Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

Lin Feng leaned back on the sofa, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on his knees. "At the last Standing Committee meeting, Li Dakang brought up the old grudge of crying at the grave, pointing his finger at you in front of all the Standing Committee members, labeling you, Qi Tongwei, as someone who climbed up the ranks by flattery and sycophancy! Do you have a grudge against this Secretary Dakang?"

"No, Li Dakang and I have no work-related conflicts. In fact, I even spoke up for Ding Yizhen. I don't understand what he's trying to gain by doing this. It's harmful to others and doesn't benefit him at all." Qi Tongwei's eyes were gloomy.

Lin Feng calmly analyzed, "There are two possibilities. First, it's purely that he personally dislikes you. Li Dakang is a morally fastidious person, and extremely arrogant; he might not like some of your ways of doing things. But more likely, it's the second possibility—"

Lin Feng's fingers, which were tapping his knee, suddenly stopped. "He was acting under someone's orders, or at least with some kind of tacit approval."

"Being instructed by someone?" Qi Tongwei frowned. "Li Dakang is strong-willed and always makes decisions unilaterally, rarely giving orders to anyone. Who could possibly instruct him?"

"On the surface, no one can really order him around." A cold smile appeared on Lin Feng's lips.

"But what if it was some kind of tacit test? For example... Secretary Sha Ruijin. He's new here and needs to figure out the boundaries of everyone's reactions. Letting Li Dakang make that remark at the meeting could both test your teacher Gao Yuliang's bottom line of protecting his own and his ability to respond, and also observe the attitudes of the other Standing Committee members. If your teacher's response had been inappropriate, or if the situation had gotten out of control, your promotion to vice-provincial level would probably be very different today."

Qi Tongwei's breath hitched. "Isn't he afraid my teacher will flip the table right there?"

"Flip the table?" Lin Feng chuckled.

"Li Dakang started it, and the firepower is aimed at you. If your teacher overturns the table, who will he attack? Li Dakang? In political battles, it often comes down to who loses their temper first. Sha Ruijin's move is both offensive and defensive. Li Dakang is the knife in his hand."

Qi Tongwei remained silent, processing this judgment. If Sha Ruijin had indeed been instigating or tacitly approving it behind the scenes, it meant that the top leader's vigilance and restraint over him and Gao Yuliang were more direct than expected.

"However, now that this knife has come," Lin Feng changed the subject, "we can't let it go to waste. We must fight back, and strike where it hurts most."

"Isn't Cai Chenggong in your hands? You suppressed the matter at the time because you didn't want to offend this provincial standing committee member who could vote against you. Now, it's the perfect time to use it."

Qi Tongwei's eyes flashed. "You mean...?"

"Han Bin has just taken office as the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and needs to establish his authority," Lin Feng said calmly.

"Isn't he the person you recommended? Hand him the materials about Cai Chenggong and Ouyang Jing. You don't need to tell him explicitly; he knows what to do. As long as there is preliminary evidence and the procedures are followed, it's not impossible to initiate an investigation or even take coercive measures against the spouse of a vice-ministerial level official. First, it will allow Han Bin to quickly gain a foothold and solidify his position; second, it will teach Li Dakang a lesson he'll never forget—watch your mouth and watch your family. This is more effective than arguing with him ten times in a meeting."

Qi Tongwei fell silent, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of the teacup.

Lin Feng's proposal was extremely bold, with both huge risks and rewards. Using anti-corruption forces to target the spouse of a provincial standing committee member was an extremely sensitive political maneuver; if it got out of control, the backlash would be unimaginable. But if handled properly… Li Dakang would be in a terrible predicament, and his reputation would be severely damaged.

"As for Han Bin... does he have the guts and the means? After all, the target is Li Dakang," Qi Tongwei pondered.

"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try. This is also a test for him," Lin Feng said calmly.

"Cai Chenggong is no match for him. He can verify the authenticity of the materials according to the law. Once the first step is taken, the rest will no longer be entirely under Li Dakang's control. Of course, it has to be done cleverly, making it appear as if the Anti-Corruption Bureau is handling the case independently according to the law, and you just happened to obtain the clues and handed them over according to procedure."

A fierce glint flashed in Qi Tongwei's eyes; he was clearly swayed. How could he not harbor resentment after Li Dakang's humiliation at the Standing Committee meeting? This was indeed a well-timed counterattack, but he still had reservations.

"Ouyang Jing's matter probably involves more than just Li Dakang. It will also implicate Handong Oil and Gas Group. Although my teacher said that Liu Xinjian might be transferred to the west soon, which is considered a smooth landing, if things go wrong with Ouyang Jing, it could very well drag Liu Xinjian into it as well, and then..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng remained silent for a moment, then gently tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa.

Liu Xinjian is too deeply entangled with the Zhao family. If Liu Xinjian is detonated in order to strike at Li Dakang, it might harm the Zhao family as well, which would be a losing proposition.

"Hmm, this is a problem," Lin Feng pondered. "We can't afford to lose sight of the bigger picture and alert the enemy."

Lin Feng suddenly looked up at Qi Tongwei and said, "Here's what I'll do: tomorrow, could you arrange an appointment with this Vice President Ouyang Jing? I want to speak with her personally."

Qi Tongwei was taken aback. "You talked to her? Talked about what?"

"Talk to her about the pros and cons, and point her in the right direction."

"Li Dakang cherishes his reputation and acts forcefully. He may not be satisfied with everything his wife, who values ​​quality of life, can do, and his restraints may not always be effective. Cai Chenggong's whistleblower report is a sword hanging over her head. Rather than letting Han Bin take the report and expose it directly, causing a huge scandal and resulting in Li Dakang losing face and her going to jail, it's better... to let her maintain some dignity."

"You mean... you want to use the materials to threaten her and make her influence Li Dakang?" Qi Tongwei immediately understood Lin Feng's intention.

Lin Feng shook his head, "No, we'll see what Ouyang Jing is like later."

"Okay!" Qi Tongwei nodded. "I'll arrange it tomorrow, to meet Ouyang Jing privately. The location must be absolutely safe."

Lin Feng nodded, then changed the subject, "There's one more thing you need to deal with immediately, without any delay."

"What is it?"

"I received a message." Lin Feng leaned forward, lowering his voice even further.

"Your Shanshui Group has a finance manager named Liu Qingzhu, you might remember him. He has an account book that records the money you've given to those high-ranking officials over the past nine years. Now, this guy is afraid you'll silence him, so he's thinking of reporting you."

Qi Tongwei's expression changed abruptly. "Is the information reliable? Where is he?"

"You don't need to worry about the source; it's basically reliable." Lin Feng waved his hand. "He's still in Jingzhou, but he's very cautious. As far as I know, he hid the evidence and USB drive at his hometown."

"He and his wife, Wei Caixia, separated after only six months of marriage due to incompatibility. However, Wei Caixia did not divorce him because she felt that Liu Qingzhu had a lot of money and was also keeping a mistress, reportedly surnamed Wang. She felt that she would be at a disadvantage if they divorced, so she followed Liu Qingzhu and accidentally recorded some of the conversations between Liu Qingzhu and his mistress. Some of these conversations contained things that would be detrimental to you and the Zhao family."