Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 214 The Powerless Hou Liangping

The next day, Hou Liangping walked out of the dormitory dressed neatly and looking radiant.

He asked his superior for leave and then went to the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Upon arrival, he disregarded his secretary's attempts to stop him and pushed open Gao Yuliang's office door.

His expression was one of immense pride.

Gao Yuliang merely raised his eyelids slightly before dismissing the political and legal affairs committee cadre who was reporting on his work, as he needed to receive Hou Liangping, the deputy director of the literary and art federation.

After everyone left and the office door was closed.

Gao Yuliang then asked:

"Ryohei, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Professor Gao, I never imagined you would be this kind of person." Hou Liangping feigned sadness, but his tone was barely concealing his schadenfreude.

Gao Yuliang pretended not to understand and asked for the reason.

Hou Liangping sighed and told him in detail how he had unexpectedly obtained the account book.

As he spoke, he couldn't hide his pride, his face beaming with joy.

One more sentence should be added:

"Teacher Gao, what goes around comes around!"

Gao Yuliang listened quietly, took off his glasses, and smiled:

"Logically speaking, an official of your rank has no authority to investigate me, let alone someone who isn't even part of the procuratorial system."

Upon hearing this, Hou Liangping felt nauseous, as if he had swallowed a fly.

Gao Yuliang's insistence that Hou Liangping did not belong to the procuratorial system was like rubbing salt into Hou Liangping's wounds.

Hou Liangping's arrogance immediately subsided by more than half.

Yes, I'm just a deputy division-level cadre in the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Let alone my rank, I don't even have the authority to inquire about the case.

Gao Yuliang paused, then spoke again:

"Do you know what you're doing? If it weren't for our teacher-student relationship, I could have had you taken away right now and given you a serious charge of violating regulations in your investigation and spreading rumors to slander a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee."

Hou Liangping was a little scared. He subconsciously moved his chair back to avoid Gao Yuliang's powerful aura.

Of course, one cannot back down verbally.

Hou Liangping calmed himself down and stubbornly said:

"I... I don't care about any of that! Teacher Gao, once I hand over the account books, you're completely finished! Secret marriage, bribery—you should think about the consequences!"

Hearing this, a trace of sorrow appeared in Gao Yuliang's eyes, and he asked in a solemn tone:

"Ryoping, is this what you truly feel? You personally sent your teacher to prison?"

"What kind of bullshit teacher are you? You should just focus on nurturing your good student, Qi Tongwei!" Hou Liangping said angrily.

"I've been in Handong for so long, and you haven't helped me a single thing, haven't said a word in my defense, and now you're just hoping I'll suffer when problems arise! What teacher-student relationship are you talking about?!"

Looking at Hou Liangping in front of him, Gao Yuliang felt completely unfamiliar with him.

Of his three disciples, Gao Yuliang admired Hou Liangping the most.

However, after Hou Liangping climbed up to Zhong Xiaoai, his career took off, and he was quickly transferred to the Supreme People's Procuratorate in Beijing. He even intentionally distanced himself from Gao Yuliang and his two other fellow apprentices.

Furthermore, Hou Liangping continued to publicize the story of Qi Tongwei's astonishing kneeling.

He himself rose to power through women.

These things made Gao Yuliang increasingly dissatisfied with Hou Liangping, but he didn't say anything, just kept it to himself and let it go.

If Hou Liangping hadn't been sent to Handong by the Zhong family this time, Gao Yuliang probably would never have had any contact with him in his life.

However, no matter how much resentment there is, they are still students I personally taught.

It was fate that they both worked in Handong, but Gao Yuliang was never willing to go too far.

Previously, Xia Qing had given Gao Yuliang his comments on Hou Liangping.

It is said that Hou Liangping was willing to sacrifice his teachers, senior classmates, or even anyone else as stepping stones for his future.

Gao Yuliang was initially unwilling to believe this statement.

Gradually, judging from Hou Liangping's various actions, Gao Yuliang realized that Xia Qing's assessment was becoming increasingly accurate.

Therefore, Gao Yuliang meticulously prepared this plan.

In the account book that Zhou Zheng handed over to Hou Liangping, Gao Yuliang made a point of keeping the record of Gao Xiaofeng's three hundred million.

Gao Yuliang wanted to test Hou Liangping by showing him what measures Hou Liangping would take when he saw Gao Yuliang in danger.

Is this a reminder?

Should I help you delete it?

Or, like now, threats, clamor, and kicking someone when they're down?

Gao Yuliang felt extremely sad.

Hou Liangping, this student, ultimately chose the last option...

I intended to hold back, but now it seems...

There's no need to be lenient with Hou Liangping.

Having made up his mind, Gao Yuliang slowly said:

"Liangping, since that's what you think, then I'll have to explain things properly. Your arrival in Handong is ostensibly an airlift to bolster the provincial procuratorate's forces, but I don't need to spell out your actual mission, do I?"

Hou Liangping's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"But what you didn't expect was that after Chen Hai was demoted, he found Xia Qing, his mentor. His work ability was fully demonstrated, and he was quickly reinstated. Now he is a strong candidate for deputy chief prosecutor."

Gao Yuliang spoke, unable to hide his smile:

"So you were so anxious and desperate to prove yourself, but you were used to being headstrong when handling cases at the Supreme People's Procuratorate. When you got to the local level, you continued to do things your own way, which resulted in a big mistake and you were demoted to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles... Am I right?"

Hou Liangping's face turned pale and then red. Gao Yuliang's words were all true, but they were extremely disrespectful, practically mocking him to his nose.

Finally, Gao Yuliang concluded with a summary statement:

"Looking at it this way, it seems like it's all your own fault, Director Hou? You keep saying that Qi Tongwei and I don't care about past relationships, but now you're bringing trouble on me with your debt books—are you showing any consideration for past relationships? You're clinging to your senior from school—are you showing any consideration for past relationships?"

After a pause, Gao Yuliang's eyes sharpened, and he said:

"Now that you've fallen to this state, why hasn't the Zhong family spoken up for you or done anything for you? Why aren't your wife and father-in-law standing up for you? Your own family doesn't even remember the past, so why would you expect your teachers and seniors, whom you look down on, to remember the past?"

Hou Liangping's rationality snapped.

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Gao Yuliang, but found that he had no right to criticize the other party.

He also knew that as a deputy section chief, it was already an honor for him to sit in the office of a deputy ministerial-level leader for so long and listen to so much. If he dared to cause trouble, he would be taken away in no time.

Hou Liangping finally realized that the two layers of his identity as a member of the procuratorial system and a son-in-law of the Zhong family had been stripped away layer by layer in Handong, leaving only the body of a deputy director-level cadre of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

At this moment, he also clearly realized that the "Gao Yuliang" he and Zhong Xiaoai talked about was the third-in-command of Handong, a behemoth who could control everything with one hand; even Qi Tongwei, whom he had always looked down on, had now completed the final leap and become a deputy ministerial-level leader with real power that Hou Liangping could not even dream of!

And what about yourself?

Deputy section chief?

Let alone sitting in Gao Yuliang's office.

Even when meeting with a regular section chief of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, you have to put on a smiling face!

Damn it!

I want to get back everything I've lost!

Let's go to hell together!

Hou Liangping finally overcame the last psychological barrier. With a cold face, he said to Gao Yuliang:

"Very good, Teacher Gao, let's see how it goes."

Gao Yuliang calmly reached out his hand:

"I won't see you out."

Hou Liangping left angrily, slamming the door shut behind him.

Gao Yuliang watched Hou Liangping's departing figure and whispered:

"Very good, the plan is going well."