In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

"Old Ji!"

Hou Liangping strode into Chief Prosecutor Ji Changming's office and said, "I need to investigate two people. Please issue the investigation order."

"You impudent monkey!"

Ji Changming, holding his teacup, chuckled and scolded, showing no sign of displeasure, and asked, "Who are you investigating on your first day in office?"

"Wang Dalu and Ouyang Jing".

Hou Liangping affirmed.

"Who?"

Ji Changming was shocked. Who was Ouyang Jing?

The wife of Li Dakang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, is, regardless of how much power Li Dakang himself wields, still a top-tier figure in the provincial government system.

Offending Li Dakang means offending Lin Zhiyuan and more than half of the provincial party committee members in Handong. How can he, a deputy ministerial-level floor tile, survive?

Damn it!

Knowing this monkey was capable of causing trouble, they gave him a big one as soon as he arrived in Handong.

no!no!

The chief prosecutor of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate can no longer serve.

"Do you know the relationship between these two men and Secretary Li?"

Ji Changming asked.

"Of course I know."

Hou Liangping didn't take it to heart at all; he was just a deputy ministerial-level official from Handong Wilderness, and the investigation was on him.

"Old Ji, you're not scared, are you?"

Hou Liangping smiled and asked in return, "Don't worry, Secretary Sha told me yesterday that this operation will have no upper limit or lower limit on the corruption in Handong, and will target both flies and tigers."

"Since Secretary Sha has given instructions, we will naturally follow the provincial party committee's lead."

Ji Changming nodded; this was exactly what he was waiting for.

"Why are they being investigated?"

Ji Changming picked up the pen to sign, but after signing, he pressed the two investigation orders under his palm. "What if Secretary Li or Executive Director Lin calls to inquire? I need to know the reason, right?"

"After all, the prosecutor's office's audit work is not yet finished."

Hou Liangping pondered for a moment. Lin Zhiyuan was not Li Dakang, so he had to give him the explanation he needed to give. "I brought Cai Chenggong, the main person involved in the Dafeng Factory incident, from Beijing. He reported that Ouyang Jing had given him a two million yuan kickback, and Ouyang Jing had been living separately from Li Dakang for a long time, residing in Wang Dalu's luxury villa."

"This investigation serves two purposes: first, to ascertain the truth, and second, to clear Secretary Li's name if the rumors are untrue."

Row!

Ji Changming nodded and pushed the investigation order over.

Hou Liangping left satisfied.

Ji Changming stared intently at his back, a strange smile on his face. "Who said this monkey doesn't follow the rules? He's too rule-abiding; he knows who he can mess with and who he can't."

"But even the Zhong family can't afford to offend someone like you, how could I, a retired old man, possibly afford to?"

Ji Changming opened the document with lightning speed, and a file appeared amidst the sound of typing:

Provincial Party Committee, Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, and Supreme People's Procuratorate:

My name is Ji Changming. I am currently the Party Secretary and Chief Prosecutor of the People's Procuratorate of Handong Province, at the vice-ministerial level. I started working in 1981 and am 59 years old.

...

To hell with provincial procurator-general and vice-ministerial level officials, nothing is more important than landing safely.

"Director Hou, who should we talk to first?"

Lin Huahua watched Hou Liangping return with the investigation order, her face full of happiness. Having something to do meant a promotion, a promotion meant a raise, and a raise meant she could marry Zhou Zheng sooner.

Why did you have to break up?

Hou Liangping countered, "Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu have a close relationship. If we arrest either one, the other might get wind of it."

"So we'll arrest them together."

"Lu Yike, you take Lin Huahua and Chen Qunfang to summon Wang Dalu. Zhou Zheng, you come with me to find Ouyang Jing."

Hou Liangping quickly arranged the work.

"The three of you go to Dalu Group to find Wang Dalu, and I'll go with you to find Ouyang Jing."

Lu Yike disagreed and made new personnel arrangements.

"You..."

Hou Liangping glanced at Lu Yike, who refused to back down, with a mixture of anxiety and anger. He seemed to understand the frustration others felt when they encountered him. "Alright, let's get started."

"Director Lu Yike, I admire you."

Hou Liangping started the car while cursing, "Besides my Xiao Ai, you're the first woman I've ever truly respected."

"Stubborn as a mule."

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Lu Yike smiled dismissively, leaning back comfortably in the passenger seat and closing her eyes for a nap. "Director Hou, besides Cai Chenggong's testimony, do you have any other evidence?"

"Learn from the mistakes of others, and follow their lead."

"Be careful, or you might end up like Chen Hai, accused of abusing your power for personal gain and misusing funds."

"I have my own way of doing things."

Hou Liangping smiled smugly, said nothing more, and drove straight to Jingzhou Bank.

But my hopes were dashed.

As the two walked out of the Jingzhou Bank headquarters, Ouyang Jing had actually resigned. It had been almost a month since she submitted her resignation, and she had already completed all the procedures.

And at that time…

Hou Liangping is still in Beijing, doing his utmost to investigate clues about Zhao Dehan's embezzlement and bribery.

Zhao Dehan?

Hou Liangping was suddenly startled. This feeling was so familiar, as if he had walked into a cave where traps had been laid in advance.

Handong wouldn't have a second set of account books, would it?!

"Someone cleaned up Ouyang Jing's mess."

Lu Yike also realized the seriousness of the matter. As a local state-owned enterprise, Jingzhou City Bank required an audit for the resignation of its vice president, and a series of materials had to be submitted to the Handong Financial Supervision Bureau.

Ouyang Jing's normal resignation means that her written materials have been jointly recognized by the Audit Office, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the State Financial Supervision Bureau.

Arresting her now would be challenging established facts.

"That's fine too. Check Ouyang Jing's entry and exit records."

Hou Liangping said quickly

"No exit record."

Lu Yike quickly gave a clear answer: "Ouyang Jing... has moved back to the municipal party committee's family compound."

What!

"If we live in the municipal party committee's residential compound, we'll be in big trouble."

Hou Liangping frowned deeply.

Even if they have an investigation warrant, it's useless; their arrival will only cause panic among the other residents of the municipal party committee's family compound.

Do this.

Hou Liangping is very familiar with him.

In Beijing, the Zhong family is protecting him, but in Handong and Jingzhou, even the newly arrived Provincial Party Secretary Sha might not be able to withstand Li Dakang's retaliation.

But to give up...

With such plump fruit right in front of me, there's absolutely no way I could give it up.

"That's fine too, give Ouyang Jing a call."

Hou Liangping quickly calmed down and made new arrangements, his words filled with murderous intent: "We stated our identities and purpose directly, demanded that she abide by the confidentiality regulations, and arranged to meet her in a secluded place to talk."

"It would be best to agree."

"If she doesn't agree, and she doesn't give us any face in the fight against corruption, then we don't need to give her any face at all; we'll just go to her door and deliver the message directly."

"We are handling this case according to standard procedures. Does Li Dakang, as a high-ranking official in the organization, dare to openly break the law and provide protection?!"

"I want to see if this Party Secretary of Jingzhou is still under the leadership of the Handong Standing Committee, with Secretary Sha at its core."