Nominal: The Handong Game, the Energy System's Counterattack

Gao Yuliang lived in the No. 3 compound of the Provincial Party Committee. The compound was not large, but it was well maintained.

There are two osmanthus trees planted at the entrance, and many potted plants in the yard, which are clearly well taken care of.

The person who opened the door was Wu Huifen, Gao Yuliang's wife, who was also one of Hou Liangping's teachers at school.

She saw Hou Liangping and greeted him with a smile, "Liangping's here? Come in quickly."

"Your teacher is talking about you, saying you've been in Handong for so long but haven't come over."

"Teacher Wu, I was singled out as an example as soon as I arrived in Handong. I am ashamed to face you both."

Hou Liangping handed over the flowers and bowed exaggeratedly, saying, "I've brought these Lincheng roses to apologize and also to freeload a meal."

Hou Liangping changed his shoes and went inside. "Where's the teacher?"

"Knowing you were coming, I've been waiting for you." Wu Huifen couldn't stop smiling as she spoke.

The living room was brightly lit. Gao Yuliang sat on the sofa with a chess endgame in front of him and a chess manual in his hand.

Seeing Hou Liangping come in, he put down his book and gestured towards the sofa opposite him with his lip.

"Sit down. I heard you've finally started working on cases recently. How come you're still so clumsy after working for so long?"

"You've been in Handong for so long, and you finally have time to visit this old man who's about to retire?"

Hou Liangping sat down opposite him with a smile: "Teacher, you're making fun of me. With you as the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, who would dare to say anything against you?"

Gao Yuliang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked down at him with a smile. "Play a game with me."

The master and apprentice sat facing each other, the chessboard was laid out, and the two began to play chess.

Gao Yuliang is refined, composed, and has an extraordinary demeanor. He appears to be playing chess leisurely, never showing his emotions.

The atmosphere during the game of chess was relaxed and gentle.

The game lasted about twenty minutes, and both players were somewhat distracted.

Gao Yuliang has a steady playing style, emphasizing layout and rhythm, and rarely takes risks.

Hou Liangping is more aggressive, preferring to find weaknesses in the middle game to launch an attack.

But today, both of them were distracted, and the situation on the chessboard was loose. After more than twenty moves, they were still in the opening stage.

Hou Liangping placed a piece and suddenly asked, "Teacher, what's your opinion on the Ding Yizhen matter?"

Gao Yuliang's hand froze in mid-air, staring at the chessboard without looking up. "What do you mean, how do you look at it?"

"I've been thinking about his escape. If the procedures had been expedited when the provincial party committee held its meeting that night to discuss approving his arrest, would he have been able to escape?"

Hou Liangping tried to make his tone sound casual, "Of course, I understand that the handling of bureau-level cadres should be done with caution and according to procedures."

"But the question is, isn't that process taking too long?"

"The meeting started at 9 p.m. and the discussions alone lasted for several hours."

These words, seemingly unintentional expressions of his doubts, actually pointed directly to the fact that the provincial party committee's collective discussion on arresting Ding Yizhen was dragged out and missed the opportunity.

This indirectly led to the escape of Ding Yizhen, a corrupt official.

Gao Yuliang was incredibly astute; he instantly understood Hou Liangping's unspoken meaning.

This was a complaint against his teacher; his fingertips paused slightly as he placed the piece.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible ripple crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his refined and composed demeanor, raising his head calmly to look at Hou Liangping.

The light from the chessboard shone on his face, making his expression particularly clear.

"Liangping, you monkey, you're implying something. Do you think we were wasting time at the meeting that day?"

"No, no, teacher, you've misunderstood." Hou Liangping quickly waved his hand.

"I just find it strange that Ding Yizhen, such a big corrupt official, could just run away like that. There must have been someone tipping him off."

"Only a handful of people knew about Ding Yizhen's situation that night, and the number of people who could access the provincial party committee meeting was actually very small."

Gao Yuliang put down the chess piece in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Hou Liangping with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Are you doubting me, your teacher? Have you found a clue?"

"No, no, how could I dare?" Hou Liangping quickly waved his hand.

"Dare not? Is there anything you, a monkey, wouldn't dare to do?" Gao Yuliang laughed and pointed at Hou Liangping in the air.

Of all his students, Gao Yuliang's favorite was Hou Liangping.

Unfortunately, Hou Liangping ended up with Zhong Xiaoai but was unable to marry his daughter, Gao Fangfang.

Otherwise, Gao Yuliang might have devoted himself to training this monkey.

Seeing Hou Liangping meet with him, the provincial party secretary and secretary of the provincial political and legal affairs commission, and still dare to directly say that Ding Yizhen's escape and their provincial party committee meeting had some problems.

They even suspected that some of the people who attended the meeting that night had tipped off Ding Yizhen.

If any outsider dared to say these things in front of him, Gao Yuliang would immediately show them what the authority of the Provincial Party Committee was.

However, seeing that Hou Liangping still retained his sense of justice and drive, and was still the same monkey who dared to cause trouble in the Heavenly Palace, Gao Yuliang was not very angry.

"You monkey, you still haven't learned your lesson," Gao Yuliang said, pointing at Hou Liangping.

"Perfect timing. Now that you've mentioned Ding Yizhen, I'll give you a lesson today."

"Liangping," Gao Yuliang said, lifting his gaze from the chessboard with a tone of almost benevolent patience.

"How long do you think it would take to arrest a department-level official?"

"If all the paperwork is complete, it will take at least half a day."

"Hehe, half a day." Gao Yuliang repeated the two words, then laughed.

There was a hint of helplessness in that smile, as well as the tolerance of a teacher watching their student make a mistake.

"Liangping, you're playing too hastily."

"The work of the anti-corruption bureau emphasizes solid evidence and a decisive strike."

"But the work of the provincial party committee is not just about taking down a corrupt official."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and turned his gaze to the courtyard outside the window.

"What is Ding Yizhen's position? He is the vice mayor of Jingzhou City, wielding real power and holding a key post."

"More importantly, he is the person in charge of the Guangming Peak key project, which involves a total investment of 28 billion yuan at both the provincial and municipal levels in Handong Province and Jingzhou City."

"A 28 billion yuan project, a key provincial and municipal project, will influence the future development of Jingzhou City."

"It affects countless bank loans, the life and death of countless enterprises, and even more so the livelihoods and future investment confidence of hundreds of thousands of people in Jingzhou."

"You only see that he might be corrupt and want to arrest him."

"The province should not be concerned with whether it can take down a corrupt official."

"Taking people away is too easy; a single document, two disciplinary officials, and it takes half an hour."

"But what happens after we take it over? What about the Bright Peak project? What about all the money already invested?"

"The officialdom in Jingzhou City—from the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee to the district heads to the various bureaus below—is all tied to this project."

"If you remove Ding Yizhen, won't the whole chain break? Won't it cause a chain reaction?"

"What the provincial party committee is seeing is, after he's arrested, who will take over this 28 billion yuan project? Will it become a failed project?"

"This is not only a problem that Li Dakang, the secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, needs to consider, but also a problem that the Provincial Party Committee needs to consider in its entirety."

Gao Yuliang tapped the table and patiently explained to Hou Liangping the things they needed to consider at their level.