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

3:30 PM, Top floor special needs ward, First People's Hospital of Handong Province.

The air in the corridor was even more oppressive than in the No. 1 meeting room of the provincial party committee.

The newly appointed armed police sentries stood ramrod straight, their eyes like eagles; even a fly flying by would be skinned alive.

Following behind Lu Chengzhou and the bigwigs of the supervision team, Zhao Donglai felt as if he hadn't come to visit someone in the hospital, but rather as if he had entered the back row of some important negotiation, where even his breathing had to be timed.

To him, even if Gao Yuliang was lying in bed, he was still his leader.

Although he was the subject of investigation, he was also the "human nuclear bomb" that ignited the political scene in Handong, and the hand that was most likely to hand over the knife in the whole chaos.

This old fox's words are sometimes more effective than the gun barrels of the hundreds of policemen under Zhao Donglai's command.

The ward door was pushed open.

Kao Yu-liang still sports that "high-tech mummy" look.

Wu Huifen sat on the edge of the bed, holding a copy of "Fifteen Years of Wanli" in her hands, but her eyes were clearly not on the pages.

Upon seeing the person enter, she immediately stood up, nodded slightly, and said nothing more, displaying the grace and propriety of a highly educated woman.

"Secretary Lu."

Unable to move, Gao Yuliang could only mutter to himself with a self-deprecating tone, "On his first day in office, the new broom skipped the welcoming banquet and came to see me, the biggest troublemaker in the entire province. The organization's concern is truly... generous."

Lu Chengzhou ignored the hook in his words, walked straight to the bedside, pulled over a chair and sat down.

He looked calmly at the person on the hospital bed, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Comrade Yuliang, you really have self-awareness. You are indeed the biggest trouble in the whole province right now."

Standing to the side, Zhou Zhengming's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

The very first line was a direct confrontation, sparks flying everywhere, which he loved to watch.

"How's your injury?" Lu Chengzhou asked casually.

"It looks scary, but it won't kill you for now."

Gao Yuliang sighed, then changed the subject, "It's all thanks to the excellent sheet metal workmanship and first-class shock absorption of Secretary Sha's Hongqi car. If it were any other car, I wouldn't have had the chance to report to you here today."

Zhao Donglai bit his tongue behind him, trying to relax and stay focused.

Lu Chengzhou ignored the sarcastic remark and continued in his unhurried tone, "As long as you don't die. Only when you're alive can the scores be settled one by one."

Upon hearing the word "tent," Gao Yuliang's eyes instantly hardened.

"I've reviewed the personnel file leads you provided to the supervisory team earlier."

Lu Chengzhou cut to the chase, "The materials regarding Qi Tongwei's allocation and promotion that were suppressed back then have been unearthed from the archives. Liang Qunfeng's problems, Chen Yanshi's problems, neither of them can escape responsibility."

Wu Huifen paused slightly in her hand holding the water glass, causing a ripple to appear on the surface of the water.

Gao Yuliang paused for two seconds, then cut to the chase: "How far have we gotten in the investigation?"

Zhou Zhengming promptly took over the conversation: "The personnel file line has already been handled by the vertical systems of the Organization Department of the Central Committee and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, bypassing the local area of ​​Handong. We'll start with Qi Tongwei, the thickest vine, and then investigate cadres who were suppressed and transferred in a similar 'organizational cultivation' manner during the same period. As for the Liang family... we'll leave them alone for now."

Gao Yuliang's eyelids twitched, and he immediately understood.

The reason for temporarily ignoring the Liang family is to ensure a smooth handover for the new secretary and to prevent Liang Qunfeng, that old fox, from acting rashly. This is a typical "trimming the hem" tactic, cutting off the outer wings first.

This approach is incredibly sound, absolutely foolproof.

But Gao Yuliang doesn't like things to be too stable.

In the murky waters of Handong, stability means giving the opponent a chance to breathe, and it means uncertainty.

He looked at Lu Chengzhou:

"Secretary Lu, in the officialdom of Handong, the art of delaying is an ancestral skill. Today they say 'no action for now,' tomorrow they can say 'conditions are not ripe,' and the day after tomorrow it's 'we must prioritize the overall situation.'"

As time dragged on, the evidence disappeared, the witnesses fell ill, and finally, once the heat died down, all that remained was a dismissive "historical issue, better to be broad than detailed," and the case became a dead end.

Lu Chengzhou's face remained expressionless as he picked up the glass of water Wu Huifen had poured and took a sip. "That's why I'm asking you today, what do you think we should do to prevent them from stalling?"

Gao Yuliang's spirits lifted suddenly.

That's exactly what he was waiting for.

"When investigating personnel matters, we can't just focus on Qi Tongwei as a prime example." Gao Yuliang's eyes gleamed, and he spoke faster.

"Qi Tongwei was just the most conspicuous nail. Back then, the Liang family's influence in personnel matters was longer than a telephone line. Whoever obeyed got promoted; whoever refused to submit was sent to the grassroots level for 'intensive training'."

The materials will never mention "retaliation," only high-sounding platitudes like "organizational needs" and "strengthening the grassroots!"

Zhao Donglai, listening from behind, nodded in agreement; this was exactly the right flavor.

"Which channels do you suggest we investigate from?" Lu Chengzhou put down his water glass.

"Three openings!" Gao Yuliang said without hesitation, clearly having already considered it countless times in his mind.

"First, the job placements of outstanding graduates from the Department of Political Science and Law at Handong University; second, the abnormal promotions and suppression of cadres within the political and legal system; third, the reassignment arrangements for police heroes! Especially those who have made great contributions and shed blood, yet have been stuck in grassroots deputy section chief or section chief positions for a long time, go through their files one by one and see who signed the documents and who made the instructions back then!"

Zhou Zhengming added from the side, "Checking the files isn't enough. Files are static, but people are dynamic. I suggest talking to the people who were specifically in charge back then. Don't talk to those at the provincial or municipal level; they're all in the same boat and their mouths are very tight. Talk to those archive directors and personnel department staff who still live in those old, dilapidated family compounds after retirement. They weren't entitled to eat meat at the table back then, but they saw perfectly well who was sneaking food in the kitchen."

"That's a good suggestion." Lu Chengzhou nodded in agreement.

Gao Yuliang breathed a sigh of relief.

All he can use now is his brain and his mouth.

But as long as these two things are still there, he can keep boiling the lukewarm water in Handong.

"Gao Xiaoqin revealed the Liang family's external financial network," Lu Chengzhou brought up the second topic.

Gao Yuliang raised an eyelid, his expression calm: "An art foundation laundering money, a shell consulting firm transferring profits?"

Zhao Donglai couldn't help but look at him with a surprised expression.

Gao Yuliang understood his expression and said calmly, "Donglai, don't look at me like that. Do you think I don't know what's going on with the Liang family's mess?"

Zhao Donglai was utterly impressed.

"Having spent my entire life in the political and legal system of Handong, I can tell what kind of shit he's going to take just by looking at him," Gao Yuliang sneered, too lazy to even pretend to be polite.

"When you put those four cards on the table—elderly, meritorious, healthy, and stable—many people become hesitant and dare not place heavy bets."

"So, how do you think we should investigate?"

"First, nail down the outer perimeter, peel the onion, and let them suffer in silence!" Gao Yuliang's voice carried a ruthless edge.

"Don't investigate Liang Wentao, investigate the third-party agency that did the asset appraisal and tax relief for them! A pile of junk was appraised for hundreds of millions, who appraised it? Who signed the appraisal certificate?"

These people aren't all in cahoots with the Liang family; a little intimidation and they'll all confess! The consulting firm is even simpler: check the deliverables corresponding to the project payments. Eight million for a PPT? Great, then let's get the top experts in the country to review it and see if this PPT is really worth eight million, or just eight hundred dollars!

"Not enough."

Gao Yuliang continued his barrage, firing off a full-blown attack: "Investigate the social security records of the employees at Liang Wenjie's wife's shell company! Many companies have flawless accounting, but their social security records are impossible to uncover completely. A turnover of over a billion yuan, yet the company only has three to five employees, and its office is just a shared workspace. You call it a consulting firm? No, it's just a QR code printed on an A4 sheet of paper for receiving payments!"

Zhou Zhengming turned to the liaison officer behind him and said, "Write it down word for word."

The liaison officer's pen was flying across the paper.

After listening, Lu Chengzhou remained silent for a moment.

He suddenly asked a question: "Comrade Yuliang, what are your views on the future political landscape of Handong?"

Gao Yuliang hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to tell the truth: "There will be a period of chaos. The clique culture will cool down immediately, and no one will dare to openly pay homage to powerful figures anymore. But the covert observation and probing will be even more severe. Officials will be afraid, businessmen will avoid them, and those at the grassroots level will procrastinate. Officials like Li Dakang will feel that the strict supervision is hindering their efforts to boost GDP, so they will outwardly comply but inwardly defy; officials like Ji Changming will master the art of non-stick tai chi, pushing everything onto collective decision-making; and officials like Zhao Donglai..."

Zhao Donglai's heart skipped a beat. How did he end up getting caught up in this gossip?

"...You might suddenly realize that you're struggling to survive amidst all these different forces, and it's exhausting."

Lu Chengzhou's gaze slowly shifted to Zhao Donglai: "Is he right?"

Zhao Donglai felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced himself to answer, "...part of it is correct."

"Which part is incorrect?"

Zhao Donglai, quick-witted, gave a wry smile: "Secretary Lu, I don't call it being tired of the job, I call it... 'maintaining a high degree of political acumen and a cautious will to survive in a complex environment'."

"Hahaha..." Zhou Zhengming was the first to burst out laughing.

Wu Huifen couldn't help but lower her head, a smile curving her lips.

The tense atmosphere in the ward was finally eased a bit by Zhao Donglai's witty remark.

Gao Yuliang continued, "Secretary Lu, a new broom sweeps clean. The first thing isn't just to crack down on cases, but to set a good example. We need to let all cadres know that the Central Committee isn't here to put Handong on pause, but to straighten the steering wheel."

"What about the second one?" Lu Chengzhou asked.

"Burn family members." Gao Yuliang made no attempt to hide his words, each one as firm as iron. "Spouses and children engaged in business, regardless of rank, must all reapply and be subject to random checks. Don't just focus on officials' embezzlement and bribery; many officials don't take the money themselves, but their family members take it for them, and they do it in a rather elegant and legal way."

Zhou Zhengming looked at him with a half-smile: "You've gotten yourself involved too."

Gao Yuliang, without batting an eye, calmly replied, "I'm already in the pot, so adding another spoonful of water won't make a difference."

"The third one?"

"Burn lazy governance."

Gao Yuliang hit the nail on the head: "Handong cannot slide directly from 'reckless action' to 'inaction.' In the past, a leader's word was enough to launch projects blindly; in the future, it cannot become a situation where no one dares to act without ten official seals. Things that should be done must be documented, done collectively, and done transparently. Anyone who doesn't do something must also leave a record of their inaction, so everyone can see why they didn't do it!"

After listening, Lu Chengzhou remained silent for a long time.

Gao Yuliang didn't urge him.

He knew that these words had struck a chord with the new Party Secretary.

What he wants now is not to clear his name; he can't clear his name, and it's impossible for him to do so.

What he wanted was to transform himself from a worthless "dead piece" into a "living dictionary" that would be of great reference value to the new secretary.

After a long silence, Lu Chengzhou stood up and said, "Comrade Yuliang, the organization will investigate your problem thoroughly and will not tolerate it. The organization will also use the clues you provided. Merit is merit, and demerit is demerit. Don't expect to use later merits to offset earlier ones."

"I see."

Gao Yuliang nodded slightly.

Lu Chengzhou walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and turned back to look at him: "There's one more thing."

Gao Yuliang looked at him.

"Don't joke about jumping off buildings anymore."

Lu Chengzhou's tone was unreadable, "Your jump has caused enormous trouble for Handong and for me."

Gao Yuliang sighed, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in his eyes: "Secretary Lu, who could have imagined... I've studied law all my life, not materials mechanics. If I had known that Secretary Sha's car roof was made of such sturdy material, I might have jumped somewhere else."

This pure black humor even surprised the well-informed Zhou Zhengming.

Lu Chengzhou didn't press further, but turned to Zhao Dong and said, "Have the Public Security Bureau and the Government Affairs Bureau jointly issue a report to thoroughly investigate the safety hazards of the Provincial Party Committee building."

"Yes!" Zhao Donglai quickly straightened his chest and replied.

With a click, the high voltage inside the ward closed the door, and the pressure was finally released.

Wu Huifen walked back to the bedside, tucked the blanket around Gao Yuliang again, and asked in a low voice, "Were you testing him with what you just said?"

Gao Yuliang closed his eyes, feeling somewhat tired.

"It wasn't a test, it was a revelation."

He paused for a moment before opening his eyes and saying, "Tell him that although I, Gao Yuliang, am lying in bed, my mind is still sharp and functional. If he wants to take Handong smoothly, he'll need to use me as his weapon."

As he was thinking, the encrypted internal phone by the bedside suddenly rang urgently.

Wu Huifen answered the phone, listened for a few words, her expression suddenly changed, and she covered the microphone to look at Gao Yuliang.

"Yuliang, it's someone from the supervisory team calling. He said... Chen Yanshi just arrived at the provincial party committee compound and specifically requested to see the supervisory team and the newly appointed provincial party secretary, saying he wants to report on major issues in Handong!"

Gao Yuliang's eyes snapped open.

Old Chen couldn't sit still any longer.