Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

At the same time.

north.

Sha Ruijin sat in the chair, his face grim, but there was little shock in his eyes, only a deathly stillness as if he had played no cards.

He had completely lost the imposing manner he had when he was first taken away from Handong.

These past few days, he has remained tight-lipped, repeatedly considering all the possibilities in his mind.

He was waiting for Bai Wangshan or the Zhong family to exert their influence from the outside and offer him a way out, even if it was just an internal punishment, as long as it preserved his political dignity and allowed him to land smoothly.

We're all old foxes, why bother with this ghost story?

Those above him knew perfectly well the dirty work he did at Handongqian.

But when the staff pushed a thin sheet of material in front of him, Sha Ruijin knew that the ladder had broken.

"Comrade Sha Ruijin, the materials from Bai Wangshan's conversation at the Handong Lingang South Bank Sanatorium twenty-three years ago, along with the testimonies of relevant personnel, have been fully secured by the Handong Supervisory Team." The staff member's voice was soft, yet every word carried weight. "Are you aware of this?"

Sha Ruijin stared at the document and gave a dry laugh.

He knew all too well.

His arrival in Handong under the guise of using imperial authority to fight corruption was nothing more than a smokescreen.

What's all this talk about rectifying the political environment and breaking up the gang-ridden atmosphere in Handong? To put it bluntly, he's just a security guard sent back to fix things.

He accepted everything that Bai Lao had to say and the tacit understanding between the Zhong family.

He wasn't deceived; he took the job voluntarily.

Because this is essentially an exchange of interests.

He helped the bigwigs cover up the old debts of the Chen family and Lingang.

He conveniently used Hou Liangping as a tool to eliminate local factions like Gao Yuliang, in exchange for the political benefits he, Sha Ruijin, gained.

But now, his underwear has been exposed.

The fact that Bai Wangshan swaggered into Zhao Ruilong's clubhouse has been brought to light, which means that the matter can no longer be covered up.

The staff member looked at him and continued to press him: "Before you were parachuted into Handong, did Bai Wangshan have a private discussion with you about the Lingang project?"

Sha Ruijin rubbed his stiff face.

He originally intended to fight to the end, as a way of repaying Bai Wangshan for his kindness in helping him back then.

But now Bai Wangshan is pretending to be dead in the hospital because he is "unwell," and the Zhong family has cut ties with Hou Liangping without hesitation. Even Zhong Xiaoai has handed over the original list.

At the detention center, Wang Zonghui was even busier shifting the blame onto local officials.

Everyone's playing the "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" game.

What makes Sha Ruijin qualified to drive this car?

This pot is black and heavy; if it were to fall on him, it could crush him into mincemeat, leaving him to carry the mess of this group of people all the way to Qincheng Prison.

dream!

"We've talked about it."

Sha Ruijin raised his head, his voice hoarse, "Old Bai said that the waters in Handong run deep, and the anti-corruption campaign needs to be done in a measured way. The Zhao family can be investigated, the Shanshui Group can be dealt with, and deeply entrenched local factions like Gao Yuliang must be purged. However, the Chen family, the Lingang urban renewal project, and that early financial pilot program are absolutely off-limits."

The staff immediately followed up with, "Where is Hou Liangping?"

"Hou Liangping is a gun sent by the Zhong family." Sha Ruijin said with a mocking smile. "Old Bai said that the local judicial system in Handong has long been a network, and it needs outsiders like Hou Liangping who are armed with imperial authority and eager to prove themselves to charge into battle. I gave him the green light, and he cleared out Gao Yuliang for me. It's a win-win situation."

"So, you were fully aware of the existence of the red, yellow, and green lists, and tacitly approved Hou Liangping's illegal handling of the case?"

"I understand. Not only do I understand, but I also personally helped him suppress many procedural questions."

Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair and laid his cards on the table: "Everyone's hoping I'll hold the line so they can clear their names. If I'm going to die, I'll take them all down with me."

……

Handong, special care ward.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the blinds and shone onto the hospital bed.

Zhou Zhengming pulled up a chair and sat down, then threw a summary of Sha Ruijin's second round of confessions, which had been redacted to conceal classified details, directly onto the small table.

Gao Yuliang put on his reading glasses and flipped through the pages very quickly.

After reading it, he took off his glasses, picked up the thermos next to him, blew on the steam, and chuckled.

"This time, Sha Ruijin has really turned the table upside down." Gao Yuliang took a sip of water, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

Zhou Zhengming looked at him and said, "He's finally figured it out; he knows he's become a pawn."

"Team Leader Zhou, you underestimate our Secretary Sha."

Gao Yuliang shook his head, hitting the nail on the head: "He didn't just realize this today. From the first day he was parachuted into Handong, he knew he was a political 'chamber pot'."

He had been stubbornly holding on, waiting for someone outside to bail him out. Now that he'd discovered everyone outside was faking it, he was naturally going to try and get everyone to confess and receive leniency.

Xiao Lin, who was standing at the door taking notes, couldn't help but interject: "Secretary Gao, Sha Ruijin is supposed to be the head of Handong, always talking about principles and bottom lines. How come he's involved in all these kinds of deals behind the scenes?"

Gao Yuliang glanced at Xiao Lin and smiled meaningfully: "Xiao Lin, you're still too young. Do you really think that those 'positive role models' that Sha Ruijin set up in Handong are completely clean? Since we're talking about Secretary Sha's 'anti-corruption achievements' today, why don't we talk about the benchmark he promoted—Yi Xuexi?"

Zhou Zhengming frowned: "Yi Xuexi? Isn't he a well-known incorruptible official? He's worked at the grassroots level for so many years, without any desires or ambitions, and even Li Dakang couldn't do anything about him."

"An honest official? One who has no desires or wants?"

Gao Yuliang felt as if he had heard a huge joke. "As soon as Sha Ruijin arrived in Handong, he promoted Yi Xuexi like a rocket. He even went to Yi Xuexi's house in front of all the cadres in the province to praise his wife, Mao Ya, for growing and selling tea, calling it a model of 'self-reliance by cadres' families.' Your supervisory team has been investigating for so long, but haven't you checked what price Mao Ya's tea is selling for?"

Xiaolin was stunned: "Isn't it just ordinary farm-style tea?"

"Ordinary farm-grown tea?"

Gao Yuliang snorted coldly, "A pound of tea sells for tens of thousands of yuan! In Jingzhou, who dares to directly offer money to Yi Xuexi—whether they want to bribe him, seek official positions, or get preferential treatment in construction projects? They all rush to buy Mao Ya's tea at exorbitant prices. This is euphemistically called 'supporting cadres' families to start businesses,' but in reality, it's just a front for collecting money!"

The ward was so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the medical equipment.

Gao Yuliang tapped his fingers on the table and continued to reveal information: "Zhang Feng, the former secretary-general of the Luzhou Municipal Government, once filed a real-name report against Mao Ya for using tea to make money in disguise. The evidence was conclusive, and the materials were sent directly to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Anti-Corruption Team."

And the result? It was like throwing a stone into the sea—it didn't even make a ripple. Why? Because Sha Ruijin personally intervened, effectively shutting down the investigation. He needed Yi Xuexi, this "clean official," as a pawn to check Li Dakang; how could he allow this pawn to be tainted?

Xiaolin's hand, gripping the pen, was a little sore, and her face was full of disbelief: "This...how is this possible? Yi Xuexi is..."

"But what?"

Gao Yuliang interrupted him, "In this circle, truly clean people can't even hold onto their positions as district chiefs, like Sun Liancheng. If Yi Xuexi were truly so spotless, how could his wife dare to openly sell tea at exorbitant prices? And how could Sha Ruijin dare to use him as a pawn? Everyone is just packaging their greed in different shapes."

Zhou Zhengming's face turned ashen. He immediately turned to Xiao Lin and ordered, "Make a note of Zhang Feng's real-name report against Mao Ya. Immediately notify the external task force to check the sales records and customer list of Mao Ya's tea shop!"

Xiaolin quickly lowered his head to take notes.

Gao Yuliang looked at Zhou Zhengming and earnestly steered the conversation back on track: "Team Leader Zhou, you can investigate these minor details in Handong at your leisure; they won't escape. But regarding Sha Ruijin and Bai Wangshan, I'll give you another key figure."

Zhou Zhengming looked up: "Who?"

"Bai Wangshan used to have an old secretary named Zhao, who was not related to Zhao Lichun."

Gao Yuliang said unhurriedly, "This person later went to a semi-official policy research foundation. He was responsible for packaging the dirty and tiring work, such as the financial channel in Lingang and the land transfer in Crescent Lake, into 'reform and innovation cases'."

Full name.

"Zhao Heng".

Gao Yuliang pointed to Xiao Lin's notebook: "Investigating Zhao Heng is definitely more useful than asking Bai Wangshan directly. The old leader provides the direction, while the secretary holds the specific compliance procedures."

Zhou Zhengming slammed his notebook shut and stood up: "You've done another good deed by providing these clues today."

Gao Yuliang laughed, a laugh like that of a street vendor haggling: "Since I've rendered meritorious service, could the organization be a little lenient with my final punishment?"

Zhou Zhengming looked at him and retorted indifferently, "You're quite direct, not beating around the bush at all."

"I'm in a wheelchair every day now. My legs are weak, and it's too tiring for me to go around," Gao Yuliang said self-deprecatingly, patting his leg, which was in a cast.

Xiao Lin muttered under his breath at the door, "Secretary Gao, I think the effects of your recovery are all concentrated in your mouth."

Gao Yuliang turned to look at Xiao Lin and said in a serious tone, "Xiao Lin, when I get in prison and have nothing to do while I write my memoirs, I'll definitely dedicate a chapter to you. Just write about that naive and humorous liaison officer in the Central Supervision Group."

Xiao Lin was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I still want to advance in the organization. I can't possibly be worthy of your memoirs."

A brief burst of laughter echoed in the ward.

After laughing, Zhou Zhengming strode out of the ward with the two crucial clues: "Zhao Heng" and "Mao Ya's exorbitantly priced tea."

The door was closed gently.

Gao Yuliang's smile gradually faded, and he turned his head to gaze quietly out the window.