Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 138 The Secret of the Treasure Pavilion Revealed

A complex emotion flickered in Liu Qingqing's eyes: "Yes, Zhiyuan. If things go well over there and Youwei is transferred there, Yunxi and I will definitely go with him."

A family should always be together. Yunxi is a senior in high school and needs a stable environment to prepare for her exams.

Wu Zhiyuan nodded: "Secretary Xu's current situation is indeed very unfair to him."

However, as long as Jiang Jun remains in power, it is unlikely that Secretary Xu's situation will improve.

The power of the top leader is simply too great! This is the reality.

Secretary Xu's move to another province, outside of Jiang Jun's sphere of influence, means he will at least no longer be sidelined or marginalized, which is indeed good news.

Liu Qingqing said, "Yes, but I don't know if Youwei can go? If he does, what position will he be appointed to?"

Inter-provincial transfers require the support of Beijing. What exactly is Chen Mengyan's background?

Wu Zhiyuan shook his head: "I don't know either, but I guess she wasn't just saying it for show. After all, you saved her daughter."

Liu Qingqing said quietly, "Actually, when we saved people, we didn't expect anything in return."

When Chen Mengyan called today, I also said that saving people is an instinct, and anyone would have done the same.

But she insisted, saying she would always remember this kindness and would do her best to help now that she had the chance.

Wu Zhiyuan said, "The key lies in the quality of the transfer. If it's just a lateral transfer to a quiet department, it's not very meaningful."

However, if he could be assigned to a position with real power, even an important position at a slightly lower level, so that Secretary Xu could have a platform to showcase his talents again, then the value would be completely different.

That depends on Ms. Chen's influence and the level of resources she can mobilize.

After chatting for a while, Liu Qingqing suddenly remembered that she hadn't cooked dinner yet, so she stood up and said, "Zhiyuan, we've been so busy talking that we haven't prepared dinner yet."

"Ugh, the despicable things Zhang Dongliang did are so upsetting, it makes my heart ache."

Wu Zhiyuan quickly said, "Teacher Liu, you must have been frightened tonight. Take a rest, and I'll make dinner."

"No need, I'll do it." Liu Qingqing waved her hand and walked towards the kitchen. "Make some vegetable noodles and fry a few eggs, that'll do."

"Alright, I'll wash the pots and pans then." Wu Zhiyuan didn't insist. He walked to the kitchen doorway, leaned against the door frame, and watched as Liu Qingqing skillfully tied on her apron and began washing and chopping vegetables.

Liu Qingqing turned around and saw Wu Zhiyuan staring intently at her. She smiled slightly and said, "Zhiyuan, what are you standing there for?"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Teacher Liu, I've been thinking, if you really went to another province, I wonder if Yunxi would be happy or worried when she found out?"

Liu Qingqing paused for a moment, then asked, "Zhiyuan, if Youwei could find a decent job in another province, and he had the ability to transfer, would you be willing to work in that province?"

Wu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "Teacher Liu, thank you for thinking of me. To be honest, if I could continue working under Secretary Xu, it would be an opportunity I would be extremely grateful for, and it would certainly be very beneficial to my future development."

He then changed the subject: "However, I'm afraid I can't go to other places. My parents are getting old, and as the saying goes, 'With parents alive, one should not travel far.'"

I'd be so worried if they even had a minor illness. My parents have worked so hard for me their whole lives; I can't be too far away from them.

Liu Qingqing nodded and said, "Yes, my parents are getting old and they do need someone to take care of them."

The noodles are cooked.

Liu Qingqing placed two steaming bowls of noodles on the table, each topped with a golden-brown fried egg and garnished with a few green vegetables—simple yet exuding the warmth of home.

"Zhiyuan, Yunxi isn't here tonight, so you'll sleep in her bed, not on the sofa."

"Teacher Liu, I'm going to the case-handling site tonight."

Liu Qingqing looked at Wu Zhiyuan: "Zhiyuan, is it overtime? Do you have to go?"

"It's not really overtime. It's quieter over there, and I still have some case files to organize."

Wu Zhiyuan's main concern was that Xu Yunxi was usually around, but tonight, if she stayed overnight, it would be just him and Liu Qingqing, which would raise suspicions. He couldn't afford to be suspicious.

Liu Qingqing put down her chopsticks and said in a pleading tone, "Zhiyuan, could you please not go to the case site tonight?"

Yunxi isn't home, which is normal. I'm not afraid to be home alone.

But after what happened with Zhang Dongliang this afternoon, I'm still feeling uneasy, like I've become a frightened bird.

If you're not here right now, and if someone opens the door—whether it's someone checking the water meter or delivering a package—I won't dare open it.

Wu Zhiyuan couldn't refuse: "Okay, Teacher Liu, I won't leave. I'll stay in the living room tonight. You can rest assured."

That evening, as Wu Zhiyuan lay on the sofa lost in thought, Liu Qingqing came out in her pajamas.

"Zhiyuan, are you asleep? I'm still a little scared. I get anxious whenever I hear the slightest noise."

Wu Zhiyuan stood up and comforted her, "Teacher Liu, you're absolutely safe with me here."

Liu Qingqing smiled wryly: "I know it's safe, but I'm just seeing things too clearly. Chat with me for a while, I'm not sleepy right now."

"Okay, Ms. Liu, I'll talk about whatever you want."

The two fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Liu Qingqing finally spoke: "Zhiyuan, sometimes I really feel that this world is too unfair to women."

Even though they were the ones who were bullied and wronged, their first concern wasn't punishing the bad guys, but rather the gossip and judgment of others, the spittle that could drown a person...

"Yes. That's why some women choose to tolerate being bullied, allowing the perpetrators to continue their rampage..."

The two chatted for a long time before Liu Qingqing felt sleepy and went back to her room to sleep.

……

The search of the suspected treasure vault belonging to the Sang family has begun.

The search began at night.

Why choose nighttime instead of daytime? Was it to avoid disturbing the neighbors?

The locksmith opened the heavy iron gate.

The windows were sealed off with security bars, and apart from the living room, both bedrooms were veritable treasure troves.

Upon opening the door to the master bedroom, the first thing that catches the eye is several rows of sturdy metal shelves, neatly arranged, with astonishing amounts of valuables piled up on them in a categorized manner.

On the shelves closest to the door, bundles of unopened 100-yuan bills were piled up like bricks.

In a separate area next to it, there were neatly stacked foreign currency banknotes such as US dollars and euros.

On another shelf, gold bars, gold bricks, gold Buddhas, and gold ingots of various sizes were displayed, reflecting a heavy golden light under the lamp.

Next to it were several jewelry boxes filled with luxury goods such as diamonds, jade, and famous watches.

There is a row of shelves, filled with scrolls, containing some calligraphy and paintings by famous people that have not yet been unrolled.

There were some bronze and porcelain artifacts piled up next to it, which looked like antiques.

The second bedroom was filled with mountains of fine wines. There were also hundreds of kilograms of cordyceps.