Chapter 74: Old Zhao

The Discipline Inspection Commission usually handles cases in hotels.

He Zhi received the County Committee's order to rush to Suxi Township to investigate, saying that the township party committee had corruption and misappropriation, and the situation was urgent, so he had to set off immediately.

Hearing that he was going to Suxi Township to handle a case, no one in the Discipline Inspection Commission was willing to follow. Either they were sick and asked for leave, or they said they had sick elderly people at home and couldn't get away. Handling a case cannot be done alone, so He Zhi had no choice but to press two college students who had just been assigned to follow him to Suxi Township.

Before he left, the County Committee gave instructions, saying the case was reflected by the County People's Congress, and urged the Discipline Inspection Commission to handle the case according to discipline and procedures.

Arriving in Suxi, Liu Quan, as the highest local administrative official, originally had to receive them, but he was busy on the construction site and couldn't take care of He Zhi. The arrangements for food and accommodation couldn't be made at once, and the two college students made a fuss about going back, saying the local area didn't cooperate and they should just summon them to the county for investigation. He Zhi disagreed; without first-hand evidence, he couldn't make such a reckless move.

It just so happened that the Chairman of the People's Congress, Zhu Shizhen, was at home. Seeing this situation, he immediately called Xiao Ma from the office and instructed him to clean up the two guest rooms for the township government to receive superior leaders, and called Old Wang from the canteen, instructing that the three meals a day must have characteristics.

After the arrangements were made, Zhu Shizhen became the first person to be questioned.

After Zhu Shizhen was Old Zhao. Hearing that the Discipline Inspection Commission wanted to talk to him, Old Zhao was so scared he almost wet his pants. He had been cautious all his life and hadn't encountered such a thing yet. Hearing that the Discipline Inspection Commission could take compulsory measures, he didn't know what compulsory measures were, and if he was beaten by an old man like him, it would be a nonsense thing.

Trembling, he went, stood by the door, didn't dare to sit, looked at He Zhi with his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice, "Leader looking for me?"

He Zhi had a full smile, came over, patted his shoulder, and asked him to sit down first. After sitting down, He Zhi opened his mouth and said, "Director Zhao, you are an old cadre, I believe you understand the party's policy. That is, leniency for confession, severity for resistance."

Old Zhao nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, and his heart thumped. Leniency for confession? Did he break the law?

He Zhi said, "You think clearly first, the Discipline Inspection Commission looking for you must have something, and this matter has something to do with you. Think clearly before answering. Anyway, we have time and more patience."

After saying this, he lit a cigarette and waited for Old Zhao to speak.

Old Zhao thought, what matter has something to do with me? He went through his work for decades in his heart and found that he really had no disciplinary violations. Thinking of this, his heart brightened a lot, so he said, "Secretary He, I really have nothing to confess. I am a person who recites the transcendence mantra even when stepping on an ant, so how could I have anything to trouble the leader."

He Zhi sneered and said, "Most people think they are upright and clean. It's only after others uncover the shit cover that they know they have been stinking for a long time. Whether you have something or not, you know it yourself, do you still need me to say it?" Old Zhao had a bitter face, really couldn't remember what he had to confess to the organization. Hearing He Zhi's words, he was very unhappy, so he hung his head, covered his eyelids, and stared at an old newspaper by his feet.

He Zhi couldn't wait any longer, reached out and slapped the table hard. The sound startled Old Zhao so much he almost jumped up. He looked at He Zhi with a pair of muddy eyes and stammered, "Secretary He, I am really an innocent person."

"Good!" He Zhi glanced at him contemptuously and commanded the college student beside him, "Take him to the room, and when he says it, come see me."

This time, besides the two colleagues he brought, He Zhi also called several reliable people arranged by Zhu Shizhen, whose task was to guard those who didn't confess, so as not to have accidents. Usually, when they handle cases, they must open a few rooms in the County Committee Reception House, three people in each room, guarding the detained people in three shifts. Eating and drinking are all solved in the reception house, and once the case is cleared, the expenses are settled by the reporting unit.

Suxi Township was special, fortunately, food and drink were not a problem. The biggest problem was that there was no place for personnel detention, so they had to arrange them where they lived, intending to persist for a few days and then withdraw.

Old Zhao's non-cooperation surprised He Zhi a little. This person was famously honest. He hadn't done anything big in his life. When he was young, his wife died, and he brought up his son alone, helping him get married and start a business. In his old age, he would be so confused as to misappropriate public funds, which He Zhi couldn't understand. No matter how hard it was in the past, Old Zhao's accounts were clear, and not a cent was wrong.

When it came to Liu Quan, he also didn't answer any questions. When asked urgently, Liu Quan would blow his beard and stare. Liu Quan was an old party secretary, his political qualifications were obvious, and his party age was longer than the age of these college students, so he didn't buy their account at all.

He Zhi understood that staying in Suxi Township would not only yield no answers, but might also lead to accidents. So he asked the County Committee for instructions, and the instruction he received was that Liu Quan was temporarily suspended from duty to accept inspection. The County Committee specifically added a sentence, saying Zhu Shizhen would act as township head to preside over the work.

He Zhi took Liu Quan and the others back to the county seat in a hurry, opened four rooms in the County Committee Reception House, separated Liu Quan and Old Zhao, and went to Liu Quan's room every day, waiting for Liu Quan to write the confession material himself.

When Liu Quan arrived in the county, he either slept with his head covered or shouted to drink and eat meat every day. The Discipline Inspection Commission didn't dare to offend him. After all, it hadn't been announced that he was "double-regulated." People who are not "double-regulated" cannot be restricted by discipline, and legitimate demands must be met. So they went to ask the County Committee for instructions again. This time, the County Committee didn't give him a good look, saying he had been engaged in discipline inspection work for a lifetime, and couldn't even handle the problems of a remote township. Was it a personal emotional problem or a work ability problem?

The County Committee's questioning made He Zhi sweat profusely. Returning to the reception house and thinking for a long time, he decided to start with Old Zhao.

Old Zhao was called into He Zhi's office for the second time. This time, He Zhi was amiable and wanted to drink with him, called someone to send two bottles of Erguotou and a dish of peanuts, and the two sat by the coffee table and drank one sip after another.

He Zhi enlightened Old Zhao, "Actually, your case is simple if you say it's simple, and it's really complicated if you say it's complicated. It depends on the attitude of the parties involved. Anyway, the person is dead, this is called dead without proof, right? Old Zhao."

Old Zhao nodded and admitted, "Secretary He, you Discipline Inspection Commission handle this case, I don't understand what it is. If it's because of the loan, there is a loan note, and there is a fingerprint, it's not illegal, right?"

As soon as Old Zhao opened his mouth, He Zhi knew this matter was coming to an end. Taking advantage of the wine, he asked Old Zhao to tell the original story.

Old Zhao was drunk, his speech was slurred, but he could still be understood. So he called the clerk to record on the side. The origin of the matter was that Township Head Hao was hospitalized in Beijing and had no money to pay the hospitalization fee, so Liu Quan asked Old Zhao to borrow 100,000 yuan from the finance office. Old Zhao refused at first, the number 100,000 was too large, and he was afraid he couldn't bear the responsibility. Liu Quan said he would borrow it and guarantee to pay it back as soon as possible.

Old Zhao didn't dare to say anything. Later, Liu Hongyan came to write the loan note. He didn't dare to move money from the finance account, so he misappropriated 100,000 yuan from the sponsorship money. Originally, he thought no one would ask about the sponsorship money. Anyway, the project was being done now, and dragging it for a while wouldn't be a big problem. Later, Chairman Zhu of the People's Congress invited him to drink, and while drinking, he said this matter. He didn't take it to heart either. Everyone was on the same boat, so he couldn't just watch someone die without helping.

It wasn't until He Zhi asked him to sign and fingerprint that Old Zhao felt he had leaked the truth, so anxious that cold sweat flowed down, and he refused to sign to death. He said he was talking nonsense after drinking and couldn't be taken seriously.

He Zhi didn't care either, and let him meet Liu Quan that night.

The next day, Liu Quan took the initiative to find He Zhi and told the problem one by one.

The investigation was clear, and He Zhi took the material to report to the County Committee. After hearing this, Secretary Guan Peishan frowned. This matter made him unable to make up his mind. If it were transferred to the Procuratorate, the cadres of the whole county would be chilled in the future. If it were left unsettled, he was afraid that the same thing would happen again, and it would be impossible to end.

Thinking about it, he felt that this hot potato should be handled by Liu Qimeng. Liu Qimeng received this task and cursed for an afternoon, went to the reception house to find Liu Quan in the evening, talked for four hours, and finally persuaded Liu Quan to leave the right and wrong place of Nangu Township and go to the Agriculture Bureau to be a deputy bureau chief.

Old Zhao finished telling this story, hugged his grandson to pee outside, leaving us looking at each other. I couldn't see that Old Zhao could keep his mouth shut for such a long time in the Discipline Inspection Commission. If it weren't for He Zhi's drink, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to pry his mouth open even if he died. However, I was still thinking, misappropriating public funds had nothing to do with me, why did Zhu Shizhen keep staring at my company, and whether the Discipline Inspection Commission deliberately downplayed this matter or had other plans, I didn't know. ===== CHAPTER 75 =====