Chapter 295: This Matter Is Far From Over!

Tang Ye rushed to the Municipal Party Committee to report the investigation situation regarding Zhu Yue to Du Chengfeng.

Du Chengfeng sneered and said, "I knew it! They are coming for me."

"Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Du is already aware of this matter. Although Xie Miao made a mistake, she was also schemed into this trap by others, so the follow-up handling should be lenient."

Everyone is clear on this!

Wang Xingjian intends to use Xie Miao as a shield to suppress the issues in Suiyuan.

Du Chengfeng frowned, his face solemn: "Set aside the matter of Xie Miao for now. The case now involves murder, and the nature of it is too vile! The situation is on the verge of spiraling out of control, and that is what is most critical!"

Tang Ye paused, then continued his analysis: "The more frantically the other side retaliates, the more it shows that the problems behind the 500 million in fiscal appropriations for Suiyuan are serious, and the illegal and disciplinary violations are likely already deeply rooted."

Judging from the clues Wan Ming has grasped so far, not only do problems like the underselling of state-owned assets and the fraudulent acquisition of fiscal subsidies exist, but it also involves black-evil forces and the protective umbrellas behind them.

Large amounts of special funds have gone missing, which has left many people panicked and eager to cover up the truth.

Du Chengfeng listened quietly, and only after Tang Ye finished speaking did he say earnestly: "We cannot jump to conclusions too early; everything must be based on evidence. Without solid evidence, our actions will be restricted at every turn."

Tang Ye reacted, realizing that he had indeed been a bit too hasty.

As leaders, Du Chengfeng and Zhou Chengwu have goals that go far beyond just rooting out a few small fry.

Even if some of the personnel involved are punished, if the 500 million in fiscal appropriations cannot be recovered, how is this massive funding gap to be filled?

Clearly, the most critical task at the moment is to recover the funds first, and then deal with the illegal and disciplinary personnel according to the law.

This also explains why some local governments have introduced policies of "leniency for returning illicit gains."

—For local development, the return of funds is far more important than simply punishing a few individuals.

However, in reality, there is no shortage of stubborn people who would rather lose their freedom than return their ill-gotten gains.

Just like that criminal involved in a 3 billion corruption case; even though he was sentenced to death, his family members still refused to return the funds...

Du Chengfeng was about to speak when his cell phone suddenly rang.

He answered the call in front of Tang Ye, his tone steady: "What is it?"

"Secretary-General, it's bad! The Municipal Government has been surrounded; there are dozens of people outside causing trouble, all claiming to be Zhu Yue's family!" an anxious report came from the other end of the line.

"Stabilize the situation; do not have any conflict with them under any circumstances," Du Chengfeng ordered calmly.

After hanging up, Du Chengfeng's expression turned gloomy in an instant, his anger hard to conceal.

"Zhu Yue has already confessed; why are his family members still causing trouble?"

Tang Ye thought for a moment and analyzed: "Zhu Yue's family might not know yet that he has regained consciousness. In my opinion, it is highly likely that someone is fanning the flames behind the scenes, deliberately using them to create public opinion in order to pressure the government and create opposition."

Du Chengfeng did not hesitate any longer and strode toward the outside.

Tang Ye followed closely behind, simultaneously dialing Wen Rong's number to have her bring a high-definition camera and rush over.

Arriving in front of the Municipal Government, Du Chengfeng stood in front of the crowd, his voice loud and steady: "I am Municipal Party Committee Secretary-General Du Chengfeng, and also the Team Leader of this Investigation Team. Zhu Yue was indeed attacked yesterday, but after all-out emergency treatment, he has regained consciousness. You may send one relative to the hospital to confirm the situation."

Someone in the crowd immediately started heckling!

"You're lying; someone said Zhu Yue is already dead!"

"Hearing is false, seeing is believing; you will know once you go to the hospital and see for yourselves. Gathering to cause trouble now is an illegal act, but considering you do not know the truth, we will not pursue this for now."

Despite Du Chengfeng's patient explanation.

The troublemaking crowd still did not disperse.

Tang Ye walked quickly to Du Chengfeng's side and whispered: "I just took photos of the scene. There are a few men next to Zhu Yue's family members who are acting suspiciously; they don't look like ordinary citizens at all."

Du Chengfeng looked at Tang Ye in surprise, then reacted and decisively ordered: "Immediately investigate the identities of these people and figure out which ones are Zhu Yue's real family and which ones are here to cause trouble on purpose. We must hurry; once public opinion ferments, we will fall into a passive position."

Tang Ye quickly sent the photos to Wan Ming.

Not long after, Wan Ming called back: "I had people identify them; these are all idle social elements from Suiyuan County, and two of them have prior records for fighting, brawling, and theft."

"Arrest those who should be arrested. I suspect the culprit who attacked Zhu Yue is likely related to them," Tang Ye said in a firm tone.

The police directly arrested several of the idle elements with criminal records.

Without their backbone, the rest of the people dispersed.

As for Zhu Yue's family, they did indeed see that Zhu Yue was still alive at the hospital.

The turmoil triggered by the assassination attempt on Zhu Yue was finally quelled.

However, this incident left Du Chengfeng in an extremely disadvantageous position.

Du Chengfeng returned to his office.

Just as he pushed open the door, the landline on his desk began to vibrate; it was a call from Zhou Chengwu.

"Come to my office."

Du Chengfeng arrived at the Municipal Party Secretary's office.

Sitting on the sofa was, strikingly, Xiao Jingyu.

A look that was not quite a smile hung on his face.

Xiao Jingyu was the first to break the silence: "Comrade Cheng Feng, you haven't even been the Municipal Party Committee's chief housekeeper for half a year, yet your handling of matters is still lacking in maturity. Investigating a case almost cost a life and triggered a mass incident; aren't your methods a bit too radical?"

Du Chengfeng straightened his back and admitted his mistake with a sincere attitude: "There were many oversights in this work; it was my failure to adequately estimate the complexity and severity of the incident, and I failed to prepare emergency plans in advance. The responsibility lies entirely with me; I request that the organization issue a disciplinary action."

Zhou Chengwu waved his hand, his tone slightly helpless: "Let's slow down on this case for now. Many comrades below have strong opinions, and leaders from the province just called me as well, emphasizing that Hanzhou needs to maintain a good and stable investment environment."

Hearing this, Du Chengfeng's gaze involuntarily swept toward Xiao Jingyu, a trace of coldness flashing in the depths of his eyes.

The other party had successfully muddied the waters by creating chaos, causing the originally clear investigation to fall into a stalemate.

He had still underestimated the opponent's methods.

At a critical moment, they were actually willing to stop at nothing to create trouble, making one fear the consequences of acting.

Zhou Chengwu's mood at this moment was equally terrible.

When his superiors sent him to Hanzhou, they hoped he could open up a new situation for development, not trigger a "storm" where both sides would suffer.

Tang Ye received the news that the Special Case Group had ended its investigation and the case had been hastily concluded, and he remained silent for a long time.

The complexity and helplessness of political maneuvering were laid bare in this moment.

Despite holding the advantage in the early stages, the final result was far from as ideal as expected.

Tang Ye slowly stood up, his gaze fixed firmly on the view outside the window.

This matter is far from over!

That five-hundred-million hole must be coughed up by that bunch, every single cent!

Zhou Chengwu surely has his own calculations.

Only by fathoming the thoughts of this Municipal Party Secretary can one parry each move and act according to the trend...