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

"He's fairly honest."

Lin Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze and nodded, gesturing for the other person to sit down.

"Don't worry, Executive Director Lin."

Qi Tongwei sat upright, not daring to let his waist bend even slightly. "I have a happy family now, with my wife and son by my side. I am already extremely satisfied with my life and would never dare to have any improper thoughts."

"Tell me about what happened in Chuzhou."

Lin Zhiyuan raised his hand to suppress the restlessness emanating from Qi Tongwei. He only mentioned Chen Yang, the legendary white moonlight, briefly to calm Qi Tongwei's agitated state.

"Yes, Executive Director Lin."

Qi Tongwei handed over the documents in his hand and reported to his superior, "Chuzhou is now completely in a distorted environment built by the Chen family and the Yao and Lin families based on financial power and with the system as the hub."

"From a professional legal perspective, Yao Lin constructed a sophisticated bribery system and business competition support for the Chen family, and the Chen family reciprocated with money from both sides, including the companies and officials who were dependent on them."

system?

Lin Zhiyuan murmured softly, savoring the choice of words.

"Yes, the system!"

Qi Tongwei's expression grew increasingly solemn. "In essence, it's a network of cronyism built up over the past decade."

In business, the Chen family holds absolute dominance.

"The Chen Group has formed a substantial cross-industry monopoly in key areas, accounting for more than 50%. The remaining share is divided into different state-owned enterprises, private enterprises and even individuals in a hierarchical manner, making it almost impossible to get promoted and completely solidified. But once you enter this system, you can be called a successful person in Chuzhou."

"At the same time, it allows free market operations in low-profit industries in exchange for the tolerance of other interest groups in the business community;"

"Within the system, the connections of the Yao and Lin families serve as a foundation, and Chen Guohua's remaining influence and his protégés firmly control real power."

"They constantly lure key personnel into corrupt positions with money and other inducements, thereby drawing them into the gang."

"The Municipal Procuratorate and the Municipal Intermediate People's Court are the hardest hit areas, with more than half of their leadership positions likely having been defected."

"The same applies to the discipline inspection commission and the organization department."

"Within the system, they adopted a more stringent policy of inclusiveness. You can choose not to join, but you will inevitably be gradually marginalized and eventually leave the scene in a miserable state."

"Only a small number of people are still fighting; most have become slackers, just going through the motions at work and waiting for the day to end."

Qi Tongwei's voice gradually lowered. He had experienced it firsthand; one person's resistance against the overwhelming external forces was far too weak.

Can't move!

Their refusal to compromise their morals is already a testament to their high moral character.

No! It's not just them.

Qi Tongwei fumbled for a piece of paper in his hand, with just a few words: There is something strange in Chuzhou, save them quickly!

The owner of this note was Chu Nanhe, the Party Secretary of Chuzhou City.

Last time, when Lin Zhiyuan called me over to reprimand me for the PPT car-making incident, I brought this to Lin Zhiyuan under the pretext of writing a self-criticism.

What's the difference between a municipal party secretary, the top leader of a prefecture-level city, being forced to seek help in this way and a hostage in the hands of criminals?

This is absolutely outrageous!

Lin Zhiyuan immediately ordered the Provincial Public Security Bureau to conduct a secret investigation, which uncovered most of the inside story.

Qi Tongwei first discovered that the retired chairman of the provincial association had used his influence to amass wealth, making it so that the entire business community had to pay him homage. This was already shocking, but the more he dug, the more he found out.

The problem in Chuzhou is no longer a systemic corruption issue, but the fall of an entire city.

What are the difficulties in solving this case?

Lin Zhiyuan asked again.

"evidence!"

Qi Tongwei said without hesitation, "Without conclusive evidence, the Yao and Lin families in the judicial system have a very clear account, just like some companies settling accounts."

They knew there was something wrong with it, but on paper it looked perfectly clean, so they couldn't touch the real culprit.

"The Chen family used the guise of job subsidies to bribe people, but we have not been able to find the overseas accounts they brought into the camp. Including the overseas family trust fund that we found earlier, that account was only jointly supported by Gu Beilou and his three adopted sons. We still have no clue about the overseas accounts and family trusts that the Chen family itself has hidden."

"It is extremely difficult to investigate."

"The general public is unaware, those who compromised are aware but not the inside story, and those who defected are well protected by the Chen family. Our current chain of evidence can only arrest three adopted sons at most, and we can't touch the Chen Group."

Qi Tongwei explained the difficulties in the case one by one. The man in front of him was a PhD with double degrees in economics and law, and perhaps he could find a new way out.

"Are there any problems with the business competition ruling in the judicial process?"

Lin Zhiyuan asked.

Breaking through the Lin and Yao families is the same as breaking through the Chen family; if one side is dark, another side will be bright.

"I've reviewed several case files, and to be honest, I can't find any problems with my abilities. If you ignore the general outcomes and the balance of interests, it's actually quite fair."

"But it is these fair judgments that have built a solid protective barrier for the interests of the Chen family."

Qi Tongwei felt ashamed.

This scene is very similar to Chen Qingquan's ruling on the ownership of Dafeng Factory's shares, but now, the other party has a dozen or even dozens of Chen Qingquans, making it impossible to get through and difficult to find a breakthrough.

"What a troublesome bunch."

Lin Zhiyuan rubbed his temples. "Any breakthroughs with the Discipline Inspection Commission and Hou Liangping?"

"Qin Zhuofeng, deputy secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, directly took over the municipal government with the will of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, investigated the bidding project of Hanyuan Real Estate, and interviewed relevant officials. The results and gains are still unknown."

"Hou Liangping entered Chuzhou with Comrade Huai'an, and later acted alone. He contacted several small contractors in the construction industry and also met with Wang Jian, the director of the Chuzhou Anti-Corruption Bureau."

"One of the subcontractors was our informant. We told him some information about Chuzhou, while Wang Jian was a compromiser."

Qi Tongwei organized his thoughts and reported to his supervisor.

Two groups of people, two approaches!

They are all smart people.

Qin Zhuofeng played his cards openly to ensure his personal safety and the safety of the investigation, while Hou Liangping chose a more unconventional approach, which was the most likely way to uncover evidence of wrongdoing.

"Secretary Guofu, this is Lin Zhiyuan."

Lin Zhiyuan dialed the landline on the table again. "Do you have time to come to my office to talk about the Chuzhou case? Okay, I'll wait for Secretary Guofu in my office."

Qi Tongwei was startled when he heard who was on the other end of the line. Although he had heard that Tian Guofu's personality had changed drastically recently, was it not a good idea to cooperate with him directly?

After all, the provincial government faction had dealt him a severe blow.

"Unity is based on mutual benefit, not on personal likes or dislikes!"

Seeing the shock on the other person's face, Lin Zhiyuan reprimanded him, "You still have a lot to learn."

Qi Tongwei nodded obediently.

Five or six minutes later.

Tian Guofu knocked on the office door as promised.

"Executive Director Lin, Director Qi is here too!"

To Qi Tongwei's surprise, Tian Guofu greeted him with a big smile, but there was no warmth in his smile.

Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs!

Qi Tongwei had sensed an invisible aura from Tian Guofu long ago, but as he suffered repeated defeats and ended up looking disheveled, that aura dissipated.

But now…

That feeling is back.