177: Chapter 177 Su Changming Makes Another Move

Before long, four or five steaming dishes were served.

Stir-fried garlic sprouts with cured meat, steamed sea bass, and a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup, simmered to perfection.

Everything on the table catered to Zhu Wenhao's dietary preferences.

Back during their time living together at the Donghuwan Apartment in Linjiang City, Su Qinghan had silently observed and memorized his tastes.

Since Zhu Wenhao went to the Spark Class at the Provincial Party School for training, and subsequently was air-dropped to Heishi Town to assume his post, the two had been separated more often than they were together.

After Su Qinghan was transferred to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, she became deeply entangled in several major cases. With Secretary Li Li intending to groom her, the heavy workload of case files left her breathless.

For her to find time to come to this remote town's single-person dormitory today was no easy feat.

Under the warm yellow incandescent light, the two sat opposite each other.

They did not discuss the intricate cases of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection at the table, nor did they mention the dire situation of the poor mountains and treacherous waters of Heishi Town.

Su Qinghan served rice and dishes quietly. Occasionally, when she raised her head to look at Zhu Wenhao, her eyes were filled with undisguised radiance.

That affection was unadorned, restrained, and long-lasting.

After the meal, the table was cleared.

Zhu Wenhao intended to get up to take the dishes to the sink, but was gently blocked by Su Qinghan.

"Go and rest."

She pressed him back onto the old sofa, rolled up her sleeves, and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

The sound of trickling water and clinking porcelain plates soon drifted out from behind the door frame.

Zhu Wenhao leaned back against the sofa, listening to that domestic atmosphere, and felt a sense of peace rise in his heart.

He gathered his thoughts and re-simulated the chess game that had yet to be played in his mind.

If Director Xu Jie could dig up the exact whereabouts of "Boss Lei" on her end, the deadlock in Jingjiang City could be broken with a single stroke.

However, on the Linjiang City side, Political Commissar Wang Haitao's situation was truly difficult to handle.

Calculating the time, the Five-Person Group meeting of the Municipal Party Committee should have ended long ago, but Secretary Zhu Tianhe had not called yet; the situation was likely not optimistic.

Just as he was pondering, a plate of neatly cut fruit was brought to the coffee table.

Su Qinghan refilled his cup with hot tea and sat down next to him.

The television was turned on, the volume set very low.

She did not speak, simply resting her head gently on his shoulder.

The evening news had always been the bottleneck for capturing the wind direction.

The screen changed, and the announcer's clear, standard voice echoed in the room.

"According to news just received by this station: Political Commissar Wang Haitao of the Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau is currently undergoing relevant disciplinary review and supervisory investigation due to suspected disciplinary violations..."

Zhu Wenhao's back suddenly straightened.

With a Municipal Public Security Bureau political commissar under investigation, it was a high-profile case involving a department-level official with real power. Without explicit approval from the highest level of the Municipal Party Committee, the propaganda department would never dare to leak the news during prime time.

The news being reported meant that the Municipal Party Committee's characterization of Political Commissar Wang Haitao was not optimistic.

The direction of events had completely deviated from the expected trajectory.

At the Five-Person Group meeting, Mayor Su Changming was clearly alone. Could it be that Secretary Lin Weimin's stance had shifted?

The mobile phone on the coffee table vibrated at the right moment.

The word "Father" lit up on the screen.

Seeing this, Su Qinghan started to get up to avoid being present.

Zhu Wenhao reached out with his right hand, accurately grasping her wrist. Although the force was light, it did not allow her to break free.

He turned his head and gave her a comforting look, signaling her to stay at ease.

He pressed the answer button.

"Zhu Wenhao, I heard from Secretary Gao Ming that you called me this afternoon." Secretary Zhu Tianhe's voice came through the waves.

"Father." Zhu Wenhao went straight to the point, "I just saw the Linjiang news, broadcasting the announcement of Political Commissar Wang Haitao's detention. This style of informing the whole society without deep investigation would never be reported this way without explicit instructions from the Municipal Party Committee. What exactly happened at the meeting?"

"Mayor Su Changming argued strongly at the meeting, but how could he alone influence the overall situation? What was Secretary Lin Weimin's attitude?" Zhu Wenhao threw out a series of questions.

On the other end of the phone, Secretary Zhu Tianhe let out a long sigh.

"This matter is extremely strange." Secretary Zhu Tianhe explained the ins and outs, "Originally, according to the proposal of Secretary Li Li of the Discipline Inspection Commission, the case was significant and involved an incumbent department-level official. Everything needed to be cautious, starting with a secret internal preliminary verification. If it turned out that the evidence was incorrect, it could still be saved. If it were true, we could find a way to deal with it lightly, leaving room for maneuver."

"But Mayor Su Changming firmly opposed it."

"What excuse did he pull out?"

"He stood high, pulling the banner of The Capital's high-pressure anti-corruption campaign to make a fuss." Secretary Zhu Tianhe's tone became heavier, "Mayor Su Changming said at the meeting that if the news of Political Commissar Wang Haitao's detention is not announced to the public, it cannot reflect the Municipal Party Committee's determination to treat corrupt elements. Once the news is released, those criminals involved with Political Commissar Wang Haitao might surrender voluntarily under pressure, which has a positive effect on solving major cases."

Secretary Zhu Tianhe paused for half a second.

"Not only that, he brought up old matters. He dug up the incident of Secretary Li Changgeng hanging himself in the detention room again. He openly questioned in front of Secretary Lin Weimin whether there were any shady dealings within the Discipline Inspection Commission. These words put Secretary Li Li in a very passive position."

"Because I had previously recommended Political Commissar Wang Haitao and was involved in it, I could not speak due to the principle of recusal." Secretary Zhu Tianhe stated the most fatal blow, "Right at that moment, Organization Minister Zhao Donglai stepped forward and expressed his stance, supporting Mayor Su Changming's opinion."

Zhu Wenhao tapped his fingers slowly on the sofa armrest.

Once publicly reported, anonymous and real-name reports against Political Commissar Wang Haitao would surely fly to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection like snowflakes, enough to completely drown him.

Mayor Su Changming wanted to use public opinion to nail Political Commissar Wang Haitao to the pillar of shame.

"What was Secretary Lin Weimin's attitude?" Zhu Wenhao hit the nail on the head, "Organization Minister Zhao Donglai is the head of the Organization Department and always looks at the wind direction. If Secretary Lin Weimin explicitly opposed it, he wouldn't dare to support Mayor Su Changming at this critical juncture even if he were given ten times the courage."

"Secretary Lin Weimin did not oppose it." Secretary Zhu Tianhe's voice dropped an octave, "He adopted an acquiescent attitude toward this matter."

The silence of the top leader is often the most deafening statement.

"Not just that, right?" Zhu Wenhao sneered, "Since he let Mayor Su Changming cut off the political commissar of the Public Security Bureau, Secretary Lin Weimin couldn't have failed to propose his own personnel deployment."

"You are right." Secretary Zhu Tianhe's tone became increasingly heavy, "Secretary Lin Weimin proposed at the meeting that since Executive Deputy Director Liu Qing has been confirmed to have committed a crime, and Political Commissar Wang Haitao also has serious problems, the overall situation of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, relying on Police Chief Li Jianguo alone, is afraid that he cannot support it."

"He demanded on the spot that the Organization Department quickly come up with a backup candidate for the Executive Deputy Director."

"Mayor Su Changming immediately echoed and agreed with Secretary Lin Weimin's proposal."

Zhu Wenhao tore open the underlying logic.

"This is Secretary Lin Weimin's way of being an official. Mixing in sand, and doing it openly and honestly."

"He first arrived in Linjiang, suppressing Mayor Su Changming, but as the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, he would never allow the Linjiang political and legal sector to become an iron barrel formation where the Zhu family dominates. Police Chief Li Jianguo is our person, and Political Commissar Wang Haitao is too. If he lets us control the Municipal Public Security Bureau, what will he, Secretary Lin Weimin, do?"

Zhu Wenhao analyzed the situation, stating the pros and cons.

"So, he went with the flow, borrowed the knife handed over by Mayor Su Changming, and pulled out the thorn that was Political Commissar Wang Haitao. Then, naturally, he reached into the public security system and arranged for his own people to fill the hole of the Executive Deputy Director."

On the other end of the phone, Secretary Zhu Tianhe deeply agreed.

"To verify your judgment, there is one more thing." Secretary Zhu Tianhe threw out the last piece of news, "Secretary Lin Weimin pointed out at the meeting that the backup candidate for the Secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission cannot just be Standing Committee Member Zhang Zhiqiang alone. It is also necessary to broaden the horizons and increase the number of candidates."

Zhu Wenhao's eyes narrowed slightly.

"He is trying to block Standing Committee Member Zhang Zhiqiang from ascending and completely cut off our thoughts of dominating the political and legal sector." Zhu Wenhao said word by word, "Sharing the benefits, this is to reshuffle the cards."

"I understand, Father. During this time, you should keep silent in the Municipal Party Committee, do not run around for Political Commissar Wang Haitao, and do not rush to confront Secretary Lin Weimin. Since he wants balance, we will give him balance."

"Good. You should also rest early."

The communication was cut off.

Zhu Wenhao threw his mobile phone on the coffee table.

A sense of indescribable irritation was pent up in his chest.

Mayor Su Changming's counterattack was sharp and experienced, forcibly using Secretary Lin Weimin's mentality of checks and balances to tear open a huge gap.

In the confrontation between enemies, the most taboo is to have a fire in your own backyard.

Their layout in the political and legal system had been knocked out by half, facing the crisis of a total reshuffle, which indeed made him feel a bit passive.

Su Qinghan sat quietly on the side, remaining silent throughout.

She did not inquire about the power schemes in that phone call, nor did she try to be clever and offer advice.

Being in the game, she knew well what kind of heavy burden this man was carrying under such treacherous and unpredictable circumstances.

She adjusted her posture slightly, stretched out her arms, and unexpectedly hugged Zhu Wenhao's waist.

Afterwards, she applied a little force to press his body down.

Zhu Wenhao followed that gentle force and rested his head on her soft legs.

Su Qinghan's slender, slightly cool fingertips covered his temples, kneading with moderate strength, slowly and rhythmically.

Those tense nerves found an outlet for release in this silent comfort.

The room was not very bright, only the flickering light from the TV screen cast upon them.

"No rush. One step at a time." Her voice was extremely light, but it carried a power that calmed people's hearts.

In that unhurried kneading, Zhu Wenhao's tense back gradually relaxed.

As long as the chess pieces were still in his hands, this game of chess had a chance to turn around.

Just as he was immersed in this moment of peace, trying to sort out the clues for the next counterattack.

The mobile phone on the coffee table vibrated again without warning.

The harsh ringing sound completely shattered the tranquility of the room.

The number jumping on the screen looked particularly eye-catching in the dark.