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

Although no official document was issued regarding the news that Li Dakang had been "released from military power over a cup of wine" in the provincial party committee's small conference room, in Jingzhou's official circles, such a minor incident spread faster than a gale.

Even Li Dakang, who was known as the "strongest firewall in Handong," was violently demolished by Lu Chengzhou and Qin Yuanzhou. Those old guys who thought they could rest easy by hiding behind the scenes suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

For example, Chen Yanshi, an old revolutionary, was the "pillar of stability" in the Dafeng Factory incident.

These past few days, Old Man Chen has been tossing and turning all night, unable to get a good night's sleep.

He was old and had always been a light sleeper, but what bothered him was never his old back and leg problems, but rather the increasingly rampant rumors circulating outside.

The whole city was talking about the reopening of the Dafeng Factory case. Rumors were circulating, and people were saying that Chen Yanshi's intervention to protect the factory and mortgage his property back then was not simply out of compassion for the workers.

Rather, it was to cover up the long-standing, gray accounts left over from the redevelopment of the old city of Lingang!

To put it bluntly, they acted as a "political chamber pot" for Zhao Lichun and the vested interest groups.

He took everything lightly in his life, relinquishing all power after retirement. The only thing he valued most was his reputation and the integrity of a veteran party member for decades. These were his lifeblood, and he would not tolerate any tarnishing of them.

Now, every speculation from others feels like a poisoned thorn, piercing his heart.

The television in the living room kept changing channels, and Wang Fuzhen, the old man's wife, was getting annoyed as she held the remote control.

Chen Yanshi paced back and forth in the room like a furious old lion whose food had been stolen, his footsteps making a "clattering" sound on the hardwood floor, a nameless anger simmering in his chest.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"

Chen Yanshi abruptly stopped, slamming his cane heavily on the ground. "A bunch of youngsters, daring to draw conclusions based on a few old files? When I was carrying explosives and charging into battle, they were still wearing open-crotch pants! I stood up to Zhao Lichun for the people for over a decade, and now I'm labeled as hiding personal accounts and acting as a front man? Is there no law? Is there no justice?!"

Wang Fuzhen couldn't stand his constant commotion any longer. She rubbed her temples and advised, "Can you stop for a moment? You're making me dizzy and confused."

Chen Yanshi paused, turned to look at his wife, and said with a hint of grievance and disbelief, "What? Even you, my wife of decades, think I have ulterior motives?"

"What good is it for me to trust you? The investigation is being conducted by the Central Joint Supervision Team, not something that can be dismissed by our family members talking behind closed doors."

Wang Fuzhen was more clear-headed than him, her tone calm and insightful: "No matter how eloquent you are, verbal arguments can't beat the written evidence in their hands."

Chen Yanshi stiffened his neck and immediately had the idea of ​​going to the provincial party committee to reason with the leaders: "No way! I'm going to the provincial party committee in person! I'm going to talk to Lu Chengzhou and Qin Yuanzhou face to face and make things clear! I, Chen Yanshi, am upright and honest, and I'm not afraid of their investigation!"

"Aren't you ashamed enough?"

Wang Fuzhen suddenly stood up, showing him no mercy. "Before, when Xiao Jinzi was around, he called you Uncle Chen. Now that the supervisory team is here, you're just a 'petitioner'! The clues will eventually lead to Chen Yang. If you go there and argue your way out, it will only add another piece of your 'emotional rhetoric' to the investigation file, confirming others' suspicions that you're 'frantic and trying to cover it up'!"

Chen Yanshi breathed heavily, his chest heaving, filled with resentment: "Am I just supposed to sit at home and let them throw dirty water on me out of thin air?"

Wang Fuzhen's calm words directly ripped away his subconscious pretense: "A person with a clear conscience will naturally withstand scrutiny. If there's any involvement, you can't cover it up with arguments alone; if you're completely innocent, no amount of rumors can hold water. Think about it honestly, were you really completely unaware of what happened in Lingang back then?"

These words instantly acted like a tattered rag, effectively choking Chen Yanshi.

He claimed to uphold principles his whole life and portray himself as a "Hai Rui" figure, but in his heart he had long been aware of the truth.

Back when Lingang was being renovated, Zhao Lichun and his subordinates frequently sought his support and endorsement.

What was he thinking at the time?

He didn't accept a single penny of cash or take any benefits, so he considered himself completely clean and deliberately avoided digging into the details of the fund transfers behind the scenes.

Those who have spent a long time in officialdom are best at "burying their heads in the sand"—

As long as I didn't take the money myself, and as long as I didn't see the ledger, I will always be innocent.

He only saw the bottom line he was upholding, but deliberately ignored the associated responsibilities brought about by his "tacit approval" and "support".

He slumped back onto the sofa, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He picked up his reading glasses but then casually put them on the coffee table, his mind a complete mess.

"Have you been able to contact Chen Yang yet?" His voice trembled slightly.

Wang Fuzhen shook her head slightly, her eyes full of worry: "The phone is off, and there are no replies to WeChat messages or text messages."

Chen Yanshi's heart sank suddenly.

Before the elderly couple could say anything more, the doorbell rang sharply outside.

"Ding-dong—"

The sound echoed like a death knell in the empty living room.

Wang Fuzhen took a deep breath, got up and opened the door.

Standing outside the door was Zhou Zhengming, deputy head of the joint supervision office, followed by recorder Xiao Lin.

The two men were dressed simply and were not in uniform, but their stern, businesslike aura could be felt even through the security door.

"Hello, Comrade Chen Yanshi."

Zhou Zhengming smiled politely, but his eyes were sharp as knives. "We are staff members of the joint supervision team. We are here today to verify some information with you regarding several related leads."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanshi's face darkened instantly, his back straightened instinctively, and his stubbornness, which stemmed from his age, resurfaced.

"I've been retired for many years, I hold no official position, I'm just an ordinary citizen! What do you inspection team want to check on me for?"

Zhou Zhengming remained calm and composed, adhering strictly to case-handling procedures, yet every word he uttered struck a nerve:

"We are mainly verifying clues left over from the restructuring of Dafeng Factory, related transactions from the Lingang Old City renovation 23 years ago, and... the financial situation of your daughter Chen Yang overseas. Please cooperate with the organization's interview."

Upon hearing the name "Chen Yang," Chen Yanshi immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his emotions rising instantly and his voice increasing eight octaves:

"My daughter is just an ordinary overseas Chinese, studying and settling abroad. She has absolutely nothing to do with land development or corporate capital transactions in China! Why are you targeting her? Is this guilt by association?!"

Zhou Zhengming completely ignored his emotional outburst and didn't argue at all. He simply took out a letter from his briefcase, stamped with the bright red seal of the supervisory team, and handed it over with both hands.

"Mr. Chen, this is the standard verification notification document. All our inquiries are based on evidence, you can take a look first. Cooperating with the investigation is the duty of every Party member."

Chen Yanshi deliberately turned his head away, snorted coldly, and refused to reach out to take it.

But the document in black and white, laid out before him, carried more weight than any of his passionate arguments. The overwhelming pressure left him speechless, unable to even begin to refute it.