Chapter 1645: Chapter 957: Finding Someone (2)
"Fool! Do I need you to teach me how to do my job? Wu Qingcang controls the Law Enforcement Team and has countless informants buried in this Qinglan City. If he hasn’t found out that Yang Xiao is having a private meal with me, then he would have been dead countless times by now. It’s painting legs on a snake, utterly foolish!" Facing the driver before him, Vice Commissioner Zhao, usually amiable to outsiders, scolded without a shred of courtesy.
"Sorry, I... I spoke out of turn." The driver immediately admitted his fault.
"This plan to sow discord is not very sophisticated, but as long as it plants a seed of doubt between Yang Xiao and Wu Qingcang, it’s enough. Yang Xiao is not a simple character; nothing he said tonight was true." Vice Commissioner Zhao frowned and said.
"What do you plan to do with him next?" the driver asked.
"Dealing with a fledgling youngster is not difficult, but the hard part is handling the people behind him. This person’s background is extremely complex, with unusual connections to the Yin Temple Secret Teaching Cannibal Buddha and familiarity with the Yi Sect. He’s also on very good terms with Sheng Yanlin from Yiling Academy and backed by Nalan Shuo’s old gang. Making a rash move against him could trigger a chain reaction, making it not worth the trouble." Vice Commissioner Zhao said.
"Winning over this young man is very difficult. What we must ensure is that he doesn’t team up with Wu Qingcang. Originally, just Wu Qingcang and the Deputy Team Leader Yang Delin were trouble enough." Vice Commissioner Zhao felt a headache just thinking about these two people.
Upon hearing this, the driver lowered his voice, "Director, there’s another troublesome issue. The Grandmaster Han sent another letter urging us, asking whether his family’s third son, Han Li, still stands a chance."
"Urging, urging, all they do is urge. If it weren’t for Han Li being such a disappointment, would this position have fallen to Yang Xiao?" Vice Commissioner Zhao suppressed the anger in his heart and refrained from exploding. "I’ve managed things for him for three years, yet in the end, Yang Xiao seized the opportunity. If Han Li had even half of Yang Xiao’s ambition, he wouldn’t have been outmaneuvered."
Seeing the director was angry, the driver’s tone became even more humble, "I’ve explained this to Grandmaster Han as well, but... but they’re not satisfied."
Vice Commissioner Zhao naturally knew why they were dissatisfied. After all, he had promised them he could elevate Grandmaster Han’s third son to the leadership ranks of the Provincial Office. Over the years, they had indeed provided him with many benefits.
No matter how calculated, no one could foresee Yang Xiao appearing out of nowhere. With the support of the Esoteric Cannibal Buddha and the former dean of Yiling Academy, Yang Xiao’s promotion to the Provincial Office was a foregone conclusion. After all, in many matters, the Provincial Office would depend on Yang Xiao for coordination in the future.
"Director, don’t blame me for speaking out of turn, but the issue with the Han family can’t be delayed. I’m worried they’ll turn hostile." The driver was aware of the stakes. The Han family wasn’t an ordinary power, and in Jiangbei Province, they had vast holdings and connections with the three major forces.
Vice Commissioner Zhao took a deep breath, rubbing his face with his hand. He knew the Han family’s tactics and couldn’t afford to fall out with them yet, as he still depended on them for many things.
Moreover, over the years, they had helped him handle many unspeakable matters, indirectly controlling much of his blackmail material, tying both parties together irreversibly.
Nonetheless, Vice Commissioner Zhao hadn’t wasted these years and quickly came up with a solution, "Tell Grandmaster Han that if he wants to elevate Han Li, he must deal with Yang Xiao. But he can’t kill him; he must find a way to expose Yang Xiao’s dirt and drive him out of the Provincial Office!"
Vice Commissioner Zhao had conducted a preliminary investigation on Yang Xiao but hadn’t uncovered much useful information. It was all baseless speculation, nothing substantial enough to bring Yang Xiao down.
He was helpless since he was under the dual suppression of Hong Anguo and Wu Qingcang. Without any personnel or power, he merely held an empty position. If it weren’t for his painstaking efforts to recruit some forces from the world of martial arts, his situation would be even more dire.
He didn’t even dare to associate with the Evil Cultivators when making allies because the old fox Hong Anguo had been watching him, eager to find a fault and kick him out of the Provincial Office.
In Vice Commissioner Zhao’s view, Hong Anguo was even more challenging than Wu Qingcang. Wu Qingcang, after all, was from a martial background and adhered somewhat to the morality of the martial world, so his methods weren’t exceedingly vile.
But Hong Anguo was different; he was a person who would stop at nothing, known as the smiling tiger in the community. Over the years, almost anyone who opposed him hadn’t met a good end.
If it weren’t for his overly cautious approach over the years, he could have been devoured into bits and pieces, leaving no trace.
"By the way, have the Han family keep an eye on Yang Xiao’s movements. I’m hearing some whispers that this young disciplinary team leader position of Yang Xiao’s might be a facade. He might secretly have taken on a new assignment."
"It should be a direct order from Hong Anguo. I suspect it’s a covert mission to handle some unspeakable matters. If this can be brought to light, not only can Yang Xiao be ousted from the Provincial Office, but Hong Anguo will also lose face, embarrassing him at headquarters." Based on Vice Commissioner Zhao’s understanding of Hong Anguo, this smiling tiger wouldn’t trust Yang Xiao, and if anything went wrong, he would not hesitate to throw Yang Xiao under the bus and sacrifice him to save himself.
Even though this move might not take down Hong Anguo, merely causing him to lose significant face in front of headquarters was sufficient. Then, he could unite some martial forces to take advantage and reveal the shenanigans both Hong Anguo and Wu Qingcang had been up to over the years, ensuring they wouldn’t get away without consequence.
