Having worked in the discipline inspection and supervision system for nearly twenty years, Ma Yongru knew perfectly well that none of the questions investigators asked officials suspected of breaking laws or disciplinary rules were spur-of-the-moment choices.
Exactly which questions to ask, how far to pursue them, what the officials were expected to confess, and how much they were expected to reveal-all of it followed a fixed script settled through meticulous study beforehand.
Take his own case. If Du Changqing asked only about his abuse of power for personal gain and his shielding of his nephew's crimes, his punishment would most likely be a reduction in rank and a demotion.
If the questioning extended to other violations of law and discipline, however, he could face the far more serious consequences of expulsion from both the Party and public office, or even criminal prosecution.
And now Du Changqing had actually named Wang Qiong outright, asking directly about their relationship and whether they had exchanged or funneled benefits to each other. That was as good as telling him plainly that he would not be the only one facing criminal prosecution. Wang Qiong and Wang Guangxiang would, too.
From this, Ma Yongru could conclude that this was by no means Du Changqing's decision alone. It came from explicit instructions issued by the Central Government!
An icy chill pierced Ma Yongru's heart. In truth, he had long sensed that, ever since the downfall of the Rong Family entrenched in Linhai two years earlier, the country's anticorruption efforts had been steadily intensifying. In particular, the targeted campaign against high-ranking "tigers" increasingly seemed to have no upper limit.
"Give me some time to think it over!" After a fierce internal struggle, Ma Yongru finally made his request with a bitter smile.
The outcome might already be sealed,