The entire courtyard is full of villains

"Old Qin, can you sign a search warrant for me?"

"Isn't this... a bit too late? Besides—"

"Old Qin, I'm begging you this once," Hou Liangping said in a low voice, "This time we've really caught a big fish, and they're putting up a stubborn resistance here."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "Ryohei, are you sure you can find anything with a search warrant?"

"I promise. Don't worry, Lao Qin, I'll bring him back to the station tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll have someone send it over to you now. Where is it located?"

"Villa No. 17, Dijingyuan".

After hanging up the phone, Hou Liangping leaned back against the car, crossed his arms, closed his eyes to rest, and didn't reply to anything Zhao Dehan said.

Less than half an hour later, a black Santana sped up. Hou Liangping opened his eyes and strode forward to greet it. The car door opened, and a young man handed him a document: "Director Hou, Director Qin asked me to deliver this to you."

"Thanks, Xiao Wang." Hou Liangping took the search warrant, turned around, strode up to Zhao Dehan, and flashed his badge in front of him. "Zhao Dehan, do you have anything to say now?"

Zhao Dehan didn't speak again. He lowered his head and stood silently in place, with only one thought in his mind—Third Master, you must get this done.

Upon reaching the door, Hou Liangping turned around and asked, "Director Zhao, where are the keys?"

"The key?" Before Zhao Dehan could finish speaking, Hou Liangping waved his hand with a grin, "Never mind, you wouldn't tell anyway. Luckily, I brought some men." With a wave of his hand, several people carrying professional equipment walked in. A short while later, the lock was pried open.

Hou Liangping stepped into the house. Zhao Dehan's lips twitched, and his legs trembled, almost bumping into the officer holding the body camera. The motion-activated light by the door buzzed, and Hou Liangping fumbled for the switch—"click," the chandelier lit up, illuminating the entire living room. Clean and tidy, yet strangely empty.

"Search!" Hou Liangping ordered, and several investigators immediately dispersed. Every room, wardrobe, nook, and cranny was searched, upstairs and downstairs; even the toilet was opened and searched. Hou Liangping stood in the center of the living room, his eyes scanning the surroundings. According to intelligence, this villa should contain at least two hundred million yuan in cash, but Zhao Dehan was truly adept at hiding it; there wasn't a single suspicious detail on the surface.

Zhao Dehan, over there, had finally regained his footing. He remembered that the cash had been piled up in the living room, covered with a cloth, like a wall. But now, there wasn't even a cabinet or anything to hide it from, let alone a wall. Third Master really knew how to get things done. Hou Liangping, still with his legs crossed, occasionally patted the sofa, then stood up and tapped the wall.

Ten minutes later, two people came downstairs first, their expressions somewhat strange: "Chief, we're done searching."

"What did you find?"

"Wha...nothing at all."

Hou Liangping frowned: "What do you mean by having absolutely nothing?"

"There's nothing there. Chief, there are four rooms upstairs—four bedrooms, one master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and one study. The furniture is complete, but there's nothing of value."

Another added, "I searched the study one by one, but there were no books, just normal books, no hidden compartments. The refrigerator in the kitchen was empty, and the electricity was completely turned off." The speaker paused, "Chief, this doesn't seem like a place where anyone has lived."

Hou Liangping stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing. Impossible, absolutely impossible—the intelligence came from his father-in-law, and Zhao Dehan's movements were traceable; there was no reason for him to keep coming here. But the more than two hundred million yuan in cash—it wasn't at home, it wasn't at work, it should be here! How could it not be? His face contorted, and he slammed his fist on the sofa.

Zhao Dehan made sarcastic remarks from the side: "Director Hou, you'd better be careful, this sofa is very expensive."

"Oh?" Hou Liangping turned his head. "Director Zhao knows this sofa is expensive again?"

Zhao Dehan realized he had spoken out of turn and said nothing more.

"Search, keep searching! Look for hidden compartments and locks one by one."

This search was even more thorough, lasting almost an hour. The team knocked on every wall, checked the floor seams, and even climbed up to inspect the water tank on the roof. The result was the same—not a single thing found!

Hou Liangping stood in the living room, feeling as if the entire space was spinning. He had arrived at Zhao Dehan's house with three search warrants, then stormed from Zhao Dehan's house to the Ministry of Energy, offending the Minister in the process. He came to Dijingyuan with his last hope, but—he found nothing. What was this? He had made a fool of himself, only to prove Zhao Dehan's innocence.

Three search warrants, especially the last one—Qin Siyuan was waiting for him to hand over a "big fish." Now? Hand it over my ass! He'd probably get the Ministry of Energy's surveillance video sent to the Anti-Corruption Bureau first thing tomorrow morning, and then he'd be facing a much tougher situation.

He turned to look at Zhao Dehan: "I really didn't expect you to act so well."

“Director Hou,” Zhao Dehan said, crossing his legs, “I’m going to sue you for defamation. Your Anti-Corruption Bureau can’t just handle cases based on these kinds of baseless accusations, can it? I’m a perfectly normal person, and tonight you’ve dragged me around like this, my reputation is completely ruined.” He paused, his tone turning cold, “You wait, you surnamed Hou. If I don’t report you, I’ll take your surname.”

Chapter 562 Live-in Son-in-Law

Hou Liangping's face flushed red and then turned pale, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. After a whole night of commotion—searching his home, checking his office, causing a scene at his workplace, and breaking into his villa—he had found nothing.

“Zhao Dehan,” he said, suppressing his anger, “I’m asking you, this house isn’t yours, so why do you keep coming here every few days?” As he spoke, he became more and more convinced of his own words. “You must have hidden the money around here, otherwise why would you keep coming here? Zhao Dehan, don’t be so smug. Once I find the money, you’re finished!”

"You surnamed Hou, have you lost your mind?" Zhao Dehan cursed directly. "What the hell am I doing here? Fine, since you want to hear it, then I'm not afraid of losing face—I, I, I'm here to earn some extra money!"

"To earn extra money?"

"Yes, this house belongs to a friend who lives abroad. I come over from time to time to clean it and pay the property management fees and utility bills. He pays me five thousand yuan a month!"

Zhao Dehan became increasingly agitated as he spoke, “In your eyes, Director Hou, five thousand is a small sum of money, but what about me? I’m just a farmer’s son who has struggled in Beijing for so many years, and I’ve only become a worthless director, earning a measly ten thousand a month. With that money, I still have to save up to buy a house, move to a bigger house, support my elderly mother, and pay for my children’s tuition.”

I don't have your abilities, Director Hou, to arbitrarily slander whistleblowers, to... to embezzle. I, Zhao Dehan, am an honest and upright person. I can't earn any other money, so this is the only job I can do. Tomorrow I'll go to the organization and confess—I, a dignified director, have been reduced to domestic service work! I've disgraced the organization, alright, Hou Liangping!

After Zhao Dehan roared, everyone present was stunned. This wasn't a confession; it was a bombshell! A section chief, just to survive in Beijing, was actually taking on a side job as a housekeeper—if this got back to the Ministry of Energy, the first thing to be criticized wouldn't be for producing a corrupt official, but for not showing enough care for its cadres. The Organization Department would probably then commend Zhao Dehan; such an honest official would be a paragon of virtue in the old society.

Zhao Dehan grew increasingly angry as he spoke: "I know you look down on me. You're from the city, high and mighty, looking down on people like us from humble backgrounds. But I, Zhao Dehan, have worked in the Ministry of Energy for twelve years, and I've never embezzled a single penny or taken anything I shouldn't have. Just because someone made a baseless accusation, you're attacking me like mad dogs. Do you really think we peasants are easy to bully?"

Although the tactic of "labeling first, then assigning sides" is somewhat outdated, it's still effective. Hou Liangping hurriedly waved his hands: "Director Zhao, I didn't mean that. I also come from an ordinary family—"

“You come from an ordinary family,” Zhao Dehan interrupted him, “but who told you to be so capable? You married the daughter of a high-ranking official. Hou Liangping, do you know what people call you? They call you—Lao Ai! Hahaha!”

Zhao Dehan laughed heartily, while Hou Liangping's face turned ashen. He had heard this saying before, but it was all gossip behind people's backs. Now, his face had been exposed in public!

"Zhao Dehan, you're spewing filth!" Hou Liangping roared.

Zhao Dehan seemed to have gone all out: "Did I say something wrong? Who in Beijing doesn't know that you, Hou Liangping, got to where you are today because of whose influence you relied on? Without the Zhong family backing you up, do you think you could be so arrogant?"

Hou Liangping pointed at Zhao Dehan, too angry to speak. He hated it most when people mentioned this, as if all his efforts over the years had become a joke in the face of the title "son-in-law of the Zhong family".

“Director Zhao, your words constitute a personal attack…” The investigator who had been holding the recorder took a step forward.

Zhao Dehan glared at him directly: "Who do you think you are, daring to interrupt? I'll make things clear to Director Hou today—I may not have the ability to climb the social ladder, but every penny I earn is clean. Unlike some people who climb the social ladder by relying on women or nepotism, and still think they're so great."

He took two steps forward and lowered his voice, "Hou Liangping, put your hand on your heart and tell me, were you investigating me to fight corruption, or to curry favor with your father-in-law? Now that you can't find out, you're panicking, aren't you? Hahaha—"

A burst of shrill laughter echoed in the living room.

Hou Liangping whirled around: "Fall back!" His voice was so loud it made the chandelier sway. "Let's go!"

He didn't want to waste any more words with Zhao Dehan; if he stayed any longer, he was afraid he would lose control and beat him up on the spot.

"Wait," Zhao Dehan called out to him. "Leave the search warrant. Also, fix the locks you pried open, or you'll have to pay for them—this villa isn't mine."

Hou Liangping didn't turn around, but glared fiercely at his subordinate: "Didn't you hear me? Throw the search warrant at him! How much did this lock cost? Pay for it!"

The man he was yelling at hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't say a word. At Zhao Dehan's request, he handed over the search warrant. As for the money, Zhao Dehan demanded 3,500 yuan—he wasn't overcharging; it was 3,500 yuan when he bought it, and there was an invoice upstairs as proof.

As soon as Hou Liangping got into the car, Zhao Dehan sneaked up to the door again and said in a cheeky tone, "Director Hou, it's the middle of the night, and you brought me here. Aren't you going to send me back now? Fine, if you don't send me back, then reimburse me for the fare. I didn't bring a single penny with me when I left."

Hou Liangping gritted his teeth, pulled out his wallet, threw a hundred-yuan bill on the ground, and yelled to the side, "Go for it!"

The van roared to life and sped off, sending the banknotes on the ground tumbling around. Zhao Dehan walked over, picked them up, blew off the dust, and watched the taillights disappear into the distance. He muttered to himself, "What a rich man—a hundred yuan. Not only can he take a taxi home, but he also has enough for breakfast tomorrow morning."

The van drove through the night. In the passenger seat, Hou Liangping rolled down the window and irritably smoked. Zhong Xiaoai didn't allow him to smoke at home, and he had endured it for years. Tonight, this pack was handed to him by the detective next to him.

After burning through three cigarettes, Hou Liangping suddenly realized that he could already see the Anti-Corruption Bureau building outside the car window. He turned around and scolded the driver, "Why are you driving so fast?"

The driver was filled with resentment—you were the one yelling "Go faster!" at the police station just now, and now you're complaining that I'm driving too fast. Damn it… he wasn't wrong; he's a kept man, and he's even acting all high and mighty. But Hou Liangping was notoriously vengeful in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and as just a driver, he dared not say a word, silently slowing down the car.

Hou Liangping rolled down the car window, letting the night wind rush in. As he blew in the wind, he frantically racked his brains, trying to figure out how to salvage the situation tonight. He glanced at his watch; it was already past 2 a.m. He figured Zhong Xiaoai was already asleep. She was grumpy in the morning, and if he called her now and woke her up, she'd yell at him in front of everyone. As for calling Zhong Zhengguo… he didn't dare. His father-in-law had everything planned out, just waiting for him to make a name for himself, but he'd messed things up.

He sighed heavily, rested his head against the car window frame, and stared at the streetlights rushing past, remaining silent for a long time. What should he do? His mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't make sense of anything.

Chapter 563 Unable to Bear This Humiliation

Zhao Dehan, ignoring Hou Liangping's annoyance, hailed a taxi and went home. His wife, assuming he'd been working late, had already prepared a bath and tenderly helped him wash up. After Zhao Dehan finished showering, he hugged his wife, Yu Fen, who rolled over and muttered softly, "We're an old married couple..."

"Even though we're an old married couple, I'm still craving it."

The next morning, Zhao Dehan woke up early. He carefully shaved his beard in front of the mirror, cooked a final breakfast for his wife and son, but didn't touch a bite himself.

He grabbed his bag and went out. Reaching the alley entrance, he saw his favorite breakfast stall steaming with food. The owner, Old Wang, called out to him from afar, "Director Zhao, the usual?"

"Same as always, tofu pudding with sugar and two fried dough sticks."

Zhao Dehan nodded and sat down. Old Wang's wife brought the food over and said with a smile, "Director Zhao, you're such a high-ranking leader, you eat this for breakfast too?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dehan laughed heartily: "Even if I'm a high-ranking leader, I still have to eat grains."

After finishing his meal, he took out his wallet to pay the bill. His eyes fell on a small loudspeaker on the stall, which was playing a loop of vendors shouting "Tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, steamed buns, breakfast!" He picked it up and examined it: "Old Wang, can this thing record audio and amplify it?"

"Sure! Director Zhao, don't let its small size fool you, it amplifies the sound really loud." Old Wang said, demonstrating it to him personally.

Zhao Dehan nodded after listening: "That's good. Old Wang, I need to discuss something with you."

"What's up?"

"Sell me this little megaphone. I'm going to give a speech today, and this thing will come in handy."

"Director Zhao, is this how you speak?" Old Wang scratched his head. "Doesn't that look like something you'd see on a construction site?"

“Nothing on the construction site is as good as this,” Zhao Dehan chuckled. “Just tell me how much it costs.”

"With our relationship, let's not talk about money. If you want it, just take it."

"No, public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. I need to use this at my workplace, so you can name your price."

"Then...then you can give me thirty. My son bought it online, saying it was cheap."

Zhao Dehan didn't say much, but took out the last fifty yuan from his pocket and handed it over. Old Wang was taken aback: "Director Zhao, you've given too much."

"It's not much. Keep the change. I'll come back for breakfast in a couple of days. I'll ask my wife for some spending money then." He smiled, a smile with an ambiguous meaning.

Old Wang scratched his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable—such a high-ranking official, only carrying fifty yuan in his pocket? Zhao Dehan, however, said no more, and put the small loudspeaker into his bag, which fit perfectly.

He walked to the bike shed at the alley entrance and pushed his bicycle onto it. He wasn't going to the Ministry of Energy today—he was going to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The wind howled on both sides as Zhao Dehan pedaled his bicycle, his face filled with a deep sense of longing. No matter how corrupt this world was, this was the last time he would pass through it.

He rode for more than half an hour, bathed in the morning light and a gentle breeze, before finally stopping his bicycle at the entrance of the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Zhao Dehan registered and showed his work ID like any other person, then entered the compound with practiced ease. Although the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Energy were not located in the same place, both were old buildings from earlier years, and he was familiar with their layout.

He made his way to the rooftop. The lock was old and dilapidated; he opened it easily with a simple pry. Standing on the edge of the roof, his legs felt weak, but considering his situation, he gritted his teeth and climbed up. Step by step, he moved to the outer edge, his legs dangling down, trembling in mid-air.

In the courtyard, Zhou Yong, the head of the security section of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, was leading a group of people on a patrol when Ding Shan, a newly arrived veteran, suddenly panicked: "Section Chief, look up there!"

"What do you mean, upstairs and downstairs?" Zhou Yong looked up in the direction he was pointing, his face changing drastically—a person was sitting on the edge of the roof! If this person really jumped off the Supreme People's Procuratorate building, his position as section chief would be over. "Everyone, follow me upstairs! Ding Shan, go find the security leader!"

Zhou Yong led his men to the rooftop. They had just taken a step forward when Zhao Dehan pretended to fall, forcing them to retreat. More and more people gathered below to watch.

When Attorney General Wei entered, he saw a group of people gathered in the courtyard, and his face hardened. His secretary rushed over: "Prosecutor Wei, something's happened—someone upstairs is going to jump!"

"Jump?" Wei Jian panicked and rushed downstairs. In the crowd, Hou Liangping, huddled in a corner, immediately recognized the person on the roof—Zhao Dehan. This bastard said he wouldn't let him off easily, but he can't do this! If Zhao Dehan really jumps, Hou Liangping's life is over.

The security leader handed over a large megaphone. Inspector Wei took a deep breath, looked up, and shouted, "Comrades upstairs, let's talk this out! Please don't jump!"

Sitting on the rooftop, Zhao Dehan looked down at the surging crowd and approaching security personnel. Trembling, he pulled out a small megaphone from his bag, turned it on, and shouted down, "Who are you?"

Although the loudspeaker wasn't large, the sound came through clearly. Prosecutor Wei quickly responded, "I am the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, my surname is Wei. Comrade, please tell me what difficulties you have, the organization will definitely help you solve them. Please don't do anything foolish!"