Chapter 628: Judicial System Annihilated

Some corrupt officials have an almost perverse pursuit of money, treating hoarding money as a hobby, just like stamp collecting and other collecting activities; the director of the Prison Administration Bureau happens to be such a person.

He likes the items he "accumulates" to be "hard currency," easy to store, convenient to carry, high in value, and easy to exchange.

After Sun Yue "broke down the door," he immediately launched a carpet‑search with the discipline inspection cadres.

These people are veteran "search‑and‑seize" experts, all with sharp eyes, and they quickly found something.

Sun Yue directly opened the four‑door refrigerator, casually picked up a frozen fish, feeling its weight. Upon opening it, he indeed found a fortune inside!

He took out all the frozen goods, cut open the bellies of the chickens, ducks, and fish, and inside were all gold bars!

One discipline inspection cadre opened the master bedroom wardrobe, saw several boxes, and upon opening them found they were all bundles of 100‑yuan notes worth 100,000 yuan each; some still had the bank seals unopened, others had stuck together from prolonged pressure, showing a rather clumsy method of hiding money.

Soon, someone discovered a large number of consumption cards in another bedroom, neatly sorted and placed in the cabinet.

Next, someone found five large bags in the guest room, filled with gold, foreign currency, and luxury watches...

Moreover, a custom‑made gas cylinder was discovered in the kitchen, actually concealing millions of yuan in illicit funds!

There was also a password box containing 2.8 million yuan, four cardboard boxes holding a total of 9.39 million yuan, and major discoveries in the toilet, the interlayer of the clothing mirror, the rice bin, the mooncake box, and the noodle box—even a Rolex watch was placed inside a vermicelli bag.

After a preliminary calculation, Sun Yue determined that the corrupt assets in this four‑room, two‑hall residence exceeded 50 million yuan, a complete victory!

At around eleven o'clock, the door suddenly opened; Prison Administration Bureau Director Bao Lin and his wife returned home from work. The couple usually kept a low profile, having lunch and dinner at home, and they were deeply enamored of this "golden house"—if they didn't go back to look at it, they felt uneasy.

Upon entering, the couple saw four or five people "rummaging through boxes and cabinets," taking inventory of the finances, which almost scared them to death; they then fell into shock and panic, wondering whether thieves now openly rob— the director had returned, yet they acted as if nothing were wrong.

"Stop! Who… who are you? You've got guts! Do you know who I am?" Bao Lin shouted, mustering his courage; his wife had already been frightened into a daze, standing frozen in place.

Sun Yue emerged from the bedroom, giving a half‑smile, and said to the couple: "Director Bao, please stay calm; we are from the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee. Today we dared to pay an unannounced visit, never expecting your family's wealth to be so abundant—it's truly enviable!"

Upon hearing this, Bao Lin froze as if struck by lightning, his face instantly turning ashen, his legs going weak, his eyes filled with fear, a chill rushing up his spine—he was almost scared to lose control of his bladder. After a moment, he finally gasped, "Ah?"

Meanwhile, his wife standing nearby was even worse—she felt as if all her strength had been drained, collapsing limp on the sofa, her lips trembling incessantly.

At that moment, the living room was filled with a suffocating terror, as if even the air had solidified.

Suddenly, Bao Lin seemed to snap out of it, walked over to Sun Yue, and whispered, "May I ask who you are? Everything can be negotiated!" He intended to move Sun Yue with the "gold and silver" filling the house.

Sun Yue calmly replied: "I am Sun Yue, Deputy Director of the First Inspection Section of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, Director Bao. Don't indulge in foolish fantasies—that would be wasted effort; our operation is organized and disciplined. Please cooperate with the committee's investigation; you know the discipline: confess for leniency, resist for severity. I hope you can see the situation clearly, discard wishful thinking and truthfully explain the circumstances, voluntarily disclose your illegal acts—that is the 'proper attitude'."

After saying that, Sun Yue gave a glance to the nearby cadres; the Bao couple were immediately seized, taken away, and sent to the Integrity Education Base to enjoy the "soft detention" treatment.

At three in the afternoon, Sun Yue repeated the tactic, going to the deputy director's house of the Prison Administration Bureau, again "breaking down the door," and reaping a bountiful harvest.

The top two leaders were both taken away by the Discipline Inspection Committee, and because the operation was kept secret, no word leaked out.

At seven in the evening, Lu Fan pushed open the office of Secretary Li Xingyuan and, upon entering, said, "Secretary, you're still handling official business!"

Li Xingyuan smiled and said, "Tomorrow I'll go down for research, intending to finish the documents at hand, brew my own tea—what's the matter?"

Lu Fan solemnly said: "Secretary, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has received many reports about the leadership cadres of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau; after investigation and verification, Director Bao Lin of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau is found to have serious corruption, with 65.3 million yuan confirmed so far, and the deputy director about 8.5 million yuan, the evidence being solid. Furthermore, sixteen cadres processed at Ximeng Prison have confessed, and in total twenty‑six leadership cadres of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau are involved in serious violations of discipline and law, bribery and graft."

"In order to 'weave a net' and 'build a dam,' to thoroughly punish corrupt elements, I propose taking immediate action against these twenty‑six people, giving these corrupt elements no chance to breathe or escape."

Hearing these words, Li Xingyuan felt very surprised, but upon reflection it was also understandable, since many people privately speculated that Lu Fan sought to "settle personal scores under the guise of public duty."

After a moment's thought, Li Xingyuan asked, "Is the evidence chain complete?"

Lu Fan replied: "The director and deputy director of the Prison Administration Bureau have already had part of their corrupt assets uncovered; as for the remaining twenty‑four cadres, they are under thorough investigation, and we already hold certain solid evidence against each."

The Discipline Inspection Committee secretary's firm stance made it hard for Li Xingyuan, as the top leader, to refuse, because if anything went wrong he would bear some responsibility; moreover, he did not want to shield the personnel of the Prison Administration Bureau.

After some consideration, Li Xingyuan picked up the phone and dialed Governor Luo Shiyu's mobile.

Soon the call connected, and Li Xingyuan asked, "Governor Luo Shiyu, are you resting?"

"Not yet, Secretary—what instructions do you have?"

"Please come to my office for a moment; the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has an urgent matter, and we will hold a secretary's office meeting."

"All right, I'm still in the office; I'll be there right away."

After hanging up, Li Xingyuan looked at Lu Fan and asked, "How far do you intend to take this case?"

Lu Fan solemnly replied: "The judiciary is the last line of defense for fairness and justice; judicial corruption is the most harmful corruption to the people! This is not merely an economic‑interest issue—many cases involve human rights and lives. Judicial injustice not only severely damages the image of the Party and government, it corrupts Party conduct, government conduct, and social mores, and moreover deals a fatal blow to judicial credibility and authority, shaking people's faith in the rule of law."

"We must never allow judicial organs to wantonly violate the law and practice corrupt law‑enforcement; the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee must severely punish these corrupt elements without mercy, investigate to the end, so that the people of the grasslands may feel fairness and justice."

"Let's hear Governor Luo Shiyu's opinion!" Having said that, Li Xingyuan fell silent, turned his head toward the window, and his thoughts raced.

Lu Fan also didn't know what to say; for a moment the office was unusually quiet, even seeming a bit awkward.

Not long after, Governor Luo Shiyu pushed the door open, breaking the silence.

Li Xingyuan said, "Lu Fan, brief Governor Luo Shiyu on the situation."

"All right, Governor, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee has verified the corrupt conduct of the leadership team of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau, involving a total of twenty‑six people; the leads we have so far are……"

Governor Luo Shiyu listened to Lu Fan's report with a blank expression, leaning slightly on the sofa, his demeanor growing increasingly grave.

Li Xingyuan said, "The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's opinion is to take immediate action against these twenty‑six cadres; Governor, what is your view?"

Governor Luo Shiyu said in a deep voice, "I never imagined the problems of the Prison Administration Bureau would be so serious—abuse of power, neglect of duty, bribery and corruption, degeneration! My view is that every case must be investigated, every corruption punished; we must severely crack down on corruption in the judicial field! I agree with Secretary Lu's and the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's opinions."

Li Xingyuan brought the gavel down, saying, "Since you all share this view, let the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee follow law and regulation in carrying out the procedure—we must never allow corrupt elements to gain a foothold in the judiciary! Lu Fan, no matter who is involved, we must investigate to the end, showing no leniency!" After saying that, he glanced at Governor Luo Shiyu out of the corner of his eye, but saw nothing unusual.

At eight in the evening, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee hastily drafted the documents, and Lu Fan personally brought them for Li Xingyuan to sign.

At ten o'clock, Deputy Secretary Du Wenlong of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee coordinated the deployment; the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Inspection Sections, the Judicial Department Discipline Inspection Group, and other units all mobilized, urgently applying "detention" measures to the twenty‑four leadership cadres of the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau.

Sun Yue conducted real‑time monitoring of the twenty‑four corrupt individuals, so the "arrest" operation turned into a "targeted blast," proceeding very smoothly; they were apprehended one after another at their homes, hotels, KTVs, foot‑massage parlors, mahjong rooms, and similar venues, being "caught in one net." Some of them were in the midst of intensely "studying foreign languages," and were frightened limp; it is estimated that for a considerable period they will be incapable, and even if that ability were to return after a few years it would be useless—they will face severe punishment under Party and government discipline.

At one o'clock in the morning, the interrogation of the twenty‑six corrupt individuals began in full.

Sun Yue went to tackle the toughest bone, personally interrogating Director Bao Lin.

At the outset, the momentum had to be great, to overwhelm the opponent in presence; Sun Yue shouted sternly: "Bao Lin, dreaming of playing tricks with the organization, your calculations of avoiding the essential, concealing the truth, self‑preservation by cutting off an arm, seeking survival by cutting off a tail are no different from covering your ears while stealing a bell—you'll only end up lifting a stone to drop on your own foot! 65.3 million yuan, the evidence is as solid as a mountain; you are a veteran of the judiciary, and you know better than anyone the consequences of not coming clean. If you stubbornly resist, you will surely become a 'highlight' of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee's strict anti‑corruption and heavy punishment, and will inevitably be driven into an abyss of no return."

At this moment, Bao Lin's mind was in turmoil, he had sunk to utter despair, clinging only to the last vestige of willpower, his heart constantly weighing the pros and cons.