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

Chapter 207 Conversation and Communication

A week later, Sha Ruijin's research visit to the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department was exceptionally successful.

The meticulous preparations and proper arrangements made by the Organization Department have earned high praise from Sha Ruijin.

After the meeting, Sha Ruijin kept Xia Qing behind alone.

Seeing this, the others tactfully left the meeting room, gently closing the door behind them.

Seeing that the time was right, Sha Ruijin thanked Xia Qing.

Xia Qing knew it was about returning to work.

Then, Sha Ruijin got to the main topic.

The night Qi Tongwei was taken away by Zhao Ruilong and Cheng Du was shot dead.

What exactly happened?

A sense of vigilance flashed through Xia Qing's mind.

According to the report handed to Sha Ruijin, the events of that night have been determined.

Qi Tongwei was kidnapped by Cheng Du and put into a car while he was investigating Du Bozhong.

Cheng Du, as the mastermind, resisted stubbornly and was shot dead.

As for Zhao Ruilong...

The report did not mention it.

Xia Qing knew in her heart that this was Gao Yuliang's intention.

If Zhao Ruilong is brought up, Sha Ruijin will definitely not let it go.

After all, Zhao Ruilong had just tricked Sha Ruijin in the food court project, and Sha Ruijin was looking for an outlet for his anger.

Gao Yuliang wanted to settle things peacefully that night.

Let Cheng Du sacrifice his life to clear Qi Tongwei's name, as a final judgment.

Naturally, no loopholes will be left that could be used for reverse investigation.

Now, Sha Ruijin is bringing up the old story again.

This indicates that Sha Ruijin has doubts about the incident.

In particular, Cheng Du deliberately took all the blame and was then shot dead.

It was so deliberate, it was like a performance.

But Sha Ruijin had only listened to the report and made a guess.

He did not personally attend the event.

As for what happened that night, you can only ask Xia Qing.

This was also a test of Xia Qing's attitude.

Unfortunately, Xia Qing didn't need to go out of her way to please Sha Ruijin.

Xia Qing and Gao Yuliang shared the same view on this matter.

Everyone would be happy to see Qi Tongwei completely sever ties with the Zhao family.

As for Sha Ruijin's speculation.

That doesn't matter.

Thinking of this, Xia Qing said calmly:

"The situation is consistent with the report from the public security department, Secretary Sha."

A look of disappointment flashed across Sha Ruijin's face, but he quickly regained his composure and said:

"Okay, I remember the provincial government also conducted an audit. I'll ask them about it later."

Xia Qing nodded, fully understanding the situation.

Sha Ruijin was feeling uneasy because he had been suspended from his post for too long and felt that he had lost control of the situation.

Sha Ruijin is now eager to regain control of the situation.

However, it's not that simple.

Some things, once you leave that position, will be out of control forever.

Now, Sha Ruijin has no choice but to accept this fact.

They wanted to seize the opportunity to control Qi Tongwei and the Public Security Bureau.

Even more difficult!

Sha Ruijin clenched his fists and frowned as he said:

"The ledgers were destroyed, the audit work was also hindered, and I was almost framed and dealt with... Xia Qing, our comprehensive anti-corruption campaign in Handong is facing numerous difficulties."

Xia Qing remained noncommittal, after all, she still had the account book in her hands, but it was inconvenient to tell Sha Ruijin.

It's best to keep quiet until Gao Yuliang takes action.

Seeing Xia Qing's expression, Sha Ruijin naturally became suspicious, feeling that Xia Qing was hiding something from him.

But what could he do? Xia Qing was highly respected in Handong, while he, the newly returned secretary, was constantly failing in various matters, and sometimes he felt he had little confidence.

Seeing this, Sha Ruijin put on a cheerful expression and laughed:

"Alright, that's all for now. I need to go to the next stop."

"Secretary Sha, you've worked hard. Thank you for your care and guidance to me and my colleagues in the department." Xia Qing also stood up and shook hands with Sha Ruijin.

After Sha Ruijin left, Xia Qing's expression returned to its indifferent state.

He called Chen Hai to inquire about the recent situation.

Chen Hai's answer was that there were no special circumstances.

After Zhao Ruilong destroyed the ledgers, the procuratorate's secret investigation into the Shanshui Group was also terminated.

After successfully outsmarting Gao Yuliang through cloud backup, the procuratorate temporarily returned to its daily work, awaiting the next large-scale operation.

Xia Qing then inquired about Liu Qingzhu's situation.

Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Liu Qingzhu had been secretly sent to another province for resettlement.

This can be considered as fulfilling the promise made to Liu Qingzhu.

The Han Dong authorities spared Liu Qingzhu's life and sent him to live in another province.

Liu Qingzhu handed over the ledgers from the cloud backup and never set foot in Handong again, nor did he get involved in the complex situation there.

For Liu Qingzhu, the CFO of Shanshui Group, a sensitive figure at the center of the storm.

This is probably the best possible outcome.

Otherwise, Liu Qingzhu might die mysteriously one day.

For example, a group trip where someone suddenly dies of a heart attack.

Thinking of this, Xia Qing couldn't help but ask with some doubt:

"What I find strange is that Liu Qingzhu didn't suggest taking his family with him. Chen Hai, you've had the most contact with him, do you know what's going on?"

Chen Hai laughed on the other end of the phone:

"Minister, you are unaware of this. Liu Qingzhu has no children, and his relationship with his wife... is truly terrible, you could say it's extremely strained."

Xia Qing said with great interest:

"Is that so? Chen Hai, you're overstepping your bounds. Only the neighborhood committee director would have such detailed information."

"That's not true. While we were investigating Liu Qingzhu, we also got a clear picture of his interpersonal relationships. To put it bluntly, his wife even wanted to find an opportunity to kill him for insurance money. So, Liu Qingzhu ran away not only to avoid Zhao Ruilong and Du Bozhong, but also to avoid his wife..." Chen Hai said, suppressing a laugh.

Xia Qing couldn't help but chuckle. How come there are so many couples with discord?

Liu Qingzhu is one, and Gao Yuliang is another.

Hou Liangping, the son-in-law who completely obeys his wife, is not a bad choice...

Thinking a bit too far ahead, Xia Qing pulled herself together and gave the order:

"In short, we must keep a close eye on Liu Qingzhu's every move in the other provinces these days, and we absolutely cannot let anything happen to him. Otherwise, if a cross-provincial murder case occurs, it will be extremely detrimental to us."

Chen Hai replied:

"Yes, Minister, please rest assured, I have arranged for people to monitor and protect you 24 hours a day."

Xia Qing said "Okay" with relief, and was about to hang up when Chen Hai seemed to remember something and said somewhat awkwardly:

"By the way, Minister, there is indeed an unusual situation I need to report to you."

Xia Qing asked Chen Hai to speak.

After a moment's thought, Chen Hai reported to Xia Qing about Hou Liangping's recent frequent visits to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, where he was intentionally or unintentionally trying to inquire about the case.

And most suspiciously, Zhou Zheng's private meeting with Hou Liangping.

Xia Qing was somewhat surprised.

Zhou Zheng was nearly punished because he revealed work secrets to Hou Liangping during Hou Liangping's suspension.

How come you've forgotten the pain once the wound has healed and are already hanging out with Hou Liangping again?

Hou Liangping is quite interesting. Even after being demoted to the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, he still harbors rebellious intentions and is restless and eager to make a move.

Xia Qing pondered for a moment, then gave instructions:

"Let's observe for now and see what they're up to. But make one promise: if they're going to do something bad, we must stop them before they do."

"Yes, Minister!" Chen Hai replied firmly.