In name only: In the name of Zhao Mengsheng's son!

So Young Master Zhao tightened his belt, preparing to return to Handong tomorrow to try and mediate between Li Dakang and Gao Yuliang. Of course, it was Zhao Lichun who sent him. Zhao Lichun still believed that he had influence in Handong, and he thought that if he asked his son to mediate between Gao Yuliang and Li Dakang, the two could reconcile!

Little did he know that Li Dakang had already found a new political background. Sha Ruijin had become his elder brother, and Gao Yuliang had Zhao Zhongxin as his backer. The two of them were no longer people that Zhao Lichun could control. If you, Zhao Lichun, had not gone to Beijing to take up a post and had stayed in Handong as the provincial party secretary, you would be the embodiment of justice, and your son would indeed be the crown prince. Everyone would give you face!

But now, you're just a sick tiger with broken claws and a broken spine. Not only does Li Dakang not give you face, but even Gao Yuliang won't be on your side.

The reason is simple: Gao Yuliang listened to what Zhao Zhongxin said to him on his first day in office!

"Get off the Zhao family's boat as soon as possible!"

Therefore, Gao Yuliang has been severing ties with the Zhao family during this period.

Moreover, Gao Yuliang now believes that there is a high possibility that Hou Liangping murdered Chen Hai. He no longer wants to promote Hou Liangping to vice governor. He has even found evidence that Hou Liangping murdered Chen Hai. Gao Yuliang will personally clean house!

Therefore, Zhao Ruilong's so-called mediation this time will not be effective, but will instead exacerbate the conflict between the two!

The next day, Li Dakang also received a message that Zhao Ruilong wanted to see him. Li Dakang immediately understood that it wasn't Zhao Ruilong who wanted to see him, but his father, his former boss Zhao Lichun!

However, Li Dakang didn't care. It was time to cut ties with the Zhao family. He already had an elder brother, Sha Ruijin, and didn't care about Zhao Lichun anymore. Moreover, he knew that Zhao Lichun wasn't having an easy time in Beijing. If Zhao Lichun had truly disappeared from the public eye, why couldn't he be found in the news? Why wasn't Gao Yuliang promoted to the position of provincial party secretary? Why did the central government parachute in Sha Ruijin?

If Gao Yuliang were to be promoted to provincial party secretary by Zhao Lichun, Li Dakang would accept it and be content to be Zhao's dog for the rest of his life. But now, Li Dakang has his own political ambitions. He doesn't want to be Zhao's subject anymore; he wants to join the ministry!

Although Zhao Zhongxin's arrival blocked his path to becoming the provincial governor, it didn't matter. This young master was clearly just here to gain experience. Governor Liu was retiring, then he served as acting governor for two years, then governor for two years, which was only five years. He was only 53 years old and could afford to wait. As long as he could curry favor with Sha Ruijin, he could finally get into the ministry!

Zhao Ruilong drove his G63 to the vicinity of Li Dakang's house. Li Dakang didn't say much and invited him into his house.

"Don't pour tea, Xingzhi! Mr. Zhao doesn't drink tea, he only likes cola!"

Li Dakang said to his sister with a smile, and Xingzhi quickly replied!

"I'll go buy some Coke right away!"

Zhao Ruilong said with a hearty laugh!

"No, no, the tea is fine! Thank you, Brother Li, I didn't expect you to remember such details about my life!"

"How could I forget? I followed the old Party Secretary for five years!"

The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Li Dakang was warm and polite, but there was a sense of distance between them. In the end, Zhao Ruilong had no choice but to bring up Zhao Lichun.

Li Dakang's words of conveying the imperial decree made Zhao Ruilong curse inwardly. This ingrate, this yellow-eyed dog, still wanted to save Chen Qingquan, this foreign language enthusiast, in the end. But Li Dakang made up an excuse, saying that the municipal party committee had already finished its meeting and that he was to be expelled from the party and removed from his post. Zhao Ruilong then knew the truth.

The Li Dakang in front of him was no longer the Li Dakang who used to accompany him everywhere and prepare information for him. He had a new master and had parted ways with the Zhao family.

Just then, Gao Yuliang called him, and Zhao Ruilong immediately got up to leave. Li Dakang didn't see him off either. The Zhao family and he had completely severed ties today!

Then there's Gao Yuliang. If Li Dakang was warm, polite, and distant, then Gao Yuliang was warm, polite, but knew nothing when asked. Zhao Ruilong said, "Where did all these corrupt officials come from? Isn't it just your infighting?"

But Gao Yuliang is the main figure here. How did you know we're having internal strife? We're not having any internal strife at all! Handong is perfectly fine! Nothing's wrong at all!

Gao Yuliang was already dissatisfied with the French food; he really disliked eating out. Zhao Ruilong even said it was sweet and suited his taste. Damn it, I don't put sugar in my porridge at home. Who in the whole of Handong doesn't know I have high blood sugar? And you're making sweet dishes? Even though I've lived in your Zhao family before, your father, Zhao Lichun, would never be so disrespectful to himself!

So Gao Yuliang got angry from the start, and then Zhao Ruilong tried to put on airs of a prince in front of Gao Yuliang, saying that he was promoted by his father back then, which made Gao Yuliang explode!

"You can joke about something like this? Who are you to criticize the personnel arrangements in Handong Province under the CCP? Aren't you just talking nonsense?"

After saying that, Gao Yuliang picked up his clothes and left. After Gao Yuliang left, Zhao Ruilong started smashing things. He even smashed his favorite bottle of brandy on the ground, leaving a trail of pale yellow liquid.

"You're all ungrateful wretches! Without my father, you'd all be hiding somewhere in the shadows. Now one of you're acting like we're strangers, and the other's yelling at me! You're all beasts! Beasts!"

Zhao Ruilong was cursing and yelling in his room. He felt that all these officials were no good. Damn it, when his father was in Handong, they all treated him like an ancestor. Now look what happened, they've all gone too far.

But Zhao Ruilong was helpless. These people wouldn't give him face, so what could he do? He had no choice but to call his father!

When Zhao Lichun learned of this news, he already knew that Li Dakang was an ungrateful wretch. The reason he kept him around was because Li Dakang was capable of boosting GDP. However, he felt that Gao Yuliang might still be able to be won over, as Gao Yuliang was the kind of person who would be grateful.

However, Zhao Lichun didn't know how to talk to Gao Yuliang. After all, Gao Yuliang's approval of the food city at Crescent Lake was just a transaction. Although it seemed that Gao Yuliang had gained by entering the provincial party committee and getting the food city approved, he had also gained favors. He could only try to appeal to Gao Yuliang's emotions. But he knew the news from Handong. Now Gao Yuliang and Zhao Zhongxin, the young master of the Zhao family, were getting along very well and were even master and apprentice. He wasn't sure if his emotional appeal would work.

To reiterate, regarding Gao Yuliang's matter, if Zhao Zhongxin is willing to protect him, his past transgressions are truly insignificant. Who would dare offend the son of a high-ranking official? Sha Ruijin wouldn't dare, nor would he, and even Zhong Zhengguo, who was suppressing him, couldn't afford to offend him. The reason is simple: a high-ranking official's word is law.

(Chapter 3 today, Chapter 4 will be posted later. Verification has begun. Please urge me to update, my godfathers! If you have time, please give me a good review. I'm begging you all!)