Chapter 38: The Ledger of Incriminating Evidence!

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Tang Ye met Luo Xiaocui in the interrogation room of the local police station.

She was a young married woman not yet thirty, tall and slender, with fair skin, peach-shaped eyes, and a certain attractiveness.

After being brought to the station, Luo Xiaocui’s poor psychological composure was immediately apparent. Every word and gesture betrayed her nervousness.

Wan Ming introduced Tang Ye to her. “This is Deputy Mayor Tang Ye.”

Seeing the guilt in her eyes, Tang Ye asked in a deep voice, “Luo Xiaocui, where exactly did Shang Wenwen go? Did you kill her?”

A look of astonishment flashed across Luo Xiaocui’s face. She hurriedly waved her hands. “I... I don’t even dare kill a fish. How could I possibly kill someone?”

Tang Ye slammed his hand against the table and said coldly, “You’re lying! We already went to another province to look for Shang Wenwen, but her relatives said nothing of the sort had happened!”

“I don’t know anything!” Luo Xiaocui jumped at the shout, clutching her chest and avoiding his gaze. “My husband sent her away! You should ask him!”

Tang Ye leaned back in his chair and said mockingly, “The officers at the station have already questioned the villagers. After adopting Shang Wenwen, you and Shang Dayong made her sleep in the pigsty, withheld food from her for long periods, refused to give her cotton clothes in winter, and beat and cursed her whenever you pleased. When the child took off her clothes, her entire body was covered in wounds! You had motive to kill her!”

“I treated her badly, but I would never kill her.” Forced to the verge of tears, Luo Xiaocui insisted stubbornly, “You should ask my husband. He definitely knows where she is!”

Tang Ye glanced at Luo Xiaocui’s pallid face. He knew her psychological defenses were about to collapse, so he pressed her relentlessly. “We hope you will cooperate with us now. Even if your husband was the mastermind, there is still a strong possibility that you were his accomplice. You should seek leniency by confessing. If we cannot find her, we will assume she is dead. You are the prime suspect. Shang Dayong and the girl are blood relatives...”

At last, Luo Xiaocui could no longer keep up the pretense. Covering her face, she sobbed, “Shang Wenwen is still alive... She isn’t dead. I’m not a murderer. Sob...”

Luo Xiaocui’s psychological defenses were collapsing bit by bit.

Wan Ming cast Tang Ye an admiring look. He had never expected Tang Ye to be so skilled at interrogation.

“If she isn’t dead, where is she?” When Tang Ye said nothing and turned his gaze toward him, Wan Ming continued the questioning. “If you provide us with clues now and earn merit, your punishment may be reduced.”

“Boman!” Luo Xiaocui choked out. “She isn’t dead. Really, she isn’t dead.”

Tang Ye felt both relieved and furious.

He was relieved that Shang Wenwen was alive.

He was furious that Shang Wenwen was still a minor, yet her only relative had forced her into illegal labor.

Tang Ye left the interrogation room and said to Wan Ming, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Wan Ming sneered. “Xu Jie won’t get away with this either!”

Wan Ming immediately dispatched officers to search the Boman Garment Factory.

An hour later, Tang Ye received a call from Wan Ming.

“We found a secret door at the Boman Garment Factory. Who would have thought there was a hidden workshop inside? Every employee there is a minor. Besides Shang Wenwen, there are seven other child laborers under sixteen. They were lured here from Yunnan and other places. Overtime is routine, and anyone who disobeys gets beaten. Xu Jie paid brokers to acquire them, roughly two thousand yuan per worker.”

“Xu Jie is insatiably greedy. To make money, he really stops at nothing.”

Tang Ye was deeply shocked by the news.

No wonder Boman’s profits were so high. The company was already brutally harsh with its workers, and it had even maintained this illegal operation on the side.

“While searching for evidence, we found a ledger in a safe.”

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“ A ledger?”

Tang Ye realized that his original decision to raise a venomous creature had been the right one.

Nothing had gone wrong.

Xu Jie was the key to bringing down Xu Yiping.

“This boy was quite meticulous. He recorded in great detail whom he gave money to, how much he gave them, and when. We also found quite a few photographs. Some were taken by his lovers, while others showed his lovers with different people. There are photos of Secretary Xu in there too. I never thought that old tortoise was such a pleasure-seeker. No wonder he always had schisandra berries steeping in his thermos!”

Tang Ye drew a deep breath. “Bring the evidence to me.”

...

After examining the evidence and confirming its authenticity, Tang Ye immediately contacted Chen Zhihua.

“Mayor Chen, I have some documents that were found in Xu Jie’s storeroom.”

A grave look appeared in Chen Zhihua’s eyes. “I’ll wait for you in my office.”

Tang Ye went to see Chen Zhihua and quickly leafed through the documents. He pulled out one page. “This payment is connected to Shang Dayong!”

When Chen Zhihua saw the note attached to the entry, his face turned furious. “Who would have thought that the chemical plant explosion all those years ago was deliberate!”

Tang Ye sighed at the ugliness of human nature. “Brothers turning against one another. I never imagined Shang Dayong would be ruthless enough to strike at his own younger brother.”

Because Shang Dayong had incurred gambling debts and become embroiled in disputes, the factory had dismissed him. After he left, his younger brother, Shang Xiaojun, took over his position.

Shang Dayong had been an operator of the reaction vessel. Bent on revenge against the factory, he had been bribed by Xu Jie to deliberately cut the power and water supplies, causing the temperature and pressure inside the vessel to rise sharply and ultimately triggering a fire and explosion.

That very day, Shang Xiaojun’s wife happened to go to the factory to deliver his lunch.

As a result, the younger brother and his wife both died in the accident.

Afterward, the government issued compensation payments. Since the niece was still young, Shang Dayong was entrusted with the money.

Shang Dayong thus came into two sudden windfalls.

Why had Shang Dayong tolerated Xu Jie’s affair with his wife and swallowed his anger? It was not only because of Xu Yiping’s influence, but also because Xu Jie held incriminating evidence against him.

As for why Xu Jie had bribed Shang Dayong, it was to clear the way for Xu Yiping to eliminate his political opponents.

“Shang Dayong is an absolute beast. He killed his own brother and sister-in-law, squandered every last cent of the compensation money, and then forced his niece into an illegal factory to earn money.”

“A man like that deserves to be cut to pieces!”

Chen Zhihua immediately reported the matter to Du Chengfeng.

Realizing how serious the situation was, Du Chengfeng summoned Tang Ye and Chen Zhihua to the county government.

Inside the office.

After reading all the materials, Du Chengfeng’s anger blazed. “I never imagined that Xu Yiping was not only incompetent, but also a parasite. How could the work ever be done properly with such scum among the Party members? This matter must be investigated thoroughly—right to the end!”

What followed unfolded naturally.

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The County Commission for Discipline Inspection formed an investigation team, and its staff were soon in place.

By the time Tang Ye returned to Pinghu Town, Xu Yiping had already been taken away from his office.

Xu Jie and Shang Dayong had also been detained. Because of the severity of their crimes, they were transferred from the town police station to the county bureau for questioning.

Xu Yiping sat in a hotel room, facing the stern interrogators, and felt as though he were trapped in a dream.

His mood had been excellent these past few days. Pinghu Town was on the verge of a major development boom.

The county had not only allocated funds to repair the roads, but the demolition compensation for Aio had already arrived. He had been preparing to roll up his sleeves and accomplish something substantial.

Then, without warning, everything changed. He was brought to a special hotel.

The person interrogating him was Zhao Yang, deputy secretary of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection. Zhao Yang slapped a pen and paper down in front of him. “Give a full account of every violation and disciplinary breach you have committed over the past few years.”

Xu Yiping did not pick up the pen. Struggling to control his emotions, he said, “Secretary Zhao, I have always conducted myself honorably and can stand before anyone with a clear conscience. I have done nothing to disgrace my status as a Party member.”

Zhao Yang stared at him coldly. “You know that we would not detain you without solid evidence. I’ll be frank with you: the police have also taken your nephew into custody. His psychological composure is nowhere near yours. He confessed to everything, and he has shifted all the blame onto you. He says you instructed him to do it all!”

Xu Yiping could hardly believe it. He ground his teeth and spat out, “You miserable bastard! Traitor!”

Zhao Yang forced the pen into Xu Yiping’s hand and patiently advised him, “Reflect carefully and confess truthfully. The main issue is the chemical plant explosion in your town years ago and what happened to the victims’ compensation money. According to what we know, the families received only a portion of it. You and your associates stole and divided up most of the rest.”

Before leaving, Zhao Yang leaned toward one of his subordinates and quietly gave the young man a few instructions.

Xu Yiping guessed what Zhao Yang was telling him: Do not let him kill himself.

Xu Yiping remained silent for half an hour. At last, he accepted that reality could no longer be reversed.

Tang Ye’s face flashed through his mind.

That young man had come to Pinghu less than three months ago, yet he had sent Xu Yiping straight to prison.

And Xu Yiping had actually planned to ease their relationship, take him under his wing, and use him to create achievements.

He had never expected the young man to be more cunning than a fox, biting straight into his vital artery.

...

The Municipal Party Secretary’s office.

The secretary placed an investigation report from the Commission for Discipline Inspection on the edge of the desk.

“The investigation in Pinghu has produced results!”

Zhou Chengwu read it with great concentration, his expression growing colder by the minute.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Chengwu signed his decision.

Four words:

Eradicate evil completely.

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