Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 178 Account Book

Xia Qing's brain was working at lightning speed!

Why is Gao Xiaoqin here?

Why did Gao Yuliang specifically invite me to participate?

The only things that connect him to Gao Xiaoqin are the keywords "Shanshui Group" and "Qi Tongwei".

It seems this is what we'll be discussing at the dinner table today.

These two issues are unavoidable.

Let's see what Gao Yuliang has to say.

After Gao Xiaoqin came in, she greeted Xia Qing.

Xia Qing then noticed that Gao Xiaoqin had lost her usual vitality and seemed rather weak, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

At the same time, it was observed that when Gao Yuliang received Gao Xiaoqin, his behavior was very proper, but there was also a hint of distance, which did not seem like a very familiar relationship.

Xia Qing returned Gao Xiaoqin's greeting, and the three of them sat down at the dinner table together.

As Xia Qing sat down, she made another observation.

Wu Huifen appeared very uncomfortable in front of Gao Xiaoqin, her expression revealing a hint of disdain.

This is really interesting; the same family members show two completely different attitudes towards Gao Xiaoqin.

Xia Qing was increasingly looking forward to what was about to happen.

During the meal, everyone praised Wu Huifen's cooking skills and chatted about everyday life.

Xia Qing didn't bring up the management rights contract herself, just waiting to see what Gao Yuliang was up to.

After finishing her meal, Wu Huifen cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen.

Only three people remained at the table.

Seeing that the time was about right, Gao Yuliang looked at Xia Qing and said:

"Minister Xia, you want to ask about the exclusive franchise rights awarded to Huilong Group, right?"

Xia Qing crossed her arms and said:

"Exactly. Secretary Luo Jian said that only you have the right to withdraw it. I'd like to borrow it to see if there's a way to break this deadlock."

After Xia Qing finished speaking, she emphasized one more point:

"If Secretary Sha really loses his position as provincial party secretary because of this matter, I'm afraid none of us will have a good time."

Gao Yuliang maintained his calm smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Xia Qing's words, but instead bringing up a new topic, saying:

"Before that, I'd like to ask Minister Xia to tell me a story... Mr. Gao."

Before Xia Qing could respond, Gao Xiaoqin began to speak on her own, recounting how Zhao Ruilong had broken into the Shanshui Manor on New Year's Eve and threatened Qi Tongwei.

This naturally includes the matter of that recording.

Xia Qing's brows furrowed more and more as she listened.

He was shocked, and beyond that, he was furious.

Qi Tongwei still has something in the Zhao family's hands, and it's something they can't deal with.

He had specifically asked Qi Tongwei beforehand if anything had happened and if Zhao Ruilong had come looking for him again.

Qi Tongwei's reply was that there was nothing unusual.

It's important to understand that the current situation is far more complex than last year. The provincial party secretary has been suspended from his post, the province is at war with the Zhao family, and international criminal Du Bozhong has gone into hiding in Handong.

If any step goes wrong, at best you'll lose your job, at worst you'll lose your life and fortune.

During such a sensitive and even dangerous period, Qi Tongwei still had to conceal something, and it was such a major matter that he concealed.

Qi Tongwei was not only the vice governor, but also undertook the task of cooperating with the Ministry of Public Security in the search for Du Bozhong.

Despite holding such a pivotal position, Qi Tongwei still tried to conceal the problem.

They really can't distinguish between what's important and what's urgent!

Xia Qing was so annoyed she wanted to slam her fist on the table, but she held back in the end.

It's never appropriate to bang on someone else's table or scold their disciples in their home.

Seeing Xia Qing's unpredictable expression, Gao Yuliang comforted her:

"Minister Xia, I understand how you feel. When I first heard General Manager Gao say these things, I felt the same way, disappointed in him. But then I thought about it again, and maybe Tongwei's concealment was just his way of thinking he wouldn't cause us any trouble."

Xia Qing said coldly:

"Does he think that by keeping it a secret, he can handle everything himself and act like nothing happened? Or is he afraid that we'll disappoint the two of us and pull him down from his position as vice governor?"

"It's a combination of both. My disciple is actually quite sentimental, and perhaps he was pressured by us to the point of doubting himself, which led him to make what we consider a foolish decision," Gao Yuliang said with a wry smile.

"It's like a student who makes a mistake and is afraid of being punished by the teacher, so they choose to hide it, which ultimately hinders their studies... You understand?"

Hearing this, Xia Qing's anger subsided considerably, but she remained silent.

Gao Yuliang patted Xia Qing's arm, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"I invited you here today to discuss a solution that satisfies both sides."

Xia Qing, being who he was, naturally knew exactly what Gao Yuliang was planning:

"Secretary Yuliang means that Qi Tongwei should take the account book to Zhao Ruilong so that he can retrieve the recording, and then we can find Du Bozhong's hiding place?"

"As expected of Minister Xia, it's a pleasure to discuss cooperation with you," Gao Yuliang said with a smile.

After a moment's thought, Xia Qing raised several questions:

What if Zhao Ruilong goes back on his word after the ledger is given to him? Or what if there's more than one recording, and he continues to blackmail Qi Tongwei?

What if Zhao Ruilong doesn't take Qi Tongwei to see Du Bozhong? They still can't find his hiding place.

With the account books handed over, Handong's comprehensive anti-corruption work would be missing a crucial piece of ironclad evidence, which would be extremely detrimental to the progress of the work. Xia Qing had ample reason to suspect that Gao Yuliang wanted to use Zhao Ruilong to get rid of the account books that were detrimental to the Zhao family, or rather, to the Handong gang.

Finally, Xia Qing raised the most important question.

Why should I defend Qi Tongwei?

How could Gao Yuliang be so sure that he, as the Organization Minister, wouldn't investigate Qi Tongwei for releasing Ding Yizhen?

Gao Yuliang clasped his hands together and listened patiently as Xia Qing finished speaking.

Gao Xiaoqin was somewhat anxious, and said in a tearful voice:

"Minister Xia, Tongwei has truly reformed. Are we going to let Zhao Ruilong ruin another vice governor? Tongwei has been suffering terribly these past few days. If he hadn't been desperate, he wouldn't have come to Secretary Yuliang for help... You know..."

"I know that if you hand over this ledger, neither you nor the Shanshui Group can escape legal punishment," Xia Qing said solemnly.

"I also know that no matter what my attitude is today, Secretary Yuliang will help you, or more precisely, he will help Qi Tongwei. After all, you handed the accounts to Secretary Yuliang, so whether I participate or not makes no difference."

"Indeed, I will handle everything. But I still hope Minister Xia can witness the next developments as well. By the way, the ledger is here; it might contain something incriminating against me, Gao Yuliang..." Gao Yuliang took a small USB drive from his chest pocket, handed it to Xia Qing, and calmly said:

"Minister Xia, would you like to take a look first?"

Xia Qing looked at the ledger in front of him, which contained a list of people who had dealings with the Zhao family, and could even be described as a roster of the Han University gang.

It was a key piece of evidence that the secret investigation team of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Procuratorate had been longing for.

With this, the comprehensive anti-corruption work in Handong can achieve a breakthrough.

Xia Qing stared quietly at the USB drive, reached out, pushed it back, and said:

"I was completely unaware that General Manager Gao had secretly handed the account books to Secretary Yuliang."

Gao Yuliang calmly put the USB drive away and reminded him:

"By the way, we can't remove the group that's monitoring Liu Qingzhu yet. If we leave them there, they'll always catch something."

Xia Qing was taken aback, not expecting that Gao Yuliang already knew about the secret investigation team's surveillance of Liu Qingzhu.

Therefore, it is likely that Gao Yuliang had already been aware of the secret investigation into the Shanshui Group.

Gao Yuliang did not inform Zhao Ruilong.

At this moment, Xia Qing felt an even deeper sense of apprehension towards Gao Yuliang's abilities and stance!