Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

Hou Liangping's expression darkened slightly. "Where is your minister now?"

"I'm in a meeting in the conference room and don't have time to see anyone. Please wait a moment." Fang Ping said this and turned to leave without any room for negotiation.

Hou Liangping then realized that people in the Energy Department really had unique personalities.

The more unique something is, the more I like it.

now.

Inside the meeting room.

Nearly fifty cadres sat down in an orderly fashion.

Lu Xiaola sat in the main seat.

Song Yunhui chaired the meeting.

All former directors and deputy directors of the Planning Department were present, and all had received notices of suspension or transfer.

There is no doubt that the mines have been cleared.

An audit will be conducted once the employee is suspended or transferred.

The two men took a hard line, proposing a crackdown on the problem of slush funds within the ministry.

One deputy director was so scared he wet himself.

Hou Liangping leaned against the wall and glanced at his watch.

Twenty minutes passed, and the meeting room door remained tightly closed.

No one came forward to answer, and no one came to coordinate.

The endless wait was wearing down everyone's patience.

Hou Liangping was extremely anxious.

He knew that someone was deliberately delaying and trying to obstruct him.

Getting things done is difficult, and the most difficult part is dealing with all the obstacles at every level.

Time passed by, and another ten minutes or so went by.

Hou Liangping and his group stood rooted to the spot, unable to move forward or backward.

Hou Liangping couldn't stand it any longer and was about to call his father-in-law, Zhong Zhengguo.

At this time.

The conference room door opened.

At the front of the crowd, two figures walked slowly.

Lu Xiaola walked on the left, dressed in a dark Zhongshan suit, with an upright posture.

Song Yunhui walked on the right, his expression indifferent.

The others ran away from the other side.

Hou Liangping also saw someone being dragged out of the meeting room, looking miserable.

The corridor fell silent instantly, and passing officials lowered their heads to avoid looking directly into Lu Xiaola and Song Yunhui's eyes.

Hou Liangping could tell at a glance that these two were the people in charge of making the final decisions at the Ministry of Energy.

Song Yunhui didn't stop walking, coldly saying, "You people from the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau? You've been blocking our department for half an hour, what do you want?"

Without any pleasantries or small talk, they got straight to the point and launched into their attack.

Hou Liangping stepped forward, showing his credentials and search warrant. "Your Excellencies, I am Hou Liangping from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. I am here to summon Zhao Dehan, the director of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Chemical Industry and Energy, to cooperate with the investigation of the bribery case."

Song Yunhui glanced at it, his gaze lingering briefly on the signature of Director Qin.

"Director Hou, we understand the rules of the General Administration when handling cases."

"But have you figured it out? This is the Ministry of Chemical Energy, not some random vegetable market on the street."

With her hands behind her back, Lu Xiaola added casually, "Hou Liangping, our energy system has a high level of confidentiality. Personnel transfers and personnel verifications all require internal approval processes."

It's a bit too hasty of you to start by inspecting the office.

Is it you who doesn't understand the rules, or is it Qin Siyuan who doesn't understand the rules?

His rank is higher than Qin Siyuan's, so addressing him by his first name is perfectly acceptable.

Hou Liangping frowned slightly. "Minister Lu, Minister Song, time is of the essence in handling cases. Every minute of delay increases the risk of collusion and destruction of evidence. I would appreciate it if you two ministers could do me this favor."

Song Yunhui looked up and stared at Hou Liangping. "It's alright to do whatever you want."

But Director Hou, our Energy Department is not a pushover.

I'm putting it this way: we can cooperate with you in searching Zhao Dehan's office.

"Okay, thank you, Minister Song." Hou Liangping felt that as long as he investigated, he would definitely be able to bring Zhao Dehan down.

Song Yunhui deliberately slowed down his speech to put pressure on Hou Liangping, "Director Hou, I need to agree on the rules with you in advance."

If today you search through Zhao Dehan's office and look through all the documents, and still can't find a single piece of solid evidence of Zhao Dehan's illegal or disciplinary violations, what do you say?

Dig a hole and quietly lay the groundwork.

Hit the nail on the head.

Waiting for Hou Liangping to fall into the trap.

Hou Liangping's heart sank, and he instantly understood the other party's unspoken meaning.

This is clearly a trap set for him.

Perhaps it was a delaying tactic by Song Yunhui and Lu Xiaola.

They might set up obstacles to discourage him and force him to back down, leaving him to clean up Zhao Dehan's mess.

Hou Liangping solemnly declared: "I, Hou Liangping, a true man, will publicly apologize if there is no evidence to support my claim. I will personally visit the Energy Department to plead guilty and apologize to Zhao Dehan himself, and bear all the damage to my reputation."

Song Yunhui shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with even more mockery. "Young man, you've got quite the nerve."

Can a flimsy apology really erase the damage to my energy sector's reputation?

"Would that be enough to make up for the loss of public trust in the ministry?"

"Minister Song, what do you suggest we do?" Hou Liangping pressed.

Song Yunhui took half a step forward, looking down at Hou Liangping with disdain, instantly exuding a strong sense of oppression.

"You little monkey, let me make this perfectly clear to you."

Today's search was conducted with complete documentation and audio/video recording.

If no problems are found, proceed according to my instructions.

First, you must issue a public apology at a meeting of all Energy Department officials.

Second, your Supreme People's Procuratorate must issue an official written apology, stamped with the official seal, and send it to our department for filing.

The conditions were harsh, and the pressure was relentless.

The accompanying prosecutors instinctively held their breath, and no one dared to interrupt.

Hou Liangping was sweating profusely.

If they can't find it, and they do as Song Yunhui suggested, they'll basically have nowhere to go in Beijing.

He thought Fang Ping's deliberate attempts to make things difficult were the limit, but he didn't expect Song Yunhui's methods to be even more ruthless and his intentions even deeper.

Song Yunhui appears calm and composed, but in reality, he is cunning and ruthless, capable of killing without shedding blood.

Lu Xiaola watched coldly from the sidelines, then added insult to injury, her words cutting to the heart: "Director Hou, don't think we're deliberately making things difficult for you."

The recent personnel adjustments in some departments come at a sensitive time.

If someone were to be taken away at will now, what would the outside world speculate about?

Will the capital market panic?

Will the stock prices of energy-related listed companies be affected?

Every sentence was written from a strategic high ground, leaving Hou Liangping with no room for rebuttal.

Song Yunhui raised his hand and pushed up his glasses. "Hou Liangping, I'm giving you a chance."

If you agree to our conditions now, I will immediately have someone open Zhao Dehan's office and cooperate fully.

If you don't agree to our conditions, leave Zhao Dehan behind and turn right after you leave.

Trying to move a single soldier in the Department of Energy is not that easy.

They claimed to be cooperating with the investigation, but in reality, they were blatantly manipulating the situation.

Hou Liangping clenched his fists quietly, his palms slightly sweaty.

He knew perfectly well that he was now being roasted over a fire.

If I agree, I'll lose face if I can't find any evidence.

If I don't agree, I'll leave empty-handed today and might become a laughingstock.

Song Yunhui watched Hou Liangping's embarrassed and conflicted appearance quietly, feeling a little pleased.

Specializes in dealing with arrogant and reckless youngsters.

After a few seconds of stalemate, Hou Liangping felt a surge of anger rising within him.

There was no way out for me.

Once he turns and leaves, Zhao Dehan will definitely catch wind of it and all leads will be cut off.

This trip to the energy sector will become a laughing stock in the industry.

Hou Liangping took a deep breath, gritting his teeth, and said, "I agree."

It was decisive and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

Hou Liangping was too eager to improve himself and didn't want to miss any opportunities to do so.

Song Yunhui waved to Fang Ping, "Fang Ping, open the door."

Fang Ping jogged forward, holding a large bunch of keys in his hand.

He walked to the office door, took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently.

Click.

The office door opened in response.

The office was simply furnished, with a not-so-new desk and a row of bookshelves against the wall.

At first glance, it is clean and tidy.

Zhao Dehan stood at the door, his face calm.

The accompanying personnel immediately entered the scene, with clear division of labor, and began the search.

Cabinets, drawers, files, and hidden compartments—nowhere was missed.

Song Yunhui and Lu Xiaola stood at the door with their arms crossed, watching coldly.

Do not interfere or speak.

The two men looked at Marquis Changxinzi as if he were an idiot.

Jingzhou City, Handong Province.

Qi Tongwei's office.

As Qi Tongwei watched the video, he truly felt that it was difficult to gain entry into the Department of Energy.