Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

Of course, Secretary Zhang probably didn't expect to get tea... He thought Secretary Zhao had called him over to discuss work, so he just closed the door and left.

Su Zhe took the teacup but did not sit down immediately. Instead, he held the cup and kept looking at Secretary Zhao until Secretary Zhao returned to his seat.

Secretary Zhao smiled at Su Zhe and said, "You sit down too! Come on, sit down! Don't be shy!"

Su Zhe then sat down with his tea.

Instead of immediately getting down to business, Secretary Zhao asked casually, "Have you been busy with work lately? How's everything at home?"

His tone was very friendly.

Su Zhe was somewhat surprised. Secretary Zhao was so busy with important matters, yet he still knew how to care about his life?

this...

What's going on?

Su Zhe quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Secretary. Everything is fine."

"That's good," Secretary Zhao nodded, then casually asked, "Have you been working on any important cases lately?"

Su Zhe nodded and reported truthfully to his superior: "Secretary, we are currently mainly following up on the case of Zhao Dehan, a section chief at the National Development and Reform Commission. The leads are relatively clear, and the evidence is quite solid. Our preliminary assessment is that the value of the gifts and valuables he is suspected of accepting may be enormous, reaching hundreds of millions of yuan. We have also obtained the relevant surveillance footage, which shows that he has a hidden property in the suburbs. We are preparing to report to the leadership and apply for detention measures against him."

After Su Zhe finished speaking, he observed Secretary Zhao's expression. Secretary Zhao showed no surprise, simply giving a soft "hmm" and smiling, "Little Su, you can put Zhao Dehan's case on hold for now. You don't need to follow up on it anymore."

Su Zhe was taken aback, thinking he had misheard: "Secretary, you mean..."

Secretary Zhao picked up the teacup on the table, blew away the foam, took a sip, and then said unhurriedly, "This case has been transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. A section chief surnamed Hou from their department is in charge of leading the investigation. All the relevant procedures have been completed."

"Has it been handed over?"

Su Zhe was stunned, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

From receiving the tip-off to conducting preliminary investigations and initial verification, the Sixth Division has put in a lot of effort into this case. Now that they are about to reach the critical moment of closing in and arresting the suspects, how could they just hand it over like that?

Isn't this like you painstakingly planted a tree, only to have someone else pick the fruit when it's ripe?

And it was transferred to a sister unit outside the system?

This doesn't follow standard case-handling procedures.

Normally, the disciplinary committee should first detain the person, complete the investigation, and secure the leads before transferring the case to the procuratorate...

But then I thought about it again.

A section chief surnamed Hou.

Isn't that Hou Liangping?

This son-in-law of the Zhong family...

Yes.

They even dared to intercept Hu, a member of the Discipline Inspection Commission!

However, Su Zhe was also aware of the Zhong family's influence.

After all, Zhong Xiaoai serves as the deputy director of the Discipline Inspection Commission's office.

At just over 40 years old, he was already at the deputy director-general level.

This is still the result of Zhong Xiaoai's frequent tantrums, spoiled princess attitude, work mistakes, and lack of ability.

After all, the deputy secretaries of the Discipline Inspection Commission that Zhong Xiaoai addressed were Lao Zhou and Lao Huang...

Of course, they only call each other that in private.

She could only maintain the most basic respect for the executive deputy and the top party secretary...

She really is the eldest princess of the Zhong family...

but.

Su Zhe also found Hou Liangping's overstepping of boundaries somewhat distasteful.

Fortunately, Zhao Dehan is from the energy department and is not someone to be trifled with, so it's good to hand him over.

Su Zhe knew that once the leader decided to give the case away as a favor, he wouldn't easily take it back.

Right now, he just wants to take advantage of this opportunity to gain some benefits for himself...

We can't just work for nothing, can we?

He couldn't help but blurt out, "Secretary, this case is basically ready on our end, why are you suddenly handing it over to the Supreme People's Procuratorate? Even if you're going to give it to them, you should wait until we've finished ours..."

Secretary Zhao put down his teacup, waved his hand, and still had a smile on his face.

"Xiao Su, when handling cases, we must consider the big picture and teamwork. Director Qin from the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau personally came to communicate with us, believing that it was more appropriate for them to handle this. Since our brother unit has spoken up, we should give them face. But don't worry! You'll definitely get credit for your investigation! This case involves a huge amount of money and has far-reaching impact; we'll award you a first-class merit internally!"

As he spoke.

Secretary Zhao chuckled, "Actually, you don't really need to rely on these kinds of cases to build your resume anymore, haha... that case was just to do someone a favor!"

Su Zhe was speechless.

It's true that having connections in high places makes it easier to get an official position, isn't it?

So I don't need to accumulate experience through these kinds of cases? What does that mean? As a division-level cadre, what can I rely on if not solid case-handling achievements?

Is it by marrying a rich second-generation heir?

this...

There's no chance for now!

Fortunately, the leader left him some benefits, so the result was acceptable.

Su Zhe couldn't help but say, "Secretary, this case was handled by our entire Sixth Inspection Division..."

Secretary Zhao nodded.

"Wang Xuan reported on this case to me! You were a key player in the investigation, and you deserve every bit of credit! Don't worry about Wang Xuan; he also deserves credit!"

Before Su Zhe could think it through, Secretary Zhao's smile faded, he leaned forward slightly, and his tone became more formal: "Xiao Su, the main reason I called you here today isn't about Zhao Dehan's case. It's about something else that's even more important."

Su Zhe immediately perked up: "Secretary, please give your instructions."

Secretary Zhao said, "It's like this, Elder Sun wants to see you. I'm just relaying the message. Prepare yourself; I expect the leaders from Elder Sun's office will contact you soon, probably this afternoon!"

"Old Sun?"

Su Zhe didn't immediately recognize which "Old Sun" he was referring to, but someone whom Secretary Zhao Lianhai addressed so solemnly as "Old Sun" and whom he needed to meet in person...

Su Zhe was startled.

Could it be that Minister-level official, Mr. Sun, whom we used to see frequently in newspapers and on television? (I'm marking this as incorrect to save my own life; those who know, know.)

Seeing the undisguised astonishment on Su Zhe's face, Secretary Zhao smiled.

"His General Office Secretary-General, Comrade Huang Jiang, will contact you later. You can discuss and confirm the specific time and place."

Su Zhe felt his throat go dry. He tried to remain calm, but couldn't help asking, "Secretary, did Elder Sun... did Elder Sun want to see me about something?"

He simply couldn't understand how someone of his rank could have alarmed someone of that level.

This is a completely unrelated relationship.

Secretary Zhao shook his head.

"I don't know the specifics. Anyway, it's not a bad thing! Haha, how could it be a bad thing if Old Master Sun wants to see me in person? You go ahead and you'll find out when you get there. By the way, when you see Old Master Sun, be careful with your words and actions, be truthful, say what you mean, don't have too many concerns, but also be mindful of your boundaries."

Su Zhe was completely confused, but he immediately nodded: "Yes, Secretary, I understand."

Secretary Zhao nodded in satisfaction, his face regaining its initial gentle smile, tinged with encouragement: "Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go back and prepare. Xiao Su, do a good job! Your future is bright!"

"Thank you, Secretary. I'll head back now."

Su Zhe stood up, bowed slightly again, took two steps back, then turned around, gently opened the office door, and walked out.

Secretary Xiao Zhang was still in the outer room. When she saw Su Zhe come out, she stood up with a smile.

Su Zhe nodded politely to him, but his mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't make sense of it.

The slight frustration caused by the easy transfer of Zhao Dehan's case has been overshadowed by the huge shock of "Old Sun wants to see you".

He walked back down the corridor, his steps not as hurried as when he came, as Secretary Zhao's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

Old Master Sun...why? What could it be? He racked his brains but couldn't come up with any reasonable explanation. A leader of this rank and his life and work were completely parallel lines; how could they possibly intersect?

When he reached the door of Room Six, he stopped, thought for a moment, and then turned around and knocked on the door of Director Wang Xuan's office again.

No matter how abrupt and unbelievable the meeting with Elder Sun may be, reporting to one's direct supervisor is a necessary procedure.

"Enter."