Chapter 12

The case quickly became clear. The next day, the special task force, with Director Zhang as the leader, was reactivated. In the afternoon, Zhang Ming Shan was brought back to Guangning. He confessed to the criminal facts without reservation and, along with his father Zhang Guoliang, was transferred to the prosecution. Li Weijun was released without charge.

That noon, while Lu Zheng was having lunch in the bureau cafeteria, an unexpected visitor arrived—Li Xiangyang, the deputy minister of the county propaganda department and director of the radio and television bureau, who was also Li Weijun's uncle.

Li Xiangyang came to express his gratitude and said that his sister-in-law wanted to invite Lu Zheng for dinner that evening.

Without hesitation, Lu Zheng called Du Xiaohu to fetch two dishes and said to Li Xiangyang, "You must be hungry. Let's eat together first."

Li Xiangyang smiled bitterly and said, "I came to invite you to dinner, but now it seems the roles are reversed. I didn't want to come at noon, but I was afraid you might be out on a case and I wouldn't be able to find you."

Lu Zheng laughed and said, "It's all the same. I was just doing my job. You don't need to thank me."

The bureau cafeteria wasn't very large, and there was no buzzing echo. The officers and cadres who came in and out would all greet Lu Zheng, and their attitudes toward him had changed. After all, everyone respected someone with real talent. The "June 15" major case was solved by Lu Zheng, and everyone in the bureau knew it. Their perception of Lu Zheng naturally changed.

Of course, the original members of the special task force were an exception.

Li Xiangyang said, "Comrade Lu, you're too polite. My sister-in-law said she wants to kowtow to you, calling you the modern-day Bao Zheng. Weijun should have come to invite you today, but when he heard he had to come to the police station, he... " He paused, as his nephew was still in a daze, incontinent, and would shudder in fear at the mention of the police.

Lu Zheng sighed and said, "He has suffered. On behalf of the special task force, I apologize to him and his family."

"That's not necessary," Li Xiangyang waved his hands, somewhat uneasy. "This has nothing to do with you. You're too modest." He was increasingly impressed by this young political commissar of the police bureau, who was both capable and humble, unlike other young people who had achieved success early.

"Comrade Lu, it's just a family dinner tonight, nothing more. If you don't come, my sister-in-law won't let me. Please, for my sake?" Li Xiangyang's tone was very sincere.

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "I'm afraid I can't make it tonight. This afternoon, I have a meeting with Secretary Liu of the county Political and Legal Affairs Commission. I don't know what it's about. How about in a few days? I'll definitely come."

Li Xiangyang could tell that Lu Zheng wasn't making excuses and smiled, "Alright, I'll hold you to it. You're a man of your word, Comrade Lu."

Lu Zheng smiled, "After all, you're my superior. How could I deceive you?"

As they were chatting and laughing, two figures appeared at the cafeteria entrance—Gao Zhikai and his wife, Zhao Hongxia.

Gao Zhikai saw Lu Zheng sitting not far from the entrance, his face darkened, and he whispered a few words to Zhao Hongxia. They turned and left.

Seeing her husband's dark face, Zhao Hongxia sighed inwardly. She had heard a bit about the situation in the bureau, knowing that Lu Zheng had overturned the major case her husband had handled. She was even more不服气 (unconvinced) than Gao Zhikai. This Lu Zheng had just gotten lucky. We'll see how long he can keep up his arrogance.

...

At three in the afternoon, Lu Zheng arrived at the county committee compound, where the cypress and pine trees swayed in the wind, and the red buildings stood solemnly.

Secretary Liu Baogun's office was on the second floor of the county committee building. He was a vice-county-level official, and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission was a part-time role.

When Lu Zheng knocked and entered, Liu Baogun warmly stood up, gesturing for Lu Zheng to sit on the guest sofa. He sat next to Lu Zheng, and soon, the staff brought in hot tea.

Liu Baogun was not tall and didn't exude much authority, but he seemed very approachable.

Handing a cigarette to Lu Zheng, Liu Baogun smiled and said, "Lu Zheng, you're a hero who has achieved new success in your new position."

Lu Zheng hurriedly lit a cigarette for Liu Baogun and humbly responded, praising Director Zhang's leadership and the concern of the county leadership, as well as Secretary Liu's guidance.

Liu Baogun squinted and smiled, thinking that this Lu Zheng wasn't as reckless as rumored.

As Liu Baogun inquired about how the case was solved, Lu Zheng responded casually, wondering what Liu Baogun wanted from him.

Lu Zheng knew that although Liu Baogun was the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, coordinating the public security, procuratorate, and court, Director Zhang Qingming never took him seriously. The current Political and Legal Affairs Commission was not as powerful as in the future, and some central leaders had even proposed abolishing the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. These leaders, part of the radical liberal reformists, believed that the judiciary should be independent and that the party should not interfere excessively.

Lu Zheng also knew that in the future, after the liberal reformists gained full power, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission would be abolished. However, a few years later, the liberal reformists would be completely defeated, and the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission would be re-established, becoming even more powerful.

But now, it was natural that Liu Baogun, as the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, was not taken seriously by Zhang Qingming.

After a while, Liu Baogun gradually got to the point, "Lu Zheng, you know about the Strike Office, right?"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly.

Liu Baogun took a deep puff of his cigarette, and his expression became more uncertain in the smoke. "The county committee has discussed it, and the current situation is that the Strike Office, which is solely managed by the commerce department, no longer fits the new developments. As you know, there are more and more speculators, and the enforcement power of the commerce department alone is weak and lacks deterrence. According to the new situation, the county committee has decided that the strike against speculation and smuggling should be a joint effort between the commerce and public security departments, with the commerce department taking the lead and the public security department providing support."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly. Wushan, being a coastal open city, had a vibrant business environment, and Guangning, being close by, had also developed rapidly. However, illegal trading activities were also on the rise, with items like color TVs, watches, and bicycles becoming targets for these second-hand dealers who wanted to get rich quickly.

From a modern perspective, the free flow of goods is normal, but at the time, with limited production capacity, the market could not be fully liberalized. Moreover, the speculation in these tight commodities often involved insiders from various management departments, even "official speculators," which had nothing to do with hard work or fair wealth.

In the future, people would despise this class of early beneficiaries who enriched themselves through information and power asymmetry.

Of course, compared to the later wave of state asset division, these small-scale "official speculators" were nothing.

Each generation is better than the last, Lu Zheng thought to himself with a touch of self-mockery.

Liu Baogun continued, "So, your county bureau needs to assign a comrade to the Strike Office. I have proposed to the county committee that you serve as the first deputy director of the Strike Office. Of course, you will still retain your position in the county bureau, but you should adjust your focus slightly towards the Strike Office."

Lu Zheng was taken aback; he hadn't expected this at all.

"Comrade Qingming agrees, and the county committee has approved it. However, I still want to hear your opinion," Liu Baogun looked at Lu Zheng expectantly.

The "Strike Office for Smuggling and Speculation" was one of the temporary institutions under Liu Baogun's jurisdiction. Liu Baogun, who had spent his life in politics, would not have stopped at the vice-county level if not for the Cultural Revolution. He was not content, especially not with his role as the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission being a mere figurehead. However, Zhang Qingming dominated the county bureau, and Liu Baogun couldn't get a foot in the door.

It wasn't until recently that Liu Baogun saw an opportunity. Lu Zheng, who had solved the "June 15" major case, had always been a marginal figure in the county bureau and was not on good terms with Zhang Qingming's inner circle. Although the "June 15" case was officially credited to Zhang Qingming and the entire bureau, everyone knew the truth privately.

Thus, solving the case might have made Zhang Qingming even more uncomfortable with Lu Zheng. Liu Baogun had also learned that Lu Zheng's position in the bureau was somewhat awkward, so he extended an olive branch.

Liu Baogun's mindset and the county's situation were clear to Lu Zheng, who had lived two lives.

However, Lu Zheng felt that it was time for a change. Although the bureau cadres and police officers seemed to be more friendly towards him, his position in the bureau had not changed and was even more awkward.

Regardless of how the credit was ultimately attributed to Zhang Qingming, Lu Zheng had initially slapped him in the face. As for Gao Zhikai and the old detectives, they were even more hostile.

Moving is better than staying still. Temporarily leaving this environment and their sight, waiting for the awkward case to fade, was a good strategy to retreat and advance.

Staying in the bureau now was like a needle, constantly pricking them.

Of course, if he could use this personnel change to leave the police system altogether, that would be even better. He knew his limits and wasn't cut out for police work. Thinking about the broader stage outside, he felt eager to try.

After some thought, Lu Zheng said, "Thank you, Secretary Liu, for your trust. I would be honored to learn from you and improve."

Liu Baogun smiled in satisfaction. He had been afraid that this straightforward person wouldn't understand the situation and would think he was basking in his own glory in the bureau.

Now, it seemed that Lu Zheng wasn't as reckless as rumored. Perhaps he was like Zhang Fei, rough but shrewd.

Lu Zheng added, "Secretary Liu, I have a request. I want to take a few days off." In recent days, Lu Zheng had met many old friends, including his uncle Lu Guobin and Aunt Cuihong. He missed his family, his biological parents, and the heartache he had carried in his previous life until the day he died in a car accident.

This time, he couldn't make the same mistake again.

Liu Baogun smiled, "Of course, of course. I know how tiring it is to work on cases. Take a good rest. When you're ready, come see me, and I'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you, Secretary Liu," Lu Zheng thought for a moment and added, "I have another request. Hou Jianjun from the Chengguan police station worked hard on this case, but he has not been treated fairly. He still hasn't been promoted to deputy section level. Secretary Liu, could you help with this?" Hou Jianjun had worked tirelessly, and it wouldn't be right for him to go unrewarded. Moreover, his promotion had been held up because of Lu Zheng, so Lu Zheng felt responsible for helping him. It was also a test to see how much influence Liu Baogun had.

Liu Baogun hummed, knowing about Hou Jianjun's situation. In Wushan, the chiefs of the Chengguan police stations in various counties were generally at the deputy section level, as per a provincial directive last year. However, Hou Jianjun was still at the section level, apparently due to differing opinions within the county bureau.

"I'll look into it," Liu Baogun vaguely promised.

Lu Zheng could tell that things were not going well. This new dock was clearly shallow and leaky.