Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

He even remembered that. He looked a little embarrassed when he said it, but he still said it without omitting a single word.

Hou Liangping sighed inwardly upon hearing this.

It's not that these things are worthless, but rather that they are not what he wants.

What he wanted was the bigger network behind Chen Qingquan.

Ideally, it should be a crucial node in that network, located in Gao Yuliang.

Hou Liangping had thought this through very clearly—Chen Qingquan had been Gao Yuliang's secretary and later remained in the political and legal system. He had been in and out of Gao's circle, and the people he had met, the things he had heard, and the matters he had handled were all things of real value.

The problem is, how do you get these questions out of your head?

He first used a direct approach.

"During your time working alongside Secretary Gao Yuliang, did you notice any deviations from normal procedures in his handling of certain specific matters?"

Chen Qingquan had already confessed a lot, but he still shook his head, his tone very serious: "Secretary Gao does things in a very standardized way. In all the years I've been by his side, I've never seen him violate any regulations."

"Are there any cases or projects where his opinion differed from the opinions within the system, and in retrospect, do you think he was acting out of some non-work-related considerations?"

Chen Qingquan was silent for a moment, then said, "Secretary Gao has his own judgment on cases, which is sometimes different from that of those below, but I can't say where the problem lies. I think they are all normal work judgments."

Hou Liangping continued, taking a different angle, and brought up several specific events that Chen Qingquan had personally experienced, questioning them one by one—what were the specific instructions for that event? Were they kept in writing? Did they differ from the later outcome?

Chen Qingquan answered fluently. He described everything in detail and logically, but after each story, Hou Liangping felt as if he were facing a safe, the door wide open, but the inside completely empty.

He was getting a little anxious.

On the third day, Hou Liangping tried a different approach.

He recounted several controversial matters that Gao Yuliang had handled during Chen Qingquan's tenure as secretary, using a semi-inferential tone, and added at the end: "Do you think that Secretary Gao's decision at the time might have been influenced by some external factors? Such as pressure from the Zhao family, or some unwritten arrangement of interests that you are not comfortable to mention?"

This is a guided question.

After listening, Chen Qingquan paused for a long time without answering immediately.

Then he raised his head and looked at Hou Liangping with a very complicated expression.

Hou Liangping could tell what was in those eyes—it wasn't cooperation, nor was it resistance; it was something that came from seeing through the truth, tinged with a hint of contempt.

“Director Hou,” Chen Qingquan said in a flat voice, “just tell me what you want me to say. But let me tell you, I’ve said everything I know; the things I can’t say aren’t because I don’t want to, it’s just that I really don’t have them.”

"Or, just write down what you want, and I'll sign it. I'm prepared to go this far."

Hou Liangping fell silent.

The interrogation continued for several more days.

Hou Liangping didn't give up. He continued to dig in another direction—during Gao Yuliang's tenure as head of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, were there any cases where certain stakeholders benefited? Were there any intermediaries in Gao Yuliang's social network who had dealings with the Zhao family? Were there any details of Gao Yuliang's personal life, such as any expenses or income that exceeded normal limits?

Chen Qingquan answered each question in turn, stating what he meant and what he didn't.

The only valuable thing is the Luzhou Food City, but the food city is completely unusable.

Hou Liangping asked Chen Qingquan about his childhood experiences growing up in the county town, his father's occupation, whether he received any special treatment when he went to university, and how he first entered the political and legal system—each question seemed to be digging deeper, but what was dug out were all ordinary life experiences.

He thoroughly examined Chen Qingquan's family relationship chart, but after going through it all, he couldn't find a single line that led back to Gao Yuliang.

But he still wrote a statement of the interrogation.

The document was written very carefully, reorganizing all of Chen Qingquan's statements and using vague wording in some places to connect Chen Qingquan's statements with his inferences about Gao Yuliang.

Some were also added appropriately.

However, these were all testimonies, without any corroborating evidence.

He sent this document to Tian Guofu for review.

Tian Guofu read the material from beginning to end, then flipped back and reread several key paragraphs.

He read the materials quietly, with no expression on his face.

After reading it, he closed the document, placed it on the table, and asked his secretary to invite Hou Liangping in.

Hou Liangping came in, sat down in the chair opposite him, straightened his back, put his hands on his knees, looked at Tian Guofu, and waited for him to speak.

Tian Guofu didn't speak immediately. He pushed the stack of materials towards him, his tone flat, as if he were talking about a trivial matter: "Take a look at these yourself and tell me, do you think these things are usable?"

Hou Liangping looked down at two pages, then looked up and said, "The material is Chen Qingquan's own statement."

“I know it’s a statement,” Tian Guofu interrupted him, his voice not loud but forceful, “What I’m asking is, what do you plan to do with these things, given them to the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee?”

Hou Liangping remained silent.

“Chen Qingquan said Gao Yuliang had no problems,” Tian Guofu said, “or that he didn’t know about Gao Yuliang’s problems. So you started to guide him, leading him in the direction you wanted.”

He paused. "Liangping," his voice deepened, but his tone was stern, "do you think this level of power struggle is the same as how you used to deal with those low-ranking officials who had no background or connections?"

Hou Liangping's expression changed slightly.

“This document,” Tian Guofu pointed to the stack of papers with one finger, “was filled with a bunch of miscellaneous questions. What did you get out of it? And then you pieced together his statements and your inferences in a few paragraphs and submitted it? To whom did you submit it? Who would approve it as evidence?”

Hou Liangping kept his head down and did not reply.

“Go back,” Tian Guofu said. “We don’t need this document. If we still can’t get any useful information out of them, Chen Qingquan will hand it over to the judiciary and go through the proper procedures. That’s it.”

Hou Liangping stood up, responded, picked up the stack of materials, and walked towards the door.

“Also,” Tian Guofu said behind him, his tone returning to calm, “be mindful of your actions. I’m telling you not to have any reservations, not that you can do whatever you want.”

Hou Liangping paused at the door, nodded without turning around, and went out.

The door was closed.

Tian Guofu sat in the chair, going over the matter in his mind.

Hou Liangping.

Before he came to Handong, Tian Guofu had already studied him. He was capable, astute, had a knack for solving cases, and solid interrogation skills. He had handled several impressive cases when he was at the Supreme People's Procuratorate. He was a useful person, but also a restless one.

After arriving in Handong, he handled Liu Xinjian's case very well. He also handled Chen Qingquan's case very well.

But this document today has given him a clearer picture.

They don't follow the rules, and now they've added another one: they have no human touch.

He was willing to frame his former "mentor" for the sake of his future. You have to understand, even handling such a relationship fairly would draw criticism, let alone deliberately framing someone.

Even if it was to complete the task assigned to him.

This kind of person cannot be employed.

Who knows when he might turn on you?

Tian Guofu suppressed the thought, picked up another stack of materials on the table, and started working again.

A few more days passed.

While organizing the documents, Hou Liangping discovered that Chen Qingquan had mentioned a name: Liu Qingzhu, the finance director of Shanshui Group.

Then he discovered that Liu Qingzhu had actually filed a formal complaint against the group for corruption.

More importantly, Liu Qingzhu died of a myocardial infarction on the very night of the January 16 Incident.

After some investigation, Hou Liangping learned from Liu Qingzhu's wife, Wei Xinxia, ​​that Liu Qingzhu's death was not an accident, but rather a deliberate act.

She received 200 million yuan in hush money from the Shanshui Group.

Hou Liangping also obtained the account book left by Liu Qingzhu.

The ledger points to one thing.

Xiao Gangyu, the provincial public security director, holds 20% of the shares in Shanshui Group through a nominee shareholder registered in Beijing. Liu Qingzhu has clear and traceable records of the annual dividends from these 20% shares over several years.

After verifying the information several times, Hou Liangping organized the materials that evening and delivered them to Tian Guofu.

This time, Tian Guofu read through the materials and did not return them.

He summoned his secretary and asked him to arrange a meeting with Sha Ruijin, saying he had important matters to report.

Upon entering Sha Ruijin's office, Tian Guofu handed over the materials. After Sha Ruijin finished reading them, he briefly recounted how the Public Security Bureau had obstructed and interfered with the work of the Discipline Inspection Commission during the previous investigation of the Qingshan Gas Field. He also reiterated the implicit meaning that Liu Changsheng had subtly conveyed during the meeting.

After he finished speaking, Sha Ruijin closed the document, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"Detain them."

The three words fell softly, yet made a sound upon landing.

Tian Guofu nodded, put the materials away, and left without saying anything more.

In his previous life, Qi Tongwei was unable to rise to the vice-provincial level for a long time because of this—if he wasn't promoted to vice-provincial level, he would only be a provincial-level cadre, and Sha Ruijin could firmly grasp the initiative and easily decide his life or death with a single sentence.

In this life, this rope was placed around Xiao Gangyu's neck.

He is currently at the level of a department director, not a centrally-managed cadre. According to regulations, his detention does not even require discussion at the Standing Committee meeting; the provincial party secretary can make the decision alone.

This is the limit of the power that a provincial party secretary can reach.

-

When Hou Liangping led his men there, it was a little after 5 p.m.

In late July in Jingzhou, the sun had not yet set, and the heat rose from the ground, baking the asphalt roadside into a shimmering layer.

The family compound of the provincial public security bureau leaders was built in the late 1990s. It has a gray-white exterior and looks quite old. The greenery in the compound is well maintained, with several plane trees growing vigorously and casting a large shade on the walkway.

Hou Liangping confirmed that Xiao Gangyu had returned home. He left a few comrades to guard the two exits downstairs, entered the building, pressed the elevator button, and while waiting for the elevator, he glanced at the procedural document in his hand again, folded it, and put it back in his pocket.

When he got to the third floor, he rang the doorbell.

There were footsteps inside, neither hurried nor slow.

The door opened from the inside.

Liang Lu opened the door.

She wore a light apricot-colored shirt today, her makeup was light but meticulous, her hair was tied up without a single strand out of place, and her well-maintained face made it impossible to tell her real age.

Her expression changed the moment she saw Hou Liangping.

It happened only once, like a pebble thrown into water, but before the ripples could spread, it was immediately smoothed out by something.

Her expression returned to normal; there was no panic, no shouting, no flustered reaction one might expect upon seeing someone in uniform.

Only a trace of numbness remained.

For example, she was afraid of being called on by the teacher in class, but when the teacher actually called her name, she was not so afraid anymore.