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

Qin Siyuan: ......

Zhong Xiaoai couldn't help but roll her eyes.

How could I have ever fallen for Hou Liangping in the first place?

So you're saying that all the compliments people give me are fake?

Zhong Xiaoai sat down opposite her and got straight to the point.

"Director Qin, I've agreed to Liangping going to Handong. However, I have a concern. The situation in Handong is complicated right now, and the inspection team is there. You know Liangping's personality; once he's there, someone will need to back him up and keep an eye on things..."

Qin Siyuan nodded repeatedly and chuckled twice.

"Of course! Of course! Liangping is a key member of our headquarters. We will definitely give him our full support once he arrives in Handong! If anything happens, feel free to contact me anytime. I will do my best to support his work!"

Hou Liangping sat beside him, watching Qin Siyuan's respectful manner towards his wife, feeling a mix of emotions.

Director Qin...

Where is your bossy attitude?

Soon after, Hou Liangping's appointment as the director of the Anti-Corruption and Bribery Bureau of the Handong Provincial People's Procuratorate was officially issued.

......

The Provincial Party Committee Building in Handong.

Hou Liangping's appointment procedures were completed very quickly.

The journey from Yanjing to Jingzhou took less than a week.

On the morning of the second day after arriving in Handong, Ji Changming, the chief prosecutor of the provincial procuratorate, personally took Hou Liangping to the provincial party committee building to meet Sha Ruijin.

As is customary, when a deputy director-level cadre is introduced to a new position, the executive deputy minister of the provincial party committee's organization department is not required; the deputy minister is sufficient.

But this time was different; Qin Siyuan called Sha Ruijin in advance.

During the phone call, Qin Siyuan carefully chose his words. He first thanked the Handong Provincial Party Committee for its support of the Supreme People's Procuratorate's work, and then told Sha Ruijin that Comrade Hou Liangping was a prized member of the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau, and hoped that Sha Ruijin would strongly support his work.

Now that things have come to this point...

Sha Ruijin naturally had to give Qin Siyuan some face.

of course.

Sha Ruijin was not entirely ignorant of Hou Liangping.

Hou Liangping.

Zhong Zhengguo's son-in-law.

People from the Beijing social circle.

Sha Ruijin was no stranger to this name.

To be precise, anyone who has spent a few years in Beijing's social circles has heard of Hou Liangping's deeds—not because he was particularly capable, but because his deeds were so "unique".

At forty-two, he managed to obtain a nominal deputy director-level position.

It consistently ranks at the bottom in democratic evaluations.

The major cases he handled were reportedly half-finished projects given to him by his superiors, and he was responsible for the final touches.

This person, however, went around boasting that he was the "number one case-handling expert of the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

When people in Beijing's elite circles meet privately, some of them make jokes about Hou Liangping.

It is said that the Zhong family has accumulated countless favors over the years in trying to help this son-in-law, but in the end, all that helping has turned into a joke.

Hou Liangping himself was completely unaware of this.

Of course, jokes aside, we still have to give the Zhong family face.

Therefore, Sha Ruijin decided to personally speak with them.

It was exactly 10:00 AM.

Ji Changming led Hou Liangping into the office of the provincial party secretary.

Sha Ruijin stood in front of his desk, a warm smile on his face.

"Comrade Liangping, welcome to work in Handong!"

Hou Liangping strode forward, grasped Sha Ruijin's outstretched hand, and shook it vigorously twice.

"Secretary Sha! I've heard so much about you! It's great to finally meet you in person!"

Sha Ruijin's smile paused slightly.

Ji Changming stood to the side, and sweat instantly poured down his back.

"I've heard so much about you!" or "I'm finally meeting you in person!"

Do you think this is a fan meeting?

Sha Ruijin quickly regained his smile and invited the two to sit down.

Secretary Xiaobai poured the tea and then left.

"Comrade Liangping, you have a heavy responsibility to shoulder this time in Handong." Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup, his tone calm. "The work of the Anti-Corruption Bureau is directly related to the construction of Handong's political ecology. The Provincial Party Committee attaches great importance to this position."

Hou Liangping nodded, his chest puffed out.

"Secretary Sha, rest assured! Anti-corruption work is my forte. I've worked at the Supreme People's Procuratorate for many years and handled numerous major cases. My purpose in coming to Handong this time is to make the anti-corruption work in Handong stand out!"

Sha Ruijin hummed in response, but didn't pick up on the conversation.

He turned to Ji Changming.

"Comrade Changming, please give Comrade Liangping a briefing on the current situation in Handong."

Ji Changming cleared his throat and briefly stated, "The central inspection team is currently working in Handong. The provincial party committee attaches great importance to this, and all supporting work is progressing smoothly. The Anti-Corruption Bureau is currently following up on several cases, but the morale of the team has been somewhat affected by the dismissal of former director Chen Hai. The new director needs to stabilize the situation as soon as possible."

After listening, Hou Liangping waved his hand.

"As for the quarterly inspection team's morale, leave that to me. What I'm best at is leading teams and winning tough battles. Back in the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Zhao Dehan case, which involved more than 200 million yuan, was handled by me and a few others."

Ji Changming's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

How dare you bring up Zhao Dehan's case?

If it weren't for the mess you made, Chen Hai wouldn't have been dismissed.

But you can't say that to their face.

Sha Ruijin put down his teacup, his tone still gentle.

"Comrade Liangping, the situation in Handong is quite special. The central inspection team is still here, and they are working very hard. After you take office, you must pay attention to the methods and approaches in communicating and coordinating with the inspection team."

Hou Liangping smiled dismissively.

"Secretary Sha, the inspection team is the inspection team, and the anti-corruption bureau is the anti-corruption bureau. They each manage their own affairs. Our procuratorial system has its own rules and procedures for handling cases, and I am quite confident in that."

Sha Ruijin glanced at Hou Liangping.

That glance contained a great deal of information, but Hou Liangping clearly failed to grasp it.

Sha Ruijin sighed inwardly.

No wonder people in Beijing's elite circles laugh at him behind his back.

This person isn't incompetent, he's just a bit slow on the uptake.

What kind of talk is it to say "everyone should mind their own business" in front of the provincial party secretary?

The inspection team represents the central government. How can you, a newly appointed deputy director-level anti-corruption bureau chief, open your mouth and try to distance yourself from the central inspection team?

Ji Changming, who was sitting nearby, couldn't sit still any longer and quickly chimed in.

"Secretary Sha, Comrade Liangping has just arrived and is not yet familiar with the specific situation in Handong. Once he has a clear understanding, he will definitely cooperate well with the inspection team."

Sha Ruijin nodded and didn't pursue the topic any further.

He stood up, walked up to Hou Liangping, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Comrade Liangping, do a good job. The Provincial Party Committee fully supports the anti-corruption work in Handong. If you encounter any difficulties, please communicate with Comrade Changming at any time."

Hou Liangping quickly stood up.

"Thank you, Secretary Sha! Don't worry, with me here, not a single corrupt official in Handong will escape! To be honest, I have a lot of experience in handling cases in the Anti-Corruption Bureau. I haven't handled any cases involving ministerial-level officials like yourself, but I've handled three vice-ministerial-level officials like Ji Jian, and they've all been imprisoned! As for department-level and deputy department-level officials, there are countless... You can rest assured!"

Sha Ruijin: ......

Ji Changming: ......

Thank you so much...