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

At 9:00 AM, outside the VIP passage of Hantong International Airport.

The people from the Provincial Party Committee's reception office stood in two rows, looking like a flock of quails that had been chilled by frost.

Gao Yuliang's jump yesterday afternoon was a double blow from both physics and politics, directly shattering the "political stance" of the entire Handong officialdom from the clouds to the earth's core.

In the past, people loved to talk about "raising one's position" in meetings, but now anyone who mentions it feels awkward—position has been redefined by Gao Yuliang using the concept of free fall.

Zhao Donghui, deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, stood at the front of the crowd, holding the list of people picking up passengers in his hand, his eyes lingering on two names.

Qin Yuanzhou, head of the Central Joint Supervision Group.

Deputy team leader: Zhou Zhengming.

Zhao Donghui knew perfectly well that this wasn't a supervisory team; it was clearly a "demolition office" led by an imperial envoy.

Following behind were several excavators from the Discipline Inspection Commission, the Organization Department, and the Political and Legal Affairs Department, ready to dig up this dilapidated building in Handong from its foundation.

At 9:10, the automatic door slid open.

A man in his fifties walked at the front, wearing a gray jacket, with short hair, carrying no bag, only a thin folder. His eyes were calm and expressionless; he didn't look like a high-ranking official, but rather a ruthless character who had come to audit the accounts and, incidentally, send the accountant to jail.

It was Qin Yuanzhou.

Zhao Donghui quickly forced a professional smile and went up to greet him: "Team Leader Qin, you must be tired from your journey. Welcome to Handong to guide our work."

Qin Yuanzhou shook hands with him, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy, but his gaze went straight past him and swept over the group of cadres behind him who didn't dare to breathe.

"Comrade Donghui, no need for formalities," Qin Yuanzhou said gently. "Is Comrade Sha Ruijin in the Provincial Party Committee?"

Zhao Donghui's heart skipped a beat.

The very first sentence directly named the top leader; the knife was drawn swiftly and accurately.

"Secretary Sha has been waiting at the Provincial Party Committee for quite some time."

"Then let's go straight to the provincial party committee." Qin Yuanzhou nodded and walked away.

The head of the reception office quickly stepped forward: "Team Leader Qin, as is customary, the province has arranged a brief welcome meal..."

Qin Yuanzhou stopped and looked back at him.

"Given the current situation in Handong, what's there to welcome?" Qin Yuanzhou's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Are you welcoming us to watch a high-altitude object falling performance, or are you welcoming us to assess the damage to a Hongqi car?"

"puff--"

Someone in the convoy couldn't hold it in and let out a short laugh, which they then forced back into a series of coughs.

Zhao Donghui's face twitched; he wanted to laugh but dared not, but inwardly he was alarmed: This Team Leader Qin was full of hellish jokes, and his murderous intent was hidden in those jokes.

The convoy sped off, heading straight for the Provincial Party Committee.

On the bus, Zhao Donghui tried to get a feel for the rhythm:

"Team Leader Qin, Secretary Gao is currently in the intensive care unit at the Provincial People's Hospital, and his vital signs are stable. Secretary Sha has also urgently convened a Standing Committee meeting to conduct a preliminary review and in-depth reflection on the incident."

Qin Yuanzhou flipped through the folder in his hand, not even lifting his eyelids: "Oh? Who are you reflecting on?"

Hit the nail on the head.

Zhao Donghui felt a slight sweat break out on his back. Knowing that such platitudes wouldn't work, he could only lower his voice:

"Many comrades at the Standing Committee meeting believed that Secretary Sha, as the main person in charge of the Provincial Party Committee, was too hasty in his work and bears an unshirkable leadership responsibility for the incident."

Qin Yuanzhou then raised his head, looked at the street scene rushing past the window, and said calmly:

"It's proper procedure for the top leader to take responsibility. I'd like to hear something beyond the procedure. For example, does anyone think this was handled... a bit stupidly?"

The car became so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

Deputy team leader Zhou Zhengming casually added insult to injury from the side:

"Team Leader Qin means that anti-corruption is like surgery, requiring precise removal. The way Handong is doing it is like swinging an 80-pound sledgehammer to crack a walnut. Whether the walnut breaks or not is unknown, but the table is definitely smashed through."

The driver's hand trembled, and he almost drove the car onto the curb.

Zhao Donghui cleared his throat and confessed honestly: "Indeed, some comrades believe that there are serious problems with the case-handling methods and communication procedures, which have exacerbated the conflict."

"That's right." Qin Yuanzhou closed the folder, leaned back in his chair, and said.

"After such a major incident, we can't just conclude that the roof of the Hongqi car is too thin and that the manufacturer needs to issue a recall, can we?"

......

Meeting Room No. 1 of the Provincial Party Committee.

Sha Ruijin sat upright in the main seat. He looked haggard from not having slept all night, but his spine remained straight.

The water glass and documents in front of him were arranged meticulously, maintaining the last vestige of dignity of this high-ranking official.

The Standing Committee members and Li Dakang and others who were present sat upright. Surprisingly, Hou Liangping was also called in, but he was not entitled to sit.

As soon as the door opened, Qin Yuanzhou strode in.

Sha Ruijin immediately stood up and extended his hand, saying, "Team Leader Qin, thank you for your hard work."

Qin Yuanzhou shook his hand, but his words caused the temperature in the entire conference room to drop three degrees:

"Comrade Ruijin, we are not tired. It is the cadres and masses in Handong who are tired. They were quite frightened by you yesterday."

Sha Ruijin's hand froze in mid-air.

The old foxes present tacitly lowered their heads.

That's too harsh a statement; it directly characterizes the incident as a "man-made disaster" that has alarmed the entire province.

Qin Yuanzhou did not sit in the main seat, but stood to the side of the conference table and pulled out a red-headed document from a folder.

"Time is precious, I will convey the Central Committee's decision first."

Everyone sat up straight instantly.

Qin Yuanzhou spoke slowly, but every word struck a chord with Sha Ruijin:

"Given the serious political incident that recently occurred in the Handong Provincial Party Committee, Sha Ruijin, the main responsible comrade of the Provincial Party Committee, bears an unshirkable leadership responsibility for his insufficient assessment of the situation and his simplistic and crude working methods."

Following a decision by the Central Committee, Comrade Sha Ruijin is hereby suspended from his post as Secretary of the Handong Provincial Committee, effective immediately, to undergo interviews and organizational review by the Central Joint Supervision Group.

Dead silence.

Sha Ruijin had a premonition, but when the words "suspended from duty" and "subject to investigation" were pronounced in public, his political life seemed to have been instantly drained of oxygen.

Qin Yuanzhou didn't even look at him, and continued reading:

"During the transition period, Comrade Qin Yuanzhou, the head of the joint supervision group, will act as the principal leader of the Handong Provincial Party Committee and preside over the overall work of the Provincial Party Committee."

A series of soft gasps filled the conference room.

Li Dakang's face was ashen, but his mind was racing with calculations:

Acting as the top leader's authority—this isn't supervision, this is military control! The Sha family clique, this mountain, has collapsed!

Qin Yuanzhou put down the document and his gaze fell on Sha Ruijin:

"Comrade Ruijin, you can go back to your office now to pack your personal belongings. The supervisory team will be waiting for you at the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse at 3 PM this afternoon."

Sha Ruijin's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse: "Team Leader Qin, I'd like to visit Comrade Yuliang at the hospital first."

"No need," Qin Yuanzhou replied crisply.

Sha Ruijin's expression changed: "I didn't mean anything by it..."

Whether you have other intentions or not is no longer up to you to decide.

Qin Yuanzhou's tone remained gentle, yet it carried an unyielding will.

"Comrade Gao Yuliang is now the key person involved in this incident. When you go to see him, is it to offer condolences or to exert pressure?"

If you don't handle this boundary well, from now on, the security of Comrade Gao Yuliang's ward will be taken over by the Armed Police Force. No cadre, including you, is allowed to visit without the approval of the supervisory team.

Sha Ruijin's lips moved slightly, but he eventually slumped down and remained silent.

Qin Yuanzhou's gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Li Dakang.

"Comrade Dakang, were you at the scene before Comrade Gao Yuliang fell to his death yesterday?"

Li Dakang cursed inwardly, but his face remained as steady as a mountain.

"Reporting to Team Leader Qin, I did indeed pass through the provincial party committee compound. At the time, the discipline inspection comrades were handling a highly confidential case, and to avoid interfering with the investigation, I chose to leave immediately."

"You have a strong sense of rules." Qin Yuanzhou nodded, as if praising him.

Just as Li Dakang was about to say a few words of modesty, Qin Yuanzhou changed the subject:

"So strong that even when the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee was running in front of your car and a bunch of people were chasing after you and shouting, you didn't even have the interest to get out of the car and ask, 'What happened?' Comrade Dakang, you not only have a strong sense of discipline, but your mental fortitude is also extraordinary."

Li Dakang: "Team Leader Qin, the situation was urgent at the time, and my assessment was..."

"We can discuss your judgment separately later," Qin Yuanzhou interrupted him, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"The mess left behind by Ding Yizhen's escape, plus the matter of your ex-wife Ouyang Jing, Comrade Dakang, your role as the head steward of Jingzhou is riddled with problems. We need to sort out all these old accounts."

Ding Yizhen!

Ouyang Jing!

A cold sweat broke out on Li Dakang's back.

He instantly understood that Qin Yuanzhou didn't want to hear his explanation of yesterday's events, but rather wanted to use yesterday's "failure to save someone in distress" to pry open all his historical issues!

With Sha Ruijin's protective umbrella collapsing, Li Dakang has become the most conspicuous live target in the storm!

Finally, Qin Yuanzhou's gaze fell on Hou Liangping, who was pale-faced in the corner.

"Hou Liangping".

"Here!" Hou Liangping stood up straight instinctively.

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate has ordered the suspension of all your case-handling authority in Handong. You are to immediately return to the guesthouse and await questioning at any time. All case files, records, and documents from your case-handling period must be handed over to the supervisory team for safekeeping."

In a moment of impulsiveness, Hou Liangping's old arrogance resurfaced:

"Team Leader Qin, I'm here on orders to investigate a case!"

Zhou Zhengming, standing beside him, raised his eyelids and asked in a low voice, "On whose orders are we acting?"

Hou Liangping was speechless for a moment, his face turning red with embarrassment.

By whose orders?

This is a life-or-death question!

He says who it is, and he'll drag them down with him!

His father-in-law, the Zhong family, is trying to hide as fast as they can. Who would dare to take the blame for driving the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee to his death at this time?

Qin Yuanzhou looked at him and said calmly, "No one said you weren't following orders. But following orders to solve a case doesn't mean following orders to cause trouble. Go back and reflect on what the rules really mean."

Hou Liangping slumped back into his chair, feeling for the first time how painful the chair was.

As the meeting drew to a close, Qin Yuanzhou stood up, looked around at everyone, and uttered his final words:

"Handong is not anyone's testing ground, nor is it a record of achievements for anyone to bolster their resume. Yesterday, it was Gao Yuliang who fell from the sixth floor, but what was shattered was the wishful thinking of everyone here."

Everyone got up and left, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Just as Li Dakang reached the meeting room door, he clearly heard Qin Yuanzhou behind him give instructions to Zhou Zhengming:

"Immediately seal off all surveillance footage from yesterday at the provincial party committee compound, hospital, and all relevant road sections. Also…"

Qin Yuanzhou paused, his voice, though not loud, was extremely penetrating.

"Retrieve the dashcam from the Audi that Li Dakang was in yesterday. I want to hear how Comrade Dakang managed to 'see no evil and hear no evil' while he was in the car."

Li Dakang's foot, which had just stepped out of the door, suddenly froze in mid-air.

His mind went blank for a moment, and he had only one thought: It's over.

Yesterday, his cold words to the driver in the car, "Roll up the window, drive, whoever wants to take the blame can take it," are about to become evidence in court.