Next, Ding Qiushan was subjected to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection's full investigative treatment.
By the time they were through with him, his hair was disheveled and his face haggard. Dark circles and bags had appeared beneath his bloodshot eyes.
"That will do. The crimes are documented in detail, and the evidence is comprehensive! We can hand the case over to the court for trial!"
Ding Qiushan remained tight-lipped and disclosed nothing.
But that did not matter. The director of Division One had nothing but ironclad evidence. Even if Ding Qiushan played mute and said absolutely nothing, it made no difference.
This interrogation was merely a formality.
When he saw the interrogators getting ready to leave, Ding Qiushan was bewildered. He had not said a thing, so why were they saying the evidence was comprehensive?
Ding Qiushan knew all too well how many crimes he had committed, and how serious they were.
If he actually went to court, he was certain to receive the death penalty.
Ding Qiushan gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. He would try to earn leniency by helping the investigation and drag the others down with him.
"You brought this on yourselves by ignoring me and abandoning me. You've left me no choice but to send you all to prison with me!"
Ding Qiushan raised his hand and called them back. "I want to report someone! I'll expose them! So-and-so... took a million from me! And there's also..."
Ding Qiushan still retained some sense. He only reported a few people whose ranks were similar to his.
He did not dare report those higher up...
"Oh? Do you have evidence?"
"Can I trust you? If I tell you where the evidence is, you won't destroy it before anything can be done, will you?"
"Rest assured. There are surveillance cameras here, and plenty of people are watching. If you have evidence, we'll certainly act on it!"
"All right. The evidence is in such-and-such villa, in..."
The director of Division One sat back down with interest and resumed his conversation with Ding Qiushan.
Ding Qiushan told him where he had hidden the evidence.
"Uh... we already have the evidence you're talking about!"
After hearing him out, the director of Division One immediately lost interest. Somewhat speechless, he pulled out a kraft paper envelope.
He waved it in front of Ding Qiushan.
Ding Qiushan was baffled. What was going on?
The villa was not even registered in his name. How had they found it?
He had never told anyone where the villa was.
"The investigation team discovered your villa long ago, and they already found the evidence you mentioned! However, there's nothing in it about that so-and-so you named..."
"There's only evidence of the crimes committed by so-and-so... and so-and-so!"
The director of Division One opened the kraft paper envelope and showed Ding Qiushan the evidence, piece by piece.
Looking at the familiar documents and photographs, Ding Qiushan fell silent. This was indeed the evidence he had hidden.
The only difference was that all the evidence concerning those powerful figures had vanished. All that remained implicated him and a few minor players.
"Hahaha! No wonder, no wonder! No wonder those bastards weren't worried at all. They took the evidence away ages ago!"
Ding Qiushan finally understood why not one of those powerful figures had helped him, why they had all quietly watched him head toward his death.
So that was it.
Without that evidence, it would be useless even if Ding Qiushan talked himself hoarse and accused every one of those powerful figures.
The commission could not suspect upstanding officials based solely on one person's unsupported claims.
And even if they really did arrest them, they could not convict them without evidence. Any doubt had to favor the accused.
Now Ding Qiushan truly despaired. His eyes grew dull, and his straight back slumped.
"I remembered wrong. I never gave them any gifts. I admit to all these charges! I'll sign..."
Ding Qiushan accepted the reality of his situation. Knowing that any further resistance would be futile, he gave up and confessed.
News of Ding Qiushan's confession soon spread.
That night, quite a few people breathed sighs of relief, while quite a few others sank into utter despair.
"Ding Qiushan was smart enough to realize resisting was useless and confess. Fortunately, he didn't spout nonsense or start accusing people indiscriminately!"
"Speaking of which, was it really the investigation team that obtained the evidence?"
"I've already had someone look into it. The person who delivered the evidence to us wasn't part of the investigation team. He was merely using their name! The evidence against you and me must have been taken by whoever's behind this..."
"Then what do we do now? Can we find the person behind it?"
After hearing that Ding Qiushan had confessed without recklessly implicating anyone else, several powerful figures gathered to discuss the matter.
They had already established that the investigation team was a bunch of incompetents. They had not discovered the evidence at all.
Someone behind the scenes had orchestrated everything.
That person had taken the evidence of all their crimes.
"What exactly does this person want? They took the evidence against us but didn't report us. Are they planning to copy Ding Qiushan and use it to threaten us?"
"That's certainly possible. Unfortunately, they've hidden themselves extremely well. My investigation hasn't turned up a single trace. It's almost as though the person who delivered the evidence never existed..."
"Whatever the case, we're already at someone else's mercy. All we can do is wait quietly. Things can hardly get any worse!"
"Mm... let's act as though nothing happened and go about our usual business. Once the person behind this contacts us, we can discuss it again!"
Those powerful figures were all curious about the person pulling the strings.
But that person was hidden too well. They could only lie in wait and hope the mastermind would show himself.
However, Lin Chao Ci, the actual mastermind, knew nothing of their thoughts.
Had he known, he would have been speechless.
His family background was incredibly powerful. Although his father was only a municipal Party secretary, his grandfather still held a position higher up and had not retired. His rank was still there.
If Lin Chao Ci wanted something done, why would he need them?
The only reason he had not reported them all together was that he did not want to damage the higher-ups' assessment of Xichuan Province.
He did not want them to think Xichuan Province's officialdom was full of rotten scum and corrupt parasites, leaving them with a fixed, negative impression of its officials.
That would affect his father's future prospects for promotion.
Lin Chao Ci had already worked it all out. Once his father was promoted, he would hand him a few big fish to boost his record.
As for officials with relatively minor problems, he would decide on a case-by-case basis.
Lin Jianguo had no idea that his beloved eldest son had already prepared several generous gifts to ensure his career sailed smoothly ahead.
Afterward, the corruption scandal triggered by Ding Qiushan was swept to a conclusion like fallen leaves before an autumn wind. Results were announced within three or four days.
Every official was working to push it through. Other matters could drag on for three or four months without a result, but this was completely different. Information was released immediately, and action followed on the spot.
Nearly all the faction's leading figures received life sentences. Ding Qiushan also received life imprisonment because of his cooperative attitude regarding his crimes.
As for the small fry, their sentences ranged from three to ten years.
His father's scammer classmate, Wang Defa, also received his deserved punishment. For fabricating information, participating in gambling, and a string of other offenses, he was sentenced to twenty years.
Seeing Ding Qiushan's faction brought down, Lin Chao Ci finally breathed a full sigh of relief.
The greatest obstacle in his father's path was gone.
No one could stop his father from joining the provincial leadership now. The deputy governor who had already been due to retire was also implicated in Ding Qiushan's case. Wisely, he chose to retire early.
In officialdom, people rarely pushed matters to the bitter end.
Give up your position, and everyone could walk away happy.
His father was slated for deputy-provincial rank...
When Lin Chao Ci learned the news, he breathed a sigh of relief as well. His honest, upright father had finally joined the provincial leadership.
Before you continue