The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 414: City Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Nan Li Takes Action!

Chapter 414: Chapter 414: City Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Nan Li Takes Action!

"Look at you, why are you still angry, didn’t I just say it’s okay..."

Xu Qianli recounted the entire story.

Upon learning that Xu Qianli had embezzled three billion, Teng Ziyin couldn’t help but laugh, scrutinizing Lu Tianlong as if he were a fool.

"Are you out of your mind?" she said. "If Xu Qianli really had embezzled that much money, wouldn’t he have immediately absconded with the funds and fled abroad to enjoy himself? How could he still be here waiting to be caught by you?"

"Are you brainless?"

What, brainless?

Lu Tianlong was infuriated, slamming the table and shouting at Teng Ziyin.

"The evidence is irrefutable, and just now Xu Qianli confessed to having received those three billion in assets. It’s all very clear. Yet you dare to defend him. Do you two have some shady deal going on?"

"I’ve been watching you for a while now," he continued. "Your attitude toward Xu Qianli is obviously wrong. You wouldn’t have taken his bribes, would you?"

The City Disciplinary Inspection Committee had made three consecutive moves against Xu Qianli recently. The first was by Teng Ziyin, who arrested Xu Qianli, only to release him the same day. Afterwards, she repeatedly showed bias in favor of Xu Qianli, leading Lu Tianlong to suspect she must have been bribed by him.

Even without any bribes, there must be some indecent transactions!

This beautiful woman with the attractive figure wouldn’t happen to be having an affair with Xu Qianli, privately seduced by him already, would she?

Teng Ziyin, her face turning blue with anger, responded loudly, "Bullshit! Lu Tianlong, you’re making slanderous accusations without any evidence. If you don’t give me an explanation, I won’t let this go easily!"

"Evidence?"

"Your constant favoritism toward Xu Qianli is evidence enough!"

"Why would you keep helping him if you didn’t take any bribes from him?"

"Let’s not talk about the others. When you detained Zhang Kuisan just before, it was your doing. I have every reason to suspect that you two have some unsavory transactions!"

Lu Tianlong tore off the mask of civility, thinking to himself, Teng Ziyin, so you want to protect Xu Qianli? Dream on!

In today’s case, I, Lu Tianlong, am determined to make it an ironclad case, first to expel Xu Qianli from his post, then transfer him to the justice system for sentencing – he won’t escape the death penalty!

Teng Ziyin wasn’t one to suffer a loss quietly. She grabbed her collar and started arguing with Lu Tianlong.

Two powerful deputy secretaries of the Disciplinary Committee were shouting at each other in the interrogation room, quickly drawing attention from outside. Many from the City Disciplinary Inspection Committee came over to see what was happening.

Anyone with clear eyes could see the reason for their argument—it was all because of Xu Qianli.

Lu Tianlong wanted to take Xu Qianli down, while Teng Ziyin sought to protect him, escalating the conflict between them to the point of such a scene.

Xu Qianli was quite the character. Just a low-level town official, yet he managed to nearly incite a fight between two deputy secretaries of the Disciplinary Committee. He really was no ordinary person.

It was just uncertain how this situation would eventually unfold.

While the two deputy secretaries were at each other’s throats, City Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Nan Li had his hands full.

Lu Tianlong’s sudden detention of Ge Changhong and Xu Qianli had been done on his own initiative and without Nan Li’s permission, catching him entirely off guard.

He was cursing under his breath when he received a call from the mayor’s office, demanding he deal with Ge Changhong and Xu Qianli strictly without any leniency.

He had just hung up the phone from the mayor’s office when the City Committee’s call came through, instructing him to handle the case diligently and to absolutely not wrong a good cadre.

Neither the City Secretary nor the mayor could he afford to offend, and for a moment he truly didn’t know what to do.

Just as he was feeling a headache coming on, he heard two deputy secretaries downstairs almost come to blows, and hurried over with a darkened expression to give them a stern rebuke, quelling their tempers first.

As for Ge Changhong and Xu Qianli’s cases, he decided to handle them personally.

After spending some time reviewing the so-called evidence provided by Lu Tianlong, Nan Li could almost assert that Xu Qianli’s case was not as simple as Lu Tianlong had described.

If, as Lu Tianlong stated, Xu Qianli had actively approached Feng Jiang, forcing him to disclose the location of the hidden 30 billion in assets, and then Xu Qianli got hold of the money, why didn’t he flee?

Thirty billion! That was more than enough for Xu Qianli to live a life of leisure in any country for the rest of his days.

Yet, Xu Qianli hadn’t fled. He remained in Jiang City, which clearly made no sense.

As for Lu Tianlong’s explanation that the money may have not been "laundered" yet, and Xu Qianli wanted to flee but hadn’t managed to, Nan Li simply didn’t buy it. It wasn’t sufficient to explain the situation.

After much consideration, Nan Li had people invite Xu Qianli to his office.

When Xu Qianli arrived, Nan Li personally brewed him a cup of tea.

Xu Qianli said, "This is too much for me to accept."

"What’s too much? You saved the villagers of more than twenty villages in Qinglong Town. I, Nan Li, come from Qinglong Town, you saved my hometown, so what’s a cup of tea to you?"

"Come, have a seat, let’s drink tea and talk."

"I won’t speak in platitudes. I don’t hold any prejudice against you, and regarding that 30 billion, I believe you are not as corrupt as Lu Tianlong claims."

"Tell me exactly what happened. I guarantee I’ll get this taken care of for you."

Nan Li was extremely warm towards Xu Qianli.

He had heard of the young cadre from below, Xu Qianli, known for outstanding work and warm-heartedness, and even for saving many people in his hometown, Qingshan Town—a truly good cadre indeed. He simply couldn’t believe such a person would embezzle 30 billion.

Now, as long as Xu Qianli revealed where that 30 billion was, he could guarantee Xu Qianli a safe way out.

Xu Qianli said, "Since Secretary Nan is asking, I’ll tell you. You know the province has been short of funds for the Tongjing Expressway, lacking over twenty billion, right? The project has been stalled and holding back our province’s development. Those 30 billion have all been invested in this infrastructure project."

Upon hearing this, Nan Li’s ears perked up. "You’re talking about a provincial-level project. How did the money get there? Could it be that someone from the province took the money?"

Xu Qianli nodded, smiling without saying a word, and did not clarify who exactly had managed to funnel the funds into the expressway project through the province.

Nan Li’s face lit up with a smile, "Ha ha, good, I knew you weren’t the kind of cadre Lu Tianlong made out. You did well. Thirty billion, to be honest, even I’m tempted, but you handed it right over to the province, contributing to the highway construction and the economic development. Good, very good."

Nan Li lavished praise on Xu Qianli and looked at him with newfound respect.

Thirty billion—anyone would be tempted, but Xu Qianli had not been moved and had directly turned it over to the province.

Such integrity was indeed undeniable.

Moreover, considering the current situation, Xu Qianli must have a very powerful patron in the province. As for who it might be, since Xu Qianli wasn’t telling, it was best not to pry.

But regardless, this guy’s background was truly not simple; his future was without limit.

Such a figure was definitely worth befriending.