power to flip his chessboard entirely."

"Once Director Qi issues the transfer order and the position of political commissar of the Municipal Public Security Bureau is vacated, everything will fall into place."

Su Qinghan's breath hitched.

This kind of cross-level, dimensionality-reducing blow directly from the provincial level was so domineering that it made her heart tremble.

"Secretary Tian Limin and Mayor Su Changming think they can control Linjiang by joining forces."

"Then I'll show them."

"Who really calls the shots in this game."

Su Qinghan buried her head deep in his chest and closed her eyes.

Beside this man, she felt a sense of peace she had never experienced before.

It was as if no matter how the storms raged outside, he could single-handedly support an absolutely safe haven for her.