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

The next morning at 9:30.

Meeting Room No. 3 of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong.

The conference room was small, with a long table that could seat about twenty people, and a few people sitting on each side.

This is the meeting of the five-person leadership group of Handong Province.

The so-called five-person leadership group meeting means that only five leaders participate in the meeting.

They are Sha Ruijin, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Liu Zhendong, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor; Gao Yuliang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Tian Guofu, Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection; and Wu Chunlin, Minister of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee.

On the provincial party committee side, there were five people present: Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin, Governor Liu Zhendong, Deputy Provincial Party Secretary and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission Gao Yuliang, Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection Tian Guofu, and Provincial Party Committee Organization Minister Wu Chunlin.

The Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Committee consists of 11 people, but the real core of power is only these 5 people.

If it's something on a smaller scale, the three people usually make the decision.

That means excluding Tian Guofu and Wu Chunlin.

Also known as a three-person leadership group.

However, under normal circumstances, the three people do not need to hold a formal meeting.

On the inspection team's side, Xu Ming was accompanied by Su Zhe.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sha Ruijin first reported on the latest developments regarding Ding Yizhen's escape.

The tone was heavy.

"Comrades, the Ding Yizhen case has had an extremely negative impact. A leading cadre at the provincial level obtained information and fled in panic during the coordination of arrest efforts by relevant departments. This not only exposes serious loopholes in our work, but also causes significant damage to the image of Handong Province. Currently, the Provincial Public Security Department has reported to the Ministry of Public Security to initiate international pursuit procedures, but frankly speaking, since he has already left the country, whether he can be brought back in the short term is still unknown."

Sha Ruijin paused.

"Regarding the investigation into the leak, there have been no substantial breakthroughs yet. The Provincial High Procuratorate and the Provincial Public Security Department are cooperating with the inspection team's investigation, but... we have indeed encountered technical bottlenecks. We can only wait for further investigation."

After saying this, Sha Ruijin looked at Xu Ming, his meaning clear—this is all I can report, you decide what to do.

Xu Ming did not respond immediately.

He took off his reading glasses, placed them on the table, tapped them lightly with his fingers, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for several seconds.

The meeting room was so quiet it felt somewhat oppressive.

Su Zhe, sitting to Xu Ming's right, glanced at the several leaders from Handong Province present.

Sha Ruijin looked grave, clearly troubled by the situation.

Liu Zhendong held his teacup, remaining calm and composed.

Gao Yuliang lowered his eyes slightly, revealing no emotion.

Tian Guofu looked serious as he scribbled in his notebook.

Wu Chunlin remained silent as well.

Xu Ming finally spoke.

"I saw Comrade Ruijin's report last night. I am deeply saddened that the inspection team encountered such a situation so soon after arriving in Handong, and I am keenly aware of the complexity of the work situation in Handong! Going forward, the inspection team's task is to carry out its inspection work effectively, strengthen the investigation and handling of cases, and ensure the effectiveness of the joint inspection and disciplinary action!"

at this time.

After hearing Xu Ming's words, Sha Ruijin breathed a sigh of relief.

At least we've gotten through this hurdle.

Xu Ming, that old man, has a rather bad temper.

Sha Ruijin, now the head of the inspection team, is still worried that his current position might make things difficult for him.

This is the best way to handle it now.

At this time.

Xu Ming turned to look at Su Zhe.

"Comrade Su Zhe, what are your thoughts on this case?"

Upon hearing Xu Ming's words, everyone turned to look at Su Zhe.

Su Zhe understood, opened the notebook in front of him, and spoke.

"Distinguished leaders, regarding Ding Yizhen's escape, we cannot yet find the person who leaked the information, but this matter itself is not without responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin frowned slightly.

Gao Yuliang raised his eyes.

"The entire process of handling this case, from Zhao Dehan's confession leading to Ding Yizhen's arrest, to the information reaching Handong, and finally the leak, had major problems."

Su Zhe spoke at a moderate pace, with his words clearly and logically presented.

"First, regarding the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau: After Zhao Dehan implicated Ding Yizhen, the Anti-Corruption Bureau did not transfer the arrest task through formal legal documents and organizational procedures. Instead, Hou Liangping, the head of the case-handling department, contacted Chen Hai, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Handong Provincial High People's Procuratorate, directly by phone, requesting him to act overnight. Without any procedures or approvals, relying solely on a phone call, they ordered the local authorities to arrest a provincial-level official. This not only seriously violated the regulations on case-handling procedures but also constituted a breach of confidentiality—transmitting case information through non-confidential channels is tantamount to exposing confidential information to an unprotected communication link."

A few people in the conference room shifted slightly.

Su Zhe continued speaking.

"Secondly, regarding the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Handong Provincial High People's Procuratorate. As the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, after receiving Hou Liangping's call, Chen Hai, without obtaining any formal procedures, did not immediately block the information or control the scope of knowledge. Instead, he sought instructions from higher authorities and coordinated horizontally, reporting the case information at a small-scale meeting that evening. Although the initial intention of the report was to coordinate the arrest, objectively, the scope of knowledge of the information was greatly expanded, which created conditions for the leak."

Su Zhe closed his notebook.

"Simply put, the Supreme People's Procuratorate's violation stemmed from the source of the problem, while the Handong Provincial High People's Procuratorate's failure to control the receiving end was the cause of the problem. Both ends had issues, which together led to Ding Yizhen obtaining information and successfully escaping."

There was a few seconds of silence in the conference room.

Xu Ming took over the conversation.

"Su Zhe's analysis is spot on. This matter cannot be resolved simply by pointing the finger at 'the person who leaked the information cannot be found.' The loopholes in the process and the responsibilities must be investigated."

Tian Guofu was the first to respond, nodding.

"I agree. Regardless of whether the leaker can be identified, the procedural problems are undeniable, and those responsible should be held accountable; otherwise, similar incidents will occur again."

Liu Zhendong held his teacup, took a sip slowly, and made no explicit statement.

Wu Chunlin remained silent, simply keeping his head down and taking notes.

Gao Yuliang then spoke slowly with a blank expression.

"Comrade Su Zhe has a point, but this issue is quite complex, involving both the Supreme People's Procuratorate and our provincial Supreme People's Procuratorate, so it needs to be handled with caution. Personally... I reserve my opinion."

Su Zhe had no idea about Gao Yuliang's attitude.

Who is Chen Hai working for? He's part of Ji Changming's faction. Although Ji Changming isn't in the same faction as Gao Yuliang, they're not enemies either.

Gao Yuliang chose to reserve his opinion for two reasons. First, he did not want to appear too cooperative in front of the inspection team, as that would make his old subordinates think he was "not protecting his own." Second, he did not want to appear too resistant on this matter, since the inspection team was present and he could not show too much resistance.

Therefore, "reserving your opinion" is the safest approach.

Su Zhe ignored Gao Yuliang. He didn't need Gao Yuliang's support anyway.

Moreover, although Su Zhe's administrative rank is not high enough, Gao Yuliang cannot stop him from doing whatever he wants.

"Regarding the issue with the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate," Su Zhe looked at Xu Ming, "our inspection team can report the relevant situation to the Discipline Inspection Group of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and let them investigate and handle it themselves. How it is handled specifically and what the outcome is are internal matters of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and we will not interfere. After all, we are not an inspection team going to the Supreme People's Procuratorate."

Xu Ming nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"We can't really control matters concerning the Supreme People's Procuratorate, but if you need to file a complaint, you should." I will sign off on this notification.

Su Zhe responded.

He silently added in his mind, "Hou Liangping, I wonder if you'll even be able to get promoted to deputy director now."