December 27.
Zhou Yi returned to Yangcheng by car.
By then, however, the situation in Yangcheng had undergone a fundamental change.
An examination by the Criminalistics Division of the Qingyuan City Public Security Bureau found only Criminal Suspect Tian Baishun's fingerprints on the phone involved in the case, with none belonging to Xie Bingyi.
According to the revised statements of Criminal Suspects Ding Gang and Zou Qunbiao, the person who had contacted them to arrange the contract killing was actually Tian Baishun, deputy general manager of the Tianxiang Trading Company. They claimed they had signed the interrogation records only because the Yangcheng police had tortured them into confessing and deliberately coached their statements.
The Special Case Task Force of the Qingyuan City Public Security Bureau immediately began investigating Li Linsen, Zhao Xin, and the other personnel involved.
Immediately afterward, the Standing Committee of the Yangcheng City People's Congress issued Document Yangcheng People's Congress Standing Committee [2005] No. 52 to the Yangcheng City Public Security Bureau, titled "Reply from the Standing Committee of the Yangcheng City People's Congress Regarding the Request for Approval to Place Yangcheng City People's Congress Deputy Xie Bingyi, Suspected of Intentional Homicide, under Criminal Detention."
The reply stated that the Standing Committee of the Yangcheng City People's Congress attached great importance to the matter. It had immediately verified the facts and convened a special meeting to hear and deliberate on the motion to place People's Congress Deputy Xie Bingyi under criminal detention and suspend his duties as a deputy, then put the motion to a vote in accordance with the law.
Of the Standing Committee's twenty-three members, nineteen were present. The vote was nine in favor, one against, and nine abstentions. The motion had failed to pass.
"Director, what should we do? The People's Congress has sent