Chapter 90: Listen to the Words and the Tone

After the police left, the hospital quickly helped Meng Qunsheng change to a new ward.

In the previous scuffle, Meng Qunsheng had only had his IV drip pulled out and was not physically harmed, so his condition was still relatively good. However, seeing his father being taken away by the police, he became emotionally agitated, continuously cursing and shouting that he would fight to the death with Yuan Wenjie.

Zeng Yi lowered his head and said, "Don't get too excited. Your father has already called the old leader!"

Hearing this, Meng Qunsheng was first stunned, then a tear welled up in his eyes. He knew that his father had always been a tough man who had never begged for help or troubled the old leader. This time, for his sake, his father had compromised his principles and reached out to the old leader. However, Meng Qunsheng's agitation subsided, and Zeng Yi's news clearly reassured him.

From Meng Qunsheng's reaction, Zeng Yi knew that the old leader must be a very important figure. It was no surprise, as someone who had been in charge of the Eighth Route Army office would certainly be a national treasure today, with considerable influence.

When Old Meng called the old leader earlier, he had to complain through a secretary. At that moment, Zeng Yi had already thought of a way to deal with Yuan Wenjie. He wanted to make sure that Yuan Wenjie's beating today would be in vain, and he would lose face, and even possibly get himself and Yuan Gongping into trouble. According to convention, only leaders at the vice-national level and above would have a dedicated secretary after retirement. This indicated that Old Meng's old leader was no ordinary person. Now that the old leader was still alive, how dare anyone forcibly demolish a place where he had once fought? This was a clear act of disrespect.

"A little later, the old leader's people will come to pick up your father. I've already spoken to the police, so don't worry; the old man won't be mistreated," Zeng Yi added.

Meng Qunsheng was now completely reassured. He looked at Zeng Yi with gratitude. He had already recognized that this young man was the doctor who had scared away the demolition team in the morning. From the doctors, he also learned that his life had been saved by Zeng Yi. If Zeng Yi hadn't been there, he and his father might not have made it to the arrival of the old leader's people.

Meng Qunsheng had seen the fight clearly. He hadn't expected that this young man not only had a warm heart but also a strategic mind. Yuan Wenjie's beating today would definitely be in vain. In comparison, he had been rash, failing to protect the house and ending up in the hospital, almost losing his life.

After settling Meng Qunsheng, Zeng Yi sat for a while and then prepared to leave. Just as he stood up, his phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. Zeng Yi said, "Hello!"

There was a pause on the other end before a voice asked, "Who are you? Isn't this Old Meng's phone? Why do you have it?"

Zeng Yi's eyebrows raised slightly. He found the voice familiar. After a moment, he suddenly remembered—it was Qin Yizhou, the secretary of Qiao Wendu. Yes, Old Meng had also called him "Xiao Qin" earlier! Zeng Yi suddenly understood that Old Meng's old leader was none other than Qiao Lao, whom Nanjiang Province had been trying to attract. This was a big deal; Yuan Wenjie had made a huge mistake by demolishing Qiao Wendu's former residence, effectively preventing Qiao Wendu from coming to Nanjiang!

"Are you looking for Old Meng? He can't answer the phone right now. Would you like me to give the phone to Meng Qunsheng?" Zeng Yi asked.

Qin Yizhou thought for a moment and said, "Alright! Let Qunsheng take the call."

Zeng Yi put the phone to Meng Qunsheng's ear and whispered, "It's the old leader's secretary!" Then he gave a meaningful look.

Meng Qunsheng immediately understood and said, "Uncle Qin, please help my father. He was taken away by the police!"

Qin Yizhou's heart sank. He thought, "This is bad. How could Old Meng get into trouble so quickly? If Qiao Lao finds out, he'll blame me for being ineffective." He quickly said, "Qunsheng, don't worry. Tell me what happened clearly!"

Meng Qunsheng didn't hesitate and recounted how Yuan Wenjie had brought thugs to threaten him, how they had caused a commotion at the hospital, and how his father had been taken away by the police, emphasizing the "key points" and adding some details.

After listening, Qin Yizhou was furious. Not only had they beaten him up and hospitalized him, but they had also pursued him to the hospital to continue the assault. He shouted into the phone, "Lawless! Who gave them such audacity!"

Meng Qunsheng paused and said in a low, solemn voice, "Yuan Wenjie's father, I heard, is Yuan Gongping!"

No wonder! Qin Yizhou understood. He thought, "Yuan Gongping, what a fine job you've done. First, you allowed your son to forcibly demolish Qiao Lao's former residence, and now you've had the police take away Qiao Lao's savior. Do you have any respect for Qiao Lao at all?"

"Qunsheng, rest assured. I'll find a way to help you!" Qin Yizhou said.

Qin Yizhou couldn't delay any longer. Since Old Meng had been arrested for beating Yuan Gongping's son, the police wouldn't treat him kindly. He had to act quickly to save Old Meng; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain to Qiao Lao if anything happened to Old Meng.

After hanging up, Qin Yizhou thought for a moment and called the governor of Nanjiang Province, Fei Minan. Fang Nanguo was away, and Fei Minan was in charge of Nanjiang Province's affairs.

Fei Minan was wearing reading glasses and studying a chess book at home. In two months, he would retire to the National People's Congress. He was already adapting to a semi-retired life. When he received Qin Yizhou's call, he frowned slightly. It was late, and Qin Yizhou wouldn't call unless it was something serious. However, he still greeted warmly, "Brother Yizhou, how are you?"

Qin Yizhou didn't have time for pleasantries. After greeting Fei Minan, he got straight to the point, "Governor Fei, I have a matter I'd like to inquire about."

"What is it? Go ahead and tell me!" Fei Minan smiled.

"Half an hour ago, a serious incident occurred in the intensive care unit of the Provincial People's Hospital. One of the parties involved is Qiao Lao's former bodyguard, who has been taken to the police station for investigation."

Fei Minan put down his chess book and sat up straight on the sofa. He combed his hair and thought, "Qiao Lao's bodyguard is one of Qiao Lao's closest confidants, with a status no less than Qin Yizhou's." He sensed the importance of the matter and said, "I'll have someone look into it immediately."

Qin Yizhou said, "Governor Fei, please don't overthink it. I'm just trying to understand what happened. Once the facts are clear, handle it as you see fit. Don't let it weigh on you."

Fei Minan, who had spent his life in politics, could easily read between the lines. Qin Yizhou's words clearly indicated that he was already furious. However, Fei Minan didn't know Qiao Lao's stance and was unsure how to handle the situation, so he said, "Brother Yizhou, I'll send someone to investigate personally and report back to you once we have the details."

"This matter is of great concern to Qiao Lao. He is waiting for the results," Qin Yizhou said.

Fei Minan was now more anxious. If Qiao Lao already knew about it, this was a major issue. In politics, it was crucial to understand the implications of words. Qin Yizhou's words clearly indicated that the bodyguard was very important to Qiao Lao. Fei Minan said, "Brother Yizhou, rest assured. Our police in Nanjiang will not let any bad person go unpunished, nor will they wrong any good person."

Qin Yizhou knew Fei Minan understood his meaning and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you so late. It's very considerate of you."

"Brother Yizhou, no need for formalities. I'll handle this matter urgently. Ha ha!" Fei Minan laughed and hung up.

Du Ruo received a call from Fei Minan's secretary and thought, "This is interesting. Even the soon-to-retire governor is getting involved. Yuan Wenjie is in for some trouble."

Du Ruo called Chen Long and said, "Release the person!"

Chen Long understood the meaning. If it was Yuan Wenjie to be released, Du Ruo wouldn't have made the call. He asked, "What about Yuan Wenjie?"

"Release him too!"

Du Ruo had no good intentions. Fei Minan had intended to deal with Yuan Wenjie severely, but Du Ruo's release of Yuan Wenjie seemed to be a favor to Yuan Gongping, but in reality, it was creating trouble for him.

In politics, the most dangerous leaders to offend were those like Fei Minan, who were about to retire. The closer to retirement, the more cautious one had to be.

The norm in politics was that once you retired, you lost your influence. While in power, you were surrounded by flattery and praise, but once retired, you were forgotten. At the point of retirement, many old leaders found it hard to cope with the stark contrast, leading to anxiety and irritability. They would scrutinize every word and action, like a dormant volcano ready to erupt.

The smartest approach was to do whatever the old leader said without hesitation. Wait until the old leader had passed the baton, and the threat of a volcanic eruption would be over.

But if someone dared to provoke the old leader at this critical moment, it was like drilling a hole in a volcano. The resulting eruption of anger would scorch and humiliate them, and they might even be consumed by the flames.

Du Ruo knew that he couldn't keep Yuan Wenjie in custody anyway. By releasing him, he was creating a situation where Fei Minan, several levels above, wouldn't personally intervene against him, but his wrath would be directed at Yuan Gongping. Without Yuan Gongping's pressure, how could the lower-level officials ignore his orders? He hadn't retired yet; was the top position in the province already changing hands? This was unacceptable.

---

[AD begins]

[AD ends]