The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

Chen Shi was just looking for a way to deal with Xu Ruqing and his son when they offered themselves up.

Stealing chickens is a small matter, but assaulting the police and not sending you to work on sewing machines would be a disservice to your behavior.

Don't rush to demolish the house. Let's put these two scoundrels in jail for two years and make them work on sewing machines first.

There was a knock on the office door, and Chen Shi called out, "Come in."

Wang Jianming pushed open the door and came in; Chen Shi stood up to greet him.

"Director Wang, what's the matter? Just give me a call or ask me to come over. How can I let you make the trip yourself?"

Wang Jianming smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. I've been sitting for too long, so I'm just stretching out."

"Li Mengjiang, the director of the finance office, asked me to treat you to dinner tonight."

This Li Mengjiang has finally shown his true colors. Xu Ruqing and his son are so arrogant in the village because of his influence. This time, we will not rest until we make them bleed profusely.

Because of his cousin's situation, his family and others in the village were ridiculed and couldn't hold their heads up.

Being bullied like this, with no power to fight back.

"Alright, I'll still give you face, Director Wang."

Wang Jianming smiled broadly, "You're a sensible kid."

"Okay, I'll reply to him."

After seeing Wang Jianming off, Chen Shi sneered inwardly. The Chen family in Qinghe Village had no shame; they would tolerate a scoundrel like Wang Jianming trampling on their honor.

After get off work, Wang Jianming called Chen Shi to go to a restaurant together.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Li Mengjiang was waiting outside. Seeing the two approaching, he quickly went to greet them.

With a broad smile, he said, "Director Wang, Director Chen, thank you for gracing us with your presence. Please come in."

Wang Jianming smiled and said, "Director Li, how can we let you wait outside? Please."

The three of them entered the restaurant and went to a private room. Li Mengjiang had already ordered the dishes, and he asked the waiter to bring them.

Li Mengjiang asked Wang Jianming to sit in the main seat, and Chen Shi sat with him on either side.

Li Mengjiang took out two bottles of fine wine: "These were a gift from Director Zhou."

Chen Shi sneered inwardly; he didn't take a deputy director of the finance bureau seriously at all.

Pour a full glass of wine for Chen Shi and Wang Jianming.

The dishes were served quickly, and Li Mengjiang kept trying to please Chen Shi, constantly toasting him.

Now that we've had our fill of food and drink, it's time to get down to business.

Li Mengjiang looked at Chen Shi: "Chief Chen, the police station came to Qinghe Village today and arrested my uncle and cousin. I looked into it, and it was a minor matter. We asked them to apologize to you and your cousin. Please help us coordinate. We're from the same village, and we work in the same township. We see each other all the time, and there's no major conflict between us. Please release them."

Chen Shi said calmly, "Chief Li, your uncle and cousin assaulted a police officer, which is no small matter. Send them to the Public Security Bureau tomorrow for investigation and filing of a case. This is a criminal offense, and our police station cannot handle it."

Seeing that Chen Shi was not giving him face, Li Mengjiang felt a little embarrassed and forced a smile.

"This is because the case hasn't been officially filed yet, so there's still room for maneuver."

Chen Shi's voice was not loud, but his attitude was firm.

"No"

Li Mengjiang's face darkened, and he said to Wang Jianming with a forced smile, "Director Wang, what do you think of this matter?"

Wang Jianming picked up a cigarette from the table: "This case is under Chief Chen's jurisdiction."

My stance is clear: I don't care, this is your business, don't drag me into it. I'm just a middleman, bringing you all together for a meal to resolve this.

Li Mengjiang knew that once the case was filed and sent to the Public Security Bureau, he would face at least two years in prison. Assaulting a police officer was something no one dared to cover up; it would incur public wrath.

Besides, I don't know anyone useful in the police station.

This time, we'll have to pay a price.

"Director Chen, the dispute between your cousin and my younger cousin is just a dispute over the land for building a house. Other than that, there is no major conflict."

Previously, your cousin wanted 10,000, and my cousin offered 5,000, but they couldn't reach an agreement. Now, we'll do as your cousin asked, give him 10,000, and buy his land.

Chen Shi shook his head: "Director Li, you can't calculate it like that. My cousin initially asked for 10,000, but when he went to court to sue, he spent 20,000 on a lawyer. That loss also needs to be factored in."

Li Mengjiang gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty thousand it is. I'll accept my fate. It's better than going to jail."

"Okay, I'll go talk to my cousin, 30,000 it is."

Chen Shi shook his head again: "The 30,000 is the direct loss, but there are also indirect losses. In the past two or three years, my cousin's family has been to court countless times. The court rejected their cases, and they were ridiculed by the whole village. This mental anguish cannot be compensated by money."

Li Mengjiang was furious, and his face darkened.

"Director Chen, we're all colleagues, don't go too far."

Chen Shi's eyes turned cold as he looked at Li Mengjiang: "That's going too far. Who was going too far before? They occupied someone's land to build a house, didn't pay a penny in compensation, and even sent the person to detention, but ended up paying three thousand in compensation."

"Director Li, tell me, who went too far?"

Wang Jianming knew about this and lowered his head. Li Mengjiang had called him about it. The Chen family didn't have much of a background, so he did it out of politeness. Chen Shi's cousin had indeed committed a crime and Xu Ruqing had recorded a video of it as evidence.

You can talk about your business, but don't drag me into it.

Li Mengjiang snorted coldly: "Assaulting a police officer without actually injuring one is punishable by a year or so at most, or at worst, jail time."

Chen Shi sneered, "The land where Xu Ruqing built his house is farmland. He probably didn't get approval. Even if he did, it would be illegal. The central government's protection of farmland cannot be challenged."

His house, according to the law and regulations, must be demolished.

It cost over 200,000 yuan to build; demolishing it would be a huge loss.

Li Mengjiang clenched his fists. He couldn't afford to confront Chen Shi head-on; otherwise, he might not only go to jail, but his house would also be demolished.

The Land and Resources Bureau has its own connections. If Chen Shi were just an ordinary police officer, the bureau wouldn't give him the time of day. But Chen Shi is the deputy director, and his background is that of the county magistrate, which makes a big difference.

My uncle's house construction was illegal and untenable. The land bureau wouldn't offend Chen Shi for my sake; the relationship hasn't reached that point yet.

His gloomy face immediately broke into a broad smile.

"Director Chen, just tell me, how can this be resolved?"

Chen Shi extended his five fingers.

Li Mengjiang gritted his teeth: "Fifty thousand, isn't that a bit too high?"

"Not high. Xu Ruqing stole a chicken and will be detained for fifteen days."

Li Mengjiang slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Officer Chen, don't go too far. You're offering me 50,000 yuan in compensation and detaining me? You're not giving me any face at all."

Chen Shi's face darkened, and he suddenly stood up, slamming his hand on the table with a loud thud.

"Director Li, didn't you think it was excessive to detain Chen Jianyong?"

Li Mengjiang said coldly, "Director Chen, there's no room for negotiation."

Chen Shi said firmly, "There's no room for negotiation; this is the bottom line."

Wang Jianming stepped in to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "Sit down, everyone. What's going on? Let's talk this out and not ruin the harmony."

He first pulled Li Mengjiang to sit down, then pulled Chen Shi.

After the two sat down, Wang Jianming had no intention of getting involved in these messy matters; they had nothing to do with him.

Li Mengjiang took a deep breath. There was nothing he could do; others could manipulate him, but he couldn't manipulate them now.

Compared to going to jail, having the house demolished, paying 50,000 yuan, and being detained for 15 days is already a good deal.

Li Mengjiang's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book; he suppressed his anger and a smile appeared on his face.

"Director Chen, what's going on? Just tell me what to do, it's no big deal."

Chen Shi held up three fingers: "Three days. I want to see your sincerity."

He stood up and said to Wang Jianming, "Commander Wang, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Seeing that Chen Shi had left, Wang Jianming felt awkward staying behind, unable to offer any help.

"Director Li, I also have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

Li Mengjiang watched Wang Jianming's departing figure, his eyes turning cold. When had he ever been manipulated like this? He grabbed the unfinished wine bottle on the table and smashed it heavily on the ground.