Chapter 234: Settling the Long Zhan Army

On September 20, the Yong County Public Security Bureau finally transferred the case to the procuratorate and returned the 3,000 yuan that had belonged to Li Yi.

After taking over the case, the procuratorate immediately summoned Tang Xue twice.

Upon learning that the couple had settled in North Sai Province and were eager to return, the procuratorate immediately informed them that they were free to leave Yong County at any time.

With the help of Xiao Zhanwu, they finally retrieved the jade pendant used as evidence on the 25th!

Unfortunately, however, the personnel department in Qin Province has still not responded!

Left with no other choice, Li Yi discussed the matter with Tang Xue and decided to take her back to Saibei Province first, leaving the investigation into her mother’s identity to be conducted later!

Tang Xue understood that, after all these years, trying to find someone based solely on a name—whose authenticity was still unknown—was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

She didn’t want to put Li Yi in such a difficult position, so the two began making arrangements for their return!

However, before leaving, Li Yi needed to make arrangements for Long Zhanjun!

Not only had Long Zhanjun helped him a great deal during this time, but more importantly, the young man was highly capable. In his previous life, he had been Li Yi’s right-hand man, helping him hold the fort in the Northwest!

In this life, as he continued to navigate the business world, he would certainly need Long Zhanjun’s help!

Besides, Long Zhanjun was in desperate need of help right now—how could he just stand by and do nothing?

So, after retrieving the jade pendant, Li Yi called Long Zhanjun out!

The two strolled leisurely down the main street of Yong County, taking their time and looking completely at ease!

“Brother Yi, are you planning to leave?” Long Zhanjun asked suddenly.

“Yeah, barring any surprises, I plan to set off in the next day or two!”

Then Li Yi asked in return, “How is your mother doing?”

“Not great. A couple of days ago, I saw her suddenly fall while walking. After she got up, she couldn’t move for quite a while… Oh, I…”

“Go back and tell your mom we’re packing up to head to Chang’an!” Li Yi said.

“Chang’an?”

“Yeah, we’ll go to Chang’an first to get your mom and sister checked out and see how they’re doing. If they can be treated there, we’ll stay in Chang’an; if not, we’ll head straight to the capital!” Li Yi said.

“Brother Yi, I’ve got less than three thousand yuan…”

Before Long Zhanjun could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Don’t worry about the money. I’ll take care of it. That’s what we agreed on earlier!”

“But…”

“We can always earn more money later, but if your mother and sister lose their lives, that’s it—they’re gone for good!” Li Yi said.

“Alright, I’ll do as you say!”

“Bring a few more people with you. If there’s a nice girl around, bring her along too—she can help take care of your mom and sister!” Li Yi said.

“Alright!”

“All right, I won’t say much more. Get all the letters of introduction ready as soon as possible—not just for Chang’an, but for the capital as well!” Li Yi reminded him once again.

“Got it!”

“By the way, have you taken care of the matter I asked you to handle a couple of days ago?” Li Yi asked again.

“It’s done. First, I had people at the sugar factory spread rumors that Mr. Tan had a bad reputation—that his private life was a mess and he was messing around with women. I also had people deliberately harass him and made sure Tang Bing saw it. That stupid woman actually believed it and immediately went to Mr. Tan’s workplace to cause a scene. Now Mr. Tan has been fired!” Long Zhanjun said.

Hearing that Tan Cheng had been fired, Li Yi nodded in satisfaction!

In his previous life, Tang Xue’s death was certainly the fault of those scum from the Tang family, but Tan Cheng was also inextricably linked to it.

So Li Yi had long since added him to his list of enemies.

This time, everyone in the Tang family except Tang Bing had been arrested, facing a minimum of ten years in prison. Though Tang Bing hadn’t been arrested, she lived in constant fear, subjected to public scrutiny, and was on the verge of a breakdown.

Originally, Li Yi had considered arranging an “accident” for her, but seeing her in this state, he realized that living was more agonizing than death.

Furthermore, Li Yi was worried that if Tang Xue found out, it would upset her, so in the end, he decided not to take action against Tang Bing.

Under these circumstances, only two enemies remained: Tan Cheng, and the old widower who was hell-bent on getting his hands on Tang Xue.

So Li Yi hadn’t been idle during this time; while waiting for news from the provincial capital, he set about dealing with Tan Cheng and that old lecher.

After some investigation, Li Yi discovered that Tan Cheng worked at the Yong County Sugar Factory, though not as a permanent employee but as a temporary worker.

His investigation revealed that the entire Tan family placed great importance on this job, so Li Yi decided to sabotage it first.

This was no challenge at all for Li Yi; he didn’t even need to lift a finger himself. With a simple ruse, he got that foolish woman Tang Bing to help take care of it!

“Keep investigating that Liu guy. He’s got skeletons in his closet—if we keep an eye on him, we’re bound to find something!”

Li Yi continued, “Don’t just keep an eye on him—keep an eye on his sister and brother-in-law too. They’re the real big fish!”

Li Yi knew full well that the only reason the man surnamed Liu had become the office director of the steel mill was because his brother-in-law was the plant manager.

But that guy was just as corrupt as Liu. Over the next few years, he ran the once-thriving steel mill into the ground until it was insolvent, and it was eventually acquired by a private company in 1990.

During the liquidation process, numerous irregularities were uncovered, and he was subsequently investigated.

Although there were still ten years to go before 1990, this guy had been in a leadership position at the steel mill for over a decade. Seeing the signs early on, it was likely that certain things had already begun—it was just that no one had noticed yet.

“Yes, I’ll have someone keep an eye on them right away!”

“Hmm, once you find evidence, don’t take matters into your own hands—hand it over to Xiao Zhanwu!”

“Got it!”

“Also, how do you plan to handle the people under your command?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet!”

“I’ve thought this through. You can keep them, but you’ll need to tighten supervision—no gambling, prostitution, or drugs allowed!”

Li Yi knew that Long Zhanjun had over a hundred small-time thugs under his command, making them a force to be reckoned with in Yong County. Usually, these men ran shady little businesses on the sly in the county or made money on the black market.

Due to their unstable income and his family’s urgent need for money, Long Zhanjun eventually gave in to others’ temptations and opened a gambling den.

Unfortunately, his luck ran out. Not long after opening, he encountered the “special circumstances” of 1983; the gambling den was raided and shut down, he was arrested, and ultimately sentenced to three years in prison.

By the time he was released, both his mother and younger sister had passed away—a tragedy that would haunt Long Zhanjun for the rest of his life.

“If I don’t touch anything, how am I supposed to make money?” Long Zhanjun frowned.

“There are countless ways to make money; there’s no need to take the wrong path. First, get your mother and sister treated for their illnesses—there’s no rush to make money!”

Li Yi continued, “While you’re away, make sure your men keep a low profile!”

“Oh, and that Wu Dabao—stay as far away from him as possible from now on!”

“Got it!”

……..