Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 236, First Round of Confrontation

Xia Qing?

That Xia family?

Zhao Ruilong subconsciously rubbed his eyes and looked Xia Qing up and down again.

Unexpectedly, the person sitting in front of them was Xia Qing, whom even the old man was wary of.

No wonder they were able to sit in this private room.

Seeing Zhao Ruilong staring at her, Xia Qing joked:

"Although Young Master Zhao hasn't sat face-to-face with me like this, he must know me well. Otherwise, how could last year's 'Mirror Weekly' have published such an interesting report as 'Xia Qing being a corrupt official'?"

Zhao Ruilong coughed awkwardly twice and said:

"Mirror Weekly is a Hong Kong publication, known for its nonsense. If Minister Xia is interested, I can give you their deputy editor's WeChat contact..."

"Want my contact information? No way, you can just contact him directly." Xia Qing waved her hand and said with a smile, then changed the subject:

"Getting back to the point. I've come to see you in person to confirm something."

Zhao Ruilong became alert and said:

"What is it?"

Xia Qing stared intently into Zhao Ruilong's eyes and at his facial expression, and slowly said:

"What kind of deal did your father make with the Chung family?"

Zhao Ruilong was shocked; he hadn't expected Xia Qing to ask this question.

No, I need to stay calm and control myself.

Zhao Ruilong suppressed his inner panic and said:

"What deal? Minister Xia, I don't understand."

Xia Qing smiled, pointed at Zhao Ruilong, and took a file folder from Li Gangxin.

Upon opening it, the evidence against Hou Liangping was inside.

"This is a photocopy; please bear with it, Young Master Zhao."

Xia Qing spread out the materials and said:

"Hou Liangping only sang 'The Battle of Wits' at the Shanshui Group, and suddenly he became the supreme elder of your Huilong Group. It doesn't make sense, doesn't it?"

Zhao Ruilong still stubbornly insisted, saying:

"He... he's always been a treacherous fellow, using the Zhong family's influence to swindle and deceive..."

"Hahaha, if I were Hou Liangping, I'd actually believe your nonsense now." Xia Qing scoffed at Zhao Ruilong's reply, her gaze sharpening, and said:

"Young Master Zhao, let me confirm one more time. There are no problems with Hou Liangping's incriminating evidence, right?"

After a five-second silence, Zhao Ruilong nodded vigorously.

"Very good, then take a look at this record."

Upon seeing this, Xia Qing pointed to one of the pieces of evidence against Hou Liangping.

Zhao Ruilong also leaned closer to take a look.

Xia Qing's slender finger pointed to the following:

"Hou Liangping, through the Shanshui Group, established a trust fund in the name of Gao Yuliang's wife, Gao Xiaofeng, and thus indirectly bribed her with more than 300 million yuan."

Zhao Ruilong frowned.

He knew that this money was transferred to Gao Xiaofeng by Gao Xiaoqin in the name of Shanshui Group at his behest, as another handle to control Gao Yuliang.

Now, after being modified by the Zhong family, the money has been pinned on Hou Liangping, making him the mastermind behind the bribery of the Shanshui Group in order to curry favor with Gao Yuliang.

What's the point of pointing this out?

Zhao Ruilong said disdainfully:

"Hou Liangping is indeed cunning. After arriving in Handong, he used money from the Shanshui Group to bribe his teacher. But Minister Xia, is there anything wrong with that?"

Xia Qing's smile grew increasingly cold, and his tone turned somber as he said:

"The problem is that those payments to Gao Xiaofeng were made many years ago. Back then, did Hou Liangping already know you and the Shanshui Group? Did he even know about Gao Xiaofeng?"

Zhao Ruilong was shocked.

Oh no, how could I forget about the timeline?

The money was sent to Gao Xiaofeng on and off for several years.

At that time, Hou Liangping was still working at the Supreme People's Procuratorate. How could he have such a strong influence to remotely control companies in Handong to bribe his teacher's secretly married wife?

Damn it, the Zhong family are idiots!

They really don't use their brains; how can they make up anything like that!

Even so, Zhao Ruilong still stubbornly insisted:

"Hou, Hou Liangping is backed by the Zhong family, and our entire group is afraid of him..."

"If I point this out, you probably still won't be able to leave Hong Kong Island," Xia Qing said.

"It must have been tough on your father. He tried every means to shift the blame for bribing Gao Yuliang onto Hou Liangping, but he overlooked a problem with logic."

Knowing he could no longer press the issue, Zhao Ruilong stopped talking and quietly watched Xia Qing.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xia Qing once again asked Zhao Ruilong to tell the truth about the transaction between the two families.

He assured that once he received this intelligence, he would not make things difficult for Zhao Ruilong, and even personally offered to send Zhao Ruilong to Zhao Lichun's side.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Ruilong told Xia Qing about Zhao Lichun and Zhong Zhengguo's conspiracy to fabricate evidence and make Hou Liangping a scapegoat.

Xia Qing didn't react much, but rather seemed to think it was expected.

After hearing this, Xia Qing patted Zhao Ruilong on the shoulder with satisfaction and said to Li Gangxin:

"Very good, Young Master Zhao, you've worked hard. Gangxin, see him off on his flight back to Beijing."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Zhao Ruilong was still standing there in a daze, he had a bad feeling about the deal between the two companies.

But there was no time to worry about that now.

All he can think about now is getting back to the old man's side as soon as possible.

Li Gangxin then urged Zhao Ruilong to leave.

……

On the way back, Xia Qing was very satisfied with her trip.

In his heart, he expressed his appreciation for Zhong Zhengguo's cold-blooded yet wise decision.

this is correct.

Hou Liangping is out of control and can no longer bring any benefit to the Zhong family, only endless trouble.

Cutting is the wisest choice.

Even if it was somewhat unfair to Hou Liangping, he had been arrogant and domineering for so long since coming to Handong as a member of the Zhong family, so he couldn't blame anyone for his current predicament.

Accept your fate.

However, Chung Cheng-kuo actually made a deal with Chao Li-chun, fabricating evidence to exonerate Chao Jui-lung.

This is no small matter.

Disregarding justice and the law, for their own benefit, they made a deal with the powerful Zhao Lichun to protect Zhao Ruilong, who was committing crimes in Handong.

The Zhong family's actions have betrayed the law and the people.

Moreover, although the Zhong family was able to extricate themselves from Handong, the shame they left behind in Handong could never be washed away.

It will surely become a laughing stock.

As for Zhao Ruilong...

Let's go back to Beijing then.

Xia Qing's strategic vision is not limited to whether Zhao Ruilong is in Handong or whether he can be used as leverage to restrict Zhao Lichun.

He knew that this account book incident could no longer threaten the Zhao family father and son.

At the same time, he also had a premonition that the next stage of the competition was just around the corner.

It doesn't matter where Zhao Ruilong is.

Xia Qing knew that these parasites had to be eliminated.

The Chung family is one of them.

Just wait, the score will be settled slowly.

Furthermore, Xia Qing felt that there were more than just these termites.

The Ni family's house wasn't very clean either!

After returning to Handong, Xia Qing immediately called Chen Hai to inquire about the progress of the investigation.

Chen Hai lived up to expectations and found out what Xia Qing was interested in.

The Ni family operated more than ten businesses in various parts of Handong.

The profits were enormous.

Did Sha Ruijin give the green light or make a call behind the scenes for the businesses of these Ni family nephews and relatives, or did Old Master Ni directly step in to protect these businesses?

Xia Qing had no idea.

However, Xia Qing ultimately discovered the secret that the Ni family owned businesses in Handong.

What a bunch of Ni family! They see the Zhao family as parasites, but their own actions are no different.

Before punishing the Zhong family and defeating the Zhao family, let's teach the Ni family a lesson first.