Chapter 164: Aftermath (Part 4)

The police station chief remained with the Criminal Investigation Brigade. Hou Weidong, feeling dejected, left the brigade and called Deputy Section Chief Liu of the Public Security Section. Upon hearing that Director Tan had already intervened, Deputy Section Chief Liu replied, "Township Head Hou, I am powerless in this matter. You should seek help from others."

Since joining the Criminal Investigation Brigade, Liu Kun had remained largely silent. He acted as a bystander, watching Hou Weidong’s frantic efforts with a calm, detached expression.

Hou Weidong held no real hope for Liu Kun’s assistance. In fact, he deliberately put him on the spot, though a small part of him still harbored a sliver of optimism. Liu Kun’s father was a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and served as the Propaganda Department Minister. Furthermore, Minister Liu was the father-in-law of Liu Kun’s sister, Liu Li. These two members of the Standing Committee were influential figures in the county. If they were to intervene on Qin Gan’s behalf, the outcome might not be too severe.

"Secretary Liu," Hou Weidong said, "Qin Dajiang was the Party Branch Secretary of Dushi Village. A grassroots civil servant has been shot, and his son is now under criminal detention. As members of the leadership team of the Qinglin Town Party Committee and township government, shouldn’t we report this to Secretary Zhao or Minister Liu? If they were to speak up, the effect would surely be different."

Although the relationship between Hou Weidong and Liu Kun had improved slightly, their interactions remained formal, always prefixed with official titles. This invisible glass wall effectively severed any genuine friendship between them.

Liu Kun felt a sense of grim satisfaction regarding Qin Dajiang’s death. After the election concluded, he had pieced together from fragmented remarks by various cadres that Hou Weidong’s successful campaign against the opposition had involved several key participants. Qin Dajiang was one of them, and indeed, the main planner. When Liu Kun heard that Qin Dajiang had been shot, he laughed aloud three times in private, muttering, "Good deeds are rewarded with good, and evil with evil. It may not happen immediately, but when the time comes, everything is settled."

Liu Kun spoke slowly and deliberately, "This is a matter within the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau. We are both deputy officials. Without the authorization of the primary leaders, reporting directly to Secretary Zhao of the County Party Committee would violate protocol. Moreover, Qin Gan’s assault in the hospital was a consequence of his own actions. The Qinglin Town Party Committee and township government have no obligation to plead for him."

The first part of his argument held some logic, but the final sentence ignited a fire in Hou Weidong’s chest. He suppressed his anger and replied, "The 'plea' refers to the murder of Qin Dajiang. It is correct that our Qinglin Town should report this to Minister Liu. If we are afraid to report the truth, how can we expect village and community cadres to serve the Party Committee and township government with sincerity in the future?"

Hou Weidong’s words carried an underlying threat, his tone forceful. Liu Kun hesitated, then appeared to yield on the surface. "I will make a phone call first to see if Minister Liu is in his office. If he is, we can try to report the matter concerning Qin Dajiang."

Hou Weidong immediately took out his mobile phone. "What is Minister Liu’s number? I’ll call him directly on his phone."

Liu Kun took the phone and dialed the Organization Department’s office. "Director Yang, this is Liu Kun. Is Minister Liu in his office?"

Director Yang, who was familiar with Liu Kun, replied warmly, "Secretary Liu, Minister Liu is in his office discussing matters with Minister Xiao. Would you like me to inform him that you are coming?"

Liu Kun said, "In that case, I will call back later."

After hanging up, Liu Kun handed the phone back to Hou Weidong. "Minister Liu has gone to Lingxi Province for a conference. I will think of other ways."

Hou Weidong had only a thirty percent expectation of Liu Kun’s help. Seeing his various evasions, Hou Weidong’s expression darkened. He spoke seriously, "Secretary Liu, you are the Deputy Secretary in charge of organization. Secretary Zhao asked you to step in precisely because we need to use formal channels to reflect the situation regarding Qin Dajiang and draw the attention of the County Party Committee. You need to think of more solutions."

Seeing Hou Weidong’s aggressive stance, Liu Kun spoke defiantly, "Minister Liu is on a business trip. What can I do? Let me make one thing clear: Qin Gan’s assault in the hospital was an illegal act. The consequences are still unknown. The Public Security Bureau’s insistence on not releasing him has its own logic. We both studied law. Local administrative interference in case handling hinders judicial fairness."

Liu Kun had made up his mind not to intervene in Qin Gan’s case. He was clearing his name in advance with his words.

After Liu Kun left, Hou Weidong hailed a taxi and headed toward the County Government Building. County Mayor Zeng was in a meeting. Upon receiving Hou Weidong’s call, he said, "I am in a meeting. Wait in my office for a while. Go to the Secretariat Section and find Xiao Li; he is the new secretary."

Entering the government building, Hou Weidong looked into the Secretariat Section. It remained much as it had been before: four desks piled with disorganized documents. The biggest change was that each desk was now equipped with a microcomputer.

Two young men sat behind the computers, typing rapidly. Hou Weidong was familiar with Zeng Zhaoqiang’s former secretary, but this new secretary, Xiao Li, was someone he was meeting for the first time.

One of the men noticed someone entering and asked, "Are you Township Head Hou from Qinglin Town? I am Xiao Li."

Hou Weidong found Xiao Li’s face familiar but couldn’t place where he had seen him. He introduced himself, "I am Hou Weidong. Hello, Secretary Li."

Secretary Li’s teeth were yellow, likely due to excessive smoking and tea drinking. He smiled brightly, offered a cigarette, and said, "Township Head Hou, County Mayor Zeng instructed me. Let’s go to his office and wait."

Secretary Li was a veteran of the bureaucratic system. Usually, guests waited in the Secretariat Section. The fact that County Mayor Zeng had instructed Hou Weidong to wait in his office directly indicated that the relationship between the two was not ordinary.

Inside Zeng Zhaoqiang’s office, Hou Weidong asked, "Secretary Li, you look very familiar. I must have seen you somewhere before."

Secretary Li studied Hou Weidong for a moment and replied, "I used to work at the Personnel Bureau. I was transferred to the Government Office just a few days ago."

Hou Weidong suddenly remembered. When he had first graduated, he had made numerous trips to the Personnel Bureau to complete his registration, interacting with this Xiao Li several times. He smiled and said, "I remember now. I came to the Personnel Bureau to register when I started working. We must have met then."

Xiao Li also recalled the incident. "I remember too. You were part of the first batch of publicly recruited civil servants."

"The Personnel Bureau is a good unit. Why did you transfer to the Government Office?"

Xiao Li thought to himself, This Hou Weidong must have connections with Secretary Zhao. He became a Deputy Township Head in just three years. He sighed, "The Personnel Bureau is hardly a good unit. Someone like me, with no background, sat on the cold bench in the section for three years and achieved nothing. In the government organs, one-third of the people work seriously, one-third just go through the motions, and one-third do nothing but talk empty words."

"The Personnel Bureau has one-third of the people doing work and two-thirds talking empty words, so I fought to transfer out. Although the Government Office is tiring, there are more opportunities."

Hou Weidong thought to himself, Xiao Li has been working for several years, yet he still speaks without filter. No wonder his progress is slow.

After chatting for a while, Zeng Zhaoqiang returned to his office. He chuckled, "Hou Weidong, your feet are truly precious. You haven’t visited me in at least two months."

Hou Weidong replied, "County Mayor Zeng, you are busy with myriad affairs. How dare I disturb you casually?"

Zeng Zhaoqiang relaxed his demeanor. "I heard from General Manager Li that the Lingxi Expressway has fully commenced construction. Does the Shangqinglin Quarry have the capacity to supply enough crushed stone?"

The Dawan Crushed Stone Quarry was one of the five major quarries in Shangqinglin. Zeng Zhaoqiang had not spent a single penny, yet hundreds of thousands of yuan had already entered his account. This was risk-free income. Furthermore, during the so-called bribery case involving the Transportation Bureau, Hou Weidong had been detained by the Procuratorate. He had withstood the pressure, refusing to become a "brother" to Zhi Gao, and had not uttered a single word. This incident had made Zeng Zhaoqiang both trust and appreciate Hou Weidong.

Hou Weidong frowned. "There is no problem with crushed stone production. However, the Shangqinglin Quarry is facing difficulties."

After listening to the detailed report, Zeng Zhaoqiang remained silent for a moment, not immediately stating his position. He asked, "Are you certain that Qin Gan is not the murderer who chopped off the hand?"

Hou Weidong analyzed, "If Qin Gan were the murderer who chopped off the hand, he would not have gone to the hospital to fight in broad daylight."

Zeng Zhaoqiang shook his head. "That is merely speculation. The law presumes innocence. The Public Security Bureau will not arrest people without evidence."

In front of Zeng Zhaoqiang, Hou Weidong spoke bluntly, "Organized crime is rampant in Yiyang County. The Public Security Bureau is responsible. I do not trust the public security, procuratorate, or court systems."

Secretary Li brought a cup of tea and happened to hear the last sentence. He was startled, thinking, Who is this Hou Weidong? How can he speak to County Mayor Zeng like that? Their relationship is truly extraordinary.

After Secretary Li closed the door and left, Zeng Zhaoqiang said, "I will call Director Yang of the Public Security Bureau to see how he handles this."

After exchanging a few jokes with Director Yang, Zeng Zhaoqiang inquired about the case involving the two Qins. They spoke on the phone for several minutes. Finally, Zeng Zhaoqiang said, "Old friend, Shangqinglin is now an important building materials base for our county. We cannot let organized crime interfere. The murder of Qin Dajiang is a serious incident with a bad impact. You must concentrate your forces to solve this case. Weigh the seriousness of Qin Dajiang’s murder against the chopping of Heiwa’s hand."

After hanging up, Zeng Zhaoqiang told Hou Weidong, "Director Yang has agreed to look into this matter. This old man has a big temper and is always his word in the Public Security Bureau. If he promises something, you can rest assured." He added, "Director Yang usually only respects the Party Secretary and the County Mayor. Ordinary Deputy County Mayors cannot control him. We have an old relationship, so he gives me some face."

Hou Weidong finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Big Brother."

"However, you must be prepared. Old Xiang is always protective of his own. Qin Gan might be detained for a few more days before being released."

Hou Weidong quickly replied, "As long as it is not criminal detention, a few days in custody doesn’t matter. It is a punishment for Qin Gan’s impulsiveness."