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

"Want one?"

Hou Liangping handed over the cigarettes and lighter, then closed his eyes in contentment.

He's a smoker.

But at home, there wasn't even a trace of smoke in him.

Click!

The small flame of the lighter danced in the darkness, like a beam of light piercing through the night.

"Director Hou, aren't you afraid? They're so powerful, they can control everything."

Wang Jian asked.

Do you know why I am fearless?

Hou Liangping grinned and said, "Because my father-in-law is far more powerful than them. They dare to stir up dark turmoil, but my father-in-law can sever all ties for eternity."

Father-in-law?

At this moment, Wang Jian's numb face was particularly interesting.

"Um!"

Hou Liangping nodded smugly, "Your boss is what people call a son-in-law who marries into a wealthy family, a 'phoenix man' who climbs the social ladder."

Wang Jian couldn't understand.

His eyes, framed by a gaunt face, stared blankly at the other person, like a vengeful ghost seeking revenge.

Don't look at me like that.

Hou Liangping exhaled a smoke ring and laughed, "Hey, people might just say something bad about me behind my back, but they're secretly dying of jealousy."

"What Marquis Changxin, what Marquis Lao Ai? Humph, they can't hurt me in the slightest."

"Director Hou, you must be in a lot of pain too?"

Wang Jian suddenly said this, lifting his long sleeve to reveal his arm, which was covered by more than ten scratches. There were scratches on both his left and right arms, but each one was fatal.

He was afraid of dying; he couldn't die!

"pain?"

Hou Liangping looked up at the sky and suddenly chuckled, "A true man is never afraid to look back on the road he has traveled."

"With the protection of my wife and father-in-law, I dare to investigate cases that you dare not investigate, and I also dare to investigate cases that the provincial procuratorate chief prosecutor dares not investigate."

"Hahaha!"

"Of course, there are things I wouldn't dare to do."

"But that's enough. I can catch more big corrupt officials and dispel the dark clouds over the people's heads."

"Many people say I don't know how to maintain social stability."

"But I'm going to crack down on them, crack them down hard. They're parasites sucking the blood of the country and the people. Why should we show them any face? They've been emptied out of the country."

"so…"

Hou Liangping's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. "I like to arrest them when they are at their most powerful, in open settings, so that those corrupt officials who haven't been caught know that someone is watching them."

"I may not be able to catch them all."

"But I will seize every opportunity I can, no matter who it is—childhood friend, friend, relative, or anyone else."

"Just like the Chen family in Chuzhou."

"Hey!"

"Why can't I, the monkey, be the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and smash the heavens with my golden cudgel?"

The moonlight fell, brushing against Hou Liangping's face hidden in the darkness, making him look ferocious and terrifying, unlike his usual handsome appearance, more like a demon from hell.

"Director Hou..."

Wang Jian wasn't afraid. Instead, he took their hands tightly and said, "Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you."

"Why are you stuttering?"

Hou Liangping hesitated for a moment before letting go, but then smiled and said, "I think you're great like this."

"These words have always been kept in my heart. This is the first time I've said them out loud, because you're not a talkative person."

it is good!

Wang Jian nodded emphatically.

"Could you tell me how the Chen family managed to build up the formidable power structure that exists in Chuzhou today?"

Hou Liangping finally got back to the main topic.

"Chen Guohua..."

Wang Jian uttered the name with difficulty, "When he was serving as a full-time deputy secretary, it was during a period of institutional reform. Full-time deputy secretaries were not members of the Standing Committee and did not hold real power; they were merely deputies to the provincial party secretary."

"As compensation."

"As the full-time deputy secretary and concurrently the school principal, Chen Guohua selected a group of his old subordinates to study at the school during those two years, laying the foundation for their subsequent promotion."

"Mayor Zhang was working in Chen Guohua's hometown, so he simply kept him here. The Chen family members returned to their hometown to develop in the name of giving back to society."

Later, he stepped down to the second line, but was promoted to chairman of the provincial association. Although the chairman did not have much real power, it was still relative to the provincial party committee standing committee. He took the opportunity to place a large number of people in his own positions.

Faced with a retiring senior leader, almost no one objected.

Wang Jian spoke slowly and with difficulty, "Thus, the Chen family built the first generation of systems in Chuzhou. The Chen family developed rapidly, surpassing the previous decades in just a few years, and used huge profits to win over cadres in key positions."

"wrong!"

Hou Liangping shook his head, "Too many people are involved; the Chen family can't do it in such a short time."

"Because of the support from the Yao and Lin families."

Wang Jian affirmed.

Yao? Lin!

Hou Liangping's eyes narrowed, and he came full circle again.

"The Yao and Lin families have been developing in the judicial field for decades. They are rich in talent and have cultivated countless talents from poor families. They have a deep foundation. However, the judicial field is poor. Both families need money, while the Chen family needs connections. They hit it off immediately."

Wang Jian explained:

"The procuratorate and the municipal intermediate court are both in their hands. Even if the Chen family's business competitors go through the proper channels, they can't beat them."

No wonder... no wonder...

The judicial system, which is more focused on logistical support, has become rotten before the public security system, and it turns out that the judicial system itself is a source of corruption.

"Mayor Zhang is just the visible pillar of stability; the real web is woven by these two companies."

Wang Jian continued.

"You yourself belong to the prosecutor's office system, so do you know roughly how many people have become corrupt?"

Hou Liangping's voice sounded a little nervous.

"Most of it!"

Wang Jian began to tremble. "As long as someone holds a leadership position, the Chen family will give them money based on their rank and real power."

"The Intermediate Court should be the same."

"I'm not too familiar with the municipal party committee and the municipal government."

This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!

These three families intend to unite and turn Chuzhou into their own independent kingdom.

"Director Hou!"

Wang Jian suddenly reached out and pulled him back, saying, "Many of them are from the Han University gang, you have to be very careful."

Han University Gang?

Hou Liangping was slightly dazed.

During his time in Handong, he had naturally heard about the legendary gang led by his teacher, Professor Gao, from Han University.

But he knew Teacher Gao well; after all, Teacher Gao was someone who almost became his father-in-law.

Everyone in Handong said that Li Dakang cherished his reputation, but they didn't know that Gao Yuliang was even more so. He was pure white to the outside world, unwilling to be tainted by any black mark, so he would never get involved in such lawless things.

It has reached that level.

What we're striving for is to reach a higher level, to ensure the orderly continuation of the family business. To lose face and nod for a few coins is simply too shameful.

Do you have any evidence?

Hou Liangping gets straight to the heart of the matter.

"No!"

Wang Jian shook his head and said, "The Chen family uses legitimate subsidy quotas to pay cadres who haven't clearly chosen sides. After two or three months, the payments will suddenly stop, and then someone from their faction will come to talk to you privately."

Even if we investigate now.

"This money is all perfectly legitimate and cannot be investigated at all."