Chapter 1264: A Fatal Mistake

A car with a small Gan-prefecture license plate pulled up in front of an ordinary farmhouse courtyard on the outskirts of Nanxiong County (Nanxiong City).

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man with a dignified air stepped out. He was Liao Jingjun, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Secretary of Ganzhou.

He pushed open the courtyard gate. The courtyard was small, only about eighty or ninety square meters, but it was kept very clean.

Under a grape trellis on the west side, an old man with graying hair sat in a reclining chair.

Beside him was a small table with a cup of tea and a radio playing Peking opera.

Perhaps because the radio was playing, the old man didn't hear the gate open and remained with his eyes closed.

His hand tapped lightly on the armrest of the chair, and he hummed along with the singing from the radio.

Liao Jingjun didn't disturb the old man, but stood not far away, surveying his surroundings.

After five or six minutes, the old man opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Liao Jingjun standing there.

"When did you arrive? I didn't even notice."

Liao Jingjun walked forward: "Just arrived."

The old man gripped the armrests with both hands to stand up, and Liao Jingjun hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

The old man waved his hand with a smile: "No need, I'm not so old that I can't walk."

Liao Jingjun still helped the old man stand up.

The old man said: "You haven't been here for a long time. Let your mistress make a few dishes, and we two will have a good drink."

"Alright!" The old man turned and went into the house, and Liao Jingjun picked up the teacup from the small table and followed him in.

The house was also small, only two rooms, but the furnishings inside were antique and elegant.

An old lady with a refined air was sitting in a chair reading a book; she only looked up when the two men entered the room.

The old lady put down the book in her hand and said happily: "Your master said yesterday that you would come in the next two days."

Liao Jingjun was stunned for a moment, then reacted and flattered him slightly: "Master has always been able to predict things like a god."

"Stop the flattery." The old man scolded with a smile, and said to the old lady: "Go buy some vegetables; I want to have a drink with Jingjun at noon."

"Alright!" The old lady stepped out.

"Mistress, don't buy too much, just enough to eat," Liao Jingjun called out, then handed the teacup in his hand to the old man.

"Sit." The old man took it and sat down in the chair: "Do you know why I have always suppressed you in Ganzhou and wouldn't let you move up?"

Liao Jingjun sat down. In fact, he had had more than one opportunity to be transferred to the provincial level, but they had all been suppressed by the old man.

To be honest, he still felt very dissatisfied in his heart, but he also knew that the old man must have his reasons for doing so.

"Your decision must have its reasons."

"I know you hold a great deal of resentment toward me."

Seeing Liao Jingjun about to say something, the old man waved his hand to stop him: "You don't need to deny it."

The old man took a sip of tea: "At that time, I was the County Bureau Chief, and you were involved in a major robbery and murder case just after you were transferred. During the investigation, I felt that this young man was quite good."

"You were daring and fought hard, charging forward without hesitation in the face of armed thugs, which left a very deep impression on me. Later, you didn't let me down; you did things by the book, were upright and unyielding, and couldn't tolerate any sand in your eyes."

"I have seen too much deceit and treachery; your character is both your strength and your weakness. Because in officialdom, a personality like yours is both an advantage and a disadvantage."

"If you were just at the grassroots level, it wouldn't matter. But once you reach a high position, if you don't know how to be flexible and just insist on the justice in your heart, you will eventually be eaten until not even your bones are left."

"So, I have always kept you in Ganzhou and wouldn't let you move, because with me, this old man, around, even if some people are dissatisfied with you, they won't do anything to you."

"But I have retired after all. If you went to the provincial level with your personality, you would definitely touch the interests of some people, and by then, the face of this old man might not be so effective."

Liao Jingjun understood; the master was suppressing him to protect him.

Speaking of this, a sharp light flashed in the old man's eyes: "Do you know why I opted for early medical retirement half a year ahead of schedule back then?"

Liao Jingjun said: "It was because of the assassination of the Provincial Organization Department Deputy Minister and his wife. You were in charge of the case, but it was never solved, so..."

The old man laughed loudly: "It wasn't that the case wasn't solved, but that the mastermind behind it couldn't be arrested."

"What?"

Liao Jingjun's face changed drastically, filled with shock.

At that time, his master was the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee Secretary, and this case had shocked the central authorities.

Who was the murderer that even his master didn't dare to arrest, and was forced into early retirement?

The old man looked at Liao Jingjun: "This is another reason why I suppressed you and wouldn't let you take a provincial post."

"Master..."

Liao Jingjun just started to speak when he was waved off by the old man.

"Let's talk about your situation."

Liao Jingjun's heart was still churning with stormy waves; it took a long while for him to calm down.

"I can't see the situation in Ganzhou clearly."

The old man sighed: "You have made a fatal mistake."

Liao Jingjun's heart skipped a beat: "A fatal mistake?"

"Yes!" The old man said: "The moment the special investigation team entered Ganzhou, as the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Secretary, you should have met them immediately. Once the dust settled, a position as a full-time Deputy Secretary would have been yours, and governing Ganzhou in the future wouldn't have been impossible."

Liao Jingjun said: "If I went to see the investigation team, the provincial authorities would definitely be dissatisfied with me. By then..."

"The provincial authorities?" The old man had just brought the teacup to his lips, but put it down again upon hearing Liao Jingjun's words: "The team leader is Zhou Hongwen, and the deputy leaders are Yue Jiaqiang and Wang Minyi. Do you think a special investigation team of such a high level has a purpose limited only to Dingnan or Ganzhou?"

Liao Jingjun's face changed: "How is that possible? The Fan family..."

The old man smiled: "You know how the United Mining and Wufeng Mining companies came to be, right?"

Liao Jingjun wasn't surprised that the old man knew about United Mining and Wufeng Mining.

Although the old man had retired, he still had many students and former subordinates; if he wanted to know something, he only needed a phone call.

Liao Jingjun nodded: "I know."

The old man asked again: "Then do you know who the boss behind these two mining companies is?"

Liao Jingjun nodded again: "I know, and a while ago there was a rape and murder case, and a shareholder of United Mining named Song Mao was arrested."

A wise light flashed in the old man's eyes: "Then have you ever thought that this storm in Ganjiang was stirred up by the flapping wings of this very case?"

Liao Jingjun frowned: "Who has such great energy to stir up this storm? The Zhang family? That doesn't seem right either. The Zhang family's sphere of influence is in the military; they can't just interfere in local affairs. Even if they could, it would be impossible for them alone to shake the Fan family."