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

However, Ji Changming took the initiative to say the words "Airport Road".

(Original plot)

What does this mean? It means that Ji Changming knew all along that Hou Liangping's every move was under his control.

Hou Liangping is not Chen Hai, and his control over the Anti-Corruption Bureau is not secure. Moreover, given Chen Hai's situation, how could Ji Changming not have his own spies within the Anti-Corruption Bureau?

"Comrade Changming, I hope you won't be influenced by certain small groups." Li Dakang took a deep breath. "Do what needs to be done, but be sure to follow the evidence and procedures."

"Rest assured, Secretary Li," Ji Changming said sincerely, "I will handle this impartially."

After hanging up the phone, Li Dakang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and bulged the veins on his forehead.

On the other end, Ji Changming hung up the phone and immediately dialed Hou Liangping's number.

"You come here right now!" His voice boomed like thunder.

Ten minutes later, Hou Liangping walked into the chief prosecutor's office. Ji Changming immediately launched into a tirade, beating him mercilessly.

"Such a big matter, and you didn't report it?! Do you even respect me as the chief prosecutor?!"

When Hou Liangping arrived, he brought case files with him. He gave Ji Changming a detailed report on Cai Chenggong's report, the investigation into the bank cards, and the evidence of Ouyang Jing's use of the bank cards.

After listening, Ji Changming's expression softened considerably, and he even smiled: "Well done. The evidence is conclusive, and the procedure was legal."

He stood up, patted Hou Liangping on the shoulder, and said, "You go back first and continue the interrogation. I'm going to the provincial party committee now to report this situation to Secretary Sha."

Hou Liangping felt a sense of relief and a smug smile appeared on his face: "Thank you for your support, Chief Prosecutor Ji."

He turned and left, his steps light and quick.

He didn't realize that Ji Changming's change of attitude was too fast and too natural.

What was clearly a matter of a subordinate disobeying orders and challenging the authority of his superiors was transformed by Hou Liangping into a question of whether the evidence was conclusive in just a few words.

Is this a problem with the evidence?

The key to this matter is not whether the evidence is conclusive, but rather the political maneuvering involved.

Ji Changming watched his retreating figure, shook his head, picked up the phone, and told the driver to prepare the car.

At the same time, in the provincial government building, in the office of the vice governor.

Qi Tongwei was reviewing documents when his secretary knocked and entered: "Governor Qi, news has come that the Anti-Corruption Bureau intercepted Li Dakang's car at the highway exit and took Ouyang Jing away."

Qi Tongwei put down his pen, looked up, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips.

As expected, Hou Liangping still wouldn't listen to his advice. Last time at Gao Yuliang's house, he advised Hou Liangping that now that he was in charge, it wasn't enough to just do the work; he needed to be politically astute.

It seems he didn't listen at all.

"Young man, you're still too impulsive," Qi Tongwei muttered to himself.

He picked up his phone, found a number, and dialed it.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

"Old leader, it's me, Tongwei." Qi Tongwei's voice was respectful and gentle.

A hearty laugh came from the other end of the phone: "Tongwei, what made you think of calling me?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qi Tongwei said with a smile, "Old leader, Liangping has been in Handong for a while now, and he's doing a great job. He's decisive, capable, and a good cadre."

Zhong Zhengguo smiled: "Really? That's good. Tongwei, he's young, I'll need your guidance."

"Of course, of course." Qi Tongwei paused, "Old leader, I have something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

This is to make him repay that favor from last time.

Zhong Zhengguo's tone remained straightforward: "What is it? Tell me."

"I've heard that the higher-ups are going to form a Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) inspection team in Handong," Qi Tongwei said, lowering his voice. "I hope you can push things forward so that this inspection team can be established and deployed to Handong as soon as possible."

Chapter 135 Triple Win

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Zhengguo, after hearing Qi Tongwei's request, did not immediately agree or refuse. Instead, he chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of amusement: "Set up an inspection team? Tongwei, who are you going to investigate?"

Qi Tongwei didn't keep them in suspense, and said calmly, "I want to investigate Li Dakang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee."

Zhong Zhengguo was silent for two seconds, then chuckled: "Tongwei, investigating a provincial standing committee member is no small matter. The favor you did for Liangping's job transfer isn't enough to warrant this."

That's very straightforward.

Human relationships have value; owing someone a favor doesn't mean you have to unconditionally fulfill all their demands. Helping Hou Liangping with a deputy-department-level job transfer is fundamentally different in weight from now on, where Zhong Zhengguo is pushing for the early establishment of a Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) inspection team and initiating an investigation into a deputy-ministerial-level official.

There are people willing to do beheadings, but nobody wants to do a business that loses money.

Zhong Zhengguo isn't stupid; he won't make a losing deal.

Qi Tongwei understood this principle, of course. He leaned back in his chair, his tone still calm: "Old leader, of course I know this principle. I don't require any interference with the inspection team's investigation results, I just need to initiate the investigation."

That's a clever way of putting it—he doesn't want the result, he just wants the action of initiating it.

As long as the inspection team arrives and Li Dakang is investigated, his goal will be achieved.

Zhong Zhengguo smiled, but his smile held a scrutinizing tone: "Tongwei, just pushing for the early establishment of the inspection team is no small matter. Your request is still insufficient."

Qi Tongwei's heart skipped a beat; he knew Zhong Zhengguo was testing his limits. He paused, then his tone became sincere: "Old leader, how about I briefly explain the situation of this case to you? After you hear it, you can make a decision."

"Oh?" Zhong Zhengguo became interested, his voice tinged with amusement. "Then I'd like to hear what tricks you're up to."

Qi Tongwei cleared his throat: "Li Dakang is the current Standing Committee member of the Handong Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, as you know. But his wife, Ouyang Jing, has had evidence of bribery secured by the Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau and is now under control."

Zhong Zhengguo grunted in agreement: "It seems that Handong is about to make a big move."

"No," Qi Tongwei corrected, "It's not that Handong is about to make a big move. If Handong were going to make a big move, why would they need an inspection team to investigate Li Dakang? This operation against Ouyang Jing was not reported to the Provincial Procuratorate and the Provincial Party Committee in advance; it can be said to be an independent operation by the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

Zhong Zhengguo responded softly without saying anything, but he had already understood the implied meaning.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau acted alone? That means Hou Liangping made the decision on his own without approval from his superiors.

This kid is really audacious.

Qi Tongwei continued, "Moreover, as far as I know, Li Dakang has obtained Secretary Sha Ruijin's permission and divorced his wife Ouyang Jing this morning."

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Zhengguo rubbed his temples, his expression turning serious.

The situation in Handong is indeed complex.

My foolish son-in-law went headlong into it, and now it seems he's likely to meet with bad luck.

He sighed, his tone becoming direct: "Tongwei, just say what you want to say, stop beating around the bush."

Qi Tongwei laughed: "Then I won't beat around the bush. Old leader, I think that with Secretary Sha's personality, there is a high chance that he will protect Li Dakang. But Li Dakang's problems have not been thoroughly investigated, and keeping such a cadre in Handong may not be a good thing."

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere: "I can't have a direct conflict with Secretary Sha right now, so I hope the higher authorities can intervene. As for the scope and results of the investigation into Li Dakang, the inspection team can decide for themselves; I won't interfere."

They put it nicely, saying things like "Li Dakang isn't suitable" and "it's for the good of Handong." Zhong Zhengguo sneered inwardly. How could he not see through Qi Tongwei's true intentions?

If Li Dakang is indeed investigated, then Sha Ruijin, who protected Li Dakang, will be in serious trouble, if not crippled.

For Qi Tongwei, this is the best outcome.

Zhong Zhengguo had seen plenty of power struggles between the top two leaders.

Qi Tongwei's methods, which are within the rules and do not affect normal work, are already considered quite mild.

But he still had to consider his son-in-law.

“Tongwei.” Zhong Zhengguo’s voice turned serious. “Liangping just investigated Ouyang Jing, and I immediately pushed the inspection team to investigate Li Dakang. How is Liangping supposed to maintain his position in Handong after this?”

Qi Tongwei understood the implication and tentatively asked, "So, what you mean is?"

Zhong Zhengguo was silent for a while, then slowly said, "Liangping is my only son-in-law, and I have always treated him like a son."

He paused, his voice becoming meaningful:

"You owe me a huge favor."

A huge favor!

This cannot be offset by resources at the departmental level; it would require at least provincial or ministerial level resource exchange. As for the next higher level, that cannot be resolved through personal connections.

Qi Tongwei laughed, his voice filled with admiration: "Old leader, you really have a brilliant plan."

Zhong Zhengguo laughed heartily: "Then shall we make a deal?"

Qi Tongwei was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "No, old leader. I have no strong desire to get Li Dakang, so please pretend I never said anything. We'll talk about that favor later. I won't disturb your work any longer; I'll visit you next time I'm back in Beijing."

After saying that, he made a gesture as if he was about to hang up.

On the other side, Zhong Zhengguo became anxious: "Wait! Don't hang up the phone so soon, Tongwei, we can still discuss this matter further."

Qi Tongwei shook his head, his tone firm: "Old leader, I'm just taking a chance on this, even if it's risky. It's not worth it if we have to pay too much."

Zhong Zhengguo cursed him inwardly for being cunning, but his voice still carried a smile: "How about this, let's each compromise. Liangping did you a small favor this time, so how about you arrange for him to concurrently serve as deputy chief prosecutor when you're reshuffling the leadership next year?"

He quickly added, "In the provinces surrounding you, the heads of the anti-corruption bureaus are all concurrently deputy chief prosecutors. There's no need to promote them. They're all within your Handong territory. A deputy director-general position isn't much, is it?"

Generally speaking, the chief prosecutor of a provincial procuratorate is at the vice-ministerial level, the executive deputy chief prosecutor is at the departmental level, and ordinary deputy chief prosecutors are at the deputy departmental level, which is the same level as the director of the anti-corruption bureau.

Moreover, since it will be done during the leadership transition next year, it's really not a big deal for Qi Tongwei.

But for Hou Liangping, this meant being given an important position, and his future was clearly bright.

Qi Tongwei shook his head: "The political and legal system is Professor Gao's private domain, and I shouldn't interfere."

This is a deliberate attempt to shirk responsibility.

Zhong Zhengguo sensed that Qi Tongwei was being insincere, but given his shrewdness, he wouldn't get entangled with Qi Tongwei over such details.

He changed the subject: "Oh, is that so? Well then, Liangping just came from the capital, and his thinking hasn't quite adjusted yet, so he's acting a bit impulsively. I'll have him report to you on his thoughts, and you can give him some guidance, is that alright?"

He paused, then offered his final bargaining chip: "If you agree, I'll push forward with the inspection team's plans immediately."

Qi Tongwei understood Zhong Zhengguo's true intentions and couldn't help but laugh: "Old leader, you don't need to test me. There's only one condition, which is the favor we did last time. That's all. Let's be frank. If you agree, the favor from last time will be wiped clean; if you don't agree, then we'll part ways this time."

Zhong Zhengguo sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness but also with a hint of admiration: "You, you're unwilling to suffer even the slightest loss. Others call Liangping the monkey, but I think you should be called the monkey, you're so cunning."

He was silent for a moment, then finally made up his mind: "Let's do it your way. If Sha Ruijin protects Li Dakang, I will push for the inspection team to come."

"Okay, thank you, old boss." Qi Tongwei's voice was filled with laughter. "It's been a pleasure working with you."

"It's a pleasure working with you." Zhong Zhengguo smiled as well.