Chapter 237: Heavy Fist (Part 1)
As Shang Guanghua began his report, Hou Weidong prepared to leave the office. "Hou Weidong, from now on, you do not need to recuse yourself from any cases involving the Yiyang Native Produce Company. You will participate in the entire process."
Shang Guanghua attached great importance to the arson and poisoning cases at the Procuratorate. He had listened to multiple briefings from the Criminal Investigation Brigade and personally attended several case analysis meetings, so he was thoroughly familiar with the details. Clearing his throat, he said, "The target of the arson at the Procuratorate was very clear; it was an inside job. Because the perpetrator possessed considerable counter-reconnaissance skills and left no clues, we have not yet locked onto a specific suspect. However, through our investigations, the special task force has identified five officers at the Procuratorate who had relatively close contact with Yi Zhongling."
Shang Guanghua handed the list of the five officers to Zhu Yan. "We have applied all necessary measures to these five individuals. Not only have we monitored their landlines and mobile phones, but we are also keeping tabs on their movements whenever they go out."
Li Du reported, "These five individuals are not to be assigned any business trips in the near future, to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau's investigation." The internal trouble at the Procuratorate made him, as the Chief Procurator, feel quite embarrassed, so he was very cooperative with the police work.
Seeing Zhu Yan’s noncommittal attitude, Li Du thought to himself, These five have ties to Yi Zhongling. Once the case is closed, even if they are not the traitors, they cannot be trusted with key positions. Those who should be dismissed will be dismissed, and those who should be transferred will be transferred.
Shang Guanghua continued, "As for the poisoning case, the key lies in the channel of the poison. The Procuratorate does not have its own cafeteria. The food provided to Yang Weige came from Zhu’s Snack Shop. This shop has been the designated dining spot for the Procuratorate for six years and had never had any issues before. Although the shop is small, the business is good. People who play mahjong, sing, or dance at night often like to eat late-night snacks there. According to the memories of the Procuratorate officers, it was past midnight at the time. There were five people eating and drinking in the shop. The person who administered the poison must be among these five."
Zhu Yan asked, "Why are you so certain?"
Shang Guanghua continued, "After the incident, we immediately sealed the snack shop and tested all the food. We found traces of the chemical only on the surface of two steamed buns; no other locations showed any signs."
"Procuratorate officers are accustomed to using two enamel bowls when buying food. One is used for the steamed buns, and the other is used for some random vegetable leaves. That night, the shop owner, following routine, boiled noodles for the officers. While the noodles were cooking, the officer sat to the side watching television. At that time, the shop owner had already placed the two enamel bowls on the counter."
"The Criminal Investigation Brigade judges that someone poisoned the steamed buns right there on the counter."
Zhu Yan asked sharply, "Have you ruled out the possibility that a Procuratorate officer administered the poison?"
Shang Guanghua replied, "The suspicion of officer involvement has been ruled out. However, the mastermind behind the scenes is likely the same person who committed the arson. He knows the operational methods of the Procuratorate, including the details, like the back of his hand."
Hearing this, Hou Weidong thought to himself, My brother really has some skill. Although he hasn’t accessed the first-hand materials, his judgment is almost identical to Shang Guanghua’s.
"Our focus of the investigation is on the five people who ate that night. Three of them were government officials who came out after playing mahjong at a colleague’s house and stopped by for a meal. They have no motive for the crime and can vouch for each other, so they can be largely excluded. However, until the case is solved, they remain under surveillance."
"Another person is a small boss nearby who deals in fruit. He has always been law-abiding, so his suspicion is low."
"The biggest suspect is a young man in his early twenties. The shop owner couldn’t recall his name, but knew he was a local hooligan. We invited a sketch artist from the Lingxi Provincial Department of Public Security. Based on the shop owner’s description and our officers’ memories, we drew a portrait. We have now identified the target. His nickname is Big Dog, and his real name is Gou Yong. Since Yang Weige was poisoned and killed, Gou Yong has vanished into thin air."
Zhu Yan slammed the table and stood up. "This Gou Yong is crucial. We need to see him alive or dead. Whether the Yiyang Public Security Bureau has any combat effectiveness will be judged by this case. Director Shang, you must have confidence in this case. No matter what situation arises, I am your backing. Use your best resources where they are needed most. Go all out."
Shang Guanghua also stood up. "Please rest assured, Secretary Zhu. Even if I have to dig three feet into the earth, I will find Gou Yong."
Zhu Yan then turned to Li Du. "Has the Procuratorate’s investigation into the Yiyang Company yielded any results?"
"Several people in the institute reviewed the files collected from No. 115 Zhongshan East Road, so they have some impression of the evidence. The special task force has formulated new investigative measures, starting from the periphery and peeling back the layers like a cocoon, striving to uncover the corruption cases of the Native Produce Company. However, due to the lack of evidence, the difficulty is great."
Hou Weidong sat to the side. Given his rank, he was essentially there only to listen, with little qualification to speak. He thought, The little note? Why did Chief Procurator Li forget about the owner of the little note?
Just as he was thinking about this, Zhu Yan interrupted Li Du. "The audit team has already withdrawn, but have you investigated the provider of the little note? She should be someone who knows the inside story."
Li Du hurriedly said, "I was just about to report on this. The little note was written with the left hand, deliberately to hide the identity. But after investigation, it was determined to be written by Li, a staff member of the factory office of the Native Produce Company. We talked to her once, and she admitted to it."
"She originally worked in the finance office, but was later pushed out and assigned to miscellaneous tasks in the factory office. She learned about No. 115 Zhongshan East Road by chance. This young girl is quite calculating. Although she was very dissatisfied with the corrupt behavior of factory leaders like Yi Zhongling, she did not show it in her expression or actions. Instead, she secretly collected evidence. However, she was always on the periphery and never accessed the core information. We have basically mastered the facts she mentioned. The current situation is that although we know there is something fishy, there is no direct evidence. At most, it can only be classified as operational errors or decision-making mistakes."
***
"Decision-making mistakes? Can one phrase of 'decision-making mistakes' shift the responsibility for ruining a factory?" Zhu Yan cursed angrily, "This Yi Zhongling is like a dog’s crotch smeared with vegetable oil—both cunning and slippery."
Hou Weidong had been following Zhu Yan for some time, but this was the first time he had heard him curse. He understood in his heart why Zhu Yan was so angry.
After the Standing Committee dismissed Yi Zhongling from his position as factory director, Yi had elegantly submitted his resignation report, handing over the mess of the Yiyang Native Produce Company to Gu Tiejun, who had been sent to take charge. Yi himself went fishing outside the city every day. In his own words, "I have finally unloaded the burden from my shoulders. From now on, I will live for myself."
Since Yi Zhongling was a People’s Congress representative at both the Shazhou and Yiyang levels, he could not be removed from his representative position without statutory grounds. Similarly, without ironclad evidence, the Yiyang police could not easily touch him. It was like a dog trying to bite a turtle—nowhere to sink its teeth.
There was another reason: Yang Weige’s family had now gone to the Lingxi Provincial Party Committee, kneeling on the ground to cry injustice and writing a blood letter. The锋芒 (sharp edge) was directed straight at Zhu Yan. Relevant leaders of the Provincial Party Committee had also made instructions, which put Yiyang’s work in a passive position. Therefore, they were even more cautious in dealing with Yi Zhongling, insisting that everything must be based on facts.
Shang Guanghua and Li Du talked in Zhu Yan’s office until eleven o’clock. As soon as they left, Qian Zhiguo, the Secretary of the Yiyang Commission for Discipline Inspection, accompanied by Deputy Secretary Jiang of the Shazhou Commission for Discipline Inspection, walked into the office. Hou Weidong very consciously left Zhu Yan’s office.
When Hou Weidong returned to his office, he saw Zeng Xiangang, wearing tea-colored glasses, sitting on the sofa.
Ren Lindu was fiddling with the computer. Thanks to Li Jing’s donation, the County Party Committee Office had basically achieved one computer per person, built a local area network, and realized paperless office work internally, surpassing the level of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee General Office. Ren Lindu’s computer skills were average, but during this period, whenever he had free time, he would input useful textual materials into the computer.
At ten o’clock, Ren Lindu had received Zeng Xiangang. Hearing that he was the village committee director of Shangqinglin, Ren Lindu knew he was Hou Weidong’s friend, so he served tea enthusiastically and chatted with him. Who knew that Zeng Xiangang was a mute gourd; for every three questions asked, he gave one answer. Soon, they had nothing left to say.
"Old Zeng, how did you find the time to come over? Why didn’t you call?"
A smile flashed across Zeng Xiangang’s face, then vanished like a clay ox entering the sea. He said, "Madman, my renovation shop opens today at noon. Do you have time? Come take a look."
"Opening up so quickly?"
"The goods are ready-made, just shipped from Fujian. I am mainly responsible for the venue. The location is No. 98 Zhongshan East Road." Zeng Xiangang added, "I called you several times, but you didn’t answer."
Hou Weidong then took out his mobile phone. "I was in a meeting just now. The phone was on silent mode, and I forgot to switch it back."
The two chatted for a while until it was time to get off work. Hou Weidong waited at the door for a while and saw Qian Zhiguo and Deputy Secretary Jiang coming out of Zhu Yan’s office. Hou Weidong then entered the office.
"Secretary Zhu, Director Zhang from the Construction Committee just called. He said Deputy Director Liu from the Shazhou Construction Committee is here, asking if you are free for lunch?"
Zhu Yan stood up and stretched. "I am going home for lunch today. My son has returned from Lingxi. Except for municipal leaders, I will not accompany anyone else."
Hou Weidong hurried back to the office. "Old Zeng and Secretary Ren are waiting for me here. I will be back in a moment. For the joy of the opening ceremony at noon, we must celebrate."
Ren Lindu suggested, "Good. If there is a dinner, I must attend. Which restaurant? Let’s call Guo Lan along too."
Hou Weidong smiled. "As long as you can afford it, we won’t eat at the Yiyang Hotel. Let’s book the new-style Hunan cuisine restaurant on Zhongshan East Road."
After Hou Weidong saw Zhu Yan home, he arrived at No. 98 Zhongshan East Road with Old Liu. It was a two-story building, covering nearly three hundred square meters. The floor tiles, sanitary ware, and other products were all high-end, and the prices were indeed not low.
After setting off a few strings of firecrackers and placing more than a dozen flower baskets on both sides of the shop, it was officially open. Qin Gan had worked in Guangdong and was very familiar with these procedures, so Zeng Xiangang entrusted him to handle everything.
At one o’clock, Qin Gan stayed in the shop, while the rest went to the Hunan-style restaurant for dinner.