"The underground water pipe system in the North District is quite outdated, and I rember a few years ago when the governnt was renovating underground facilities, every district received funding. Why is it that the North District alone remains under old facilities and the slums in the middle get flooded as soon as the rainy season starts?" Lian retrieved the municipal construction information from the computer; the Dragon Soul's database is comprehensive, and such not-quite-secret secrets are even clearer than governnt officials know. "Look here, the funds allocated to the North District amounted to ten million."
"Are you saying that the North District did not use that money for municipal construction?" Xia Xue recalled. "I rember Yao Zheng responded, saying the governnt didn't allocate money to their district, and that's why no system renovations were done due to lack of funds."
"Not necessarily, because the drawings Shen Yixing produced were from the earliest stage of North District developnt. It's impossible for it not to have changed over such a long ti, and Yao Zheng served as the district chief in North District for five years, while North Palace's drawings are four years old, so there's this ti discrepancy. I'm sure there are other diagrams."
"We're now in the business world of the North District, at a high point. Do you notice anything different as you look outside?" Xiao Lin silently walked to the balcony, and during the rainy season, it would start shedding its tears at will.
"I take your aning as the North District has made changes, but only upstream." Lian understood Xiao Lin's implication. However bold Yao Zheng might be, he couldn't possibly swallow everything whole.
"Most of the entertainnt facilities are upstream. If nothing moved, there would be flooding here, maybe not as severe as the slums, but wouldn't just be wet without accumulating as it is now."
"That being the case, why hasn't anyone from the Municipal Committee co to investigate?" Such an obvious loophole is impossible for no one to know. Xia Xue couldn't understand.
"The drawings Shen Yixing showed you are the old version, and he must have another set of altered drawings, and another one submitted to the Municipal Committee; this is the trick of the planning departnt." Xiao Lin lit a cigarette and inhaled. "Soone from the Municipal Committee must have co to inspect; they indeed started construction, but what they saw was only part, not all."
"Did Yao Zheng bribe all the officials in the North District?" Lian first thought about how much support from behind would be needed to deceive above. How did he do it in just five years?
"Pretty much!" Xiao Lin glanced at Xia Xue but didn't continue. Lian obediently ended the topic. Xiao Lin wouldn't co to ss with the North District without reason; there must be other hidden truths, and it would require paying people, a cost that couldn't just be covered by embezzling so funds.
"Additionally, the North Palace case was concluded as a gas leak due to improper operation causing a massive explosion. In fact, I examined the post-fire scene, and it was intentional arson, with fires set at two locations."
Xiao Lin was very interested in this. When Lian spread the photos on the table, Xiao Lin picked up one of them. It's the back of a row of fan-shaped buildings, the walls were blackened, with an open space in the middle, the burn marks on the ground were similar to those on the wall.
This was a very intriguing photo. An outsider sees the image; an insider observes the technique, and what he sees is the content. "Did you find anything unusual?" Lian numbered the pictures with digits, and Xiao Lin got number two.
"First tell if the row of buildings leads to the empty room in the North Palace?"
"Correct, the small entrance from the street is actually built at the central location of this row of fan-shaped buildings." Lian took out the last number. "The North Palace is built on the edge of Central Lake and slums, near the upstream area, half of it on Central Lake, and the head at the slums. The outermost row of fan-shaped buildings is at the junction of upstream and slums, which ans when the rainy season arrives, the North Palace also faces flooding. I think what saved it might be this deep trench."
Xiao Lin picked up the last photo, which was of a wall that had been burned black, along with charred wood. "These two photos illustrate two different fire conditions, is that what you're getting at?"
Lian nodded. "I think there's a need to go and see it again. At the ti, both Yao Zheng and Shen Yixing were present, and I couldn't conduct more investigations as it would arouse suspicion."
"Dan Qing, please ensure Xia Xue's safety. She's eting Yao Zheng today, rember, don't agree or refuse anything." Xiao Lin worriedly instructed Xia Xue, who nodded. "You can tell Yao Zheng what you plan to do today, see his reaction, and decide."
"During construction, the North Palace must have been examined by a feng shui master; otherwise, given the conditions at that ti, they wouldn't have repeatedly gone overboard to construct a row of houses. I've ntioned this was an illegal construction, and Yao Zheng redirected the issue at the ti, whereas Shen Yixing must know the inside story. Furthermore, Yao Zheng's attitude towards him differs from others."
"Do you know what was on the original site next to the district governnt building, where Hengfei Mansion is now?" Lian shook her head, as she hadn't studied Hengfei's past. "Yan Juanjuan is Yao Zheng's lover, or it's more appropriate to say his wife; they have a son together in Italy, and Hengfei Mansion's original site was a slum. At that ti, the Municipal Committee had already designated this land for dical institutions; Yao Zheng claid funds hadn't been in place, halted operations, and auctioned off the land."
"Wait, are you saying the land auction is actually over my father's plot?" Xia Xue suddenly recalled Xia Yusheng wanting to invest in a piece of land for real estate, which was then secretly taken from him, causing a huge financial strain on the Xia Family."
"Yes, that's the land. At the ti, the city governnt manipulated land operations in conjunction with the district governnt; your father unknowingly bid on it and was eventually swapped out."
"When the city relocates, the original residents don't get much money, where do these people go?"
"The Municipal Committee considered the difficulties of the North District, so simultaneously they allocated funds to construct buildings to settle these resettled residents. In fact, there were no houses, no compensation, and they were forcibly moved into the slums." Xiao Lin sneered. "Many died because of this incident, but Yao Zheng suppressed it, preventing a major commotion. Yan Juanjuan smoothly built Hengfei Mansion, becoming a strong financial support for Yao Zheng, and at the sa ti while she injected funds into the Municipal Committee, she also brought his man so reputation support."
"Wouldn't the Municipal Committee suspect? Can Yao Zheng's practices really be flawless?"
"There are no completely tight walls, and even in the Municipal Committee, so sand slips through. Moving a district is not as simple as moving a building; after laying the foundation over several years, the leadership network in the North District has already beco a web of vested interests. Moving one piece ans a chain. How many people can you fill in from top to bottom?" Xiao Lin shared the North District's situation with Xia Xue, hoping to make her aware of her current environnt.
"Why don't you imdiately detain him with so much evidence? Wouldn't letting this drag on just prolong the issue?"
"To topple a tree, you must relentlessly extract its roots. Even if it can be felled, leaving it to wither without nutrients is the sa as making it incapable of survival."
"You're waiting for internal self-destruction!"
"Yes, we're in the open, and they're in the dark. There's another unknown force watching nearby; doing nothing is the best threat to Yao Zheng. Only when his internal side starts to falter will we have an opportunity to capture all at once."
"Can you tell who your first target is now?" Lian's serious expression made Xiao Lin frown; she seed to want to join.
"You guys can't, I said before you're not allowed to practice martial arts, you didn't listen, did you?" Lian's complexion was always pale, which gave him a headache; now, to him, she was also a ticking ti bomb.
"I understand, and I'm not planning to intervene in your plans with Qing Yi." Lian stated her stance, not wanting to provoke Xiao Lin's stubbornness. "I can sowhat assist you and Qing Yi, as soon as Xiaoxue's matters are settled here, we'll imdiately retreat, not causing you any more trouble."
Xiao Lin let out a faint chuckle; if it were that easy to retreat, he wouldn't be so worried. He mouthed two silent words to Lian, who slightly contracted her pupils. She opened her mouth without making a sound. Xia Xue, facing away from them, didn't notice the silence between the two. She was preparing for the discussion with Yao Zheng, who would be taking her to et an architect today.
"Xiaoxue, ti's up."
"Okay, Dan Qing and I will go by ourselves; do you want to take my car to the North Palace? I'll find you when I'm done."
"Let Consort Ling accompany you!" Xiao Lin refused her suggestion.
"I know, I know!" Xia Xue turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Xiao Lin. "Lin, you're getting more and more like an old man, nagging endlessly. If anything happens to , Consort Ling will lose her life, right? I rember that."
"Is that how you threaten her?" Lian almost burst into laughter, probably only Xiao Lin could handle Xia Xue, obediently following like a gentle lamb in front of him.
"I'll change clothes first, Lin, won't you buy a new set of clothes?" Xia Xue shouted from her room while Dan Qing continued ironing clothes.
"Almost done!" Dan Qing was a very frugal person, always managing to use the least amount of money to handle all living expenses. During their ti at the farm, they had already experienced her ticulous thriftiness and trusted her with life affairs, big and small.
"Hmm!" Xiao Lin was indifferent about clothing, and asking him to buy clothes was troubleso, so he would rather wait. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian and vote for recomndations and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)
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