238: Chapter 238 Li Dakang: Are you two playing Gao Yuliang together?

When Secretary Gao Yuliang received the call from Zhao Ruilong, he was pondering matters in Lvzhou.

The details of Secretary Sha Ruijin and Secretary Tian Guofu's aggressive inspection of Yueya Lake and the treatment center had already been laid out in full on his desk.

Secretary Gao Yuliang had always remained extremely vigilant regarding the newly parachuted head of the Provincial Committee.

Although there was an unspoken rule that the head of the Provincial Committee needed to avoid their home region, Former Secretary Zhao Lichun had previously strongly recommended him, Secretary Gao Yuliang, for this top position.

After all, the situation in Handong Province was unique, and the possibility of an "exception" did indeed exist.

But no one expected that the person who arrived would be Secretary Sha Ruijin—parachuted in from the Imperial Capital.

As soon as he arrived in Handong Province, he went to inspect the grassroots, and the focus happened to be on Lvzhou.

Secretary Gao Yuliang naturally understood Secretary Sha Ruijin's intentions—he was trying to dig up his dark past.

Thinking of this, the corners of Secretary Gao Yuliang's mouth curled up slightly.

Thanks to his niece, Lu Yike, a high-tech environmental protection project had forcefully turned that dark past into a golden opportunity.

After Former Secretary Zhao Lichun learned about this, he praised Secretary Gao Yuliang to everyone he met in the Imperial Capital, calling him a good official who did not forget his roots, had vision, and left no loose ends in his work.

But this phone call from Zhao Ruilong had completely ruined his good mood.

Chen Qingquan had actually been detained by the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Provincial Peoples Procuratorate.

The implications behind this incident forced him to think deeply.

The Procuratorate was Zhao Yang's territory, and no matter how much Secretary Gao Yuliang was obsessed with "Cold Moon," he knew clearly in his heart—politically, Zhao Yang was absolutely not in the same camp as him, Secretary Gao Yuliang, or the Zhao family.

Now that Zhao Yang's side had taken his former secretary away in public, Secretary Gao Yuliang had to be on high alert to handle the situation.

He pondered for a while, picked up his phone, and dialed Zhao Yang's number.

Zhao Yang was currently being pestered by Secretary Li Dakang, who was asking about matters in Jinghai.

Secretary Li Dakang was no fool; from Governor Liu's actions and words, he had long guessed that the future governor would be the current head of Linjiang Province, Meng Dehai.

Although Handong Province had a higher status than Linjiang Province and was more important on the political map, and the deputy head of Handong Province was even slightly higher in status than the head of Linjiang Province, it was still somewhat of a slight to Meng Dehai to have a provincial secretary come to serve as governor.

Moreover, Meng Dehai had turned Linjiang Province into an economic star province; he was a true hero.

Since the central authorities had made such an arrangement, thinking about it deeply made it perfectly clear—the newly arrived Secretary Sha Ruijin definitely wouldn't last long, and the true successor in Handong Province was Meng Dehai.

And the future development model of Handong Province would naturally have to follow the example of Linjiang Province.

Secretary Li Dakang had always focused on the economy, development, and GDP, so he naturally had to do his homework in advance.

In Handong Province, who knew Jinghai the best? The answer was without suspense—Zhao Yang.

He had heard with his own ears back in Jinghai that Zhao Yang returned to Jinghai every year and met with Meng Dehai every year.

Thinking even deeper about this layout by the central authorities, Secretary Li Dakang only felt a chill down his spine.

Looking at those guys who were single-mindedly trying to curry favor with Secretary Sha Ruijin now, they looked just like clowns.

He had just finished asking Zhao Yang about how "industry, academia, and research" should cooperate when Zhao Yang's phone rang.

Zhao Yang saw it was Secretary Gao Yuliang's number, flashed the screen, and said with a smile: "Secretary Li Dakang, it's a call from Secretary Gao Yuliang. Let me take this. I guess it's about Chen Qingquan."

Secretary Li Dakang twitched the corners of his mouth: "Then I shall step aside."

Zhao Yang waved his hand: "Don't, you might need to help me verify this."

As he said this, he answered the phone, "Hello, Secretary Gao."

Secretary Gao Yuliang's gentle voice came from the other end of the line: "Chief Prosecutor Zhao, hello. Did today's briefing go smoothly?"

Zhao Yang smiled and said: "Thank you for your concern, Secretary Gao. It went quite smoothly. The Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee was also very supportive; Secretary Li Dakang personally attended to clarify the situation."

"Oh?" Secretary Gao Yuliang's voice paused noticeably. "Secretary Li Dakang also attended? The support of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee is indeed very important regarding the Dafeng Factory matter. By the way, someone from the Court just reported that Chen Qingquan from the Jingzhou Intermediate Court has been taken away by the Procuratorate for investigation. Is Secretary Li Dakang aware of this?"

"He is," Zhao Yang said with a smile. "I was also caught off guard by Lu Yike at the time. She took President Chen away right in front of me and Secretary Li Dakang, saying she had received a real-name report."

"It was Lu Yike?" Secretary Gao Yuliang's mouth twitched uncontrollably. His niece had detained his former secretary; was this an internal conflict within the Gao faction? What would Zhao Yang think of him? Secretary Gao Yuliang's voice became a bit dry.

"Yes," Zhao Yang curled the corners of his mouth and said: "I thought at the time that this matter might have been authorized by you, Secretary Gao. After all, President Chen was your secretary, and Lu Yike is always thorough in her work; she should have had ample evidence, so I didn't stop her. I am currently here with Secretary Li Dakang discussing the Dafeng Factory matter. Why don't you confirm the situation at the time with Secretary Li Dakang?"

"Then..." Secretary Gao Yuliang hesitated for a moment, then said: "Alright, please pass the phone to Secretary Li Dakang."

Zhao Yang immediately handed the phone to Secretary Li Dakang, smiling: "Secretary Gao wants to ask about the situation at the time."

Secretary Li Dakang smiled. Although he and Secretary Gao Yuliang were both key generals under Former Secretary Zhao Lichun, they belonged to different factions—Secretary Li Dakang was part of the "Secretary Faction," while Secretary Gao Yuliang was part of the "Handong University Faction." The two of them never really got along, and they were often at odds during Standing Committee meetings.

He took the phone and said with a smile: "Hello, Secretary Gao, this is Li Dakang... Yes... Right, it was Lu Yike who led the people to make the arrest... There was no conflict... Chen Qingquan was quite cooperative... There wasn't much reaction at the scene; the meeting had already ended... Yes... Alright."

He then returned the phone to Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang exchanged a few more pleasantries with Secretary Gao Yuliang before hanging up.

Seeing Secretary Li Dakang's strange expression, he couldn't help but laugh: "Secretary Li Dakang, some things are better left unsaid. What kind of look is that?"

Secretary Li Dakang gave him a thumbs up.

He finally understood—on the surface, Lu Yike was Secretary Gao Yuliang's niece and part of the Gao faction, but in reality, she was Zhao Yang's person. Zhao Yang had just arrived in Handong Province and was already impatient to put on a double act with Lu Yike, leading her uncle by marriage around by the nose.

Judging from Secretary Gao Yuliang's tone on the phone earlier, he guessed that Secretary Gao Yuliang was still worried that Lu Yike had offended Zhao Yang—after all, it sounded like Lu Yike hadn't given Zhao Yang any prior notice, and Zhao Yang had only allowed Lu Yike to make the arrest at the meeting he was chairing because he was wary of Secretary Gao Yuliang.

After finishing the call with Secretary Li Dakang, Secretary Gao Yuliang sighed gloomily. Smart people usually think too much, and Secretary Gao Yuliang was exactly that type. He broke down Zhao Yang's words and chewed them over repeatedly, eventually reaching the following conclusions:

First, Lu Yike had caught Zhao Yang off guard.

Second, Zhao Yang knew that Secretary Gao Yuliang was standing behind Lu Yike and assumed that the arrest of Chen Qingquan was authorized by him.

Third, Zhao Yang valued Lu Yike but was also wary of the connections behind her; considering these two factors, he wouldn't hold this matter against her.

"Yike, oh Yike, although Prosecutor Zhao values you, you cannot be this arrogant because of his favor. Do not follow the same path as Chen Hai." Secretary Gao Yuliang tapped on the desk, feeling restless and irritable.

Suddenly, his phone rang again.

He glanced down and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He took off his glasses, wiped them with a cloth, put them back on, and looked again, finally confirming—this call was actually from Chen Qingquan.

Hadn't he just been taken away by the Anti-Corruption Bureau? How could he have been released after such a short time?

Arrested and then released just like that?

How had Lu Yike become so reckless in her work!