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

Handong?

Handover procedures?

These two words, uttered lightly from Shen Zhong's lips, landed in Zhang Xiangyang's ears, and made him freeze completely.

His subordinates behind him also paled. They were all seasoned veterans of the bureaucracy, and they knew all too well the implications behind those two words.

Zhang Xiangyang's mind went blank for a moment.

He thought of He Xia, who was about to take up her post as the head of Hexi District.

He thought of Hou Liangping's report, which distorted the truth about "performing official duties."

He even thought of himself, and how he had made that impassioned speech at the party group meeting, "sending Ma Su with tears in his eyes," in order to distance himself from the situation.

A huge, chilling guess began to fester in his mind.

No... that can't be, right?

In the living room, Shen Zhong didn't even glance at them.

He simply held the phone and continued chatting casually in that indifferent tone.

On the other end of the phone, the old leader's strong voice, faintly heard through the receiver, carried an undisguised sense of satisfaction.

"Everything is taken care of. The Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong received the official notification yesterday. The handover process between the military region and the local government has also been arranged. You can go there to report for duty at any time and officially take over as the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Military Region and a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee."

The old leader paused for a moment, then changed the subject.

"Have you finished dealing with things on your end?"

Shen Zhong raised his eyelids and glanced at Zhang Xiangyang and the others standing in front of him, who looked like a few wooden stakes.

Their faces showed undisguised horror and panic.

Especially Zhang Xiangyang, who was in the lead, had beads of sweat on his forehead that had formed streams that flowed down his cheeks, but he didn't even dare to wipe them away.

"It's almost done."

Shen Zhong spoke calmly into the phone.

"The leaders of the Anti-Corruption Bureau were very sincere; they personally came to apologize, and their attitude was very good."

Very sincere.

Their attitude was very good.

These eight words, when they entered Zhang Xiangyang's ears, were no less than heavenly music!

His heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach.

He felt a sudden release, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

He knew that Shen Zhong was giving them a way out, telling the important person on the other end of the phone that he would no longer pursue their leadership responsibilities.

His life has been saved!

hang up the phone.

Shen Zhong casually tossed the red phone back onto the coffee table.

He didn't look at Zhang Xiangyang again, as if they were just a few decorations in the living room.

He turned to look at He Xia, a gentle expression on his face.

"Let's pack our things, we're going to Handong in a couple of days."

These words shattered the last glimmer of hope in Zhang Xiangyang's heart.

He was now 100% certain of his terrible guess!

Go to Handong!

A highly decorated major general gave up his lucrative position in the capital to go to a local province in Handong.

This is further combined with the "Provincial Party Committee Organization Department" and "local handover" mentioned in the phone call earlier.

This is no ordinary transfer!

This is clearly a military uniform being brought into the Security Council!

This young man before me is about to become a powerful provincial governor, wielding real authority over an entire province! A member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong Province!

Having figured this out, Zhang Xiangyang felt a sudden dizziness.

He finally understood what kind of entity he, and the entire Supreme People's Procuratorate, had offended.

I finally understand how foolish and ridiculous it was for that idiot Hou Liangping to block the door of a future provincial standing committee member's house in an attempt to sabotage his wife's appointment as district head!

What does the position of a district head matter in front of a member of the provincial party committee standing committee?

A single sentence from someone can decide the fate of an official who is far higher in rank than the district head!

This is a dimensional reduction attack!

It is a dragon looking down upon ants!

"Shen...Standing Committee Member Shen..."

Zhang Xiangyang spoke haltingly, even subconsciously changing his form of address.

He and the men behind him bowed deeply once more, their attitude more than ten times more respectful than when they arrived, a fear that came from the depths of their bones.

"We...we won't bother you any longer. We'll go back right away and give you the most satisfactory explanation!"

After saying that, he led his men out of the room, which had made his soul tremble, almost as if he were fleeing.

The group returned to the Supreme People's Procuratorate in a daze.

Zhang Xiangyang didn't even go back to his office; he rushed straight into the top leader's office.

"Old Zhang, how is it? What...what did he say?" The top leader stood up anxiously.

Zhang Xiangyang's face was deathly pale, and his lips were trembling.

"He's going to Handong... to become a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee!"

The top leader was struck dumb, standing there stunned.

After a long while, he slumped back into his chair, his face full of bitterness.

"I understand... I understand everything..."

He looked at Zhang Xiangyang, his voice hoarse.

"Hold a meeting tonight! Hold another Party Committee meeting!"

After half an hour.

The meeting room of the Supreme People's Procuratorate was brightly lit.

The atmosphere was even more somber than in the morning.

After hearing the news Zhang Xiangyang brought back, everyone fell silent.

Their backs were soaked with cold sweat.

It turns out that their previously smug "sacrifice the pawn to save the king" strategy was nothing but a joke in other people's eyes.

They don't care about Hou Liangping at all!

What they want is an attitude! An attitude that instills fear in them!

"I propose it!"

It was Zhang Xiangyang who was the first to break the silence.

This time, his voice no longer contained the grief and indignation of the daytime, but only boundless fear and a frantic urge to make amends.

"Given Hou Liangping's abuse of power, misuse of public resources, defiance of regulations, and attempts to deceive the organization by falsifying reports, causing extremely negative political consequences, his actions have seriously violated Party discipline and state laws!"

"I propose that he be expelled from the Party and dismissed from his public office—a 'double expulsion' punishment!"

"At the same time, the clues regarding his suspected illegal and criminal activities have been transferred to the relevant departments for investigation and prosecution! He will be held criminally liable in accordance with the law!"

Double-click!

Handed over to the judiciary!

This is tantamount to a double death sentence for Hou Liangping, both politically and personally!

This time, no one in the meeting room raised any objections.

It passed unanimously!

This outcome spread at an astonishing speed through various internal channels throughout the power circles of Beijing, large and small.

Everyone who heard the news gasped in shock.

They knew that Hou Liangping was finished.

That political rising star, once hailed as a "pioneer in the fight against corruption," has fallen from grace.

Moreover, he was kicked from the clouds and plunged directly into the abyss!

……

The Hou family.

Hou Liangping was completely devastated.

He was suspended from his duties and removed from his office.

All his backers and connections vanished overnight.

He locked himself in his study, acting like a madman.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Zhong Xiaoai opened the door, and there stood several men in uniforms with serious expressions.

The person in the lead showed his identification.

"We are from the Discipline Inspection Commission's investigation team. Hou Liangping is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law. Please come with us."

Hou Liangping was led out of the study in a daze.

He saw those people, and he saw the cold arrest warrant in their hands.

He knew it was all over.

Just as he was being supported by two staff members and about to leave his home...

The evening news was playing on the television in the living room.

A clear, resonant female voice rang out:

"...The Central Committee recently decided to approve Comrade Shen Zhong's appointment as a member and standing committee member of the Provincial Committee of Handong Province..."