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

Chapter 233 Telephone and Fate

"Zhao Lichun, I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless!"

Zhao Lichun firmly grasped Zhong Zhengguo's weakness, causing him to lose his composure completely, no longer behaving like a head of the family.

He gritted his teeth and said:

"The account books were handed over without the Zhong family's authorization! The Zhong family was kept in the dark!"

Zhao Lichun heard what he wanted to hear and said jokingly:

"Oh? From what you're saying... Hou Liangping isn't considered part of the Zhong family?"

Chung Cheng-kuo realized what was happening.

Zhao Lichun...is he planning to make a move against Hou Liangping, and he came here specifically to sound him out?

Let's see if the Zhong family intends to protect Hou Liangping.

Then, Zhao Lichun adopted a gentler tone and earnestly explained:

"Zhengguo, to be honest, we're both parents, so we naturally understand the saying 'parents' hearts are always full of love and worry.' You worry about your son, and I worry about my son too. We're in the same boat, so shouldn't we understand each other?"

Chung Cheng-kuo said coldly:

"What are you trying to say?"

"Let's each take a step back." Zhao Lichun stated his terms:

"If you agree to my request, these photos will remain a secret forever."

Zhong Zhengguo was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

This good-for-nothing youngest son was spoiled and dissolute from a young age. He couldn't get into university and had no choice but to be sent abroad to study.

I never expected it would cause such a mess.

If Zhao Lichun had submitted these photos...

Not to mention the youngest son will suffer, the entire Zhong family will be eliminated from the shortlist for the final competition.

This is something Zhong Zhengguo cannot accept.

For now, the only option is to keep Zhao Lichun calm.

Thinking of this, Zhong Zhengguo asked:

What do you want?

Zhao Lichun sneered:

"Easy. Hand Hou Liangping over to me, and I'll pin all the blame for what Ruilong did on him, as recorded in the ledger."

Zhong Zhengguo was startled.

Zhao Lichun actually came up with such an outlandish plan.

But is it possible?

Zhao Lichun guessed that Zhong Zhengguo wouldn't understand, so he began to explain.

The ledgers contained records of Huilong Group and Shanshui Group bribing officials in Handong and embezzling state-owned assets.

All it takes is to fabricate a complete and logically sound chain of evidence.

Make up this story:

Hou Liangping got acquainted with Huilong Group through Shanshui Group, and then used the Zhong family's name to swindle and deceive, putting pressure on Huilong Group and Shanshui Group.

He demanded that the two groups share their illegal gains from embezzling state-owned assets with him proportionally.

At the same time, he was asked to act as a go-between, to help him get acquainted with cadres in Handong, and to pay for the bribes on his behalf.

In theory, Hou Liangping could indeed be portrayed as an utterly heinous criminal.

But such a plan needs a key element.

The cooperation of the Zhong family.

Because the ledger records the time.

Both sides need to communicate and allocate the timeline properly.

When were these actions carried out by senior executives of the group?

When were Hou Liangping responsible for these actions?

It needs to be clearly distinguished.

Furthermore, only the Zhong family could keep track of Hou Liangping's movements.

How to place the perfect timings on Hou Liangping's mind and ensure they perfectly match the times recorded in the ledger.

This requires the Chung family to be in charge of the planning.

Only by working together can Hou Liangping be completely framed as the mastermind behind accumulating wealth through Huilong Group and Shanshui Group and bribing outsiders.

A warning bell rang in Zhong Zhengguo's mind: if this kind of thing were exposed, he would be stepping into an abyss.

At the same time, he was also aware of it.

If they agreed to Zhao Lichun's proposal, they would have cooperated with him to fabricate evidence.

Even if the Zhong family completely gave up on Hou Liangping.

From then on, he had no further dealings with Hou Liangping.

Without the protection of the Zhong family, and having committed the foolish act of isolating himself from Handong, Hou Liangping's fate will be tragically sealed.

Chung Cheng-kuo couldn't help but think of his daughter, Chung Hsiao-ai.

And my grandson.

Such a strategy might not be too cruel for them.

But if you don't do it.

His own son and the Zhong family will be doomed.

Chung Cheng-kuo was caught in a huge internal struggle.

On one side are her daughter and son-in-law, and on the other side are her son and the entire Zhong family.

At last.

Weighing the pros and cons, the Zhong family bloodline ultimately prevailed.

Chung Cheng-kuo gave his reply over the phone, his voice a little hoarse:

"I agree to your request... but remember, if you bring this up again, I can pretend I don't have this son, and you can forget about having another son."

Zhao Lichun naturally understood Zhong Zhengguo's warning, and said:

"Don't worry, this will be our secret forever. It's settled then, Brother Zhengguo. I have a general idea of ​​the contents of the account book, and I will send someone to deliver a copy to you soon."

Zhong Zhengguo retorted sarcastically:

"Hehe, it seems Brother Lichun is well aware of his son's actions, otherwise how would you know what's recorded in the account book Liang Yuan has?"

Zhao Lichun smiled faintly:

"Whether you know what your son has done... we're both the same."

Zhong Zhengguo's face instantly darkened, and he slammed down the phone.

Thus, a deal that would determine the fate of several people was decided in a single phone call.

Hou Liangping, far away in Handong, was unaware that he had been abandoned by the Zhong family, on whom he depended for survival, and had become a complete scapegoat.

To be precise, Zhao Lichun wanted to vent all his anger on Hou Liangping.

……

On this day, Hou Liangping appeared in the investigation team as usual, looking very energetic.

He was met with meaningful glances from the crowd.

Liang Yuan looked Hou Liangping up and down for a long time before slowly saying:

"Director Hou, please have a seat."

Hou Liangping didn't know what had happened, but judging from the situation, it seemed to be something important.

Is it...

Did my excellent performance in cooperating with the investigation during this period catch the attention of my superiors?

Is he already preparing to reinstate himself, or even remain in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, or return to the Supreme People's Procuratorate?

Hou Liangping felt a surge of joy upon thinking of this.

He quickly sat up straight, waiting for Liang Yuan to announce this momentous news to him.

Liang Yuanxian highly praised Hou Liangping for his support of the investigation team's work during this period.

Hou Liangping became increasingly pleased as he listened, convinced that good things were about to happen to him.

Then, Liang Yuan changed the subject.

Ask Hou Liangping to assist the investigation team in conducting another investigation.

Hou Liangping guessed that this was probably not recorded in the ledger and belonged to Liang Yuan's "free-thinking" investigation content.

Hou Liangping immediately patted his chest and said that he would tell Liang everything he knew without reservation, and that he could ask Secretary Liang to investigate whomever he wanted or what he wanted to investigate.

Liang Yuan nodded in satisfaction and pushed several documents in front of Hou Liangping.

Hou Liangping looked at the materials with a smile, but the more he read, the more his smile faded, and he broke out in a cold sweat!

This material clearly records that during his tenure at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and even after being parachuted into the Handong Provincial Procuratorate, Hou Liangping used various means to accept huge bribes from Huilong Group and Shanshui Group, and through these groups, he bribed officials and cadres in Handong Province as a channel to expand his network of connections.

Each photograph and each set of data reflects a bloody truth.

Hou Liangping failed to fulfill any of his due responsibilities and completely betrayed the honor of being a prosecutor.

He became a scoundrel who sucked the blood of the company and then used that blood to corrupt other cadres, using it as a source of political resources.

Hou Liangping read it five times, still unable to believe that the material was about him.

Finally, Hou Liangping slammed the materials on the table, sweating profusely, and hurriedly said:

"Secretary Liang, this is a frame-up! Since I arrived in Handong, I've been investigating cases involving Shanshui Group and Huilong Group... I understand! This is a conspiracy orchestrated by several companies I've been monitoring to frame me! Secretary Liang, please give me some time, I will definitely prove my innocence..."

"Innocence? What need is there to prove innocence?" Liang Yuan looked at Hou Liangping mockingly and said:

"Don't you want to know where these materials came from?"

Hou Liangping was taken aback and said:

"Where did this come from...?"

Liang Yuan said with a half-smile:

"Minister Zhengguo personally sent someone to deliver it to me."