However, it hasn't gotten to the point of isolation and investigation yet. After all, their identities are different, and without solid evidence, who would dare to take action against the Li family?
Even so, it was enough to greatly shock the Li family lineage.
It's important to understand that if it's confirmed that the Far East smuggling case is indeed linked to the Li family, the resulting upheaval at the highest levels will be no joke. At that point, even the top two leaders will have to carefully consider whether they can take action against the two brothers from the Li family.
One thing is certain: if the Li family is indeed responsible for the Far East smuggling case, then the power of this faction will definitely plummet, and within ten years, it will be completely eliminated.
Fortunately, no one has dared to touch Li Ruiyu yet.
Because Li Ruiyu is a high-ranking military official, no one dares to overstep their bounds.
“Zhengyang, I’m worried that someone will summon you soon, and it will be difficult for you to leave,” Li Ruiyu said with a serious expression.
Xu Zhengyang lowered his head slightly, smoking a cigarette. Li Ruiyu had already explained the general situation to him. He was now pondering his next move. The matter was obvious. Since Li Ruiqing had been taken away to cooperate with the investigation, if Xu Zhengyang chose to go abroad now, he would definitely be accused of trying to cover something up.
"Dad..." After a long period of contemplation, Xu Zhengyang smiled, raised his head, and called out softly.
Li Ruiyu looked at Xu Zhengyang.
"Two choices: either let me go abroad and bring Ding Changri back, or... I'll take action!" Xu Zhengyang still had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed absolute confidence.
Li Ruiyu lit a cigarette and remained silent.
He understood what his son-in-law meant. Yes, with his personal status and abilities, he could definitely help Xu Zhengyang go to Canada smoothly, but that would cause an enormous upheaval, making high-ranking figures re-evaluate him and even develop some different opinions about him.
In addition, Xu Zhengyang mentioned a second option: he would take action.
What would Xu Zhengyang do? He would undoubtedly take an incredible and awe-inspiring action, exposing the mastermind and forcing them to confess and submit to the law. Li Ruiyu had no doubt about this; he believed his son-in-law could do it, because he was a deity.
After considering for a few minutes, Li Ruiyu took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "You decide."
“Okay, I’ll go abroad,” Xu Zhengyang said seriously.
Li Ruiyu paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I will arrange it."
"Alright. I'm going to bed now." Xu Zhengyang smiled, got up, and left the study as if nothing had happened.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang had already thought about it. The simplest, most direct, and fastest way was to take immediate action, dispatch ghost messengers, or even personally go out and find the mastermind behind it all. He could threaten the safety of the mastermind's family, use the soul-beating whip or soul-beating ruler, or have the gods appear to intimidate and threaten them. In short, there were too many ways to make the mastermind confess their crimes.
The problem is that doing so is inevitably too bizarre.
Moreover, Ding Changri was determined to bring him back no matter what; he couldn't let him live a carefree life abroad. This guy held some of the most crucial secrets in the case, and possessed a huge fortune—the exact amount of which remained a mystery.
As Li Ruiyu had told him before, no Western country would be willing to release someone like Ding Changri; his influence is too great. This involves many complex reasons from various perspectives.
Xu Zhengyang and Li Ruiyu were actually thinking the same thing: this case was extraordinary, extremely complex. It definitely involved high-ranking figures. If they were to bring down a high-ranking figure, the overly extreme and bizarre methods would inevitably arouse suspicion and speculation from all sides. Was the Li family deliberately obstructing things? Were some people being coerced by the Li family?
For various reasons, the only way to resolve this properly is to take down the other party in a fair and square manner with solid evidence!
In fact, as things have progressed to this point, there's no need for the ghost messengers to investigate anything. Li Ruiyu, Li Ruiqing, and Xu Zhengyang have already roughly guessed who the mastermind is.
Xu Zhengyang called Li Ruiqing and instructed him to notify his trusted associates in the investigation team to immediately carry out the arrests. Xu Zhengyang promised to assist Li in the subsequent investigation. Li Ruiqing immediately began arranging various tasks. Very few people knew about the plan. However, just as they were about to implement it, a last-minute change of leadership occurred. The person in charge of the investigation team, a member of the Li family faction, was replaced. Why?
It's very simple. At that time, someone learned the news and notified Ding Changri. At the same time, Ding Changri's contact with Xu Zhengyang and Jinghui Logistics Company was also reported to the higher-ups by someone with ulterior motives.
The timing was so coincidental and close together, the plan was absolutely meticulous and without a single flaw.
To outsiders, it's highly likely that Li Ruiqing or his confidant informed Xu Zhengyang, who then told Ding Changri to flee; or even that Li Ruiqing personally notified Ding Changri.
Xu Zhengyang went to get some sleep.
Now that he had made up his mind, he naturally wanted to get a good night's sleep. If his father-in-law didn't make proper arrangements, it wouldn't be difficult for him to board a plane to Canada. At worst, he could just have the ghost messengers control anyone who tried to stop him on his way to the airport or during the flight. But if they forcibly prevented the plane from taking off or brought it back after takeoff... then Xu Zhengyang shouldn't blame him for being ruthless and making sure the mastermind behind it all suffers first.
He slept soundly, but his father-in-law, Li Ruiyu, couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
Because Xu Zhengyang's plan to leave the country by plane after daybreak will inevitably cause shock and obstruction from all sides.
He still has a lot to arrange for this, and at the same time, he needs to consider what to do if the worst-case scenario occurs.
This night is destined to be a sleepless one for many.
Even those unrelated to the situation found themselves sleepless, silently and anxiously watching every move. This was because, regardless of who won or lost, the outcome would cause a massive upheaval at the highest levels of government.
...
It was 10:00 AM.
After the rain, the scorching sun once again blazed overhead, dispelling the clouds and the coolness, and casting its intense rays upon the earth. With the rain and the blazing sun, the entire capital city felt like a sauna—hot and humid, making those who lived there feel as if they were being steamed in a pot.
However, for the sake of making a living, and for all sorts of dreams and goals, people are busy and on the go, regardless of the uncomfortable weather.
In Beijing, ordinary urban life continues at its usual high speed.
Beneath this seemingly tense yet peaceful surface, undercurrents, or more figuratively speaking, high-level air currents, are colliding, brewing a storm and dense dark clouds.
The Ersey Hotel is located just 0.5 kilometers from the entrance of Terminal 3 at Beijing Capital International Airport.
In a small business meeting room, Xu Zhengyang sat calmly on the sofa, smoking and drinking tea. He seemed completely oblivious to the presence of the other people in the room, whose expressions were serious to the point of being indifferent.
Of the two people originally scheduled to accompany Xu Zhengyang, Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun, only Chen Hanzhe was inside, standing behind Xu Zhengyang, while Zhu Jun was standing outside the door.
As expected, Xu Zhengyang was stopped at the airport early in the morning.
The conditions here are quite good. Xu Zhengyang looked around at the interior decoration and facilities, thinking that if it weren't for the emergency, he would really be willing to let them lock him up here for a few more days. Enjoying life for free is quite nice. If he could bring his wife to live with him, that would be even better.
I wonder if the security personnel who were responsible for stopping Xu Zhengyang and bringing him here would be so frustrated they'd vomit blood if they knew he had such thoughts.
At this moment in the capital, in the conference room of the Ministry of Public Security, a high-ranking national figure, several leaders of the Ministry of Public Security, and important figures from the State Security Bureau and the Special Affairs Bureau were all present.
Of course, among these people, there is one extremely special person: Li Ruiyu.
Today's events are rather unusual. Xu Zhengyang is going abroad, and doing so openly. We can't let him leave now; he's very likely involved in the Far East Machinery Group's major smuggling case, tipping off the mastermind, Ding Changri… and behind him is Li Ruiqing, who is currently being questioned.
That's a very important person, so the relevant departments have to pay close attention to him.
Now, it's quite inconceivable that a high-ranking military officer, who in ancient times would have been a regional lord and a general guarding the capital, would ask someone to let his son-in-law pass through.
Isn't this too frivolous?
Generally speaking, close relatives, fearing suspicion, would choose silence in such matters, avoiding directness. Where is this kind of directness and clarity? Does he think he could lead an army to force the emperor to abdicate if things aren't allowed here? Good heavens…
Of course, Li Ruiyu wouldn't do that.
However, he still surprised everyone by saying, "I personally guarantee that Xu Zhengyang will return this time, and he will bring Ding Changri back with him! I will take responsibility for all the consequences!"
Is this something a senior military officer should say or express?
Obviously not.
But it happened.
In layman's terms, this is equivalent to Li Ruiyu pledging his official position, not to mention his precious life and the future power of the vast network of connections involved.
But this unconventional approach left everyone present momentarily at a loss. What was he doing? Was he using his absolute influence to force everyone to comply? While those in their positions wouldn't normally care about such things as saving face, what were they to do when something like this actually happened?
Everyone was in a difficult position; to put it bluntly, they were all—human beings.
Everyone present was puzzled. What made Li Ruiyu so confident that his son-in-law could bring Ding Changri back?
Are you kidding me?
Most people, of course, hope that Xu Zhengyang can really bring Ding Changri back, but that is almost impossible.
One of them, however, would not allow any unexpected events to occur under any circumstances, and was unwilling to let Xu Zhengyang take any action, even if it was something impossible.
He was Song Yi, the Vice Minister of Public Security. He said with a sneer, "This is not a conflict between ordinary friends that can be resolved with personal connections. This is the largest smuggling case since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The number of corrupt officials involved, regardless of their rank or number, is unprecedented in the world..."
Before he could finish speaking, two cadres abruptly interrupted him, suggesting that Xu Zhengyang could give it a try.
The meeting room fell silent immediately.
Isn't that absurd?
Are you playing house?
We're not children, we're not ordinary people. Saying these words carries a mountain of responsibility on our shoulders!
After everyone's initial surprise, they began whispering amongst themselves, secretly grappling with their predicament...
A secretary walked into the conference room, walked up to the person with the highest position and the most authority among those present, whispered a few words to him, and then handed him her phone.
He held the phone to his ear, mumbled a few words, and then his brows furrowed tightly.
After finishing the call, the man in his sixties gently tapped the table and said, "Let that young man give it a try!"
...
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 278: The Bet
He was stopped outside the airport and taken to a hotel where he stayed for the morning. He had a free lunch, and at 2:30 pm, Xu Zhengyang successfully boarded a plane to Vancouver, Canada.
He felt quite relieved, thinking to himself that he had gotten a great deal again.
Even if no one had stopped me, I would still have had to wait until 2:30 PM to board the plane after buying the ticket. Now, it's all perfect – I can stay in the hotel for free, and even the plane ticket has been bought and reimbursed…
He then felt that his previous decision was incredibly wise.
Yes, Li Ruiyu had already arranged for someone to book his plane ticket, so there was no need for him to go to the airport early in the morning. But Xu Zhengyang said at the time that it was going to happen sooner or later anyway, so he might as well go there. This would naturally make those people watching them panic, and they would expose themselves prematurely.
Judge Li Haidong and Ghost Messenger Captain Su Peng's investigation did not yield the expected clues.
Although they have identified one person as being inevitably connected to the Far East Group's massive smuggling case, and they haven't yet located him, it wasn't him who tipped off Ding Changri, allowing him to flee beforehand. Therefore, the next targets to be investigated are the other members of the relevant investigation team.
Now, Xu Zhengyang and the Li family are not concerned about how much the person who leaked the information is related to the case, but rather about the person who leaked the information and the relationship between the person behind the scenes who is causing trouble for the Li family.
This is an important witness testimony.
These matters can only be investigated by Judge Li Haidong alone for the time being. Su Peng and Wang Yonggan, the two ghost messengers, are to accompany Xu Zhengyang to Canada.
Xu Zhengyang left with a relaxed attitude, but he knew that Li Ruiyu must have put in a lot of effort for this.
However, he was unaware of the immense effort Li Ruiyu had truly put in and the vast network of connections he had mobilized for this seemingly simple matter.
In the morning meeting room, Li Ruiyu's tough stance, which caught everyone off guard, and his seemingly foolish act of throwing away that enormous official hat as a wager, were not enough to convince anyone. However, after the front-line leader received a phone call, he immediately seemed somewhat helpless, but also casually tapped the table and said that Xu Zhengyang could go abroad for a trip.
Because the call he received was from another big shot.
Equally unreasonable, equally unconventional, he said in a somewhat foolish manner, "I know Xu Zhengyang. Even if he can't do it, he won't run away and never come back. He has a large family and business... If he is really guilty, he will take the blame alone and not implicate so many people."
The person who made this call was Ye Rongchen.
In fact, at the beginning of this meeting, this high-ranking elderly man had received a call from another person, Jiang Lan, who had been estranged from Li Ruiyu for many years.
Jiang Lan said, "Uncle Qiu, I still trust my son-in-law..."
Although the words were spoken politely, the firmness in her tone was rather frustrating. She was as stubborn as a little girl throwing a tantrum in front of her elders.
In other words, Xu Zhengyang was going abroad alone, and because the matter was of great importance, all the important figures from the Li, Jiang, and Ye families stood up to vouch for him, which meant that the future of the three families was at stake! Because unless Xu Zhengyang brought Ding Changri back alive and well, and Ding Changri really confessed everything honestly, it was obvious what kind of situation these three families would face.