416: Report to the Imperial Council

Li Yang had always been steady in his actions; for him to break convention and urgently convene the core leadership, it must mean the investigation had made breakthrough progress, and it was certainly no small matter.

Li Yang didn't answer directly. He merely took out three identical data disks, his fingertip pausing lightly on the word “Top Secret” on the cover, then pushed them towards the three men, his voice low.

“Gentlemen, please take a look at this first.”

The soft scrape of the data disks across the table echoed clearly in the silent conference room, as if foretelling the arrival of a storm.

Seeing this, the three men quickly reached out to take the data. But as their eyes fell upon the contents, the expressions on their faces visibly darkened.

Wei An’s fingers suddenly froze, his knuckles white from gripping. Eventually, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. He slammed the data disk onto the table, his voice filled with suppressed rage.

“Vice Speaker, Deputy Presiding Judge, Deputy Commander... Good heavens! This is half of This Galaxy Cluster’s vital departments hollowed out! If we hadn’t uncovered this in advance, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be long before the entire Galaxy’s authority fell into their hands!”

Ou Ben, usually mild-mannered, now had red eyes. He clutched the edge of the data disk.

“I truly didn’t expect them to hide so deeply! On the surface, they acted righteously, but behind the scenes, they were engaged in such schemes!”

An Cheng stared at the name “Jiang Xin” on the document, his gaze as complex as crumpled paper. He slowly raised his head, his tone full of regret.

“When Secretary Li reminded me to keep an eye on her before, I thought I was being overly cautious... She was always gentle with people and handled affairs flawlessly. Who would have thought she was such a person? I was too careless.”

The air in the office was as if solidified, so heavy it was suffocating.

Ou Ben took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and looked at Li Yang, his gaze incredibly serious.

“Secretary Li, as things stand, what do you think we should do? We’ll all listen to you.”

Wei An and An Cheng immediately looked over as well, their eyes filled with complete trust—on a matter of such fundamental importance to the Galaxy, Li Yang’s composure and decisiveness were the support they needed most at this moment.

Li Yang’s fingertip tapped lightly on the desktop. After a moment of contemplation, his voice carried an undeniable solemnity.

“Gentlemen, this matter is too far-reaching, involving core figures in all vital departments. It is no longer something we can handle on our own. I suggest we immediately organize all evidence and report it to the Empire, letting them take the lead in a thorough investigation.”

At these words, the three instantly fell silent.

Reporting to the Empire meant that the matter would be brought completely into the open, and the ensuing storm would inevitably sweep across the entire Galaxy. But at this point, retreat and concealment would only allow this cancerous tumor to spread deeper.

Li Yang’s fingertip hovered over the administrative management system, his voice carrying a solemnity of burning bridges.

“You all know that once this is reported, we will also face disciplinary action. For so many years, we failed to detect internal corruption, even allowing them to exploit loopholes right under the nose of a crackdown. Disciplinary action is inevitable—at best, a demerit and reassignment; at worst... it might be a demotion.”

Ou Ben clutched the data disk, his knuckles white.

“I understand. But what good would delaying do?”

He roughly wiped his face, his voice carrying a fierce resolve.

“We can cover it up for a while, but not forever. These people have dared to extend their reach so widely; if we let them continue, next time it might not be as simple as a demerit.”

He was the first to raise his hand, his knuckles protruding from the effort.

“I agree to report it. At most, it’s a demotion.”

Wei An and An Cheng exchanged glances, both seeing struggle in the other’s eyes.

Wei An gritted his teeth, raising his hand with a swift motion.

“Chairman Ou is right. We can’t let the rules we’ve upheld for so many years become a cover for their corruption. I also agree.”

An Cheng was the last to raise his hand.

“Disciplinary action is disciplinary action, demotion is demotion. At least our consciences will be clear. It’s better than sleepless nights, thinking about the embezzled resources and falsified accounts.”

Seeing this, Li Yang silently nodded and uploaded all the reports and data to the Imperial Supreme Political Council.

Now, he just needed to wait for the authorities to handle it.

Ou Ben breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair, looking at Li Yang with clear confusion on his face.

“Speaking of which, Secretary Li, I’ve always been a little curious. Lately, I’ve seen you handling routine official business in your office, with no special actions, so how did you suddenly produce such a detailed report? Even the details from Vice Speaker’s side are so clearly understood. It’s too impressive, isn’t it?”

Li Yang looked up and smiled, his tone relaxed.

“This matter, I didn’t investigate it myself. I had Xia Quan do it.”

“Xia Quan?”

Ou Ben was stunned for a moment, then reacted.

“You mean Director Xia from the Discipline Inspection Commission office?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

Li Yang nodded in confirmation.

Ou Ben became even more puzzled, his brows slightly furrowed.

“But... Xia Quan’s authority shouldn’t be enough, logically. Information at the Vice Speaker level isn’t something he can easily access at his level. How does that make sense?”

Li Yang put down the document in his hand and explained.

“Because I have fully delegated all my authority to Xia Quan. This way, he can mobilize the necessary resources, check information without hindrance, and naturally investigate the details so thoroughly.”

Upon hearing the words “fully delegated,” Ou Ben, An Cheng, and Wei An all gasped sharply, the color draining from their faces instantly.

That was too bold! It should be known that, according to regulations, full delegation of authority is tantamount to a transfer of power, only permitted in extreme special circumstances such as responding to threats to Galaxy security or major disasters.

And this investigation, even if the targets involved high-ranking officials, before the results were clear, it was at most a routine check, far from meeting the standard of a “major special event.”

“If something went wrong midway...”

An Cheng’s voice trembled.

“Even if people from Vice Speaker Wang Wen’s side noticed the slightest anomaly and casually reported Secretary Li for abuse of power or unauthorized delegation, the consequences...”

Ou Ben took over, his expression grave.

“Secretary Li would at best receive a major demerit and demotion, and at worst be directly dismissed and investigated. As for Xia Quan, as the actual user of the authority, he probably wouldn’t even have a chance to defend himself; his official uniform would be stripped on the spot, and he might even be saddled with the blame of ‘exceeding authority and acting recklessly,’ his career completely ruined.”

Wei An also added with lingering fear.

“Moreover, if such a matter escalates, it’s not just individual disciplinary action; the credibility of the entire department would be affected, and it might even trigger a storm of authority checks...”

The three exchanged glances, all seeing lingering fear in each other’s eyes.

Fortunately, Li Yang’s risky move paid off—Xia Quan not only uncovered the truth, but the chain of interests and potential risks revealed by the investigation indeed qualified as a “major special event,” effectively turning “violation” into “on-the-spot decision-making.”

“This was like walking a tightrope; one misstep would lead to an abyss.”

Ou Ben clutched his chest, still shaken.

“Secretary Li’s courage is truly... admirable and startling.”