County Magistrate Zhao’s decision to confess was largely motivated by a desire to secure leniency from his superiors, so Zhou Qiang’s words were like a powerful stimulant, causing him to spill everything he knew like beans from a bamboo tube.

The details largely matched what was suspected: led by Secretary Ma, this faction operated under the principle of 'the officials are rich while the populace starves.' Over several administrations, through various methods like falsifying accounts, concealment, and colluding with others for illicit division, they had embezzled nearly half of the poverty relief funds accumulated over the years, amounting to a staggering fifty million yuan! The vast majority of this money had been laundered overseas through myriad schemes, and most of the involved personnel’s families had relocated to Canada, claiming pretexts like studying, working, or marrying abroad to mask their true intentions. All that remained in Liangshan were the old, the infirm, the disabled, or wives who had remained faithful.

“A huge case! This will absolutely shock the Central Committee!” Zhou Qiang exclaimed, striking the table, then looked at me, silently asking for my next move.

I said to County Magistrate Zhao, “Magistrate Zhao, coming to Commissioner Zhou to confess today, you must already know the penalty standards for corruption; it could very well mean beheading.”

County Magistrate Zhao’s face went pale: “I understand. I was forced into it. If I hadn’t joined their group, they would have feared I would leak secrets. I can hand over every penny of the embezzled funds over the years, and my family and children are all still here in the country—please assure the organization of that. But now that I’ve exposed them, I’m afraid they won’t spare me. I need protection for my safety.”

“Is it that serious?” Zhou Qiang asked. “Are they really going to silence you?”

County Magistrate Zhao replied, “When pushed to the edge, they’ll dare to do anything. Secretary Ma may be the ringleader, but Xie Sen is the enforcer of the corruption brigade. If he wanted to make an example of me, he wouldn’t even need the police force, because the underworld in Liangshan is also under his control. I may have committed a crime, but I don’t want to end up being inexplicably beheaded.”

Zhou Qiang assured him, “Don’t worry, Magistrate Zhao. I will immediately apply to the Central Committee to send personnel to protect you and your family. However, we need more accounting evidence. We hope you will cooperate on this point so that you can secure lenient treatment from the government.”

County Magistrate Zhao wiped the sweat from his fat face: “No problem. Commissioner Zhou, could you perhaps first reveal a little about the principles for handling my personal case? Is it truly possible that I could be pardoned this once, just as you suggested?”

Zhou Qiang responded, “That depends on the outcome of the case review. As long as everything you’ve confessed is true and you return all the embezzled funds you obtained, Director Zhao and I can guarantee your safety.”

“That’s wonderful,” a look of relief crossed County Magistrate Zhao’s face. “You’ve been relentlessly auditing the books these past few days; I haven’t slept soundly for several nights. If I hadn't spoken up, I might have worried myself to death. Oh, and Director Zhao, you need to be extra careful lately. Secretary Ma and Xie Sen might target you. You’ve been too high-profile; you’ve severely encroached upon their interests. I know you aren’t afraid of them, but it’s better to be cautious.”

I nodded. The truth was gradually surfacing. Thinking back to when Ma Ling and her group attacked me on the street just now, I realized it was almost certainly connected to Secretary Ma’s faction—after all, Ma Ling and Secretary Ma were likely relatives; they were all from the Ma family.

Zhou Qiang comforted County Magistrate Zhao for a few moments, urging him not to mention this matter to anyone for the time being. Magistrate Zhao accepted the instruction and left. Zhou Qiang turned to me and asked, “What do we do next? Should we arrest Secretary Ma and the others?”

I shook my head: “First, dispatch people to investigate the whereabouts of the families of all staff in the county government offices and their bank accounts. Freeze whatever can be frozen. It’s a bit too early to make arrests now; I fear some might slip through the net. Let’s wait a bit longer. We’ll move when the outer circle of personnel reveals themselves.”

Zhou Qiang nodded, then added, “I think you should handle this part yourself. Otherwise, Li Qi will scold me.”

“?”

Zhou Qiang continued, “Everyone knows the purpose of your visit here. If I step in, won’t the credit go to me? Wouldn't that mean you came to Liangshan for nothing?” My brother-in-law was being straightforward; there was no need for him to hide things from his brother-in-law.

I waved my hand: “Don’t listen to Li Qi’s nonsense. Even without this move, I could still reveal my identity publicly. No one would dare object because we have the power. Many people in our country judge others based on who they know. Look at Secretary Ma’s group; their attitude toward me changed instantly the moment they saw I knew you. The key is the future of you and Tang Han. I hold military authority; even the Tan family wouldn't dare to do anything to me if things turned ugly. Ultimately, they would be the ones ruined.”

“But it still won’t work. My actual role here was just to assist you secretly…”

“Stop talking, brother. You’re my brother-in-law; why are we being so formal? The truth is, I don’t have the time. You see, tomorrow new employees are coming to the beverage factory, which I have to arrange. The hot spring project is also about to launch. To facilitate future development, I’m also planning the urban renewal and renovation of Liangshan’s old district, drawing up a twenty-year construction blueprint…”

Zhou Qiang quickly interrupted, “Alright, alright, I know what to do. I’ll get busy now. Oh, when you have time, give my sister a call. She often mentions you. I told her to call you, but she said she didn’t want to disturb your work. That’s all for now, I’m leaving.”

Sitting alone in the office, I pondered things for a while, then pulled out my phone to call Zhou Ni. Zhou Ni sounded unusually excited when she answered, “Brother Zhao, you have time!”

I apologized, “Things have been too busy these past few days; I haven’t had a chance to call you. Have you missed me?”

Judging by the background noise, Zhou Ni was likely in her dormitory; she hadn't gone home even though it was Sunday. It seemed they were quite bored while I was away. Zhou Ni nodded: “I missed you. Sister Li Qi said you’ll be back in the capital soon; we’re really looking forward to it.”

Another pretty face poked into the screen; Zhao Ting laughed, “Ni Ni, are you on the phone with Brother Zhao? Hurry up and pour out all your longing; seeing you looking downcast all day makes me sad.”

Zhou Ni playfully started tickling Zhao Ting, “You bad girl, you dare joke with me now! Don't you like your godfather? Hurry up and say you love him, you miss him!”

Zhao Hui blushed and ran to the side: “Your boyfriend isn't my godfather. Otherwise, I would definitely steal him from you.”

After the two played around for a bit, Zhao Ting ran out of the dormitory. Zhou Ni turned to me and said, “Brother Zhao, did you know? Zhao Ting was a family member from the very first case you handled. She’s your goddaughter, you know. And she secretly has a crush on you, constantly pestering me to help her find her godfather.”

I wasn’t surprised, as I had secretly overheard Zhou Ni and Zhao Ting talking before. “Heh heh, you absolutely must not tell her that, or I’ll be cursed by everyone! Pursuing an MM when she’s your goddaughter—that’s practically heresy.”

Zhou Ni pouted, “It’s not real, just a nominal goddaughter. Besides, she made you her godfather without your consent.”

“Enough about that, Ni Ni, let’s talk about something more personal.”

“What? What personal talk?”

I said, “For instance, do you miss me so much at night that you can’t sleep? Are you wishing for me to hold you, kiss you, and then deeply possess you…”

Zhou Ni’s face flushed crimson: “Stop it, stop it, Tingting will hear when she comes back! If you’re thinking about that, go find the older sisters. I’m still young.”

“You’re not young anymore. If you don’t hurry up, you’ll be in line behind twenty others! Besides, you’ve already done things for me with your mouth; what are you afraid of? When I get back, shall we consummate our marriage?”