"You didn't give my invitation a single thought! How can someone be so stubborn?!"
Lin Zhiyan gave her pillow two more vicious punches.
He only needed to hold back for a brief moment, and he could have had much better prospects. Just like her father and grandfather—they didn't have to die.
Lin Zhiyan was practically twisting the pillow into a pretzel.
Her mind began replaying the exchange. She should have responded more calmly; she should have countered his words more sharply.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and the more she felt she had lost out.
"Serves you right being stuck on mountain patrol at a border defense station! Go spend the rest of your life patrolling mountains!"
Once her temper cooled slightly, Lin Zhiyan composed herself, picked up her phone, and dialed Liu Hanwen to report the situation.
"Master Liu, that Lu Zhao is completely impervious to reason. There's no convincing him in just a few words. Reassign him from his post; I'll step in to wrap things up and withdraw the indictment."
Even though she had clashed with Lu Zhao, she still didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
What Lu Zhao was doing was far too dangerous. She worried that Zhao De, pushed into a corner, would lash out recklessly.
Yet the likelihood of that was extremely low. As a Federation regular executive rank, Zhao De would inevitably receive a dignified exit.
For example, a lateral transfer—shifting from the chief executive of a city to the director of an archives, demoted from holding real power to guarding the door.
Zhao De's misconduct did not breach core ideological principles, so an outcome even that severe was improbable.
At best, someone else would take the fall for him; at worst, he would receive a disciplinary sanction.
Political death was the ultimate punishment for an official; physical destruction was far too wasteful of resources and law enforcement personnel.
Liu Hanwen spoke up, his demeanor entirely different from that morning. "No need. If he wants to play Bao Qingtian, let him, but don't you get involved."
Perplexed, Lin Zhiyan asked, "Are you really going to let him uproot all of Fangshi?"
"The Federation's constitutional order still stands, and no secret stays hidden under heaven forever," Liu Hanwen answered. "Now it's no longer as simple as withdrawing an indictment. We would have to produce evidence proving Lu Zhao's evidence invalid."
Lin Zhiyan's heart gave a sudden thud, gripped by a bad premonition.
Master Liu wanted to cast Lu Zhao out to serve as their spearhead.
Flustered, she blurted out instinctively, "Master Liu, he's only a junior officer."
"He is also the deputy leader of the special investigation team."
Liu Hanwen emphasized Lu Zhao's title, subtly making his stance clear.
"This matter has already reached the Dali General Department, so it must proceed through due process to the end."
Lin Zhiyan pressed on, "But he's just a junior officer. You can't honestly expect him to stand against the Chen family all by himself, can you? Please, Master Liu, reassign him and let me handle it."
*This girl actually intends to take the fall for that reckless boy.*
Seeing right through her thoughts, Liu Hanwen said, "How did I instruct you in the past? Power must be locked inside the cage of institutions. You may exercise authority, but you must never abuse it.
"Now that the lid has been blown off, it must follow protocol. This is no longer a matter of whether Lu Zhao should be transferred. When you encounter situations like this in the future, your priority must be to mitigate the fallout before resolving things gradually.
"If you do nothing, the administration will rot to the core. But if you tear open everything all at once, you will cause local power to collapse into chaos."
Just as Lu Zhao needed guidance, Lin Zhiyan needed it as well.
Liu Hanwen was her mentor in the arena of power, teaching her to maintain reverence for the system.
"If you were the Chen family, you shouldn't fight to the death to protect Zhao De either. You would stall until the special investigation team leaves and the case is transferred to local authorities. Many matters can be resolved with dignity. Do not assume that having power gives you license to throw your weight around."
Lin Zhiyan understood.
Eliminating the person when you couldn't eliminate the problem ran contrary to the governing tone of Federation politics.
Changing tack, Liu Hanwen asked, "Xiao Yan, are you on good terms with him?"
"We aren't even friends! Master Liu, you have no idea how impossible that guy is to get along with!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Lin Zhiyan reacted instantly, pouring out a torrent of grievances to Liu Hanwen.
From his living habits down to his peculiar quirks, she recounted every last detail.
Psychic superhumans possessed keen observational skills. Just as Lu Zhao had deduced she was a neat freak from their very first encounter, Lin Zhiyan had quickly come to understand him during their brief interactions.
Besides, this was not the first time she had known Lu Zhao.
After listening quietly, Liu Hanwen said, "Xiao Yan, although you have indeed reached the age for marriage, I hope you will consider matters with care. Some men are not meant to be wed."
The abrupt turn in the conversation made Lin Zhiyan frown. "Master Liu, we were discussing serious business."
"I am discussing serious business," Liu Hanwen said. "Over the great divine power left behind by your grandfather, your uncles' generation has fought tooth and nail to the point of bloodshed.
"You are all that remains of the Lin family's main branch. Leaving it without male heirs will not do. I only wish for you to find someone and live out your life in peace and safety..."
Lin Zhiyan hung up the phone directly and muttered under her breath, "Old reactionary."
She waited until nightfall, but no call ever came from Lu Zhao.
Her phone suddenly rang. Lin Zhiyan snatched it up at once, but seeing it was not Lu Zhao, she set it back down.
She looked out the window. Darkness had already fallen.
From the hotel, she could see the Fangshi Administration Building, where a few rooms still had their lights on.
***
Inside the city executive's office in the Administration Building.
Secretary Liu dialed Lin Zhiyan's number over and over again.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later..."
"All right, stop calling," Zhao De said, waving a hand. "Things have reached this point. They won't stop now."
Refusing to communicate was an attitude in itself.
Secretary Liu said angrily, "This morning they said the matter could be resolved and told us not to act rashly. By evening, even the Special Counter-Terrorism detachment has been indicted!"
Zhao De could only heave a sigh.
If they had succeeded in taking custody of the tainted witness through a joint inquiry during the day, there would still have been room to maneuver.
Even just getting access to Lü Jinshan to make the Lü brothers recant their testimony would have allowed him to delay the proceedings.
He could have stalled until the special investigation team pulled out, transferring the case to local jurisdiction or higher administrative oversight.
That way, major issues could be reduced to minor ones, and minor issues could be swept away entirely.
What he feared most was someone like Lu Zhao, who feared nothing and dealt strictly by the book.
Zhao De glanced at the phone on his desk. He was waiting for a call.
As if answering his thoughts, the telephone suddenly rang.
At the very first vibration, Zhao De answered it. A deep, heavy male voice came through.
"Your issue does not violate core principles, but it has been dragged into the open after all. It must be resolved according to the rules."
Hearing this, Zhao De knew the higher-ups had failed to reach an agreement.
Perhaps an agreement had been reached initially, only to fall apart because of Lu Zhao.
Power struggles were fluid; exploiting every crack was second nature. Lu Zhao had produced sufficient evidence, tempting the top leadership of Nanhai to push the momentum forward with the current.
Conversely, his own backer was likely left with his hands tied.
The director of the Dali General Department was his former classmate, and the two kept in touch every year, yet even he would not forcibly dismiss the special investigation team's indictment for Zhao De's sake.
The most they could do was ostracize Lu Zhao afterward and warn everyone else to keep their heads down and blend in.
Fortunately, it was still only witness testimony. If all else failed, he would stall until the special investigation team departed.
"Does the leadership have any other instructions?"
"Do not stir up trouble toward Cangwu, and under no circumstances draw any Martial Marquis into this."
Chapter 80