Arc 22Chapters 526–550
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Zhou Yi pressed Jiangnan officials for answers about Pi Yijie's case while turning his attention to writer Wen Mosheng, prompting provincial leaders and Wen's allies to fear a scandal. The chapter ended with an anonymous letter accusing Zhou Yi of misconduct arriving at the Inspection Work Leading Group General Office.
Jiangnan’s provincial leaders debated how to punish Wen Mosheng without disrupting the Misty Rain Jiangnan gala and how to accelerate the investigation of Zhou Shiyuan. They approved delaying Wen’s disciplinary announcement until after the gala while seeking the Inspection Team’s understanding, and ordered investigators to prioritize Zhou’s case.
Dong Qing asked the Inspection Team to delay acting against Wen Mosheng until the Misty Rain Jiangnan gala was over, and Xiang Chang'an said they would consider her request. When Xue Chuqing defended Wen Mosheng’s books and challenged Zhou Yi, he quoted passages from them to expose their contrast in how they portrayed China and Japan.
Secretary Zhou Yi challenged Xue Chuqing’s defense of Wen Mosheng, turning her argument about society’s darkness back on her and forcing Jiangnan’s literary leaders to distance themselves from the writer. Xue appeared to accept the rebuke but privately remained defiant and wanted to debate Zhou on equal terms.
A misconduct complaint against Zhou Yi reached the Inspection Work Leading Group, which ordered an investigation. In Danqing City, Xie Chenglin admitted to his sister that he had helped prompt the complaint, convinced that Zhou Yi had improper relationships and hoping to make trouble for his sworn enemy.
Xie Chenglin explained to Xie Zheng why he had helped target Zhou Yi, while Xie Zheng warned him that the Xie Family would bear the consequences. Meanwhile, the Fourth Inspection Group was told to consider suspending Zhou Yi’s duties during an investigation, and Xiang Chang’an stood by him as Zhou Yi acted surprised by the news.
Zhou Yi learned that an accusation from Jiangnan Province had triggered an investigation into alleged sexual relationships and bribes involving Zhao Qiushui and Wen Wan. He cooperated with the investigators but vowed to hold the accuser legally accountable, leaving Tao Beifang shaken by what he recognized as a declaration of war.
Zhou Yi challenged the Investigation Team’s questioning and defended the origins of his assets, then suspected Xie Chenglin of orchestrating the report against him. After calling Shan Wenxu, Zhou Yi learned that Shan would ask his uncle to ensure Zhao Qiushui and Wen Wan were treated properly.
Zhao Qiushui faced questioning in Changtian City over alleged favors in government projects, while Yi Xuefang tried to establish that she had romantic feelings for Zhou Yi. After two phone calls, Yi abruptly changed her tone and invited Zhao to stay for lunch.
Discipline investigators found no evidence against Wen Wan or Zhao Qiushui, but Zhao Qiushui revealed that former Vice Mayor Xie Chenglin had demanded sex in exchange for a project and offered a recording. Meanwhile, Yan Huafeng confronted the fallout from the complaint against Zhou Yi and resolved not to let provincial factions drag him into their fight.
Jian Wanyan and Wei Siqi discussed the attempt to smear Zhou Yi as the Fourth Inspection Group exposed serious problems in Jiangnan. As the province faced growing pressure, Xie Chenglin learned Zhou Yi knew he was working against him but remained confident he was beyond Zhou Yi’s reach.
Xu Jianxun pressured Gao Lian to accelerate the investigations into Zhou Shiyuan and the tip-off letter, while evidence against Deshun Company forced Zhou to confess and exposed corruption within the Discipline Inspection Commission. As officials fell, Ou Qingwen feared Wen Mosheng would implicate him, but Wen called to assure him he had stayed silent and asked for help making a living.
Ou Qingwen learned that a drugged hotel employee had publicly exposed his affairs and named his mistresses, prompting a provincial investigation. As Zhu Changlei ordered the police to investigate Pan Yan, Ou Qingwen realized Zhou Yi’s cursed “Officialdom Killer” nickname had caught up with him too.
Zhou Yi learned that Ou Qingwen had turned himself in and reflected that the scandal had unfolded as he remembered, leaving him free to focus on Xie Chenglin. In Danqing, Xie Chenglin dismissed warnings about Zhou Yi and angrily argued with Zhuang Yuqian.
Xie Chenglin learned that his wife and mistress were both pregnant, while Zhou Yi received a report accusing him of misconduct. Zhou Yi left Xu Jianxun and Gao Lian to consider the allegations against the Danqing City executive vice mayor.
Zhou Yi pressured Jiangnan officials to investigate allegations against Xie Chenglin, forcing the provincial leadership to decide whether to act. At a hastily convened Standing Committee meeting, the members backed an investigation, leaving Yan Huafeng satisfied that responsibility was collective.
After the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission prepared to investigate Xie Chenglin, Dai Yinxiang ordered him to deal with Qiu Jingru’s pregnancy. Zhuang Yuqian confronted Qiu Jingru first, while Zhou Yi remained confident the investigation could still cause trouble for Xie Chenglin.
Zhuang Yuqian confronted Qiu Jingru over her pregnancy and threatened to make her abort the child, then had her guards seize and drug Qiu. Xie Chenglin tried to reach Qiu to warn her about the upcoming investigation and urge her to end the pregnancy, but her phone had been switched off.
Xie Chenglin learned that Zhuang Yuqian had arranged to force Qiu Jingru to abort her pregnancy, but Qiu escaped before the procedure. When the Investigation Team arrived and Qiu remained missing, evidence of her abduction surfaced, leaving Public Security Director Guo Maosheng to decide how to proceed.
Guo Maosheng ordered Zhuang Yuqian brought in for questioning after surveillance linked her to Qiu Jingru’s abduction, despite pressure from Ren Baoping to release her. He challenged Ren over shielding Vice Mayor Xie Chenglin, leaving Ren silent as the investigation team’s evidence against Xie became harder to ignore.
Guo Maosheng’s attempt to expose Xie Chenglin’s crimes prompted Huang Zhongyi and Ren Baoping to detain him and suppress the evidence. When Zhou Yi arrived in Danqing City, he immediately asked about Guo Maosheng and the surveillance footage, leaving Ren Baoping trapped between conflicting answers.
Zhou Yi exposed that Guo Maosheng had sent surveillance footage to both the Inspection Team and the Investigation Team, forcing Liu Zongjun to investigate Xie Chenglin and Zhuang Yuqian impartially. Guo, held at the Case Handling Center, was visited by Danqing City's top officials, who apologized and sought to make amends, but he considered their repentance too late.
Zhou Yi questioned Liu Zongjun about the investigation into Xie Chenglin as the surveillance footage resurfaced and undermined the efforts to protect him. Xie Chenglin and his allies realized their influence might no longer save him, leaving his fate in Zhou Yi’s hands.
Xie Zheng decided to try to save Xie Chenglin from the consequences of his latest scandal, despite the risk to the Xie Family and Yan Huafeng's reluctance to intervene. He sent Xie Fangfei to Qingning to appeal to Jian Shuyue and planned other approaches to Zhou Yi, leaving escalation to the family elder as a last resort.
Zhou Yi gained Guo Maosheng’s support as the provincial leadership moved to formally investigate Xie Chenglin. As the review team arrived to take Xie Chenglin in, a man stabbed him and surrendered, leaving Xie Chenglin bleeding on the ground.