after all……
For certain individuals at the top of human society, with their ideas and high standing, the existence of someone like Xu Zhengyang would be absolutely unacceptable, let alone the existence of a so-called god—a species that is omniscient and omnipotent, inspiring fear in everyone, including those with supreme authority like themselves.
Although Xu Zhengyang holds a divine position, and is currently a wandering judge under the Fuhe City God in Cixian County, he still has the body of a normal person, a normal family, and a normal life... He has relatives and friends. We say that this is a kind of bond, responsibility, and concern that makes people feel happy, sweet, and reluctant to part.
In this respect, Xu Zhengyang admired Chen Chaojiang immensely! But there was nothing he could do; he couldn't reach Chen Chaojiang's level of mindset.
Moreover, he doesn't possess the legendary abilities of being able to fly to the heavens, disappear into the earth, be impervious to swords and spears, or kill people from a thousand miles away without leaving a trace.
Now that things have come to this, Chen Chaojiang has suddenly descended upon Shilipu Village, on the eastern section of the Xinbei Ring Road in Cixian County, like a god of death, causing such a huge incident. Xu Zhengyang can no longer remain calm and pretend to be an outsider sitting on the periphery of the storm, seemingly observing the situation but actually controlling the whole situation.
Because Zhao Qing needs to return to Cixian County Public Security Bureau as director and Zhong Shan needs to continue as head of the criminal investigation team, they can be more confident in ensuring Chen Chaojiang escapes this incident unscathed and without bearing any legal responsibility. Perhaps, he will even become a legendary hero.
That night, the judge, who terrified some people, once again traveled to the territory of Cixian County and appeared in their dreams.
The next day, around 3 p.m., Xiao Hanjun, deputy director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, arrived at the room where Xu Zhengyang was being temporarily detained with a gloomy face.
“Xu Zhengyang, I have considered the situation you reported. If I asked you to confront them on the spot, could you do it?” Xiao Hanjun asked in a deep voice.
"Yes." Xu Zhengyang said calmly without the slightest hesitation.
A flicker of doubt crossed Xiao Hanjun's eyes. Xu Zhengyang had previously mentioned fear of the other party's power and worry about retaliation, yet now his answer was so decisive and fearless. However, Xiao Hanjun was quite satisfied. He had hoped Xu Zhengyang would agree before coming, and had even prepared to do his best to reassure him if he had any concerns, ensuring his safety and other reassurances. But now it seemed that was unnecessary.
Xu Zhengyang certainly wouldn't pretend to be pitiful and afraid of retaliation anymore. He knew very well why Xiao Hanjun's attitude had suddenly changed completely. Yesterday, Xiao Hanjun said that his words were completely unbelievable and slanderous, but today he said something like this.
"Very good." Xiao Hanjun nodded in satisfaction and gave a light compliment.
Subsequently, Xu Zhengyang, accompanied by two inspectors, went to a spacious meeting room on the second floor.
Two stern-faced police officers stood outside the conference room door. Inside, four more officers stood on either side of the large conference table, each with a grim and icy expression. The presence of those seated around the table further amplified the oppressive, somber atmosphere of the otherwise spacious conference room.
Among the people sitting around the conference table, Xu Zhengyang recognized one but didn't know him: Liao Yongxian, deputy director of the Cixian Transportation Bureau; and Shan Yaopeng, the acting deputy director of the Cixian Public Security Bureau. Shan Yaopeng, however, recognized Xu Zhengyang. After all, Xu Zhengyang had become quite famous in the county public security bureau during those few days.
Xu Zhengyang didn't recognize the others, but judging from their appearance and demeanor, he figured they were all officials.
There was also a woman, around fifty years old, dressed formally and wearing glasses, but with a stern face as if she had a grudge against Xu Zhengyang. She stared at him fiercely from the moment he entered the room.
The other two men were composed and kind-looking, yet they exuded a subtle air of seriousness.
Xiao Hanjun entered the room and sat down opposite the group. Then he turned to Xu Zhengyang and said, "Sit down."
Without Xu Zhengyang needing to consider where to sit, the two policemen gestured for him to sit on the row of chairs against the wall under the window directly opposite the door.
Several people glanced at Xu Zhengyang. He was young, his face calm, showing no signs of nervousness. A sense of surprise crept into their hearts; it was rare to find a young man so composed in this atmosphere. This young man had made a significant contribution to cracking Hao Peng's drug trafficking gang, not only providing the initial clues but also making substantial contributions to the later interrogation work.
Now, this young man has become an important witness. Whether Zhao Qing, the director of Cixian Public Security Bureau, and Zhong Shan, the head of the county's criminal investigation team, have committed any violations of rules, regulations, or laws, the young man's words are naturally very important.
However, some of the high-ranking officials present are still confused as to why Xiao Hanjun invited them all.
Xiao Hanjun hadn't given any reason beforehand, but his serious expression and earnest tone hinted that a major change might be about to occur in this case.
They were Pang Zhong, the county public security bureau chief; Cao Jingnan, the municipal discipline inspection commission secretary; and Yu Zhenbang, the municipal party secretary; the woman was Tian Ruiying, the municipal vice mayor in charge of the economy.
To everyone's surprise, after Xu Zhengyang sat down, Xiao Hanjun, with a serious and earnest expression, introduced the names and positions of everyone present to Xu Zhengyang. Initially, Xu Zhengyang was somewhat surprised that Xiao Hanjun wanted him to meet with such high-ranking officials. However, when Xiao Hanjun introduced Tian Ruiying, Xu Zhengyang understood. "So that's how it is."
After Xiao Hanjun finished his introduction, he said with a stern face, "Xu Zhengyang, I have the information you provided written by yourself. I'm giving you a chance. Are you sure what you wrote is true, and are you willing to take legal responsibility for what you wrote?"
“Of course.” Xu Zhengyang nodded, his expression calm.
"Hmm." Xiao Hanjun nodded, then took out a few pages of paper and handed them to the high-ranking officials present, saying, "Take a look. This is the information provided by Xu Zhengyang."
The group took it with some confusion, and after a brief look, their faces showed surprise.
Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng's faces turned pale instantly, especially Shan Yaopeng, whose forehead was covered in sweat. Liao Yongxian slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Xu Zhengyang, you will be held legally responsible for what you said!"
"Hmm." Xu Zhengyang was not nervous at all. He looked at Liao Yongxian calmly and said indifferently, "You also have to take responsibility for what you have done."
"You, you're framing me! Slander!" Shan Yaopeng shouted angrily.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head slightly and said something completely unrelated as if deep in thought: "What goes around comes around; there are gods watching from above!"
Everyone in the meeting room was stunned.
Party Secretary Yu Zhenbang turned to look at Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng, and the two, who were about to say something, swallowed their words and sat there with anger and a hint of nervousness on their faces.
"Xu Zhengyang! Do you know how much responsibility you'll bear for saying these things?" Tian Ruiying suddenly spoke coldly.
Xu Zhengyang simply nodded, his face calm. He wasn't nervous or worried at all now. Since Xiao Hanjun had invited all these people, he must be absolutely certain. Well, of course he was confident, Xu Zhengyang thought with a touch of emotion.
"You, you will regret what you have written!" Tian Ruiying was furious, her voice sharp.
"If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear..." Xu Zhengyang said, seemingly out of context, before calmly looking at Tian Ruiying and saying, "It's not good to protect your own."
Tian Ruiying was about to say something when Yu Zhenbang waved her off. He didn't ask Xu Zhengyang anything, but just frowned and glanced at him before turning to Xiao Hanjun and asking, "What investigation results do you have here?"
With a cold face, Xiao Hanjun picked up several more stacks of papers without saying a word and handed them to Yu Zhenbang, Cao Jingnan, and Pang Zhong, but not to the other three.
The three of them glanced at the scene briefly. Pang Zhong took a deep breath and asked, seemingly still in disbelief, "Are all the parties involved here?"
"Do we need to call them all over?" Xiao Hanjun asked rhetorically.
Yu Zhenbang tapped the table with his finger and said, "Spend more time today listening to what they have to say. Hmm, don't let them all come in; let them come in one by one."
Xiao Hanjun turned his head and winked at the two policemen standing by the door. The two understood, nodded, opened the door, and went out.
Tian Ruiying sat there with a straight face, her expression revealing no sign of panic, but her mind was in turmoil. Could Xiao Hanjun really have obtained some compelling evidence? Otherwise, why would he have invited both the Municipal Party Secretary and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission? Inviting these two couldn't be because of Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng's positions… So, what was his purpose? Inviting Tian Ruiying was understandable, because at the beginning of this case, several letters of accusation were submitted directly to the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission through her, and they all knew she was the aunt of the suspect, Tian Qing. But inviting both the Municipal Party Secretary and the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission was somewhat illogical.
Could it be... that this is targeting me? Currently, only I, with my current status, have the authority and the need to invite the two secretaries to attend in person.
Tian Ruiying grew increasingly worried, her eyes showing tension. She glanced at the group out of the corner of her eye but didn't notice anything unusual in their expressions; none of them looked at her. "Everything should be alright," Tian Ruiying reassured herself, carefully reviewing the arrangements she and Liao Yongxian had made. She was confident that everything would go smoothly.
The first to enter were Wang Xiang and Chu Zhitao, former police officers from the Nancheng Township Police Station in Cixian County, who had recently filed a formal complaint against Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan under their real names during the investigation.
After the two men entered, Xiao Hanjun asked with a cold face, "Is the information you gave today true?"
"Yes, absolutely." The two nodded in acknowledgment, glanced at the others present, and then lowered their heads with some nervousness and fear.
"As for what legal responsibilities you will bear, I don't need to say more, right? You should know very well yourselves," Xiao Hanjun said coldly.
The two nodded.
Xiao Hanjun turned his head and looked at Yu Zhenbang, Cao Jingnan, and Pang Zhong.
Yu Zhenbang waved his hand, indicating that they could leave. Xiao Hanjun then instructed the policeman who brought them in to take the two men out and bring the next one away.
Next to be brought into the meeting room were a woman and two girls, one in her early twenties and the other eighteen or nineteen. They were the owner of the long-closed "New Moon Dog Meat Hot Pot Restaurant," her daughter, and another waitress. Perhaps because they saw several police officers and some people who looked like high-ranking officials standing in the room, they were quite nervous, as there was a hint of fear on their faces.
Xiao Hanjun made them recount the fight that happened at the dog meat hot pot restaurant that day, and also made them recount the situation afterward when they were threatened and tempted by money, which forced them to close the restaurant.
The meeting room was very quiet.
Xu Zhengyang remained calm throughout, sitting quietly by the window with his eyes half-closed, as if nothing in the room concerned him, or perhaps he was dozing off.
After the owner of the dog meat hot pot restaurant, her daughter, and the waitress left, three men entered. They were eyewitnesses to the fight that day and also testified during the initial investigation by the municipal bureau's inspection team and the discipline inspection commission that Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang were the ones who initiated the fight, assaulting Shen Haobing and Han Peng.
However, after they came in today, they immediately recanted their confessions, told the truth, and admitted that they had been coerced and bribed into giving false testimony.
The threats and inducements were made by two local bullies and Tian Baotun, the former director of the Nancheng Township Police Station.
Their fear stemmed not only from the two thugs, but also from what Tian Baotun had said: Shen Haobing had powerful connections.
Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng sat there, their foreheads covered in sweat and their faces pale, barely daring to breathe. Tian Ruiying glanced at them coldly before turning away, inwardly cursing them for their incompetence. "Look at the people you've found," she thought, "they're all unreliable."
Fortunately, this matter should not involve Tian Ruiying.
After the three of them left, Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Liao Yongxian said hurriedly, "They, they must have been coerced into saying that."
"Yes, yes, they must have been threatened by Zhao Qing's men..." Shan Yaopeng echoed.
There was no other way; both of them were the ones who reported Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan this time, and because of their positions, they provided the most evidence with righteous indignation.
Yu Zhenbang, Cao Jingnan, and Pang Zhong all looked at the two men with serious expressions.
So the two of them shut up and dared not utter a sound.
Xiao Hanjun waved his hand indifferently and said, "No need to bring Han Biao, just bring Tian Baotun over."
The arrival of Tian Baotun completely shattered Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng's last glimmer of hope.
Because Tian Baotun not only admitted to coercing and enticeing people to give false testimony, and conspiring with Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng to frame and persecute Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan, but he also produced a cassette tape. According to him, it contained all the recordings he had secretly made of his conversations with Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng about these matters. He originally intended to use these recordings to gain benefits from Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng in the future, such as promotions and finding jobs for his family members, etc.
Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng didn't say another word. Sweating profusely and looking utterly hopeless, they slumped into their chairs. Four policemen were already standing behind them.
At this point, Tian Ruiying was completely disappointed in the two of them; they were two idiots who were good for nothing and good for nothing.
Yu Zhenbang waved his hand with a gloomy expression and said, "Take him out for questioning."
Pang Zhong nodded, and was about to order the police to take the two away when Xiao Hanjun said, "There are still some people who need to provide information."
Everyone present was taken aback.
Xiao Hanjun nodded and gestured to the subordinate standing at the door.
A short while later, the meeting room door opened and four elderly people entered... who turned out to be Tian Qing and Xing Yufen's parents.
As soon as the four elderly people entered, Tian Ruiying's face suddenly darkened, then turned red, and then turned pale in an instant. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, as if she had a premonition that something was about to happen.
Sure enough, the four elderly people sighed and lamented that they shouldn't have gone to the city to file a complaint. They said their child had broken the law and should be punished accordingly. Then they revealed a shocking piece of news: Xing Yufen wasn't insane, or rather, although she had been insane before, she had now regained her mental state. That morning, after reporting their situation to the investigation team in the city, they requested that Xiao Hanjun take them to see Tian Qing and Xing Yufen again. Surprised, Xiao Hanjun agreed and personally went to the city's No. 1 Detention Center to see Tian Qing and Xing Yufen.
The two were in good spirits and were not as neurotic or even insane as previously rumored.
Next… all four elderly people looked at Tian Ruiying, sighing and offering words of comfort and resignation. They essentially said things like, "We accept it. Who told our child to go astray and break the law? Who knows how many people they've harmed? If we had known they were doing this, we, as parents, would have taken them to the police station ourselves, even before the police arrested them…"
Tian Ruiying angrily interrupted the four elderly people's incessant, tearful rambling: "Why are you telling me all this?"
"Huh?" Tian Qing's mother looked surprised and said, "Sister, didn't I just tell you not to worry about them anymore?"
"Why should I worry about anything? Don't talk nonsense!" Tian Ruiying hurriedly interrupted her sister-in-law.
Yu Zhenbang waved his hand to stop Tian Ruiying from continuing, his face growing increasingly grim. By now, Yu Zhenbang, Cao Jingnan, and Pang Zhong all understood why Xiao Hanjun had invited all three of them. It wasn't because Xiao Hanjun valued Liao Yongxian and Shan Yaopeng's identities or the change in the reported situation, nor was it because Xiao Hanjun dared not handle these matters on his own; it was because of… Vice Mayor Tian Ruiying!
"Take him away and ask him about it," Cao Jingnan suddenly suggested calmly.
Yu Zhenbang nodded, and Xiao Hanjun then ordered his men to take the four elderly people away. Naturally, they would then conduct some detailed questioning.
"I didn't do anything!" Tian Ruiying said through gritted teeth, her face pale. "I just heard some information and felt that something was amiss, so I raised questions about the case."
No one spoke; they all stared at Tian Ruiying, their eyes revealing a variety of indescribable expressions.
"What people do is seen by Heaven; there are gods three feet above your head!"
Abrupt words echoed through the quiet meeting room. Xu Zhengyang, who had been sitting in the corner by the window, seemingly dozing and appearing to have been forgotten by everyone in the meeting room, suddenly opened his squinted eyes and uttered this seemingly unrelated sentence in a calm and indifferent manner.
It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, waking up the doubts in the hearts of those in the room, but it didn't completely clear them up.
It's truly baffling and astonishing. It's unbelievable that these people, who were previously determined to persecute and retaliate against Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan, would suddenly change their minds and turn against them, pushing those who were initially certain of victory into an abyss from which there is no escape.