Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Handong Provincial Procuratorate.

Ji Changming hung up on Zhong Xiaoai.

Arrest Ding Yizhen!

Who is Ding Yizhen? He is the Vice Mayor of Jingzhou City and the chief commander of the Guangming Peak project. He is not only an incarnation of Li Dakang, the municipal party secretary, but also a front man for Zhao Lichun, the provincial party secretary!

Making a move against Ding Yizhen is tantamount to declaring war on Zhao Lichun. Although Zhao Lichun has been severely suppressed by Shen Zhong recently, he is still not someone that a chief prosecutor can afford to offend.

Ji Changming grabbed two tissues and vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He absolutely refused to take the blame; he had to find a tall, capable person to step in and make the decision.

Ji Changming picked up the internal phone on the table and dialed the special line of Gao Yuliang, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

The study in Gao Yuliang's apartment building was lit up.

Gao Yuliang sat behind a large mahogany desk, holding the thick book "Fifteen Years of Wanli" in his hand.

The hotline phone was ringing loudly.

Gao Yuliang put down the book in his hand and picked up the receiver.

"Secretary Gao, I'm sorry to bother you so late." Ji Changming's report was extremely concise. "Zhong Xiaoai from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has ordered our province's anti-corruption bureau to immediately carry out a forced arrest of Ding Yizhen."

"The paperwork is all done, you see..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuliang's heart skipped a beat, and then he let out a soft, bitter laugh.

Shen Zhong's grand strategy has finally reached the checkmate stage.

As I guessed, Zhong Xiaoai had been used by Shen Zhong.

"Old Ji." Gao Yuliang picked up the thermos, unscrewed the lid, and blew on the steam rising from it.

"This Ding Yizhen is a provincial-level cadre at the ministerial level, and also a key general under Secretary Dakang."

"So you mean...?"

"Go and report to Secretary Zhao Lichun in person. All actions will be subject to the final decision of the Standing Committee."

Gao Yuliang simply kicked the ball away; this hot potato is for whoever wants to take it.

"Understood." Ji Changming breathed a sigh of relief and quickly hung up the phone.

……

Office Building No. 1 in the Provincial Party Committee Compound.

Ji Changming jogged along, following his secretary Xiaobai into Zhao Lichun's office.

Zhao Lichun sat on a large leather sofa, holding a freshly brewed cup of pre-Qingming Longjing tea.

"Secretary Lichun. The situation is urgent." Ji Changming stood in front of the coffee table, bending over at a 45-degree angle.

"Ding Yizhen, the vice mayor of Jingzhou City, has committed bribery involving a huge amount of money. The evidence is conclusive. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has ordered the Anti-Corruption Bureau of our province to immediately take coercive measures to arrest Ding Yizhen."

Clang.

Zhao Lichun's hand holding the teacup trembled violently. The blue-and-white porcelain lid struck the rim of the cup with a crisp sound.

Ding Yizhen is in trouble!

Zhao Lichun's eye sockets slumped completely, and his face quickly turned ashen. His ten fingers were tightly clenched together, his knuckles white. His palms were covered in slippery, cold sweat.

Ding Yizhen is Zhao Ruilong's shield for his misdeeds! Ding Yizhen was involved in all of the Shanshui Group's bridge loans, the embezzlement of Dafeng Factory's equity, and the transfer of huge amounts of assets overseas.

If Ding Yizhen were to enter the Anti-Corruption Bureau's interrogation room, that bastard would definitely spill everything.

We can't arrest them! We absolutely cannot let the anti-corruption bureau take them away!

Zhao Lichun slammed the teacup down on the coffee table, his mind racing.

We must buy time to allow Ding Yizhen time to escape. Once he's gone, there will be no evidence and no one can trace him back to us.

Zhao Lichun stood up and paced back and forth in his office, taking very long strides.

"Old Ji. This case is serious, with far-reaching consequences." Zhao Lichun stopped, adopting an official tone, his words full of high-sounding rhetoric. "When it involves cadres of this rank, strict organizational procedures must be followed."

"Notify all members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee in Jingzhou. Call an immediate meeting! Convene an emergency Standing Committee meeting to discuss the Ding Yizhen issue!"

On the other side, the red hotline on Governor Liu Changchun's desk also rang.

He answered the phone, still wearing his coat. Upon hearing Ji Changming's report, Liu Changchun, a seasoned and cunning official, couldn't hide his excitement.

He had waited far too long for this day. For so long, Zhao Lichun had been in power in Handong, controlling all personnel and economic matters. He had been utterly frustrated as governor.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Changchun immediately summoned his chief secretary, Wang Jian.

"Xiao Wang, prepare the car. We're going to the provincial party committee compound," Liu Changchun instructed as he dressed.

Wang Jian has a strong sense of execution and immediately ran out to make arrangements.

Liu Changchun looked at his half-grown hair in the mirror. This second-in-command of Handong was going to take over tonight.

As long as Zhao Lichun is removed, only I in Handong am qualified to take the position of provincial party secretary!

Half an hour later, in Conference Room No. 1 of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee compound.

At the oval-shaped mahogany conference table, all the members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee were summoned overnight, except for Shen Zhong, who was accompanying He Xia on an inspection tour in Lüzhou.

Zhao Lichun sat in the main seat and saw that Shen Zhong's seat was empty, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Comrades, waking you all up in the middle of the night is indeed due to an emergency."

Zhao Lichun cleared his throat.

"Just now, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection issued an order for assistance through the Provincial Procuratorate, requiring the immediate arrest of Comrade Ding Yizhen, the Vice Mayor of Jingzhou City."

Sitting to the side, Li Dakang broke out in a cold sweat. Ding Yizhen was a trusted lieutenant he had personally promoted, and also the chief commander of the Jingzhou Guangming Peak project. He always referred to Ding Yizhen as "Secretary Dakang is my leader," and used Ding's name to conduct business.

Damn it! What the hell did that bastard do behind my back?! If the Guangming Peak Phase II project stalls because of him, how will Jingzhou meet its GDP targets this year?! Will I even be able to stay on as the Party Secretary?! Li Dakang lowered his head, staring intently at the teacup in front of him. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to clear his name.

Gao Yuliang, holding his signature thermos, slowly unscrewed the lid, now enjoying the show. Let them fight, the fiercer the better.

Zhao Lichun ignored the reactions of others and continued to set the tone for the meeting.

"We must be extremely cautious about Ding Yizhen's accusations."

"Ding Yizhen is a cadre from Jingzhou, of a high rank, with a wide influence. It is inappropriate for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to arrest him across provinces based solely on one side of the evidence; this is not in line with the actual situation in Handong."

Liu Changchun sat opposite Zhao Lichun, adjusting his glasses. He had received hints from Shen Zhong about their trump cards before coming. Tonight, they were going to beat Zhao Lichun while he was down. Once they took down Ding Yizhen, Zhao Lichun's finances would be completely exposed.

Liu Changchun pulled several documents out of his briefcase and threw them directly onto the center of the conference table.

"Secretary Lichun, it's true that you should be extremely cautious, but you can't ignore the problem."

Liu Changchun straightened his back.

"This is a report on unfinished projects in Jingzhou in recent years. During the years that Ding Yizhen was in charge of urban construction and investment promotion, he approved more than a dozen projects in violation of regulations. The bridge loan for Dafeng Factory alone involved hundreds of millions of yuan! Any one of these bad debts could be used to convict him!"

"I suggest that the prosecutor's request for arrest be approved immediately! We must not allow such a black sheep to remain in our cadre ranks!"

Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Tian Guofu immediately followed up. He opened the red notebook in front of him, holding the fountain pen he always carried with him.

"I agree with the Governor of Changchun's opinion."

Tian Guofu's words were blunt and sharp, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Zhang Shuli, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Jingzhou, has also obtained some clues about Ding Yizhen's violations of discipline. This is not unfounded. Since the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has issued an order, it must have obtained irrefutable evidence. If we in Handong do not cooperate, it would be considered covering up a crime!"