Chapter 96

Chapter 34, Defeat (Part 1)

"Here is the largest and most intact farmland in Qianchi Town!" Li Zu pointed to the field in front of them and introduced it.

The adults and children working in the field curiously watched the group of people.

"Xiaoli, why are so many people pointing and talking? Who are these people?" one of them asked.

"I don't know, but the man at the front is so handsome! He looks familiar, like I've seen him somewhere before."

"His clothes are the most ordinary in that group. The people behind him are wearing suits, so those behind him are probably the big shots. The handsome brother is probably just an assistant."

"How can an assistant walk at the front? Usually, the leader walks in front!"

"I saw it, the person behind the handsome brother is Li Zu, the Party Secretary of Qianchi Town!"

"Really! So these people are all officials!"

Two delicate girls, who were planting rice, raised their heads and watched Yang Zixuan and Baiyuan's group, chattering away.

"I remember now," Xiaoli suddenly exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "That handsome brother, I've seen him on TV, he's the county magistrate!"

"He's the one who issued a strict order to investigate the family planning offices across the county, prohibiting them from collecting social抚养 fees repeatedly. He also ordered that agricultural taxes should not be arbitrarily increased. If it weren't for his order, our family would have been charged multiple times by the family planning office, and the fields we planted would have been left with almost nothing after paying all sorts of bizarre agricultural taxes!"

"The villagers all say he's good. They say that the county magistrates of Hongshui County have changed several times, but he is the one who truly works for the people. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have known how to celebrate the New Year last year, with so many taxes to pay, we might not even have been able to eat every day!"

"Should we go up and ask him for an autograph?"

Xiaoli twisted her waist and muttered to the girl beside her, "I'm too scared. If I go up to him, I probably won't even be able to speak..."

...

The address of the county dance and song troupe is in the northeast corner of the old cinema on Liberation South Road.

An Zai Shan was also in plain clothes. The matter was significant, so he, the head of the Public Security Bureau and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, personally took charge.

An Zai Shan had mobilized his trusted subordinates. Now that He Longbin had fallen, the deputy chiefs of the Public Security Bureau who had different intentions and the police officers who had worked under He Longbin for a while were gradually aligning with An Zai Shan.

However, An Zai Shan still did not dare to take risks, as there was a possibility that some of He Longbin's confidants might seek revenge.

"Director An, the woman has come out," a plainclothes police officer said as he walked past An Zai Shan.

"Immediately have others lock onto the target and start tracking her. Be careful not to expose your identity. If there really is something fishy, this woman will likely be quite alert!"

"Understood, Director An!"

An Zai Shan stood on the third floor of the building opposite the county dance and song troupe, watching everything below.

He began to flip through the file about the woman in his hand: Jiang Wen, associate degree, 23 years old, recently seconded to the county TV station as a news anchor. However, she usually lived in the dormitory of the county dance and song troupe and also served as the English teacher for Su Nan's son!

An Zai Shan smiled at the corner of his mouth. This girl has quite a rich background, and she looks good too.

As soon as Jiang Wen came out of the dance and song troupe, she saw Su Nan's son riding a motorcycle arrive. Jiang Wen jumped on the motorcycle, and they sped off in the direction of the county committee compound!

...

Two large green plants were placed in the office, emitting fresh green, a gift from Lin Ruoshui.

There were still rumors circulating privately in the county committee and government offices about the relationship between Lin Ruoshui and Yang Zixuan.

However, Yang Zixuan did not care. He was unmarried and had no fiancée, so he was not afraid of gossip. Moreover, as long as there was no concrete evidence, no one would dare to spread rumors in front of the Discipline Inspection Commission or the higher-level party committee leaders.

"How was the inspection and research? Any impressions?" Lin Ruoshui, sitting opposite, got up and brewed a cup of Pu'er tea for Yang Zixuan.

"Have some Pu'er tea, it can help with the nicotine and tar from smoking. I see you smoke a lot," Lin Ruoshui said, placing the tea in front of Yang Zixuan.

Yang Zixuan nodded and said, "I visited several towns in the south. It's still a long and arduous road ahead! These towns generally lack a clear direction for development and a coherent development plan. Many farmers are still in poverty, with few side businesses, relying solely on farming income to pay taxes and support their families!"

"This can't be rushed. The overall quality of the cadres can't be changed in a day or two," Lin Ruoshui knew that this man was a diligent worker, not the kind of official who just goes through the motions. This might be one of his personal charms.

"True. By the way, how much do you know about Su Nan's family members?" Yang Zixuan asked.

"Why do you suddenly ask about this? He is my main colleague, and I have investigated his family members."

Yang Zixuan took a sip of the tea on the table and said, "I think Su Nan is targeting me. A few days ago, I saw him come out of the office of the city Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Fan Qiwu. This was probably his first time reporting to the city Discipline Inspection Commission."

Lin Ruoshui laughed, "It seems your position as county magistrate is not very peaceful. Previously, Fang Ling almost got you moved, and now Su Nan is here."

"Su Nan actually has two sons. His biological son is in junior high school in the provincial capital, taken care of by his wife. The one brought to Hongshui County is actually his adopted son!"

...

In the Santana, An Zai Shan and Yang Zixuan sat side by side.

"County Magistrate, we followed that woman for a whole day yesterday and didn't find anything unusual. Jiang Wen left the county dance and song troupe and was taken to the county committee compound by Su Nan's son," An Zai Shan said, somewhat embarrassed.

Yang Zixuan flipped through the file about Jiang Wen and suddenly had an idea. "In Shan, look, Jiang Wen was seconded to the county TV station last year, just a month after Su Nan was appointed as the county Party Secretary. It's hard to believe there's nothing fishy about this."

"Tell me more about what happened yesterday. After Su Nan's son took Jiang Wen to the county committee compound, did anyone else come in or out?"

"After Su Nan's son took Jiang Wen in for English tutoring, Su Nan returned soon after. About half an hour later, Su Nan's son left on his motorcycle. About an hour later, he came back, and about half an hour after that, Su Nan's son took Jiang Wen back to the dormitory of the county dance and song troupe!"

Yang Zixuan smiled and said, "Haven't you noticed anything suspicious yet?"

"What suspicious signs?" An Zai Shan asked, puzzled.

"During that time, Su Nan and Jiang Wen were alone together for at least an hour! An hour is enough to do a lot of things!" Yang Zixuan laughed.

An Zai Shan frowned, "If you suspect that Jiang Wen and Su Nan have some hidden relationship, Su Nan's son wouldn't be unaware. Why would a son provide such convenience for his father? That doesn't make sense!"

Yang Zixuan shook his head, patted An Zai Shan's shoulder, and laughed, "You don't know this. I was also puzzled about this point, so I asked Ruoshui yesterday. It turns out that this is not Su Nan's biological son. His biological son is in the provincial capital, and this is just his adopted son!"

An Zai Shan was also surprised when he heard Yang Zixuan call Lin Ruoshui, the full-time deputy secretary of the Party Committee, "Ruoshui." He had more contact with Yang Zixuan, and Yang Zixuan did not hide some things from him, so he could guess from some details that the relationship between Yang Zixuan and Lin Ruoshui was not ordinary. Of course, he would not deliberately ask if Yang Zixuan did not say anything.

"So this can explain why Su Nan's son would provide such convenience for his father. As an adopted son, he likely has a more complex relationship with Su Nan's biological son, which makes sense," Yang Zixuan explained. "Moreover, Su Nan came from the provincial capital without bringing his wife or his biological son, but specifically brought this adopted son, which already indicates something."

An Zai Shan sighed, "County Magistrate, this analysis does reasonably explain the situation we see."

"But there is still a problem!" Yang Zixuan said seriously. "Everything Su Nan and Jiang Wen do is within the compound, so it's hard for us to catch them in the act! Without concrete evidence, even if our analysis is correct, it's useless. The Discipline Inspection Commission won't handle baseless accusations, especially since the city Discipline Inspection Commission is still controlled by Su Nan's senior, Fan Qiwu!"

"This is indeed a problem!" An Zai Shan frowned when he heard this.

"The time left for us is not much. I think Su Nan is already planning something against me. It will likely be another storm. We must take the initiative and not wait for Su Nan to make a mistake on his own," Yang Zixuan said, his voice cold as he thought of Su Nan's pale face.

"How do we take the initiative?"

"Simple! We just need to make sure Su Nan and Jiang Wen can't do anything in the county committee compound and have to go to a hotel or somewhere else. Then we can gather evidence."

"But I think Su Nan won't do anything outside. He must know that if he's caught, the political risk is huge, so he chose the county committee compound and used the cover of an English tutor."

Yang Zixuan smiled, "It's not difficult! We just need to make sure Jiang Wen doesn't have time to go to the county committee compound. I'll instruct the head of the Radio and Television Bureau, Song Huaihe, to increase Jiang Wen's workload at the TV station, so she can't leave until 9:30 PM. You can have someone secretly disable Su Nan's son's motorcycle for at least two or three months.

"Then Su Nan will be frustrated. If he can't hold back, he will drive himself to find Jiang Wen at midnight. He won't be able to bring a young woman back to the county committee compound at midnight, so he will have to stay in a hotel or somewhere else. You just need to keep a close eye on where they stay, and then you can act."

...