Chapter 1284: Chapter 1283: Richard Shaw’s Leg Injury Recurs, Indefinite Medical Leave
After the news broke that Richard Shaw was under isolated investigation, no one was more anxious than the Winton Family.
Originally, Alessandro Winton had wanted to use the report about the Shaw Family’s misconduct to slap a "suspected accomplice in embezzlement" label on him, but who could have expected Richard Shaw to overturn the whole thing at its root in one go.
The situation spun completely out of control. Not only was his promotion dream shattered, but now Alessandro Winton was so worried he couldn’t eat or sleep, regretting his actions. He called his two daughters over and demanded harshly, "You still haven’t found anyone from the Landon Family? That Pearl Landon you mentioned, is she reliable or not?"
"If Pearl Landon were reliable, pigs would be climbing trees." Serena Winton let out a cold laugh, folding her arms as she sat on the sofa, looking half-awake, and complained, "Dad, I told you the Shaw Family couldn’t be touched. At most you go after Leah, but you just wouldn’t listen."
Serena Winton had always harbored resentment toward Leah Squire. She had told Alessandro that Leah was Richard Shaw’s ex-wife, and according to what the Landon Family had said, Leah was clearly the daughter of a corrupt official. Serena had planned to use her father’s power to slap that "corrupt official’s daughter" tag on Leah, see how Leah would ever show off in the Imperial City’s social elite circle again. But Alessandro insisted on using this as leverage to report the Shaw Family instead.
Alessandro was so furious he wished he could slap this daughter to death, roaring, "If she’s not reliable, why’d you bring this up to me in the first place? Now our Winton Family is about to get dragged into this. All you know is eating, drinking, and fooling around all day. How did I end up with such a useless daughter like you—and you as well."
Alessandro cursed at Sophia Winton, who was off to the side.
"What’s this got to do with me? You’re the one who wanted to keep climbing up the ladder, using the Shaw Family as a stepping stone. The Shaw Family may be just a widow and an orphan, but they’re formidable." Sophia Winton muttered in a low voice.
"Dad, stop scolding us. Pearl Landon did go to report them on our say-so, but it’s not like we paid her, and there’s no evidence of any dealings. Even if Pearl Landon names us, we just deny it to the end. Worst-case scenario, even if people find out, it’s nothing major. Pearl Landon told the truth, we only played the part of the one who poked the hornet’s nest. What are you panicking for? Richard Shaw is still in there and hasn’t come out, isn’t he? With something this big, it’s not going to be easy for the Shaw Family to walk away unscathed." Serena said coolly, her mind clear.
In her view, there was no way for the Winton Family to fully wash their hands of this; it just depended on whether the Wintons’ luck was tougher, or the Shaws’. She still had the assets from her divorce anyway—at worst she could pat her ass, leave the country, and live a carefree life.
Alessandro thought it over. That was true; they could only deny everything to the bitter end and see whether the Shaw Family rose or fell. If the Shaws collapsed, he’d profit from the disaster. If they didn’t, they’d still come out badly wounded.
"All of you keep a low profile for now. Get out of town and lie low. Come back when things have calmed down." Alessandro said impatiently, then sat off to the side, tallying up the mistakes he’d made over the years. The feud was set either way; if he couldn’t secure that position, his political career would probably end here.
With Richard Shaw being reported and Griffith Squire demanding the truth about his father’s embezzlement case, the higher-ups set up a special task force, and everyone involved was summoned for questioning and investigation.
After a sweeping investigation that lasted half a month, and under domestic and international pressure, the truth from those years was pieced together bit by bit. But the members of the task force were all badly rattled as they secretly submitted the results of their investigation to their superiors. This case not only involved the Shaw and Cox Families, it was also tied to the great purge more than twenty years ago and implicated members of the previous leadership team. There was absolutely no way to make the facts public.
After all, the Shaw Family had been in charge of a confidential research project that lasted five years, the highest level of secrecy. Only the people directly involved knew what that project entailed; even the task force had no authority to investigate it. All they could establish was that in that matter, Vice Admiral Shaw died in an assassination and sacrificed himself for the country, the research results were destroyed overnight, and whether out of a need to conceal the secret or to seize the opportunity, the authorities used the incident to wipe out quite a few power blocs at the time.
That immense sum of money—those enormous funds—should by rights have been pinned on the Shaw Family after Vice Admiral Shaw died in an assassination with the secret in his hands. But Zachary stepped out and took the blame, pulling the Shaws out of it.
A case like that was absolutely impossible to overturn. If Zachary were declared innocent, then the pot would be dumped directly on the heads of the leadership from more than twenty years ago.
Once the investigation reached this point, it could go no further. The task force submitted all their materials and then waited for a decision from above.
For this half month, while the task force nervously collected evidence, public opinion outside grew more and more intense. It was as if an invisible hand was manipulating the narrative.
Morale in the Military District was extremely low, especially among the factions close to the Shaw Family. The Shaws had three generations of military service. The old Shaw patriarch was a founding father of the nation. Their nearly hundred-year reputation and the talent they’d cultivated in the Military District were like a towering tree with a root system stretching into unimaginable places.
If the Shaw Family fell, it would mean that all the pro-Shaw factions would also face a purge; describing it as a bloodbath would be no exaggeration.
So the atmosphere in the Military District was not just low but tense as well. This situation placed enormous pressure on the authorities. It was the age of the rule of law, but what upheld that rule of law was the gun in the hands of the military.
Foreign media made all sorts of speculations and follow-up reports, pointing out that the Imperial City’s political climate had taken on a murderous chill.
Under such pressure, the authorities convened a secret meeting to discuss solutions to this incident. Fewer than ten people attended. After the meeting, they issued an official explanation for the Cox Family case back then.
That very day, all the major mainstream media reported a piece of news. In brief: former minister Zachary, who had been convicted of embezzlement and imprisoned, died of a myocardial infarction in custody. The embezzlement case of that year had become a cold case. More than twenty years later, his son gathered evidence on his behalf and cleared his father’s name.
In a few concise sentences, Zachary’s name was cleared of embezzlement, easing the pressure coming from various factions. From the authorities’ standpoint, Zachary was already dead; his descendants only wanted a clean slate, so just give it to them. After all, they weren’t the ones who had originally decided the case. If they didn’t redress the injustice now, were they planning to sit back and watch the Military District fall into chaos and the country face both internal turmoil and external threats?
As to whether Zachary died of natural causes, there was no explanation. The subsequent purge triggered by his death was covered up. As for how much money was embezzled and where it went, there was still no explanation, nor could there be. Even the fact—known only to the authorities—that Vice Admiral Shaw had been assassinated and had once participated in secret research was carefully buried.
Along with the reversal of Zachary’s case came a directive from the Military District: due to a recurrence of his leg injury, Richard Shaw would retain his rank but be placed on indefinite medical leave. Once the order was issued, the Imperial City exploded, setting off a massive wave of public debate.
