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

In the interview room of the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse in Handong.

After several days of investigation, the once spirited "monkey" is now thin and haggard, all the sharpness in his eyes has faded, and he looks like a defeated quail.

Zhou Zhengming sat down opposite him and truthfully informed him that Wang Zonghui had been detained in accordance with the law.

Hou Liangping was suddenly taken aback, and a flicker of emotion finally appeared in his empty eyes. After a long while, he gave a low, bitter laugh: "The Zhong family... has still made the decision to cut ties."

Zhou Zhengming looked at him with a hint of pity: "Even now, you're still thinking about the Zhong family? You should think about your own problems."

"It's not that I'm thinking about it."

Hou Liangping's voice was hoarse and weary. "I just want to understand whose pawn I am, and who will ultimately abandon me completely."

Old Liu, who was standing to the side, picked up his thermos and took a sip of water, then mercilessly shattered his fantasy: "Liangping, stop dreaming about becoming a prince consort."

Your ex-wife, Zhong Xiaoai, has been placed under house arrest by Old Master Zhong. The Zhong family is currently in dire straits, and their first priority is to get rid of you, this hot potato.

Are you still keeping quiet for them? Wang Zonghui's network of interests has been completely confirmed. The details you gave earlier, regarding the Zhong family's instructions to avoid the Chen family and seal up the old accounts in Lingang, need to be supplemented in detail.

Please provide a detailed account of who gave the order, when it was given, the exact words spoken, and the specific details of the scene.

Hou Liangping was struck dumb, remaining silent for a long time until he was completely exhausted. Finally, he stopped hiding it and said, "He is my father-in-law."

Old Liu continued to verify: "Time and place."

"Two days before I went to Handong to take up my post, in the Zhong family study in the capital."

"The original words."

Hou Liangping slowly closed his eyes. The admonitions that he once regarded as the guiding principles of conduct now seemed to pierce his heart: "He said that the anti-corruption campaign in Handong should focus on the main contradictions and local corrupt factions, and not be distracted by old historical grievances."

Comrade Chen Yanshi is a model of political and legal affairs and a positive political symbol in Handong. Chen Yang's overseas business dealings are personal matters and should not be investigated or touched upon excessively.

The Lingang project is complex and involves historical issues. Everything should be prioritized for the overall interests of the province; it's inappropriate to dredge up old grievances or revisit past problems.

Zhou Zhengming pressed further: "What was your core judgment at the time?"

"I take it as an implicit understanding that the Chen family's restricted areas are off-limits, and the old grievances in Lingang should not be dug up," Hou Liangping frankly admitted.

"Have you conveyed this message to Comrade Sha Ruijin?"

"have."

How did Sha Ruijin respond?

He said that the anti-corruption campaign in Handong will prioritize eliminating the local faction left behind by Zhao Lichun, and other historical issues will be discussed at a later time.

Zhou Zhengming repeated that utterly perfunctory statement in a low voice, his eyes filled with a cold indifference that revealed his understanding of officialdom: "We'll discuss it later. What those within the system are best at is using 'later' to cover up current problems and avoid current risks."

Hou Liangping lowered his head and remained silent, unable to refute.

Zhou Zhengming pushed the transcript in front of him: "Verification is correct, sign to confirm."

Hou Liangping picked up his pen and began to write, his handwriting messy and weak. The moment he finished signing, he suddenly looked up and asked softly, "Xiao Ai... does she know about these things?"

Without raising his gaze, Lao Liu stated in a calm and straightforward tone: "Comrade Zhong Xiaoai has already signed the divorce agreement with you, completing the severing of ties."

"I know."

Hou Liangping's voice was dry, and a hint of sourness welled up in his eyes. "I'm asking if she knows that her family has so many old grievances and so many schemes hidden in Handong."

The room was silent; no one answered.

Hou Liangping chuckled softly to himself, a mixture of self-mockery and relief in his voice: "She's so intelligent and perceptive, how could she not know?"

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with exhaustion and heartache, and murmured to himself, "She must be having a very hard time right now. On one side is her closest family, on the other is the law and justice, and on top of that, there's me, her utterly defeated ex-husband."

Zhou Zhengming closed the case file, his tone serious, and brought the conversation back to the point: "You don't need to empathize with others; focus on yourself first. After Wang Zonghui is detained, all your testimonies and statements will be thoroughly reviewed and cross-verified."

If there is even the slightest deliberate concealment or downplaying of the seriousness of the matter, the leniency you have currently secured will be completely nullified!

Upon hearing this, Hou Liangping slowly raised his head.

All the wishful thinking, resentment, and affectation faded from his eyes, replaced by a kind of madness driven to the brink of despair and a willingness to perish together.

You want to treat him like a chamber pot, using him and then kicking him away? Then let's all be infamous for eternity!

Zhou Zhengming and Lao Liu both looked up at the same time, their eyes focusing on him.

Hou Liangping spoke calmly, yet he dropped a bombshell that could trigger a major earthquake in Handong:

"Before the Zhong family arranged for me to take up my post in Handong, they gave me a special internal list. It clearly divided the officials in Handong into those who could be moderately involved in achieving political success, and those who were absolutely off-limits and could not be touched in the slightest!"

He looked up at the two of them, his words clear and resolute: "I did not destroy that list."