203: Chapter 203 A Cold Sweat, The Battle of Models

Inside the office of the Chief Procurator of the Handong Province Procuratorate, Ji Changming looked at Lu Yike with a wry smile.

The woman before him was more famous throughout the entire Handong Province Procuratorate System than he was—a workaholic who would risk her life on the job, the kind who could tire her direct superiors to the point of near-medical retirement.

Moreover, her background was terrifyingly strong: behind her stood the entire Handong University of Political Science and Law, her mother was a retired Supreme Court Justice, and her father was a leader in the military region, with connections in both the Imperial Capital and the Magic City.

She was completely unafraid of offending anyone; even if she couldn't stay in Handong Province, she could immediately pack up and leave for the Magic City or the Imperial Capital, only to return a few years later to settle scores.

If Lu Yike weren't still young and in a relatively low position, she might have even been able to pull together a "Political and Legal Faction" within the Handong Province legal System to rival the "Handong Province University Faction."

"Yike, what's wrong? Who made you this angry again?" Ji Changming asked.

"Chief Procurator Ji!" Lu Yike pointed out the window. "Look, over a hundred workers from the Dafeng Factory have come to appeal. They have all the necessary Materials, and I must receive them properly. But right now, I don't even have a single person to help me."

Ji Changming leaned toward the window to take a look, frowning as he asked, "Does this matter really require the involvement of your Anti-Corruption Bureau?"

Lu Yike sighed, "You might not know this yet, but the former Chief Procurator, Chen Yanshi, personally delivered the whistleblower Materials to our Anti-Corruption Bureau, reporting an unfair judgment by the Intermediate Court. Tell me, Chief, can our Anti-Corruption Bureau ignore this?"

Ji Changming wore a sympathetic expression. "Yike, do you know who presided over the case they are appealing?"

"It should be a judge under Chen Qingquan," Lu Yike said.

"Then do you know who Chen Qingquan is?" Ji Changming asked again.

Lu Yike nodded. "I know. He is the former chief secretary of Secretary Gao."

"Since you know that, why aren't you being more cautious? Why are you still charging ahead so recklessly?"

Lu Yike laughed. "Chief Procurator Ji, Chen Qingquan is Secretary Gao's former secretary, but I am Secretary Gao's current niece. Between Chen Qingquan and me, who do you think is closer to Secretary Gao?"

In the original story, Lu Yike would never have said such a thing. But after being mentored by Zhao Yang for several years, her personality and style of operation were vastly different from the original—she prioritized compliance and results, and with the slickness she'd learned from Zhao Yang, she often left even Ji Changming speechless.

Ji Changming was stunned. He pondered for a good while before giving a wry smile. "Fine, you make a valid point. But there are so many people in our Procuratorate; you don't need to come running to me for staff, do you?"

Lu Yike counted on her fingers. "Our Anti-Corruption Bureau only has a handful of people, and they've all been called away by Chen Hai. Chief Procurator Ji, I'm basically a commander without an army right now, so I have no choice but to come to you for help."

Ji Changming frowned. "What is Chen Hai doing? Why does he need so many people?"

Lu Yike actually had a rough idea, but she couldn't say, so she shook her head. "I don't know either. He won't tell me whenever I ask; he's acting all mysterious and has taken all my subordinates. How about... you lend me Division Chief Liu for half a day? I'll return him once I'm done with the reception."

Ji Changming thought for a moment, then dialed a call to Division Chief Liu—who was also his secretary—and told him to help Lu Yike receive the Dafeng Factory appeal team. Then, he looked at Lu Yike. "Alright, go find Division Chief Liu. If that's still not enough, call some people from the archives and just say it's on my orders."

"Thank you for your support, Chief!" Lu Yike beamed, pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, and stuffed it into Ji Changming's pocket. "I swiped this from my uncle. I don't smoke, so it's all yours."

Ji Changming was taken aback for a moment, then patted his pocket and waved his hand with a smile. "Go on, get busy."

"Many thanks, Chief Procurator Ji." After saying this, Lu Yike turned and left.

Watching her back, Ji Changming showed a faint smile. Compared to Chen Hai, he actually valued Lu Yike more and had even considered letting her take the position of Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. It was just a pity that Lu Yike's seniority was still shallow, and since Chen Hai had the former Deputy Chief Procurator Chen Yanshi behind him, he couldn't replace him without cause, so he could only shake his head with regret.

Ji Changming sat at his desk and picked up the phone, just about to call Chen Hai to ask about the situation, when suddenly his red landline rang. This internal secure line usually meant something urgent, so he answered it quickly. The person on the other end notified him that there would be an enlarged Standing Committee meeting in half an hour and requested Chief Procurator Ji's attendance. Ji Changming checked the time and could only put the matter of Chen Hai aside for the moment, rising to head to the meeting.

...At this moment, inside a certain courtyard at the foot of the Imperial City walls in the Imperial Capital, Sha Ruijin stood in the middle of the courtyard with a respectful expression.

On a recliner in front of him sat an old man with completely white hair, wearing reading glasses, who looked him up and down before speaking: "On this trip to Handong Province, you must open up the situation as quickly as possible. The people from the Zhao family left a huge mess, and there are loopholes everywhere. Given the current overall situation of anti-corruption, cleaning it up shouldn't be difficult."

Sha Ruijin nodded, echoing, "You are right. Former Secretary Zhao Lichun is now unable to reach Handong Province, yet the people below still don't know how to restrain themselves. I will definitely open up the situation within one year."

"One year is too long," the old man said. "Six months at most. Within six months, you must turn Handong Province into an impenetrable fortress. There should be no Zhao family in Handong Province, and even less of a 'Handong Province University Faction'—there should only be your 'Sha Family Faction'."

Sha Ruijin was stunned. "Dad, isn't that timeline too tight?"

The old man on the recliner was none other than Sha Ruijin's adoptive father—Elder Sha. He gave a cold snort and said, "Time waits for no one. You must take control of Handong Province before Governor Liu of Handong Province steps down, and keep Handong Province's development path firmly in your hands."

Sha Ruijin paused, then exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be... that Governor Liu's successor has already been decided?"

"It is decided," Elder Sha sighed. "It is Meng Dehai."

"Meng Dehai? Which Meng Dehai?"

"Which other Meng Dehai could it be? Of course, it's Meng Dehai from Jinghai, the current top leader of Linjiang Province." Elder Sha said in a deep voice, "Do you know what it means for Meng Dehai to take over Governor Liu's position?"

Sha Ruijin thought for a moment and probed, "Meng Dehai is Elder Song's man. Could it be that Elder Song's side is interested in Handong Province..."

Elder Sha waved his hand. "Your perspective is too narrow."

"Huh?" Sha Ruijin was taken aback. "Dad, I don't quite understand."

Elder Sha sighed and asked, "How is the economy in Linjiang Province?"

"As far as I know, it's quite good," Sha Ruijin said. "The GDP growth rate is very fast, and the per capita value even exceeds that of first-tier cities. Is Meng Dehai going to Handong Province for the economy?"

Elder Sha closed his eyes. "I haven't been to Linjiang Province, and I don't know the situation at the grassroots level there. However, I really don't like the slogans Linjiang Province has put forward, such as 'Leapfrog Development' and 'High-Speed Overtaking.' The ancients said, 'Without taking small steps, one cannot cover a thousand miles.' If you take too big a step, you're bound to tear something. Linjiang Province had a thin foundation and a small population base, so they managed to pull it off. But what about Handong Province? It has a large population base and developed traditional industries, occupying an important position in the national economic map. How can you just copy that set of methods from Linjiang? I think Handong Province's development model is quite good. The lack of growth in the last two years was only due to those corrupt elements of the Zhao family! On this matter, our opinion is aligned with the Zhong family! Ruijin, on this trip to Handong Province, do you know what you are shouldering now?"

"This..." Sha Ruijin suddenly felt a chill down his back.

He realized that there would be a Dragon-and-Tiger struggle in Handong Province, but he hadn't expected the level of this struggle to be so high. This wasn't just simple anti-corruption, and it wasn't just about eliminating or gathering certain factions—it was a struggle over the future development model.

The scope of this was far too vast!

Officialdom and people's livelihoods involved every aspect of society. Moreover, a struggle at this level would be even more cruel and heartless because it concerned which group of people would be able to ride the wheels of history forward, and which group would be cast off, crushed into the mud, and never be able to rise again...