Chapter 347: There Is an Even Bigger Case!

Cao Zhengchun sneezed twice in succession without warning, then walked to the window with a slight frown.

The cold wind, carrying a fine drizzle, poured into the house; he reached out to slowly close the glass window, the metal frame emitting a dull thud as it collided.

Just then, the landline at home rang sharply.

Cao Zhengchun glanced at the pulsing caller ID and pressed the speakerphone button; his wife's voice came through, laced with tears, "Old Cao, something terrible has happened."

Cao Zhengchun frowned, "Don't be so jumpy. Stay calm and tell me slowly."

"Our daughter has been taken to the Police Station! You have to think of a way, quickly!"

Cao Zhengchun's pupils contracted sharply, "She was fine, how could she be arrested? Wasn't she supposed to return to South Korea today?"

"She was caught at the airport; they say it's for gold smuggling!" his wife said, clutching her chest. "How could this child get involved in smuggling? It's all your fault. I told you, a girl should be raised in luxury, otherwise, she wouldn't end up in a mess like this."

Cold sweat rolled down Cao Zhengchun's forehead, soaking his shirt collar. He forced himself to stay calm: "Don't worry, let me look into the situation first."

"You must save our daughter, or I'm divorcing you!" Before the words had faded, the call was disconnected, leaving only a "beep-beep" busy signal echoing in the empty office.

Cao Zhengchun slumped into his chair, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from the back of his neck.

His daughter returning home without a word, only to be inexplicably caught up in a smuggling case—this was no coincidence!

It was clearly aimed at him!

He took a deep breath, his hands trembling as he picked up the landline and dialed a contact in the police system.

The person on the other end spoke with a fawning tone: "Director Cao, what instructions do you have?"

"My daughter has run into trouble; she was taken away by the Police at Qiongjin Airport, allegedly for smuggling. Can you help me find out the reason? Is there some kind of mistake?"

"Ah?" The other party was clearly stunned, "Director Cao, don't be anxious. I will verify the situation immediately and get back to you!"

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again, but the voice in the receiver was as cold as ice: "Director Cao, this matter is suspicious—your daughter is being detained by the Suiyuan County Public Security Bureau."

Suiyuan County?

Cao Zhengchun felt as if the blood in his entire body had frozen instantly.

"How could this involve Suiyuan County?"

"The information I have is that your daughter is suspected of smuggling gold, illegally carrying six kilograms. If proven, she will face at least five to ten years in prison." The other party paused, their tone growing colder, "Wan Ming is handling this case. He is a police hero who has been continuously promoted by Secretary Zhou over the past few years. It will be very difficult to communicate with him. Forgive me, but I am unable to help."

Cao Zhengchun felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; he slumped on the sofa, utterly devastated, his mind a blank slate.

Just then, the doorbell rang abruptly.

He rose mechanically to open the door, only to see Tang Ye standing at the entrance with a smile on his face.

"Section Chief Tang, you, why are you here?"

"I just came from Director Gao's place. He said you lived next door, so I came over to disturb you. Is this a bit presumptuous?" Tang Ye's voice carried a perfectly measured smile.

Cao Zhengchun forced himself to perk up: "How could it be? Please, come in!"

Tang Ye changed into slippers.

He walked into this slightly dilapidated seventy-square-meter small house.

Every administrative rank has its own housing standard.

Cao Zhengchun is a Department-level Official, and the standard should be ninety square meters, so this house not only did not exceed the standard, it was actually below it.

The outside world always said Cao Zhengchun was exceptionally incorruptible.

If one didn't know what Cao Zhengchun was doing behind the scenes, it would be easy to be deceived by his hypocrisy.

The worn edges of the sofa, the washbasin filled with clear water, that bowl of simple plain noodles with pickled cucumbers on the table...

Everything reflected the owner's deliberate attempt to cultivate a persona of poverty.

"Director Cao, is this what you eat for dinner?" Tang Ye raised an eyebrow.

Cao Zhengchun shook his head with a bitter smile: "My stomach isn't good; I've eaten this since I was a child, I'm used to it."

"Director Cao, you are the Director of the Hanzhou City Finance Bureau, managing tens of billions every year. Eating this is a bit too shabby, isn't it?" Tang Ye's tone carried a hint of mockery.

"That is public money." Cao Zhengchun laughed at himself, "After all these years, no matter how much money passes through my hands, it's just a string of numbers."

Before he could finish, Tang Ye suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Cao Zhengchun was shocked: "Section Chief Tang, what are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to a place." Tang Ye's smile was meaningful, "Shuimo Jiangnan, you should be very familiar with it, right?"

The words "Shuimo Jiangnan" hit like a heavy hammer, causing Cao Zhengchun's face to turn deathly pale in an instant.

Just then, several dark figures rushed in from outside the door.

Cold handcuffs instantly locked his wrists...

Shuimo Jiangnan is a villa complex built five years ago.

Tang Ye followed the investigation team to a villa in Shuimo Jiangnan.

This villa was registered under the name of the younger brother's wife of Cao Zhengchun's wife; it hadn't been renovated yet, and the floor was covered in thick dust.

Tang Ye escorted Cao Zhengchun to the underground garage, where a dilapidated van was parked.

Wan Ming gave a wink to his subordinates, who quickly opened the van, and then they saw a shocking scene.

Bundles of banknotes, both new and old, were stacked neatly, layer upon layer, filling the van.

So much cash concentrated in one place had a powerful visual impact on everyone.

Tang Ye walked slowly toward one of the garage walls.

There was no such wall on the blueprints; it was clearly added later.

He picked up a sledgehammer and struck it heavily.

As the bricks and stones crumbled, the scene behind the wall left everyone present stunned!

An entire wall was densely packed with banknotes, like a golden fortress.

"My god, Cao Zhengchun, I guessed you were suspected of corruption, but I didn't expect you to be this greedy. I really admire you. A person like you managing the purse strings—isn't this like a mouse falling into an oil vat? The key is, since you're already this rich, why let your daughter smuggle gold?"

Cao Zhengchun suddenly raised his head, his eyes full of terror and anger: "My daughter was arrested by you?"

Tang Ye did not answer Cao Zhengchun directly, "Ever since Cao Lingling returned to the country, we have been closely monitoring her. It is truly ironic; the moment Lin Ru was investigated, your daughter found herself a new partner. If Lin Ru were to find out about this, aren't you afraid she would turn against you?"

Veins bulged on Cao Zhengchun's forehead as he roared at Tang Ye, "You framed me. I have no grudge against you, so why are you targeting me like this?"

Tang Ye sighed lightly, "Director of the Finance Bureau, it is not that I want to target you. Although you hid it well, having embezzled so much money, the truth would have come to light sooner or later. Of course, Lin Ru's testimony was the fuse."

Cao Zhengchun knew his daughter had broken up and returned to the country, and he vaguely sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

He suddenly collapsed onto the floor, wailing loudly, "I was wrong! Living in fear every day, waking up from nightmares every night, I have failed the Party, I have failed the people..."

It is normal for Cao Zhengchun's emotions to fluctuate so violently.

Many people would lose their reason when encountering such a situation.

"Stop acting! If you truly had any sense of reverence, would you have ended up at this point?" Tang Ye said coldly.

"I never thought money could come so easily; as long as I said I was short on funds, someone would immediately take the initiative to send money over. Over time, I became numb. If there was money, I would take it; if they didn't give me money, I would hint at it."

"But with so much money, I didn't dare to use it openly, so I only dared to hide it secretly. When the night was deep and quiet, I would stand in front of this wall and silently calculate the value of this wall."

"How much in total?"

"Two hundred thirty-nine million, five hundred fifty-four thousand, six hundred yuan!"

Tang Ye's gaze sharpened: "You even remember the odd change clearly; as the Director of the Finance Bureau, you are indeed terrifyingly 'sensitive' to numbers!"