Song Guanchao wasn't sure for a moment which faction Ding Lingyan belonged to.

But that wasn't something to consider right now.

He needed to gather some dirt on Ding Lingyan first.

Suddenly, he saw a photo of this Deputy Director Ding Lingyan.

The woman in the photo looked plain, even a bit ugly.

Song Guanchao felt a sense of familiarity, as if he'd seen her somewhere before.

Zeng Li saw him staring at the photo on his phone in a daze and sneered disdainfully, "Yikes, such an old and ugly woman. You're not into that, are you?"

Song Guanchao's mouth twitched, just about to speak when a spark of realization hit him.

He remembered where that sense of familiarity came from!

When Lu Feng went to beat up Feng Sheng, he caught him getting cozy with an ugly old woman in a car.

That old woman was Ding Lingyan!

Song Guanchao suddenly felt like he'd stumbled onto something valuable without effort.

Who would have thought he already had dirt on this Deputy Director!

Still, just a video wouldn't be enough to do anything more than subject her to disciplinary action.

To fire her or send her to jail, a video alone was far from sufficient.

With someone like Ding Lingyan, she's certainly problematic, and those problems won't be insignificant.

The simplest way is to have someone tail her; she'll slip up eventually.

But the flaw in this approach is that it's too time-consuming.

Who knows when you might gather some dirt?

"I'll head inside for a bit."

Song Guanchao put away his phone, turned, and knocked on Wu Qiangwei's office door.

He planned to discuss the situation with Wu Qiangwei, hoping to get some advice.

He briefly explained the situation before sharing his thoughts.

Finally, he showed her the video Lu Feng sent.

Wu Qiangwei appeared calm, but her ears turned slightly red, indicating she wasn't as composed on the inside.

After watching the video, Wu Qiangwei asked, "What's your plan?"

Song Guanchao shook his head, "I can't think of a good way right now."

"The video could be used for blackmail, but its effectiveness is hard to say."

"After all, Ding Lingyan also holds a video of Si Qingqing."

Song Guanchao asked, "What does the Secretary think we should do?"

Instead of answering, Wu Qiangwei asked, "Who do you think is behind Ding Lingyan?"

Song Guanchao thought for a moment and said, "It's either Zheng Bihui or Zhang Xiaoxian."

Among the three factions in the city government, Mayor Jiang can be ruled out first.

It's simple; Mayor Jiang has always seemed harmless, and he owes Song Guanchao a favor.

Zheng Bihui has the strongest motive.

As for Secretary Zhang Xiaoxian, Song Guanchao wasn't familiar with him, but they'd interacted once.

From that interaction, Zhang Xiaoxian came across as an astute person who knows how to handle situations wisely.

Besides, Song Guanchao couldn't think of any reason why he would antagonize Wu Qiangwei.

Wu Qiangwei nodded, "It should be Secretary Zhang's people."

"Hmm? Why?" Song Guanchao was puzzled. "Secretary Zhang doesn't need to do this, right?"

Wu Qiangwei replied, "Being his people doesn't necessarily mean he orchestrated it."

Song Guanchao thought for a moment and realized what she meant.

Because Ding Lingyan has private dealings with the Finance Bureau, she's doing it to submit her allegiance, not under Zhang Xiaoxian's instigation.

If she truly is Zhang Xiaoxian's person, he's likely unaware of her actions.

Song Guanchao frowned, "If she really is Secretary Zhang's person, then it'd be difficult to move against her."

Wu Qiangwei said lightly, "Why would it be difficult?"

"Are you worried about creating a rift with Secretary Zhang because of this?"

"I just promoted Si Qingqing, and if Ding Lingyan sets her up right away, not taking action could make everyone think I'm a pushover."

Wu Qiangwei's tone grew cold, "If Secretary Zhang truly orchestrated this, then he's directly opposing me. Why do I need to save face for him?"

"If it wasn't under Secretary Zhang's orders, do you think he'd mind me cleaning up his team?"

"No matter who's behind Ding Lingyan or why she did it, she must be taken down."

Song Guanchao nodded slightly, understanding her point.

He stood up and said, "I'll visit Mayor Jiang and Secretary Zhang first. I'll report back once I'm sure."

"Go ahead."

Song Guanchao arrived at the city government and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Seeing Song Guanchao, Zhang Xiaoxian was somewhat surprised and got up to welcome him, "Secretary Song, what brings you here suddenly?"

"I have some matters to discuss with Secretary Zhang, sorry for not calling ahead."

"There's no need for formality, sit down, I have some good tea here, let's have a taste."

"Then I'll graciously accept."

There was a whole tea set on Zhang Xiaoxian's desk, and he was quite skilled in brewing tea.

Soon, Song Guanchao had a cup of fragrant black tea before him.

Song Guanchao picked up the teacup and took a sip, "Good tea."

He put down the cup and said, "Secretary Zhang, I'm a straightforward person and won't beat around the bush."

"I like people like Secretary Song."

"Is Deputy Director Ding Lingyan one of your people?"

Zhang Xiaoxian paused.

He thought Song Guanchao was just making casual conversation, but unexpectedly, he was so direct?

But this is too direct.

Who asks like this?

Having been in the City Government Office for decades, Zhang Xiaoxian had mastered the art of human interactions and speech.

If there's a level for interpersonal skills, he'd be a master.

Yet Song Guanchao seemed like a young novice, knocking out the old veteran.

It took Zhang Xiaoxian a full two seconds to gather his wits.

Zhang Xiaoxian said, "I recommended Director Ding to the city government."

As expected, Wu Qiangwei guessed right; Ding Lingyan is indeed Zhang Xiaoxian's person.

"Why did Secretary Song suddenly inquire about Director Ding?"

Zhang Xiaoxian's mind raced as he asked, "Is Director Ding not getting along well with Director Si?"

Song Guanchao said, "Since Secretary Zhang asked, I won't hide it from you."

He spoke with a stern face and serious tone, "Director Si has been threatened."

Zhang Xiaoxian's expression hardened slightly; he didn't need to ask who threatened whom.

Song Guanchao's direct approach regarding Ding Lingyan showed it was Ding Lingyan threatening Si Qingqing.

"Is what Secretary Song said true?"

"Director Ding has obtained some private videos of Director Si, threatening her to hand over the Judicial Bureau's office budget to the Finance Bureau."

Zhang Xiaoxian's face darkened further, he pondered for a few seconds and asked, "How does Secretary Song plan to handle this?"

Song Guanchao said, "Secretary Wu's intent is to let the Disciplinary Committee detain and investigate her first, to see if beyond violating discipline, she has committed any crimes. If she has, she'll be handed over to the police."

Listen to the undertone of the words.

It's clear what this means.

Wu Qiangwei not only wants to dismiss her from her position but also wants her imprisoned!

Zhang Xiaoxian had no reason to object.

From Wu Qiangwei's perspective, her newly promoted Judicial Bureau director being trapped is intolerable for any leader.

Ignoring it is one thing, but knowing and not dealing with it seriously undermines her authority.

From Zhang Xiaoxian's perspective, Ding Lingyan acting without his knowledge transcends his tolerance.

He could accept mistakes from subordinates but not disobedience.

Ding Lingyan's behavior had already slipped from Zhang Xiaoxian's control.

By dispatching Song Guanchao to give him early notice before action, Wu Qiangwei has given him enough face.

Moreover, the other party is justified.

Truthfully, he even needs to thank them for helping clean house.

Zhang Xiaoxian smiled apologetically, "Comrade Ding Lingyan has made mistakes, it's negligence on the city government's part. Secretary Song, please convey my apologies to Secretary Wu."

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