Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Wang Dashan finally couldn't contain his rage any longer. He turned around abruptly and slammed the judgment onto the mahogany desk.

The hard tabletop groaned in pain, causing the lamp to sway and cast a flickering light that illuminated his ashen, contorted face and blazing eyes.

"Five years! Northwest labor reform farm!"

Wang Dashan's voice was like the growl of a wounded beast, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with shame and rage.

"I, Wang Dashan, joined the army at sixteen, fought the Japanese, fought Chiang Kai-shek, rolled through a hail of bullets, and have seven or eight scars all over my body! I only have one son! Now, just because of a quarrel between young people, I have to spend five years in that godforsaken place? When he gets out, his life will be ruined!"

Sitting opposite the desk was Gao Jianshe, deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Industry, and Gao Peng's father.

He appeared somewhat weaker than Wang Dashan, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, but at this moment, his eyes behind the lenses burned with the same raging anger and deep-seated resentment.

His face was pale, and his lips trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had just experienced a similar shock.

"Old Wang, calm down. Getting angry won't solve anything."

Gao Jianshe's voice trembled slightly, though he tried to remain calm.

"The verdict is in, the die is cast. What we need to think about now is how to settle this score!"

"Settle accounts? Settle accounts with whom?"

Wang Dashan slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it jump.

"With the court? Or with the police? That old bastard Li Yunlong! It must be him! He must have exerted pressure behind the scenes, otherwise how could the sentence be so severe! Ordinary fights, even if there's physical violence, at most result in detention or re-education through labor! But now? It's become a criminal offense, with a minimum of five years! Isn't this trying to kill our kids?"

Gao Jianshe adjusted his glasses, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"The Li family is powerful, Li Yunlong holds a crucial position, and you know about his comrades and former superiors... The court will inevitably have to watch its back. This sentence is indeed outrageously harsh; it's clearly a warning to others, a show for us."

"Show us what he's got? What makes Li Yunlong think he can?"

Wang Dashan growled.

"Back when I was risking my life on the battlefield, he was nowhere to be found! Now, just because he's in a high position, he dares to bully people like this? And that Li Zhenhua! It all started because of him!"

Mentioning the name "Li Zhenhua" seemed to chill the air in the study even further.

Gao Jianshe's expression turned even uglier.

"That's right, Li Zhenhua!"

Gao Jianshe gritted his teeth.

"If he hadn't been so ruthless and merciless, Haitao and Xiaopeng wouldn't have...wouldn't have lost their temper and escalated the situation beyond repair! He could have stopped the conflict, but he chose to resort to violence, making things even worse! He's the culprit!"

In their view, while their child was certainly at fault, Li Zhenhua's strong counterattack was the root cause of such a heavy sentence.

This perception, mixed with the shame of a power vacuum, filled the hearts of these two fathers, who usually held high positions of power, with a burning desire for revenge.

"Li Yunlong, that brute, is notoriously protective of his own."

Wang Dashan, panting heavily, sat back down in his chair, his eyes cold and sinister.

"Taking action against them directly is too difficult, and it might even backfire."

Gao Jianshe nodded. After all, he had been immersed in the local system for many years and was more meticulous.

"A head-on confrontation won't work. Since we can't touch the higher-ups for the time being, let's start from the bottom. Li Zhenhua is the best breakthrough point! All his current glory is built on his position as deputy director of the steel rolling mill. If his foundation is shaken, his prestige is lost, or he is even disgraced, that would be a heavy blow to Li Yunlong! Then, we can try to pull some strings and maybe we can still get Haitao and Xiaopeng's sentences reduced or a better environment."

A fierce glint flashed in Wang Dashan's eyes.

"You mean...get rid of Li Zhenhua?"

"We can't just take them out directly; that would make us too obvious a target."

Gao Jianshe gave a cold smile.

"We need to make him suffer, make him overwhelmed, and let him taste the bitterness of falling from grace! We need to thoroughly investigate his work at the steel mill and his lifestyle! I refuse to believe that someone who has climbed so fast at such a young age has a clean record! Once we find a weakness, we can bring him down piece by piece!"

"right!"

Wang Dashan slapped his thigh hard.

"Let's start with Li Zhenhua! Damn it, I refuse to believe we can't ruin a mere kid! You're in the industrial system, so you have a better understanding of the steel rolling mill. If you need any resources, I can use my connections."

Their eyes met in the dim light, and they reached a consensus.

Shame and anger had bound them tightly together, and a conspiracy against Li Zhenhua was quietly brewing in this closed study.

They decided to bide their time and adopt a roundabout strategy, first attacking Li Zhenhua's prestige and foundation from the outside, with the ultimate goal of shaking the backer behind him, avenging their son, and saving face.

Wang Dashan stood up, walked to the window, lifted a corner of the heavy curtain, looked out at the deep night, and spoke in a chilling tone.

"Li Zhenhua... Li Yunlong... we'll see! This isn't over!"

Gao Jianshe also stood up, his gaze behind his glasses icy.

"I'll arrange for people to start from within the steel rolling mill and 'carefully investigate' this Deputy Director Li's work and life. Old Wang, you should also use your network of connections in Beijing, especially those well-informed people from all walks of life, to focus on investigating his lifestyle. With a two-pronged approach, we're sure to find something on him!"

Inside the study, the atmosphere of conspiracy grew stronger, just like the pervasive night outside the window.

A few days later, the atmosphere was equally somber in a spacious apartment in the Industrial Bureau's residential compound.

Instead of holding the meeting in his office, Gao Jianshe gathered several trusted confidants and a seemingly inconspicuous but actually well-informed and mysterious figure in his small living room at home.

Within the industrial system, there was a frustrated but shrewd senior clerk named Qian, who was known as "Money Enthusiast".

Due to the sensitive nature of his position, Wang Dashan did not attend in person, but conveyed a clear message through Gao Jianshe: spare no expense to find Li Zhenhua's weakness and deliver a fatal blow.

The living room was filled with smoke, and Gao Jianshe sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression.

He first briefly explained the verdicts against Wang Haitao, Gao Peng, and others, deliberately emphasizing the "injustice" of the verdicts and the "possible dark forces behind them," successfully arousing the shared hatred of the people present towards Li Zhenhua and the forces behind him.

"Comrades,"

Gao Jianshe stubbed out his cigarette, his voice low and powerful.

"Everyone knows the situation. Our child acted impulsively and made a mistake, but it doesn't warrant this! Clearly, someone is using this as an excuse to suppress us! And that Li Zhenhua is the pawn, the direct trigger! This young man, relying on his connections, runs rampant in the steel mill, and his lifestyle is extremely immoral! If we let this go unchecked, we will not only be letting our child down, but also condoning this unhealthy trend!"

"Director Gao, please tell us what you want us to do?"

One of his trusted confidants immediately voiced his opinion.

"I've disliked Li Zhenhua for a long time. His promotion was too fast; there's definitely something wrong with him!"

"Yes, we have to teach him a lesson!"

Another person chimed in.

Gao Jianshe nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to the silent "money bastard".

"Old Qian, you've been in the system for a long time, you know a lot of people and have a wide network of information. Tell me first, what exactly can we use against Li Zhenhua at the steel rolling mill?"

Qian Chuanzi pushed up his reading glasses, a shrewd smile appearing on his thin face. He spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Director Gao, fellow leaders, I have indeed heard quite a bit about Li Zhenhua. To summarize, there are several key aspects that can be considered his 'Achilles' heel'."

He held up three fingers.

"First, there's his relationship with Lou Xiao'e, the daughter of a capitalist. Everyone knows Lou Bancheng, right? Li Zhenhua was very close to her, and they were seen together more than once. The conflict at the Moscow restaurant was because of her. A revolutionary cadre getting involved with a capitalist's daughter—what does that call? It calls having an unstable stance and being easily corrupted by the sugar-coated bullets of the bourgeoisie! If this gets pushed further, he'll be in big trouble."

A glint of light flashed in Gao Jianshe's eyes.

"Hmm, that's a good starting point. Lifestyle issues have always been a powerful tool for ruining a person. How much do you know about the specific details?"

Qian Chuanzi chuckled.

"There aren't many details, but they're enough to spark the imagination. For example, some people have seen the Lou family's car frequently picking him up near the steel mill, and there are rumors that Lou Bancheng greatly admires him and even intends to recruit him as his son-in-law. Is there any power-for-sex exchange or transfer of benefits involved? We can 'reasonably suspect' it."

"good!"

Gao Jianshe noted this down.

"And the second one?"

"Secondly, it was about his exceptional promotion of that widow Qin Huairu within the steel rolling mill."

Qian Chuanzi lowered his voice a little.

"Qin Huairu, Jia Dongxu's widow, is from a rural area and has little education; she used to be a housewife. As soon as Li Zhenhua arrived at the logistics department, he put her in the warehouse as a storekeeper—a temporary job, but a lucrative one. Why her of all people? Rumors have been circulating throughout the compound that Li Zhenhua has an ambiguous relationship with Qin Huairu. It's said that Yi Zhonghai's downfall was related to his attempt to control Qin Huairu, which angered Li Zhenhua. Is there any question of abuse of power, or even moral depravity involved?"

This immediately piqued the interest of everyone present.

A widow's home is a place of gossip and trouble, and coupled with the influence of power, it becomes perfect material for spreading rumors and whistleblowing.

"Yi Zhonghai..."

Gao Jianshe pondered for a moment.

"I know this person. He was the old man who used to manage the courtyard house, but Li Zhenhua ousted him. He must hate Li Zhenhua to the core. If we can get some 'testimony' from him, even just ambiguous hints, it would be very damaging."

Money String nodded.

"Director Gao is wise. Yi Zhonghai has lost power and is holding back his anger. As long as we use the right methods, it won't be difficult to get him to talk. There's also Liu Haizhong, who is also power-hungry and both fears and hates Li Zhenhua. He can be used as well."

"Third point,"

"Money String continued."

"That's Li Zhenhua's style in the courtyard house. He's domineering, autocratic, and operates on a one-man rule. He ousted one of the original three elders and suppressed the other two. The neighbors dared not speak out against him. This can be easily categorized as being out of touch with the masses and exhibiting serious bureaucratic tendencies. Especially now that he's a deputy director, it's even more likely to attract the attention of higher authorities regarding the anti-bureaucratic spirit."

Gao Jianshe listened carefully, his brain working at lightning speed, connecting the three weaknesses together.

"In other words, we can start from three aspects at the same time: First, he has a close relationship with the capitalist's daughter and his stance is problematic; second, he promotes a widow with an ambiguous relationship, abuses his power for personal gain, and has a corrupt lifestyle; third, he is domineering and bureaucratic in his behavior among the masses (in the courtyard).

The more he talked, the clearer his thoughts became.

"These three aspects, seemingly independent, are actually interconnected and can paint a negative picture of a young, successful, corrupt, and domineering cadre! If we handle it properly, we can definitely attract the attention of those above!"

"Director Gao, so what exactly do we do?"

Someone asked.

"Write an anonymous letter!"

Gao Jianshe said firmly.

"Not just one letter, but several, sent to different departments! The steel rolling mill's superior authority, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Industry, and the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Supervisory Commission! The content should have different focuses, but the core is these three points. The tone should be like that of an informed member of the public, reflecting on the problems and expressing concerns."

He looked at the money string.

"Old Qian, you have excellent writing skills and inside information, so I'll entrust you with drafting the first draft. Be careful not to fabricate anything out of thin air, but be adept at 'reasonable speculation,' using words like 'it is said,' 'I heard,' and 'public opinion.' The key is to pique the interest of the investigation!"

Qian Chuanzi nodded knowingly.

"Understood, Director Gao. I will make sure the material is both incisive and leaves room for maneuver."

Gao Jianshe then looked at his other trusted confidants.

"You are responsible for finding reliable people to send the mail from different post offices in the city, using different handwriting, different envelopes, and different stamps. The timing should also be staggered to create the illusion that different groups of people are reporting the problem one after another."

A sinister smile crept across his face.

"Furthermore, we can't rely solely on anonymous letters. We also need to stir up public opinion within the steel rolling mill and in the courtyard houses. We must encourage people like Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui to voice their grievances and spread their dissatisfaction with Li Zhenhua. And Li Huaide..."

Gao Jianshe paused, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"Li Huaide is the logistics director of the steel rolling mill, Li Zhenhua's direct superior, and he's been under a lot of pressure from Li Zhenhua lately. Although he's temporarily lying low, he's definitely resentful. We can use an intermediary to 'leak' a hint to him, suggesting that someone is trying to get rid of Li Zhenhua. With Li Huaide's shrewdness, he'll certainly be happy to provide some 'clues,' and even give them a push. As long as he's willing to cooperate secretly, our operation will be much more effective!"

This plan is truly malicious.

Using anonymous letters—a method difficult to trace but highly likely to trigger investigations—combined with public opinion campaigning and the encouragement of insiders, they launched a comprehensive smear campaign and attack against Li Zhenhua.

Even if they can't bring him down immediately, it's enough to embroil him in endless trouble and investigation, severely damaging his prestige and shaking his foundation.

"remember,"

Gao Jianshe concluded by emphasizing this point, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Our goal is to ruin Li Zhenhua's reputation and make his life miserable! We want to get some justice for Haitao and Xiaopeng! The operation must be secretive; we absolutely cannot let anyone find out that we ordered it. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

A hidden arrow aimed at Li Zhenhua is already in the works.