"Political Commissar Han, I have a lead on a cadre's disciplinary violations that I need to report to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). I hope you can submit the relevant materials to Director Han of the Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office through me," Chen Yang said carefully.
Han Ming, the director of the Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the CCDI, is Old Master Han's nephew and a key figure being groomed by the Han family. The Seventh Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office happens to be responsible for liaising with Southeast Province and several surrounding provinces; disciplinary violations by officials in Southeast Province fall under their direct jurisdiction.
Of course, given Fan Changtian's rank, under normal circumstances, the report should have been submitted to the provincial discipline inspection commission, not necessarily alarming the CCDI, unless the case was extremely serious and involved a wide range of people, in which case the CCDI would lead the investigation.
Han Lingfei felt a headache coming on. He hadn't expected his nephew to be so troublesome; he seemed determined to cause a major upheaval! Han Lingfei had met Chen Yang before. Although Chen Yang's behavior at the Changjie branch was somewhat excessive, he was meticulous and targeted, and always had a backup plan. He didn't seem like a radical youth at all!
However, since his nephew was asking him for help for the first time, and he needed Chen Yang to persuade his younger sister, Han Lingfei couldn't refuse outright. He hesitated for a while before asking,
"Chen Yang, this matter is quite serious. Tell me about it in detail first!"
Chen Yang knew that Han Lingfei wouldn't help him without principles, so he had already prepared his words and quickly said,
"Okay. Commissar Han, the person I want to report is Fan Changtian, the deputy secretary of the Zhonglou District Committee of Rongcheng City. I have evidence of this comrade's serious violations of laws and regulations, and his lifestyle is also decadent..."
"Wait!" Upon hearing Fan Changtian's name, Han Lingfei's head spun even faster. The tall man quickly interrupted, "Chen Yang, do you know anything about Fan Changtian?"
Chen Yang knew Han Lingfei was trying to remind him of the Fan family behind Fan Changtian, so he chuckled,
"Of course, he's a distant nephew of Old Master Fan!"
Then, Chen Yang's tone shifted, becoming righteous and awe-inspiring:
"But that doesn't mean he can break the law with impunity! Old Master Fan was a founding father, but that doesn't guarantee that all his relatives and nephews share his patriotic fervor!"
Han Lingfei was somewhat amused and exasperated. These high-sounding words might fool outsiders, but Chen Yang spoke with such righteous indignation in front of him. Han Lingfei thought for a moment and asked,
"Chen Yang, just tell me directly, has this Fan Changtian offended you somehow?"
Han Lingfei was somewhat displeased. A common trait among many spoiled brats is their tendency to ruthlessly harm others at the slightest provocation. It's surprising that Chen Yang, from a poor background, had only just learned about his origins, and Han Xuehua hadn't even officially returned to the Han family yet! He'd already picked up this bad habit.
Chen Yang could easily detect the reproach in Han Lingfei's tone. He didn't intend to hide anything from Han Lingfei, simply smiling and saying,
"Political Commissar Han, it's not that Fan Changtian offended me, it seems I somehow offended them..."
Chen Yang then began discussing his secondhand house demolition compensation, continuing until Guo Li was placed under investigation, and Fan Changtian directly pointed the finger at him, attempting to smear him through the demolition compensation issue. Of course, Chen Yang didn't mention that he had successfully prevented the marriage between the Xu and Fan families at Xu Qingya's birthday banquet.
Finally, Chen Yang said:
"That's roughly the situation. I could be taken away by the police in Zhonglou District at any time. What's most infuriating is that Director Guo Li is an upright man who has never accepted any bribes, yet Fan Changtian has ordered his henchmen to relentlessly bombard him, trying to force Director Guo Li to accuse me. Political Commissar Han, do you think I can just sit idly by and wait to die in this situation?"
Han Lingfei was speechless after hearing this. If what Chen Yang said was true, then any counterattack Chen Yang could take would be justified. However, although Fan Changtian was a marginal figure in the Fan family, he was still a member of the Fan family, and the Fan family's power in Southeast Province was weak. Once Fan Changtian was brought down, it was hard to guarantee that it wouldn't provoke a strong backlash from the Fan family.
The Han family was already in a precarious situation, and the Fan family was already eyeing many of the Han family's traditional strengths. Taking rash and excessive measures for Chen Yang's sake would only give the Fan family ammunition.
Han Lingfei couldn't help but feel a dilemma. Chen Yang guessed Han Lingfei's thoughts and said,
"Political Commissar Han, firstly, I can guarantee with my own integrity that everything I've reported is true. Although the methods I used to gather evidence were somewhat shady, not a single piece of evidence is fabricated. Secondly, I only want to handle this matter through normal organizational procedures; otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."
Chen Yang paused, then continued,
"The national television station has also received the same evidence. If I can't find a proper channel to voice my grievances, within three days at most, the 'Social Focus' program will broadcast the undercover investigation..."
"You..." Han Lingfei felt a surge of anger. Chen Yang's words were practically a blatant threat. If Chen Yang took such drastic measures, the final result would definitely be a lose-lose situation.
And the fact that Chen Yang was Han's nephew would surely come to light eventually. Wouldn't the Fan family hate the Han family even more then? Han Lingfei had no doubt that Chen Yang was bluffing. Chen Yang certainly knew that such a lie couldn't withstand investigation. With Han Lingfei's methods, he could find out in no time whether the national television reporter was preparing this program.
"This nephew of mine is no pushover either! He's no less capable than those spoiled brats from wealthy families; they're all troublemakers!" Han Lingfei sighed inwardly.
After hesitating for a long time, Han Lingfei finally said with difficulty:
"Send the information over..."
Putting aside Chen Yang's threatening words, the Fan family was undeniably aggressive in this matter. Although the Han family wasn't as powerful as the Fan family, Han Lingfei was still his grandfather's nephew, and not someone anyone could bully.
In the end, Han Lingfei decided to help Chen Yang.
"Then thank you, Political Commissar Han!" Chen Yang had already expected Han Lingfei to agree, his tone completely flat, simply offering a polite thank you. Han Lingfei was speechless for a moment before finally asking, "Chen Yang, can't you just call me uncle?"
"Political Commissar Han, it's getting late, I won't disturb your rest any longer!" Chen Yang changed the subject, "I'll send the evidence to your email immediately. I hope Director Han can act quickly. Fan Changtian seems a bit impatient, I'm worried he might harm me..."
"Fine! That's it then!" Han Lingfei hung up the phone dejectedly.
What a load of rubbish! What do you mean it's getting late? It's only a little past six! The news hasn't even started yet! Han Lingfei couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Uncle? Chen Yang couldn't help but smile. Perhaps Han Lingfei was quite critical of him now, but in the long run, he should understand.
Chen Yang had asked Han Lingfei to handle this matter not only to resolve the current crisis, but he also had deeper considerations. Once Master Han Changzheng passes away, the Han family's situation will be extremely difficult. Chen Yang sees this incident as an opportunity, hoping to create the illusion that the Han and Fang families are already showing signs of cooperation.
In the long run, Chen Yang hopes to facilitate full-scale cooperation between the Fang and Han families.
Although the Han and Fang families have had some minor frictions in the past, they are far from being irreconcilable enemies. In his previous life, Chen Yang was a core member of the Fang family, but in this life, he is the direct nephew of the Han family patriarch. From a personal perspective, he also hopes that the two families can cooperate closely.
This would greatly benefit the Han family in alleviating the foreseeable crisis after Master Han's death. For the Fang family, the Han family is also a very important ally, and could even break the awkward situation where the Fan family has been subtly overshadowing the Fang family.
Of course, this cannot be achieved by simply dealing with Fan Changtian; it will require Chen Yang's continued and persistent efforts.
Chen Yang got up and stretched his limbs slightly, then sat down and added the document to his email attachment. After thinking for a moment, he added a sentence to the email body:
Political Commissar Han, if possible, it would be best to ask Director Han Ming to come to Rongcheng in person.
After clicking send, Chen Yang let out a long sigh of relief. He had finished his plan against Fan Changtian. He hoped Han Lingfei would understand his intentions after reading the sentence in the email.
Now it was time to deal with Director Guo Li. The highest level of struggle is to inflict a thousand casualties while remaining unscathed.
"Acheng shouldn't disappoint me, right?" Chen Yang leaned back in his computer chair, muttering to himself.
...
Zhonglou District, Huxi Road.
Xu Maorong, reeking of alcohol, hummed a song as he walked home.
He was in a very good mood. That morning, Deputy Secretary Lu of the District Discipline Inspection Commission had personally spoken with him, praising his work highly and hinting that he would be promoted to deputy director of the demolition office after Guo Li's case was closed.
Lu Xun was neither the Organization Minister nor the Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, but Xu Maorong believed his promises without question. The reason was simple: Lu Xun was a close confidant of Deputy Secretary Fan Changtian of the District Party Committee.
Moreover, the things Lu Xun had asked him to do were all shady dealings, involving a certain degree of risk. This deputy director position was a reward for his meritorious service.
The thought of how he had been suppressed by Guo Li, unable to hold his head high in the demolition office, and now, because of his casual whistleblower letter and some minor maneuvering, Guo Li was under investigation by the Discipline Inspection Commission, while he himself was about to become the deputy director of the demolition office, filled Xu Maorong with exhilaration.
He hadn't been this happy in a long time! Xu Maorong had been incredibly frustrated lately! This afternoon after get off work, Xu Maorong had invited a few of his cronies for a good drinking session.
It was already past nine o'clock at night when Xu Maorong finally stumbled home.
He walked to the intersection of Huxi Road and Hubin Road, then turned a corner to reach the alleyway where Xu Maorong lived.
Just then, a burly man in a black sleeveless t-shirt walked towards Xu Maorong.
"Old Xu! You've had quite a drink, haven't you?" the man greeted him with a smile.
Xu Maorong looked over with blurry, drunken eyes. It was Da Jun, the notorious gang leader of his neighborhood. He quickly smiled back and said,
"Brother Jun, where are you going so late?"
Da Jun and Xu Maorong grew up in the same alley; they knew each other inside and out. Da Jun had gone into the underworld after graduating from junior high school. He was ruthless, a skilled fighter, and quickly made a name for himself in the Huxi Road area.
Later, Da Jun was imprisoned for several years for intentional assault after crippling someone. After his release, he became even more ruthless, gathering a group of young thugs who made a name for themselves in the Huxi Road area.
The residents of the area couldn't help but feel a little afraid when they talked about Da Jun, and Xu Maorong was no exception. Today, seeing Da Jun actually greet him, Xu Maorong felt somewhat flattered.
Da Jun grinned and put his arm around Xu Maorong's shoulder, saying,
"Old Xu, why are you going home like this? Let's find a place to have another drink!"
Xu Maorong became even more smug. The famous Brother Da Jun was actually inviting him for drinks? Did he know he was about to be promoted? But thinking of his shrewish wife at home, Xu Maorong quickly forced a smile and said,
"Brother Jun, let's do it another day! I'll treat you another time! It's too late today, my wife at home… hehe!"
Just then, a white minivan silently glided up. Da Jun's face darkened, and he tightened his grip, coldly snorting, "Enough with the nonsense! Just go!"
Before Xu Maorong could speak, Da Jun grabbed him by the back of the neck. The minivan door opened, and Da Jun lifted Xu Maorong up, shoved him into the van, and then ducked down and climbed in himself.
The minivan sped away from Huxi Road.