Chapter 23: An Unexpected Surprise

"Yellow-Hair" retorted defiantly, "Chief Cao, you know exactly who we work for and who ordered us to be here. Aren't you afraid of losing your position by arresting us?"

Cao Jigang’s expression shifted slightly at these words. Of course, he knew why these thugs had come to cause trouble in the village, and he knew perfectly well who was pulling their strings. However, in the current situation, as the chief of the local police station, he had to obey Li Chaoyang’s orders. He had no choice but to take them into custody first and deal with the fallout later.

"Enough nonsense, Yellow-Hair! Get in the vehicle. If you say one more word, I’ll seal your mouth shut."

Yellow-Hair and his cohorts were eventually handcuffed and forced into the vehicle. Before climbing in, he shot He Shinian a vicious glare, as if to say, "Just you wait, kid."

Cao Jigang walked over and said, "Secretary Li, I’m taking them away. I will report to you the moment we have any results from the interrogation." Having learned that Qian Dazhi had been removed from his post and that Li Chaoyang was temporarily in charge of Nanping Town, Cao’s attitude had become noticeably more deferential.

Li Chaoyang replied, "Chief Cao, it is Secretary He to whom you should be reporting."

Cao Jigang turned his gaze toward He Shinian. Based on his surname, he immediately surmised that this was the secretary to the County Party Committee Secretary. "Secretary He, nice to meet you. I am Cao Jigang, chief of the Nanping Town police station. Rest assured, I will report the interrogation results to you immediately."

He Shinian acknowledged him with a nod. "No need for formalities, Chief Cao. I only need the results so that I may report to Secretary Wu at any time."

Cao Jigang understood the implication and, after exchanging a few more words, took his leave.

The villagers then crowded around He Shinian, their eyes filled with gratitude as they showered him with thanks. As a mere secretary, He Shinian felt that being surrounded by such a large crowd might leave a poor impression.

"Secretary Li, could we step aside for a moment?"

Li Chaoyang immediately called the village committee director and arranged for a private office. Once inside, the director served them tea and closed the door.

He Shinian wasted no time. "Secretary Li, you must know who these thugs are, don't you?"

Li Chaoyang played coy. "They are just local hoodlums from Nanping Town."

"Who is inciting them?"

Li Chaoyang’s eyes flickered; he had not expected He Shinian to be so direct.

He Shinian pressed on. "Secretary Li is a smart man. You must have guessed why I returned, haven't you? To take down certain people, we need witnesses and material evidence to ensure procedural justice."

Li Chaoyang understood that the "certain people" referred to Qian Dazhi. Only by toppling Qian would he have a chance to secure his own position. After a moment of silence, he said, "They are acting on the orders of Jinchang Agriculture, and the man behind it all is Qian Dazhi. He and Jinchang Agriculture are colluding to illegally transfer land and exploit the common people..."

He Shinian nodded; it was exactly as he had suspected. "How many years have you worked with Qian Dazhi?"

Li Chaoyang was momentarily puzzled by the question but answered truthfully, "Five years."

"Qian Dazhi’s reputation in Nanping Town is quite poor. He must have committed quite a few illegal acts, right?" He Shinian’s subtext was clear: *You must have plenty of incriminating evidence on him, don't you?*

Li Chaoyang felt a jolt of anxiety. He did indeed possess a substantial amount of evidence against Qian, but he knew what would happen if it were exposed. If they succeeded in taking Qian down, all would be well. But if they failed, what awaited him? Retaliation from the Sha Junhai faction. Wu Yunqiu had only recently assumed her post; her foundation was not yet firm, and the current Standing Committee did not yet have the absolute strength to contend with Sha Junhai.

Seeing Li Chaoyang’s hesitation, He Shinian said, "Secretary Li, in the political arena, people are most adept at either pushing someone when they are down or adding flowers to a flourishing situation."

Li Chaoyang understood the implication. His mind raced, and finally, gritting his teeth, he decided to gamble. He was wagering his political future on the hope that Wu Yunqiu would win this battle.

"I have the evidence. And there is plenty of it."

"Oh?" He Shinian’s spirits lifted. "Where is it?"

"In my home safe. I can go get it for you right now."

He Shinian stopped him. "No rush. Before that, I need the villagers' cooperation for one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I want the villagers to describe what kind of official they think Qian Dazhi is. I have a camcorder with me; I’ll need you to find someone to help record it."

Li Chaoyang agreed, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

After leaving the village, He Shinian said, "I won't go back with you. I’ll wait for you in the county. Once you have the materials, contact me." To avoid alerting the enemy, He Shinian chose the most cautious approach.

Meanwhile, Wang Chuanhui, the chairman of Jinchang Agriculture, had already learned that the thugs sent to the village had been taken away by the police. He immediately called Qian Dazhi.

"Secretary Qian, what is the meaning of this? Why were your people taken by the police?"

Qian Dazhi had already spoken with County Magistrate Sha Junhai, who had promised to protect him, so he remained as calm as an old monk in meditation. Even though Wu Yunqiu had verbally stripped him of his Party Secretary title, he was not panicked; in fact, he felt a sense of schadenfreude.

"Don't worry, President Wang. The police can't do anything to them. Besides, the police station is full of my people. What are you afraid of?"

"But I heard you were removed from your post this morning."

"Hmph, removed?" Qian Dazhi sneered, though the movement caused his swollen face to ache. "I am the Party Secretary of Nanping Town, a substantive section-level official. To remove me, the Standing Committee must pass a vote. It’s not something Wu Yunqiu can just decide on a whim. Don't worry, President Wang, the Standing Committee operates on democratic centralism. She is a lone commander with no support; she can't stir up any trouble."

"Secretary Qian, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I heard her secretary went back to the village, and Li Chaoyang went with him."

"Hmph, clowns. They can't stir up any waves. President Wang, I’ll say it again: I have people in the county. You can rest assured. Keep building, keep making your money. I will handle everything else." Qian Dazhi paused. "By the way, is the banquet tonight still on? Are those two college students still there?"

...

Shortly after He Shinian returned to the county, Li Chaoyang arrived. He handed over a thick stack of materials wrapped in kraft paper.

"Secretary He, it’s all here." Li Chaoyang lowered his voice as he spoke.

He Shinian nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Secretary Li. When the opportunity arises, I will put in a good word for you in front of Secretary Wu."

"Thank you, Secretary He. I’ll treat you to dinner another day; I hope you’ll do me the honor."

"That can be arranged."

After parting with Li Chaoyang, and with the workday nearing its end, He Shinian did not return to the County Party Committee office but instead dialed Wu Yunqiu’s private number.

"Sister Qiu, I have collected the materials, and there is an unexpected bonus."

Wu Yunqiu paused for a moment on the other end, then said, "Wait for me in my room at the County Party Guest House." She hung up without further comment.

Wu Yunqiu kept a private suite at the guest house for when she needed to conduct business that was inconvenient to hold at the County Party offices. He Shinian retrieved a room card from the front desk, opened the door, and set the air conditioning to 26 degrees.

He sat on the sofa and began to read the materials provided by Li Chaoyang. As he read on, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.