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

In the provincial party committee guesthouse, Lu Chengzhou's famous saying, "When fishing, you don't use bait; the fish just run right up to the hook," set the tone for the entire event.

Like an invisible, chilling wind, it swept silently through the officialdom of Handong.

While the rumors about Li Dakang becoming the governor were still circulating, people below were already scrambling to find their own umbrellas, each with their own hidden agendas.

Meanwhile, in the intensive care unit of the Public Security Hospital.

Gao Yuliang leaned against the back of the rocking hospital bed, wearing reading glasses on his nose, his whole body encased in a thick cast.

Wu Huifen sat on the edge of the bed, peeling an apple while lowering her voice:

"Old Gao, this morning I received several phone calls. Several former directors of the Beijing Law Society, as well as some of your old classmates from the University of Political Science and Law, all asked about your injuries indirectly."

Gao Yuliang didn't even lift his eyelids: "Oh? What did they say?"

Wu Huifen cut the peeled apple into small pieces and handed one over: "They all said very nice things, telling you to 'rest and recover' and 'trust the organization.' They also said that the matter in Handong should remain in Handong, that the old rules and traditions of the political and legal system cannot be abandoned, that everyone is mediating for you, so you don't have any psychological burden, and that you must take good care of yourself."

Gao Yuliang didn't take the apple, and laughed, "Just rest and recuperate? Are you afraid I'll expose all the old grievances and unspoken rules of coordination that have been going on in the political and legal system all these years?"

Wu Huifen sighed: "After all, you are a person of considerable influence in the national legal community. If you, this big tree, were uprooted, the mud that would be dragged down would not only be from Handong. They are afraid that you will make baseless accusations, so they want to keep you in check."

Just then, Kobayashi, the liaison officer of the supervisory team, pushed open the door and handed over a summary of the external verification.

Gao Yuliang put on his reading glasses and read it word by word.

Despite having a cast on his arm, his hand holding the paper was steady and even.

After reading it, he put the summary on his bedside table and took off his reading glasses.

Wu Huifen asked, "Judging from this commotion, has the supervisory team really uncovered Bai Wangshan's whereabouts from back then?"

"Half of it has been dug out."

Gao Yuliang picked up his cup and took a sip of warm water. "We found out about the vehicle used, the accommodation, and the note Zhao Ruilong used to settle accounts."

But these alone aren't enough to bring down the old leader. What are the veteran comrades best at?

"With people present, things remain unclear, and matters are not discussed. If you ask him, he'll say he was just going down to investigate the local economy, and that going to the private club was simply a matter of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Who can prove that he discussed any transfer of benefits at the club?"

Wu Huifen's expression changed slightly: "Then wouldn't we have to let him get away?"

"If we can't get rid of them, we'll have to see if the supervisory team can pry open that key person." Gao Yuliang closed his eyes, his mind racing through the intricate web of events that occurred in Lingang twenty-three years ago.

"Xiao Lin, write down this name and tell Zhou Zhengming when you get back." Gao Yuliang opened his eyes, his tone shrewd.

Xiao Lin immediately picked up his notebook: "Secretary Gao, please speak."

"Twenty-three years ago, there was a deputy director in the Provincial Public Security Bureau's Security Department named Guan Zhiqian. Back then, he was the one who secretly handled all the nighttime special operations at the Nan'an Sanatorium, the security of the club, and the pick-up and drop-off routes for Zhao Ruilong and his guests from Beijing."

Gao Yuliang explained clearly, "Later, in order to let him do the dirty work without worry, Zhao Ruilong arranged for him to retire early and bought him a villa in the suburbs of Jingzhou to keep him as a business security consultant. When Qi Tongwei got into trouble, the old guy pretended to have a stroke and lay in the hospital, fooling everyone."

Wu Huifen was taken aback: "Guan Zhiqian? I've never heard of him before?"

"You're right, you haven't heard of it." Gao Yuliang scoffed, turning to Xiaolin. "Xiaolin, has Chengdu been transferred to the supervisory group?"

Xiao Lin nodded: "Yes, but after these few days of investigation, he only confessed to things from the last few years. At the earliest, he was just a gofer for Zhao Ruilong."

"Of course he can't explain what happened 23 years ago."

Gao Yuliang smiled contemptuously, "Twenty-three years ago, what was Cheng Du? He couldn't even get close to the threshold of the South Bank Sanatorium! In the Handong Public Security System, lackeys like Cheng Du, who later helped Zhao Ruilong bite people and do things, were first promoted by Guan Zhiqian and then handed over to the Zhao family."

Cheng Du was merely a peripheral figurehead; Guan Zhiqian was the true steward of the Zhao family, having handled their early shady dealings. Guan Zhiqian had a living ledger in his mind of who Bai Wangshan had seen and what he had received upstairs at the club that night.

Xiao Lin scribbled rapidly, then looked up and asked, "Secretary Gao, this person has been hiding for so many years, and even Cheng Du's arrest didn't implicate him. It seems difficult to pry him out of his mouth, isn't it?"

"Very easy to pry open."

Gao Yuliang cleared his throat. "Guan Zhiqian is a coward who has always been afraid of death and always wants to leave himself a way out. When Zhou Zhengming leads his men to arrest him, don't start talking to him about laws and policies. He's been listening to them for thirty years and knows more about them than you do."

"Then how should we ask?"

"Slap Zhao Ruilong's confession in his face, and then read to him the notice of Wang Zonghui's detention."

Gao Yuliang's lips curled into a sneer. "Tell him that the higher-ups are settling old scores from twenty years ago. The Zhao family's big tree has been uprooted, and even a lackey like Cheng Du has been imprisoned. Who can he rely on? That old dog is better at accounting than anyone else. In order to avoid dying in jail, he even vomited up every single detail about how much wine Bai Wangshan drank that night."

Xiao Lin suppressed a laugh and closed his notebook: "Secretary Gao, you've even prepared a complete set of plans for arresting and interrogating people for our supervisory team now?"

Gao Yuliang, with an air of righteous indignation, said, "Since this is an organizational investigation, as a veteran comrade who has received years of Party education, the clues I provide must be detailed and effective. Your efficiency in solving the case makes my meritorious service feel more solid, doesn't it?"

Xiao Lin laughed: "I'll go report to Team Leader Zhou right away."

After Xiao Lin left the ward, Wu Huifen shook her head helplessly: "You've really let loose now. Are you planning to expose all the dirty secrets of those old leaders in Beijing?"

"I've already jumped off the provincial party committee building once, why would I care who holds a grudge?"

Gao Yuliang took a towel and wiped his hands, his tone indifferent, "If they feel wronged, they can go to the sixth-floor rooftop and jump. If they can't jump, they should just spit out what they've eaten."

Wu Huifen sighed and didn't reply.

Gao Yuliang leaned back against the headboard, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black night outside the ward window.

Once Guan Zhiqian's line is brought up by the supervisory team, Bai Wangshan's facade of being a "senior figure who cares about local development" will be completely torn off.

Once the fire in the capital is started, Li Dakang's so-called "provincial governor rumor" will turn into a red-hot iron.

In the upcoming play in Handong, anyone who dares to jump onto the stage is asking for trouble.