Chapter 983: Sha River Investigation

Wang Yinxiang shuddered with fright. He had just been trying to confuse the issue, dragging in irrelevant talk, spouting nonsense off the cuff; in short, he wanted to avoid his personal problem if possible.

He is merely removed from office now; he still has a chance to make a comeback. After all, they are a huge interest group; in his view, even if Yao Daya were to go to prison, he would soon be released. Being removed from office is nothing; it's just a matter of waiting a year or two to regain his position.

He said, "Secretary Yang, I was wrong; I shouldn't have concealed this matter. I should have reported the situation immediately. The problem has already occurred, and the punishment has been issued. I think we should handle the aftermath more carefully. The deceased from both families have already been cremated and buried; we just need to console them."

"This matter happened too suddenly; I truly didn't intend to do it, and it certainly wasn't deliberate, because we are just staff members of the town—how could we possibly do such a thing?"

"Moreover, Deputy Town Mayor Yao Daya also knew about this. Initially, the two of us went together to persuade the members of the two families not to fight or cause trouble. But it was during the Spring Festival, and they had drunk some wine over these days, so they inevitably lost control of their emotions."

"The next day, before dawn, we reported the case to the Public Security Bureau, and they also conducted an investigation. Originally we had already placated the matter, but the Public Security Bureau's rough law enforcement provoked these common people to start causing trouble again. If necessary, I can go explain to the County Party Committee leadership that the responsibility lies with our town; you were on vacation and not in town then, so it has nothing to do with you."

Beside him, Yao Lichun, his face ashen, also said, "Yes, Secretary Yang, this matter was purely coincidental; we didn't want it either—who would willingly bring trouble upon themselves?"

"Those two individuals have long been at odds; it was only after drinking that this incident occurred. We also feel deep regret. Of course, our handling did have problems; in fact, similar brawls have happened before, but we always prioritized placation and education. When this matter proved impossible to resolve, we then reported it to the County Public Security Bureau."

"Originally, doing it this way posed no procedural problem; after all, no township government wants to report its own shameful affairs. We were also considering preserving the dignity of our town government."

Yang Kang, hearing this, grew even more furious: "Nonsense, all of it nonsense! Do you think I don't know what actually happened? Do you think I don't know what's really behind this? I tell you, this matter isn't over; don't think that removing you from office ends it—that's merely the city's disposition."

"The county has already set up an investigation team for this matter, with County Magistrate Su Yang in charge. Anyone involved should promptly turn themselves in; don't let them be discovered and then have the Discipline Inspection Commission come take them away, or else our Guantan Gou Zhen town's dignity will be completely lost."

As he was speaking, a staff member walked in from outside and said, "Secretary Yang, County Magistrate Su has arrived."

Yang Kang first stared blankly for a moment; Su Yang hadn't said he was coming down for an inspection, so perhaps it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even if it was impromptu, shouldn't he first greet me, the Town Party Committee Secretary? After all, he isn't just an ordinary Town Party Committee Secretary—he holds a concurrent position as a County Standing Committee Member.

Though he felt displeased, he still said, "County Magistrate Su is coming down for an inspection, so we'll end our meeting here. What I just said, I ask you to keep in mind: whoever is involved in this matter should explain it clearly; those who ought to turn themselves in should do so; those who ought to write a self-criticism should do so; don't let them come looking for you later."

Having said that, he first turned and walked out.

The other people in the meeting room also left in twos and threes. Because of this matter, these people have had a rough time year after year; they practically live at their workplace, working even late into the night, on duty until midnight, and have even been ordered to form a patrol team, stationed at village entrances to stand guard.

Once such an incident occurs, it becomes a major affair; everyone must focus on prevention to avoid similar brawls recurring. If that's really the case, even Yang Kang, the Town Party Committee Secretary, wouldn't be able to continue in his post.

After everyone had left, Wang Yinxiang and Yao Lichun slowly rose to their feet, exchanged a glance, and both saw a flicker of fear in each other's eyes.

Yao Lichun looked around, saw that everyone had gone far away, then lowered his voice and said, "How did this matter blow up like this? Although we were on duty, what does it have to do with us? Why is it being handled so severely?"

Wang Yinxiang said, "With many people talking, many things can't be kept secret; perhaps they've already uncovered something. But no matter what, we must keep our mouths shut, treating whatever others say as if we didn't hear it. I think Yao Changhe certainly isn't a fool; he wouldn't possibly come running back now."

"As long as no one can prove we participated, we're fine. We've merely been removed from office, not doubly expelled, so we should go to work as usual, work normally. Later we'll contact Ma Su to see if we can arrange a meeting with Secretary Zhang. Even without our positions, we must keep our jobs; otherwise, what's the point?"

Yao Lichun then said, "We want to see Secretary Zhang, but we don't know whether he'll agree to meet us. If Secretary Zhang refuses to see us, we'll go look for County Magistrate Zhao."

"Besides, even if they do find out, what could they really do? Do they dare actually take action? In a moment, we'll quickly contact everyone who knows the details of this matter, one by one, and tell them to keep quiet. Ma Su has already greeted everyone about this, but I still feel uneasy."

Just as they were speaking, someone outside shouted, "Deputy Secretary Wang, Deputy Town Mayor Yao, the leadership has asked you to come out and accompany the inspection."

The two of them then hurried out. At that moment, Su Yang was talking with Yang Kang: "Director Yang, our sudden visit this time is indeed somewhat presumptuous, but it's purely work-related; I believe you can understand. The fact that you've incurred this penalty is indeed something I hadn't anticipated."

Yang Kang said, "No matter what, I still want to thank you; at least in the county you helped me get cleared. This city-level matter is beyond our capability. By the way, are you here this time to investigate this homicide and its aftermath? Or should we first go to the office to talk?"

Su Yang said, "No need; I'd like to go to the Sha River in your town for a walk and a look."

When Su Yang suddenly mentioned the Sha River, Yang Kang didn't react at all, clearly he wasn't well informed about the Sha River matter.

Yao Lichun and Wang Yinxiang's faces instantly changed color; the others were also startled, their expressions each remarkable.