53: Chapter 53 Earthquake in the Officialdom

When Lv Zhihe returned home, his face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He ordered Young Master Lu to stay home and reflect for a few days, forbidding him from stepping out of the house even once.

Young Master Lu also knew he had caused a major disaster this time, so he dared not disobey and obediently hid in his room.

Lv Zhihe walked into his study alone and slammed the door shut.

He sat before the large mahogany desk, staring at the phone for a long time before finally dialing a number—the private line of his backer in the province, Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun.

Once the call connected, Lv Zhihe briefly reported the events of the evening, hoping that Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun would step in and have a word with Secretary Gao Yuliang to downplay the issue and make the big problem small, and the small problem disappear.

However, after hearing the report, Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun berated him with such volume that it almost shattered the receiver.

"Old Lv, oh Old Lv, what am I supposed to say about you!"

Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun's voice was filled with obvious anger. "If you don't discipline that son of yours, he's going to cause a catastrophe sooner or later!"

Without waiting for Lv Zhihe to explain, he slammed the phone down.

Meanwhile, in the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee compound, Secretary Gao Yuliang had just returned home and taken off his coat when the living room phone rang.

On the phone, Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun abandoned his usual overbearing manner, his tone carrying a hint of conciliation. He hoped that Secretary Gao Yuliang would give him face and not hold a grudge against a junior, with the underlying message being, "I am determined to protect Lv Zhihe."

Secretary Gao Yuliang listened to the call while pouring himself a cup of tea.

He took a slow, deliberate sip before speaking slowly. "Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun, it's not that I won't give you face, it's just that this matter... I'm afraid it's not that simple."

On the other end of the line, seeing that Secretary Gao Yuliang was refusing to give him any face, Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun grew angry and said coldly, "So be it, then."

He then hung up the phone.

After putting down the phone, Secretary Gao Yuliang stood by the window, gazing at the distant city lights, and sneered inwardly.

Although he couldn't do anything to Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun himself, there were others who would deal with him.

Did he really think he could offend the direct grandson of the Li family in the capital and remain unscathed?

A vice-ministerial level official might be someone ordinary people look up to, but in the eyes of the Li family in the capital, he was merely one of the masses.

Subsequently, Secretary Gao Yuliang picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Old Leader, it's me, Yuliang."

"The matter has been handled... Yes, Li Dakang is fine... Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun just called me..."

"Understood, I see..."

After hanging up, a meaningful smile appeared on Secretary Gao Yuliang's face.

...

Three days later, the officialdom of Jiang Province was struck by what felt like a sudden earthquake, unleashing an unprecedented political storm.

As the morning sun hit the gatehouse of the Provincial Party Committee compound, an explosive piece of news spread rapidly through various channels: Mingzhou City Mayor Lv Zhihe, once a dazzling political star, had been suddenly placed under disciplinary investigation by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection!

At the same time, staff from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection discovered over four million yuan in cash in his home, neatly stacked in safes and under the bed, emitting a pungent smell of ink.

Furthermore, all kinds of high-end tobacco, alcohol, famous watches, and luxury goods were piled like a mountain, filling three large trucks.

Even more astonishingly, in one of his suburban villas, there was a room dedicated to storing gifts, containing everything from Moutai to imported health supplements, and from gold bars to famous paintings.

Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Lichun slammed the table during the Standing Committee meeting, his voice making the meeting room glass vibrate. "Over four million! Over four million found in a mayor's home! Do you realize the scale of that? That's completely out of control!"

The fall of Lv Zhihe was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, the resulting ripples quickly sweeping through the entire Mingzhou officialdom.

The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection followed the trail, implicating over a hundred officials at various levels within just one week, completely reshuffling the political landscape of Mingzhou.

In this storm, Lv Zhihe's backer, Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun of Jiang Province, was not spared either.

Although he kept his rank, he was transferred to the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles to serve as Vice Chairman, falling from a position of real power to a completely idle post.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this Executive Vice Governor, who had once dominated Jiang Province, had seen his political career come to an early end, leaving him only to sit on the bench and wait for retirement.

The reason Executive Vice Governor Xu Wenjun was able to escape more severe punishment was, firstly, because he had no direct financial dealings with Lv Zhihe, and secondly, because a certain old leader of his in the high-level leadership intervened.

Otherwise, given the severity of the incident, he would likely have followed in Lv Zhihe's footsteps, spending the rest of his life behind bars.

The sudden fall of Lv Zhihe sparked countless speculations in the political circles of Jiang Province.

Who exactly had such power to make this former political star fall from his pedestal overnight?

Various versions circulated in the streets: some said he had offended a big shot in the capital, others said he had accepted huge bribes during investment promotion, and still others said his son had provoked someone he shouldn't have outside...

Amidst the public's speculation, only a few insiders knew the truth: all of this was intricately linked to a seemingly ordinary young man.

This young man was not only close to Vice Governor Cao Jianhui's son, but also had an unknown friendship with Secretary Gao Yuliang of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

And the person behind this political earthquake—Li Dakang—was at this moment, hundreds of miles away from Mingzhou in Zhengjia Village, focused on a completely different endeavor.