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

Zhou Zhengming looked at him calmly and said, "I haven't even said who he is yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhang Jianmin was covered in sweat, and his psychological defenses had completely cracked.

Zhou Zhengming continued to exert pressure: "Wu Xinyi sought you out not because you understand the case, but because you personally provided legal endorsement for the Lingang black money."

The moment you see the words "Lingang" on the draft, you know your old bombshell has exploded.

Zhang Jianmin couldn't take it anymore, and like a deflated balloon, he confessed in a low voice:

"I met Wang Zonghui once. He was brought by Liang Qunfeng's secretary the day before the mediation was closed."

"What did you talk about?"

He said that these disputes absolutely must not be brought to trial or exposed. Once they are made public, the overseas financial chains will be completely exposed, and the overall situation at the top will collapse. They must all be settled through mediation and the accounts must be sealed off.

Zhou Zhengming said coldly, "You accepted bribes?"

"I didn't take any money! I didn't take a single penny!" Zhang Jianmin said, his face flushed with anxiety, as he tried his best to defend himself.

"If you didn't take any money, why would you willingly break the law and pave the way for illicit gains?"

Zhang Jianmin's face was full of bitterness, revealing the helplessness of a low-level executor within the system: "Back then, Zhao Lichun set the tone, Liang Qunfeng supervised, and people from Beijing came to oversee things. How could I, a mere presiding judge of the economic court, dare not cooperate? If I didn't stamp it, I'd be reassigned tomorrow!"

Zhou Zhengming's words sealed off all his excuses, resounding powerfully:

"You're not incapable, you're afraid! All passive violations are essentially political investments, choosing sides to avoid risks, actively compromising with power, and tacitly acquiescing to and protecting illicit interests! You think not pocketing money equates to being incorruptible? You're using the country's laws as a pledge of allegiance to the powerful!"

Zhang Jianmin was speechless and lowered his head completely.

...

Chen Yanshi was brought into another interview room.

When Zhou Zhengming unfolded the dispatch slip printed with "Advisor Wang," Chen Yanshi's breathing instantly became erratic.

"Mr. Chen, do you remember this person?"

Chen Yanshi's eyes darted around, but he forced himself to remain calm and resorted to the excuse typical of the elderly: "It's been too long, I can't remember."

Zhou Zhengming didn't beat around the bush; he went straight for the kill.

"After the dinner that evening, you publicly instructed everyone—'Don't make things public.' Did you say that?"

Chen Yanshi's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Who told you that?"

"You only need to answer whether you said it or not."

After a long silence, Chen Yanshi spoke hoarsely, "...I might have said that."

"What kind of thing are you referring to that can't be made public?"

Chen Yanshi's lips trembled, and his mental defenses crumbled step by step.

He knew that Chen Yang had confessed, Ji Changming had confessed, Zhang Jianmin had confessed, and even the driver had confessed.

The entire chain of interests has been exposed, leaving only him, the behind-the-scenes protector and the ultimate shielder of corruption, clinging to his pitiful semblance of dignity.

After a long silence, he admitted in a low voice:

"It's about the resettlement of Chen Yang's overseas funds. It's about the illicit profits flowing out of the Lingang project."

The recorder immediately wrote down the details, documenting this shocking confession as evidence.

Zhou Zhengming pressed further: "Are you aware that these funds originated from illegal arbitrage and illicit capital outflows from Lingang?"

Chen Yanshi closed his eyes, his voice terribly hoarse: "I know."

How much do you know?

This sentence completely shattered his last pretense.

Chen Yanshi suddenly looked up, completely losing control of his emotions.

Enraged and humiliated, he resorted to the frantic sophistry characteristic of corrupt officials exposed, desperately trying to cling to his image as an "honest official":

"Are you determined to condemn me as a corrupt official?! I've been an honest official my whole life, never taking a penny! I've never accepted bribes, never bought a luxury house, never profited personally, I even returned the house at Dafeng Factory! I just didn't want my child to be ruined, didn't want the long-standing system to collapse! What have I done wrong?!"

Zhou Zhengming's eyes were icy, his words piercing, completely tearing away his facade of hypocrisy:

"Chen Yanshi, don't try to twist the facts here!"

Just because you didn't personally take cash doesn't mean you weren't deeply involved in the case!

You tacitly allow your children to embezzle illicit funds, use the privileges of retired cadres to suppress cases and cover up wrongdoing, use your influence in the political and legal system to silence cross-border corruption, and artificially undermine the judiciary!

This is a concrete case of disciplinary violations, corruption, rent-seeking, and protecting organized crime!

"You think you're Hai Rui just because you don't handle money? The workers at Dafeng Factory suffered losses, state-owned assets were lost, and illicit funds were successfully smuggled out of the country—all thanks to your stamp of approval!"

Ding Yizhen embezzled project funds, while you embezzled the credibility of the Handong political and legal system! You are not innocent; you are the key figure in this entire chain of vested interests, the political and legal protector!

These words struck Chen Yanshi like a thunderbolt, leaving him completely drained and instantly aging him ten years.

All the reputation, integrity, and public image he had built up over a lifetime crumbled into dust at this moment.

He finally lowered his head, which he had held high all his life, and confessed his guilt completely:

"I... will provide all the details."

Zhou Zhengming pushed the notepad over, his tone devoid of any warmth: "Write."

Chen Yanshi gripped the pen with trembling hands, writing a few sentences, then pausing.

After a long while, he raised his head, his eyes cloudy, and his voice hoarse as he pleaded:

"Could you... not let Chen Hai know? He's in the ICU right now and can't handle this kind of shock."

Zhou Zhengming spoke calmly, unwaveringly, and impartially:

"The organization may sympathize with patients, but you must understand that your family's illness cannot cover up the established facts that you actively engaged in corruption, protected illicit funds, and abused your power."

Chen Yanshi's eyes were red-rimmed, and his turbid tears splashed onto the ink on the paper, blurring the ink.

This time, he offered no further rebuttal.

A lifetime of good reputation was ultimately ruined by one's own greed and self-destruction, leading to utter ruin and eternal damnation.