Chapter 25

Part One: Turbulent Waters of Officialdom. Chapter 25: Driving out wolves and tigers

In the mid-to-late nineties, China's market economy would usher in a glorious era of large-scale marketing, and distribution networks would be its most vital resource. Zhang Ke did not want Xie Wanqing to give up the Haiyu Company lightly, either, but Xu Xueping seemed unwilling to break his own rules.

Zhang Ke glanced at the faces around the dining table and said bluntly, "Just drive this general manager out. Once he's gone, you can slowly put the company back in order."

"Driving him out won't be easy, I'm afraid. Xie Zhan is too clever," Xu Xueping sighed.

Zhang Ke knew what worried Xu Xueping. The Haiyu Company was effectively owned by his son, Xu Zhiming. If Xie Zhan threw caution to the wind and exposed that, it could very well end Xu Xueping's political career. Naturally, Xie Zhan knew this too.

Looking at Xie Wanqing, Zhang Ke said, "Sister Wanqing, didn't you mention this afternoon that Xie Zhan wanted to take out a bank loan to expand the business?"

"Well, now that we know what sort of person he is, we can't let him do whatever he likes," Xie Wanqing said.

"Is Sister Cai trustworthy?"

"Why? Sister Cai was Zhiming's classmate. She's very close to us. She wouldn't betray Zhiming and me."

"Good. Xie Zhan knows how to cook the numbers. Authorize him to apply for a bank loan, but only verbally. Don't leave him any witnesses or physical evidence. He'll be falling over himself to make the company's asset figures look splendid. Once the loan comes through, tell him you're withdrawing your investment and see how he reacts."

Xie Wanqing looked puzzled, unable to follow Zhang Ke's thinking, but Xu Xueping's eyes lit up. "People like Xie Zhan are too clever, too good at taking advantage of others, but unwilling to sacrifice anything themselves. He won't bring everything crashing down on both of you. This is an excellent idea." He turned to Zhang Ke. "You've got quite a lot in that head of yours. Someone your age really shouldn't be able to come up with an idea like this."

Zhang Ke lowered his head, putting on an embarrassed expression. I stood out too much.

Xu Xueping did not suspect him. He said to his wife, Zhou Shuhui, "Zhang Zhixing certainly dares to pour all sorts of things into his son's head. I'd like to ask him how he raised a child like this. You can't underestimate young people these days. At the Longhua Hotel this afternoon, Zhang Ke gave me a thorough lesson in Go. I hadn't lost a game in years." Yet his face showed none of the dejection of someone who had lost.

Seeing that Xu Xueping had supplied his own explanation and attributed it all to his father, Zhang Ke could not tell whether that remark was a favorable assessment of his father or not.

"Would that work?" Xie Wanqing now understood Zhang Ke's thinking. Although she had no clear idea how much remained of the Haiyu Company's assets, it certainly could not be much. To secure a collateralized loan, Xie Zhan would have to falsify the accounts and inflate the company's assets to borrow a huge sum from the bank, allowing him to keep lining his pockets on a massive scale. As long as she proposed withdrawing her investment at the right moment and froze the borrowed funds, she could corner him. Xie Zhan would have only two choices: either be arrested for loan fraud and try to bring everyone down with him-in which case his own downfall was certain, while Xu Xueping's was not-or slink away from the Haiyu Company.

Jin Guohai arrived in Haizhou that afternoon with some members of the Special Investigation Team. After contacting Mayor Zhou Fuming, he announced the Provincial Party Committee's decision: Haizhou City Party Committee Secretary Ding Xiangshan would be placed in isolation for investigation, and Zhou Fuming would serve as acting Municipal Party Committee secretary, taking full charge of the work of Haizhou's Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government. Based on the evidence supplied by Zhang Ke, Xu Si, and Ye Xinming, they sealed off the villa at the northern foot of Xiangshan and Ding Xiangshan's residence, and took his wife to the Municipal Party Committee's guesthouse for questioning. At the same time, they sealed all the Xinfeng Group's account books and records, and ordered every member of its management to report to a location designated by the Special Investigation Team for questioning.

Ding Xiangshan had not expected such sudden action against him, and no one higher up had tipped him off. By then, no one would have tipped him off anymore. He had hidden enormous amounts of cash both at home and in the villa at the northern foot of Xiangshan, along with a large collection of valuable collectibles and gold and silver handicrafts. These became the most direct evidence of his embezzlement and bribe-taking.

Ding Xiangshan had received a call from Zhou Fuming asking him to discuss something at short notice. He left the villa at the northern foot of Xiangshan for the Municipal Party Committee offices, where he was taken away, then interrogated through the night.

The day after Ding Xiangshan was placed in isolation for investigation, Tang Xueqian and Zhang Zhixing returned to Haizhou by coach with the second group of Special Investigation Team members and suspects.

The upheaval in Haizhou's official circles over those two days was comparable to a tsunami. Ding Xiangshan had gone in without the slightest warning, while Tang Xueqian had emerged completely unscathed. On the day Tang Xueqian returned to Haizhou, Acting Secretary Zhou Fuming drove to the expressway exit to welcome him, something extremely rare in Haizhou.

Zhang Ke heard all this from his youngest uncle over the phone. He stayed at Xu Xueping's home for four days and kept Zhitong company for all four. His words had given Xie Wanqing considerable inspiration. To lower her older paternal cousin Xie Zhan's guard, she simply left the company's affairs to him and stayed at New Plum Garden, concentrating on keeping Zhitong company.

Zhitong seemed a little better and was willing to go outdoors. Using the excuse that his high school admission letter might arrive at home in the next few days, Zhang Ke said he wanted to return to Haizhou for a while. Rather than have Xu Xueping send a car, he took a long-distance bus back himself.

Haizhou's official circles had suffered an unprecedented earthquake. Ding Xiangshan had been taken in, Tang Xueqian had actually been framed, and Zhou Fuming, who had accomplished little in his years as mayor, had unexpectedly moved up a step. Only two days had passed; Haizhou's officials probably had yet to make full sense of the situation and were scurrying around, at a loss. Since it happened to be the weekend, Zhang Ke thought there was bound to be no peace at home. Once he reached the city, he called home and heard a number of women chatting in the living room, their laughter bright and hearty.

Zhang Ke told his mother he had arrived in Haizhou but did not want to go home just yet. She asked him why over the phone.

Zhang Ke laughed. "Dad's about to become secretary-general of the Municipal Government. If I rush back now, a crowd will surround me, praising my grades, my good looks, and how sensible I am. Don't you think that would be pretty pointless?"

"Always fooling around. You just want to go off and play instead of coming home. How do you know your dad will get promoted?"

Zhang Ke could hear how pleased his mother was. It was already obvious: as long as there was a vacancy in the Municipal Government, it would be downright unjust if his father did not take the opportunity to move up! With the Municipal Party Committee secretary arrested, one man's downfall would drag others down with him. Who knew how many positions would open up this time?

Besides, Zhang Ke was in no hurry to go home because he had something more important to do. Otherwise, he might as well have stayed in the Provincial Capital a few more days to keep Zhitong company.