Chapter 14

Part One: Intrigue in Officialdom. Chapter 14: The beneficiary who almost never got his chance

From the moment Zhang Zhixing learned from Zeng Jianhua's sister that Zeng had fled abroad with embezzled funds, he knew things were looking bad. But there had been too little time to think it through, let alone devise a response. He had followed almost passively as his son Zhang Ke pulled him along-downstairs, past the plainclothes officers, and then, once out of their sight, in long strides into the car. Even now, he was still shaken. Hearing his son tell his younger cousin to drive straight out of Haizhou, he said instinctively, "Yes, leave Haizhou right away..."

"What happened?" Zhang Zhifei asked, looking back as he started the engine.

Zhang Zhixing was about to steady himself and collect his thoughts, but Zhang Ke spoke first. "Zeng Jianhua fled abroad with embezzled funds. There were plainclothes officers stationed downstairs at his place, and one of them was someone we saw outside Uncle Tang's building yesterday. He definitely recognized me too, but I managed to fool him for a moment. They're going upstairs to check now, and I'm sure they'll soon realize something's wrong. If they're Ding Xiangshan's men too, we won't be able to leave unless we go now..."

"Ah..." Zhang Zhifei dared not delay. He stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward, heading for the expressway to the provincial capital.

Only after the car reached the expressway did Zhang Zhixing put his thoughts in order, and he felt all the more that his son was not to be underestimated. Had he suddenly run into that plainclothes officer himself, he might not have been so composed, much less worked out everything at stake and made the best choice in so little time. Yes, their only option now was to go to the provincial capital. Ding Xiangshan held absolute sway in Haizhou; staying there was too dangerous. They had to find someone in the provincial capital with the iron will to expose this staggering case. Though the evidence they held was not yet conclusive, it already provided sufficient grounds to investigate Xinfeng Group in depth. Besides, Tang Xueqian was a member of Haizhou's Municipal Party Standing Committee. Given enough questionable points, the provincial authorities would not close the case hastily. Going to the provincial capital was the only right choice now. But how had his son reached that conclusion immediately? Children these days really were remarkable.

"Why would Zeng Jianhua flee abroad with embezzled funds?" Zhang Zhifei had no idea what his cousin was thinking. He found Zeng Jianhua's flight strange. "Could he have given Tang Xueqian the notebook before he fled?"

Zhang Ke thought his performance just now had probably given his father quite a shock, but the situation had been so urgent that he had had no choice. His father was not quick on his feet, but by now he could probably have worked out the causes and consequences.

Still, however far out of character his behavior was, he need not worry that his father would suspect he had lived another life. So long as what he said made sense and convinced him, perhaps his father would give him a free hand sooner. Zhang Ke collected his thoughts. "This may not be as simple as someone fleeing abroad with embezzled funds. Uncle Tang was overseeing Xinfeng Group's restructuring. If Xinfeng Group's finance director fled abroad with stolen money, a case like that would certainly shake Haizhou. Why haven't any of us heard about it? Besides, Zeng Jianhua was in league with Jiang Mingcheng and Ding Xiangshan. What benefits couldn't he enjoy in Haizhou? Did he need to embezzle money and flee abroad? It's more likely that he disappeared, and the notebook fell into Uncle Tang's hands afterward. While Uncle Tang was trying to decipher its secrets, Ye Xinming may have learned something about it, setting off everything that followed..."

Zhang Zhixing had to admit that his son's analysis fit together perfectly. He merely wondered when his son, who usually seemed rather quiet at home, had acquired such a good head on his shoulders. Some of these questions could not be figured out through intelligence alone.

Zhang Zhixing called his wife and told her not to go home alone after work. No one knew what might happen in Haizhou. Perhaps nothing would happen; perhaps all hell had already broken loose. Without someone reliable, they could learn nothing.

The Jetta sped along the expressway. Zhang Ke was wondering whom they should give the evidence to. If they entrusted it to the wrong person, everything would go badly. Something occurred to him, and he turned to his father. "Dad, why did Ding Xiangshan let Uncle Tang oversee Xinfeng Group's restructuring?"

Zhang Zhixing's eyes lit up. Once again, his son had asked the crucial question.

"Ding Xiangshan should know what kind of person Uncle Tang is. Logically, he shouldn't have let Uncle Tang oversee Xinfeng Group's restructuring, should he?"

"Who would oversee Xinfeng Group's restructuring was decided at the Municipal Standing Committee Meeting. Apart from Mayor Zhou Fuming, it wouldn't have been surprising for any of the other deputy mayors to take charge. Of course, Tang Xueqian was the executive deputy mayor, so it was more appropriate for him to oversee it. Apparently, at the standing committee meeting, Ding Xiangshan asked for someone else on the grounds that Tang Xueqian already had too much on his shoulders. Zhou Fuming firmly insisted that Tang Xueqian oversee the restructuring. Xinfeng Group's restructuring fell under the municipal government's jurisdiction in the first place, so Ding Xiangshan couldn't press his objections, and the task fell to Tang Xueqian." By now, Zhang Zhixing fully regarded his son as someone he could discuss matters with and voiced everything on his mind.

"That old fox Zhou Fuming may have noticed something fishy at Xinfeng Group long ago. That was why he pushed Tang Xueqian into the line of fire. Now that things have gone wrong, he's gone into hiding again..." Zhang Ke analyzed. "Then Zhou Fuming and Ding Xiangshan shouldn't be on the same side?"

"How could they be?" His uncle Zhang Zhifei turned his head slightly in the front seat. "They've been fighting in Haizhou for more than a decade. They fought fiercely over the positions of working committee secretary, mayor, and municipal Party secretary. Everyone in Haizhou knows that. But Ding Xiangshan has always had the upper hand over Zhou Fuming. Given the chance, Zhou Fuming would love to throw Ding Xiangshan into boiling oil and eat him fried. It looks as though putting Tang Xueqian in charge of Xinfeng Group's restructuring was his way of tripping Ding Xiangshan up. If it worked, Ding Xiangshan would fall and he would rise. If it didn't, only Tang Xueqian would be sacrificed..."

"Maybe Zhou Fuming could give us some advice?"

At his son's words, Zhang Zhixing hesitated. He picked up his mobile phone but did not dare make the decision lightly.

In 1999, Ding Xiangshan's crimes would come to light and he would go to prison, while Zhou Fuming would become municipal Party secretary. Judging by that alone, Zhou Fuming could not possibly be implicated with Ding Xiangshan. Seeking Zhou Fuming's help now was appropriate. Otherwise, even if they reached the provincial capital, whom would they give the materials to? If they handed them to the wrong person, it would be too late for regrets.

Zhang Zhixing hesitated for quite a while before finally pressing the keys one by one. The Jetta sped along the expressway with its windows tightly shut. The car was quiet, and the voice coming from the mobile phone was perfectly clear.

"Mayor Zhou, this is Zhang Zhixing..."

"Zhang Zhixing, where are you? Why has the Municipal Public Security Bureau just notified me that you've fled to evade prosecution?" Zhou Fuming spoke quickly and loudly. Only an hour and a half had passed since they left Zeng Jianhua's home. Ding Xiangshan had acted far too fast.

"What charge has the Municipal Public Security Bureau pinned on me? What do they say I'm fleeing prosecution for?" Zhang Zhixing had not expected things to move so quickly either, but he had anticipated this possibility, so there was no reason to panic.

"The Provincial Inspection Team wanted to question you about Tang Xueqian's case. They called your family home in Dongshe and were told you'd already returned to the city. What is your relationship with Zeng Jianhua, Xinfeng Group's finance director? Why did you go looking for Zeng Jianhua instead of reporting back to the municipal authorities when you returned to Haizhou? Did you know that half a month ago, Zeng Jianhua absconded with more than four million from Xinfeng Group's accounts, and his whereabouts are still unknown? The Municipal Public Security Bureau has been investigating in secret and set up a surveillance post downstairs from his home." Zhou Fuming's voice softened over the phone. The old fox seemed to have picked up on something in his father's calm tone. "The bureau's wording was a little strong when they notified me, but they didn't actually say you'd committed any crime. If there really isn't a problem, you should come back to Haizhou. Just clear up the misunderstanding."

The old fox was plainly telling his father not to hurry back to Haizhou, but to keep muddying the waters.

"Has the misunderstanding about Mayor Tang been cleared up?" Zhang Zhixing asked.

"Tang Xueqian..." Zhou Fuming paused on the phone. "Tang Xueqian's situation doesn't seem to be a matter of misunderstanding. The Provincial Inspection Team already asked his wife to submit to questioning this morning. You may not know this yet, but Jiang Mingcheng, Xinfeng Group's general manager, and Xu Si, its deputy personnel manager, have already turned themselves in to the Provincial Inspection Team and confessed. The team is gathering evidence based on the leads they provided..."

Zhou Fuming deliberately gave a very detailed account over the phone. Zhang Ke suspected the old fox had known all along that Tang Xueqian was innocent. This was a politician in the truest sense. Zhang Ke thought that if his father could reach that standard, he would be able to navigate officialdom with ease.

"Mayor Zhou, I have some materials that can prove Mayor Tang's case isn't so simple. Can I hand them directly to you without anything going wrong?"

Zhou Fuming fell silent on the other end for a moment, then said, "Are you certain Tang Xueqian's case isn't straightforward?"

"That deputy personnel manager at Xinfeng Group seems to have a rather unusual relationship with Secretary Ding..." Zhang Zhixing revealed a little.

Zhang Ke heard a slap on a desk over the phone. Immediately afterward, Zhou Fuming's voice rose involuntarily. "If you return to Haizhou, you'll have to submit to questioning by the Provincial Inspection Team and explain to the Municipal Public Security Bureau why you went to Zeng Jianhua's home this morning. I'm afraid you won't be able to see me directly. That's not safe. Go straight to the provincial capital and see Secretary Xu Xueping. I'll call ahead for you..."