Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 198: Chapter 198: The Treasure Basin is Gone

Qin Hongjian quickly pulled out his phone, preparing to transfer the money to Long Wu.

As he transferred the money, his heart ached at the expense.

After all, two hundred thousand yuan was no small sum for his family.

However, Qin Hongjian was already hatching his own little scheme.

He figured that as long as he could smooth things over, losing a bit of money was no big deal.

Later, he could focus on mending his relationship with his nephew, Qin Tuo.

Perhaps Qin Tuo, out of familial sentiment, might even throw some connections his way. If so, his career wouldn’t be over yet.

With this thought, Qin Hongjian felt much more at ease.

Seeing that Qin Hongjian had transferred the money, Long Wu nodded in satisfaction.

With the bill paid, Qin Hongjian put on a fawning smile and sidled up to Qin Tuo.

"Qin Tuo, your uncle was in the wrong today. I sincerely apologize to you again. I hope you won’t hold it against me."

He deliberately adopted a humble attitude, hoping to also make a good impression on Xu Zhigang in the process.

But Xu Zhigang clearly gave him a cold look. It was obvious this relative had gone too far.

Besides, Xu Zhigang was here specifically to pay his respects to Qin Tuo; he had no desire to deal with whatever riffraff showed up trying to ride his coattails.

However, Qin Tuo completely ignored Qin Hongjian. Instead, he turned to Xu Zhigang with a wry smile and said:

"Prefect Xu, I have a question, and I was hoping you could clear something up for me."

Xu Zhigang found this odd and asked:

"Oh? Mr. Qin, please, if you have a question, just ask it directly!"

The other bigwigs’ eyes went wide, wondering what Qin Tuo was about to say.

Qin Tuo said seriously,

"A bureau director and an office head can casually spend hundreds of thousands, even a million, on a single meal. Has our Ming City truly become so prosperous?"

The moment these words were spoken, the faces of Qin Hongjian’s entire family turned deathly pale. They were terrified.

Qin Hongjian’s own eyes went as wide as saucers, as if he’d seen a ghost. His heart began to pound in his chest!

He instantly realized the gravity of the situation!

Beside him, Fang Zhengliang’s expression was also extremely grim.

After all, if this was taken seriously, the implications were dire!

Nearby, the group of VIPs were all gloating inwardly.

They all knew that Fang Zhengliang and Qin Hongjian were done for.

As a leader in the Food Bureau, he had completely given the game away.

Fang Zhengliang reacted faster, hastily explaining,

"That’s not it, Prefect Xu! This is from my own savings. I didn’t use any public funds!"

However, Xu Zhigang’s expression was icy as he demanded,

"Your savings? Over eight hundred thousand in savings that you can casually spend on two bottles of wine? Fang Zhengliang, are you taking me for a fool?"

Seeing Xu Zhigang’s stern gaze, Fang Zhengliang was too frightened to offer any more explanations.

As for Qin Hongjian, he was trembling so hard he couldn’t even speak.

In the face of Xu Zhigang’s powerful presence, a small fry like him didn’t even have the courage to object.

Xu Zhigang let out a deep sigh, then said in a serious tone,

"Mr. Qin, rest assured. I will get to the bottom of this and give you a satisfactory answer."

Hearing this, Qin Hongjian, Fang Zhengliang, and the others wore bitter expressions, their hearts in turmoil.

And now, with them down, others were quick to kick them. Someone immediately started to fan the flames.

"Prefect Xu, this sort of behavior absolutely cannot be tolerated! If we allow such crooked ways to fester, the long-term consequences will be unthinkable!"

"Yes, Prefect Xu! We all despise people like this. Please, you must handle this with severity!"

Hearing these comments, Fang Zhengliang gritted his teeth in hatred but dared not let it show.

Beside him, Qin Hongjian looked as if he was about to faint from fright.

He was just a minor office head. Facing so many powerful figures, he didn’t have the slightest right to speak.

Hearing this, Xu Zhigang’s expression grew increasingly livid.

He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, having made a decision.

"Fang Zhengliang! Qin Hongjian! As of today, you are both suspended from your duties! Go home and await further notice. If my investigation turns up anything, I will not spare you!"

Hearing this, both men went limp with fear and collapsed to the floor.

Cold sweat poured down their backs, and their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

Both Qin Hongjian and Fang Zhengliang knew full well the shady dealings they had been involved in.

If the investigation truly targeted them, the rest of their lives would be ruined!

Qin Hongjian suddenly snapped his head up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, and shouted,

"Qin Tuo, I’m begging you, put in a good word for your uncle! Are you really going to disregard our family ties like this? I’m your father’s brother, after all!"

But hearing Qin Hongjian’s pleas for mercy, Qin Tuo remained unmoved.

At this point, Zhang Caixia and the others also understood that whether Qin Hongjian was completely finished or not depended entirely on a single word from Qin Tuo.

Thus, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and plead along with him.

"Qin Tuo, please help your uncle! He really knows he was wrong! How about this? We don’t want the homestead land anymore, and we’ll still compensate you with a hundred thousand yuan, okay?"

Qin Wenwen and Qin Jun also chimed in with their pleas. They understood that if Qin Hongjian fell, the family’s Treasure Basin would be gone for good, and the rest of their lives would become incredibly difficult.

Watching this family plead tearfully before him, Qin Tuo felt not the slightest bit of emotion.

His expression cold, he simply waved his hand.

"Long Wu!"

Long Wu hurried over, ready for his orders.

Qin Tuo said slowly,

"These people are too noisy. Throw them out of Hong Lou."

Long Wu nodded firmly and immediately called over several men.

"Get them out of here. And they are never to set foot in Hong Lou again!"

"Yes, Master Long!"

Several tall bodyguards in suits unceremoniously dragged Qin Hongjian’s family out.

The sound of Qin Hongjian’s pleas could still be heard from the hallway, growing fainter and fainter until it disappeared completely.

Xu Zhigang then said,

"The rest of you may leave. I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Qin in private."

Hearing this, the crowd all nodded and took their leave.

As they left, their gazes toward Fang Zhengliang were filled with cold mockery.

They all knew Fang Zhengliang’s time as the director of the Food Bureau was over.

The eyes of a few flickered as they silently began plotting how to take Fang Zhengliang’s position for themselves.

As for Fang Zhengliang, he left the private room looking utterly dejected, like a walking corpse.