434: Chapter 434 Liu Wenming is placed under investigation

Because Mayor Liu claimed he was framed by Qin Chuan and General Manager Tang Yuqiao, the investigation team immediately interrogated General Manager Tang Yuqiao.

The once glamorous social butterfly was now a prisoner.

Handcuffed, General Manager Tang Yuqiao sat in the interrogation chair.

"Tang Yuqiao, what is the deal with the pinhole camera equipment?"

General Manager Tang Yuqiao knew resistance was futile and that a full confession was her only way out. She replied, "Mayor Liu instigated me several times, demanding I use my beauty to seduce Secretary Qin Chuan. I prepared that set of pinhole camera equipment, thinking that if the seduction succeeded, I could record the scene and use it as leverage against Secretary Qin Chuan."

The members of the Joint Investigation Team were slightly stunned; they hadn't expected this situation.

"Are you sure Mayor Liu instigated it? Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes, I have recordings of several instances."

Soon, the recording files were retrieved. They were very clear; it was indeed Mayor Liu hinting that General Manager Tang Yuqiao should use her charms on Qin Chuan.

"Tang Yuqiao, did you succeed?"

"I didn't. Qin Chuan is very upright and didn't fall for it at all. No matter how I used my charms, it was useless. He even warned me and deliberately kept his distance."

"That pinhole camera equipment was originally meant to be used against Secretary Qin Chuan. Who would have known that last night, Mayor Liu used the excuse of discussing work to knock on my door, and as soon as he entered, he grabbed me..."

General Manager Tang Yuqiao sobbed, pretending to be a victim as she recounted the events.

"Leaders, I was forced! In my position, what could I do when Mayor Liu wanted to have relations with me? Leaders, you must seek justice for me."

After the interrogation, the investigation team gave a detailed report to the leader, Deputy Secretary Zhao. Upon hearing it, Deputy Secretary Zhao nodded but didn't offer any opinion for the time being.

He simply said, "I understand. Keep the evidence safe. I need to report to the Provincial Party Committee."

Additionally, he personally went to Qin Chuan's office once more.

Since Mayor Liu claimed Qin Chuan had set him up, even though it didn't look like that and was almost certainly Mayor Liu lashing out blindly, he still had to speak with Qin Chuan in his capacity as the head of the investigation team.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, Mayor Liu says you and General Manager Tang Yuqiao teamed up to frame him. Is there any truth to this?"

Qin Chuan said, "No, there's no such thing. Mayor Liu is just biting back blindly, trying to drag me into this."

The clerk nearby looked at Deputy Secretary Zhao, unsure whether to record this literally, as it would be entered into the official files.

Deputy Secretary Zhao waved his hand and said, "Record it as it is."

Then, he asked, "Secretary Qin, do you know Mayor Liu well? What kind of person is he?"

Qin Chuan replied, "As for Mayor Liu, he appears sanctimonious and clean on the surface, but he's actually quite lecherous. Some comrades have privately reported to me that he maintains improper relationships with several female comrades and even has an illegitimate son who is seven years old this year, attending Class One, Grade Two at Hongri Road Primary School..."

He was merely mentioning a small fraction of what he had found in the system, just the tip of the iceberg.

Even so, Deputy Secretary Zhao's expression changed slightly. He said solemnly, "Secretary Qin Chuan, is the information you've provided accurate?"

Secretary Qin Chuan said, "It should be more or less correct, as more than one comrade has reported it to me privately. Whether it's true or not, you can just go and investigate."

"By the way, some comrades also reported that while Mayor Liu seems very clean, his corruption is actually quite serious. There's a villa community in Dongjiang City called Yujing Longwan; Villa No. 6 belongs to Mayor Liu, registered under the name Liu Lili. This Liu Lili is one of his mistresses."

Since Deputy Secretary Zhao was very interested, Qin Chuan disclosed some more information, making Deputy Secretary Zhao feel as if he had discovered a new world.

If Mayor Liu really was a major corrupt official and he was the one who led the team to catch him, it would be a massive achievement.

When he left the Municipal Party Secretary's office, he felt like he was returning with a full harvest.

Watching Secretary Zhao and the others leave, Qin Chuan's expression turned cold. He thought to himself, 'Mayor Liu, you still want to bite me and slander me for framing you? Then don't blame me. This time, you'll have no choice but to go in and step on a sewing machine.'

Having worked in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Qin Chuan knew very well that what he had just revealed was enough. The investigation team would follow the clues and dig up everything on Mayor Liu.

Although the investigation team had entered secretly and was investigating quietly without much fanfare, there's no such thing as a wall without a crack; news still spread within the Dongjiang City establishment.

"I heard Mayor Liu is in trouble!"

"I heard it too! The provincial Joint Investigation Team has arrived in our city and is already conducting a series of investigations!"

"Do you think Mayor Liu will fall?"

"Probably not. He has a good relationship with Secretary Wu Qiaoxi, and Secretary Wu's relationship with the Provincial Party Secretary is extraordinary."

"..."

Many officials were whispering, and as the news spread further, more and more people found out.

On the third day after the investigation team arrived in Dongjiang City.

Most of the investigation was complete, and they had gathered a large amount of evidence of Mayor Liu's corruption, including his relationship with General Manager Tang Yuqiao, his seven-year-old illegitimate son, his acceptance of huge sums of money and property from others, and so on.

Secretary Zhao personally led the team and first briefed Qin Chuan, informing him that the Provincial Party Committee had decided to have Mayor Liu taken away for investigation.

Qin Chuan immediately expressed his support for the Provincial Party Committee's decision and stated that the Dongjiang Municipal Party Committee would fully cooperate with the investigation team's actions.

Thus, Deputy Secretary Zhao brought people and vehicles to the Municipal Government compound, walked straight into the Mayor's office, and took Mayor Liu away.

Mayor Liu didn't make a scene or a fuss, nor did he pin his hopes on Secretary Wu Qiaoxi. He knew that Secretary Wu Qiaoxi loathed corruption and would never speak up for him.

He felt a bit of regret.

If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have fought with Qin Chuan. If he had stood with Qin Chuan and remained in alignment from the start, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

When Mayor Liu was taken away, many people watched. Even as he was being driven away in the car, many people craned their heads out of windows to watch.

Mayor Liu was actually taken away for investigation.

The Dongjiang City political scene was likely to experience another major earthquake. It was unknown who else would be implicated and invited to the Discipline Inspection Commission for tea one after another.

Most people had a "spectator" mentality, but a few, especially those in Mayor Liu's faction, began to feel a bit of panic, worrying that they might also be taken away.

For example, Minister Qu Boming, a member of the Municipal Standing Committee and the Head of the United Front Work Department.

He had been a bit uneasy when he heard Mayor Liu was being investigated, but now that he heard Mayor Liu was taken away for investigation, he began to feel a sense of panic.

What to do, what to do...

He was as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle, pacing back and forth in his office with his hands behind his back, thinking of a countermeasure.