254: Chapter 254 Zhong Zhengguo: My little cotton-padded jacket is so thoughtful!

In Zhong Family study, Hou Liangping stood before Secretary Zhong like a schoolboy who had made a mistake. He was full of words, but upon entering and seeing the murderous look on Secretary Zhong's face, he couldn't utter a single syllable.

Secretary Zhong didn't start by scolding him; he first had him recount the whole matter from beginning to end. After listening, he remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Do you know that you have just walked through the gates of hell?"

Hou Liangping was stunned, his gaze vacant yet showing a hint of clarity, "Dad, could it be that the big fish behind this..."

Bang! Secretary Zhong slammed the table hard, "Big fish, big fish! All day long you only know about big fish, why don't you go sell fish? Gao Qiqiang went from a fishmonger to a business tycoon, and you? I think you're not even as good as a fishmonger!"

Hou Liangping swallowed hard. He felt unconvinced, but didn't dare to speak.

Secretary Zhong snorted coldly, "I just learned that because Qian Bugou told you things he shouldn't have, his sentence has been increased by twenty years; he likely won't be coming out in this lifetime. Those two people from the district Procuratorate handled the case in violation of regulations and are suspected of serious dereliction of duty; their sentences will be at least ten years."

"This..." Hou Liangping was even more puzzled and asked cautiously, "Dad, why exactly is this?"

"You are truly... truly extremely stupid!" Secretary Zhong gritted his teeth, "People from the security system have come out to find you, and you still don't understand? Behind that matter, it wasn't about asset loss at all; it was a sum of funds with a special purpose, used for a major secret project."

Hou Liangping opened his mouth, puzzled, "Wouldn't it have been fine if they just labeled it? They clearly..."

"Shut up!" Secretary Zhong nearly raised his hand to slap him, suppressing his anger as he said, "It is precisely because of the special purpose that it cannot be labeled. Even I don't have the qualifications to know the purpose of that money, yet you, ignorant of the danger, defied my orders and investigated privately. Do you know how big a mess you've caused for Zhong Family?"

Hou Liangping was shocked, "Dad, is this matter really that ominous?"

Secretary Zhong kept a straight face, "It's not about being ominous; this is called rules. And you broke a major rule. You don't need to go to the Anti-Corruption Bureau for now; just reflect at home recently."

"Ah?" Hou Liangping blurted out, "Dad, am I being suspended? Isn't the punishment too severe?"

Slap! Secretary Zhong finally couldn't hold back and slapped him across the face, his face turning livid with Qi.

If it weren't for the connection through Zhong Xiaoai, why would Zhong Family have lost that multi-billion project—which was a commendable political achievement for people in Zhong Family line. Now, it had been forcibly taken away by Secretary Zhan Jingqi. What use did their security system people have for those projects? It was just to curry favor, and in the end, it was unknown whose hands it would fall into, or perhaps even fall into the hands of Zhong Family's political rivals.

And yet, Hou Liangping still dared to be unconvinced.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, if you don't want to be suspended, then go back to the place you were staying a couple of days ago and explain properly why you wanted to investigate that matter—investigating corrupt officials? Let's see if people believe you."

Hou Liangping shrank his neck and lowered his head, not daring to speak. Seeing him like this, Secretary Zhong was even more disappointed. The resources given to Hou Liangping would be better given to his daughter, Zhong Xiaoai. He had originally thought that Hou Liangping, being a man, was more convenient in his career than a girl, and easier to inherit Zhong Family's resources. Now it seemed that Zhong Xiaoai was actually more worth cultivating than Hou Liangping. At worst, Hou Haoran could change his surname to Zhong in the future; they were all of Zhong Family Bloodline anyway.

"Get out, and send Xiaoai in." Secretary Zhong pointed at the door.

Hou Liangping acknowledged and left the room. A short while later, Zhong Xiaoai walked in and immediately asked with concern, "Dad, why is your complexion so poor? Don't be Life Qi, take care of your health."

Secretary Zhong's mood improved slightly. The little cotton-padded jacket was still the most thoughtful.

He waved his hand, "Some things, I can only tell you. In order to get Hou Liangping out, your eldest brother and the others' multi-billion political achievement is gone."

"Ah?" Zhong Xiaoai was stunned, then her eyes moistened, "Dad, thank you, I know you did it all for me."

"There is no need to say these things." Secretary Zhong said, "Hou Liangping cannot stay in the Imperial Capital for the next few years; this is something I promised Secretary Zhan Jingqi. Moreover, given what he has done over these years, if he continues to stay in the Imperial Capital, I fear even bigger matters will come knocking. As for this specific matter, I suspect he was also set up by someone else."

"Ah?" Zhong Xiaoai was stunned, "Really?"

Secretary Zhong nodded, "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Hou Liangping saw those things?"

Zhong Xiaoai thought for a moment, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat, giving rise to another thought—could it be that someone was plotting against Zhao Yang? Hou Liangping's style of doing things was known to almost everyone in the Imperial Capital; it was not impossible that he was being used to deal with Zhao Yang.

She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, "Dad, could it be a case of using a borrowed knife to kill?"

"Using a borrowed knife to kill?" Secretary Zhong was stunned for a moment, then showed an expression of appreciation, "Xiaoai, I am very happy that you can think this way. It shows that you are much stronger than that idiot Hou Liangping. However, you are likely overthinking it."

Zhong Xiaoai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but was still not entirely reassured, "Why?"

Secretary Zhong smiled, "At my level, one only needs to investigate that matter slightly to see that there is a big landmine hidden behind it, the kind that no one can withstand. If they really wanted to use a borrowed knife to kill, they wouldn't have chosen that matter. Moreover, the specific situation of that matter, even I am not qualified to know, and those families that are at odds with Zhong Family couldn't possibly know either. They wouldn't make a move so blindly. Therefore, they are just dealing with Hou Liangping, letting him step on the landmine, and incidentally blowing up Zhong Family as well. Do you understand?"

"Oh..." Zhong Xiaoai nodded, but her mind was still racing. She was still worried about whether someone was plotting in the shadows against her "white moonlight".

Seeing her like this, the appreciation in Secretary Zhong's eyes grew stronger—people who know how to overthink are the ones suitable for politics.

"Xiaoai, for the next period, you will likely have to face living in separate places." Secretary Zhong said, "Of course, if you don't want to live apart, you can also wait until Hou Liangping's position is decided, and I will have you transferred over. After all, being sent out for a period of time is also good for your future."

"I'm not going, living apart is fine." Zhong Xiaoai blurted out—with Hou Liangping not around, she wouldn't have to hide and tuck away when she paid attention to Zhao Yang.

Soon she realized that saying this seemed inappropriate, so she quickly added, "Saving Hou Liangping this time has already caused such a huge loss to the family; I cannot add any more burden to the family. Besides, Haoran needs to go to school in the Imperial Capital; if I am sent away, there will be no one to discipline him."

Secretary Zhong nodded slowly, but his heart had other thoughts. He knew well what the relationship between Zhong Xiaoai and Hou Liangping was like. If they were to live apart, then so be it; with Hou Liangping not in the Imperial Capital, there might be more opportunities in the future for Hou Haoran to change his surname.

...

Just as Secretary Zhong was fiercely scolding Hou Liangping, Zhao Ruilong was tasting a delicious plate of "Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Meat" sent to him by his old father, Former Secretary Zhao Lichun.

The bamboo ruler was dipped in medical alcohol, the aroma of the alcohol overflowing, exceptionally delicious.

This was a delicacy that Zhao Ruilong had eaten since he was a child.