Chapter 541 The Trial Date Has Arrived

Chapter 541 The Trial Date Has Arrived

As long as we use some connections behind the scenes and take care of the relevant personnel, we can find a suitable reason for Qi Tongwei, such as letting him make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence and report and expose the problems of other officials to mitigate his crime. Then, even if Hou Liangping wants to pursue the case, he will have to think twice.”

Zhao Lichun nodded slowly, and he began to think about how to rescue Qi Tongwei. "Ruilong, you go and do this, but you must be careful. First find out Qi Tongwei's attitude and see if he is willing to cooperate with us. Then, contact our connections in the judicial system to see if there is any way to manipulate the trial process."

"Dad, don't worry. I will make sure this matter is properly handled." Zhao Ruilong said excitedly, as if he had already seen the bright future of Qi Tongwei working for the Zhao family again and their Zhao family's power in Handong becoming more stable.

Afterwards, Zhao Ruilong contacted Qi Tongwei through various channels. In the heavily guarded detention center, Qi Tongwei met the people sent by Zhao Ruilong. When he learned that Zhao Lichun intended to rescue him, Qi Tongwei felt mixed emotions. He knew that Zhao Lichun's purpose was not really for his own good, but to use him to achieve his own political goals. But at this moment, facing a long prison sentence, he couldn't help but feel a ripple of hope in his heart.

"Tell Zhao Lichun that I am grateful for his kindness. But I don't want to be involved in power struggles anymore. I am tired of this kind of intrigue-filled life. I am willing to accept legal sanctions and take responsibility for my actions." Qi Tongwei said slowly to the visitor, his eyes revealing a firmness he had never had before.

The visitor conveyed Qi Tongwei's words to Zhao Lichun and Zhao Ruilong verbatim. Zhao Lichun was shocked after hearing it. He did not expect Qi Tongwei to reject his kindness under such circumstances.

"Is Qi Tongwei stupid? We gave him such a good opportunity, but he didn't know how to cherish it." Zhao Ruilong said angrily.

Zhao Lichun fell silent, and he began to re-examine Qi Tongwei. He realized that although Qi Tongwei used to do whatever it took to gain power, his mentality may have changed after experiencing this series of events.

"Ruilong, since he doesn't want to, we don't have to force him. But we have to pay close attention to the development of this matter to see if there are other opportunities we can take advantage of." Zhao Lichun said helplessly.

Zhao Ruilong looked at his father Zhao Lichun in confusion and said anxiously, "Dad, why did you give up so easily? You have such a great influence in Handong, how could you not save Qi Tongwei? As long as you come forward, which official in the judicial system dare not listen to you?"

Zhao Lichun sighed helplessly, with a complicated look in his eyes, "Ruilong, you think things are too simple. The situation now is different from the past. After Sha Ruijin took office in Handong, he has been paying close attention to corruption, and the entire officialdom is under his scrutiny. Qi Tongwei's case has also attracted much attention, and Hou Liangping is holding on to it, with the support of the central government behind him. If we rush to rescue him, it will undoubtedly be a blatant violation of the central government's determination to fight corruption, which will completely expose our Zhao family to the cusp of the storm and put us in an irretrievable situation."

Zhao Ruilong was still unwilling to give up. "But Dad, if Qi Tongwei can come out, it will be of great benefit to us. He can help us get through various connections in the officialdom and suppress those who oppose us. We have cooperated on many projects before. If he falls, those interest chains will be affected, and subsequent things will become very difficult."

Zhao Lichun stood up and walked slowly. "I know how valuable Qi Tongwei is, but we can't act rashly now. To save him, we must have a perfect plan and not leave any handles. At present, we can only let the trial proceed according to the procedure, and we will look for opportunities in secret. For example, we can make a fuss about the evidence and find loopholes in Hou Liangping's chain of evidence, or use some legal clauses to exonerate Qi Tongwei. But all of this requires extreme caution. If there is any mistake, it will be a disaster."

Zhao Ruilong frowned, thinking about his father's words, "Then where should we start? Qi Tongwei's case involves many charges, such as embezzlement, bribery, abuse of power, etc. How easy is it to eliminate these charges?"

Zhao Lichun pondered for a moment and said, "Let's start with some of his so-called 'grey area' transactions and see if we can explain some of his actions as normal official dealings or being misled by others. For example, we can find some scapegoats for his operations in project approvals and put the blame on them, thereby reducing Qi Tongwei's guilt. But this requires us to make careful arrangements behind the scenes, buy off relevant witnesses, tamper with some documents and records, etc. However, these methods are extremely risky. Once discovered, the consequences will be disastrous."

Zhao Ruilong nodded after hearing this. "Dad, I understand. Should we also take some action against Hou Liangping? He is the key figure in Qi Tongwei's conviction. If we can make him retreat or make some mistakes, it will be very beneficial to our plan."

Zhao Lichun's eyes were stern. "Hou Liangping is not easy to deal with. He is upright and has strong support behind him. We can't do anything to him openly, but we can set up some obstacles during his investigation. For example, let our people interfere with his acquisition of evidence, delay time, or create some false clues to mislead him. However, this is also walking on a tightrope. Once he finds out, we will be in a more passive situation."

In the following days, Zhao Lichun and Zhao Ruilong began to operate in secret. They mobilized a large number of connections and resources to find a breakthrough within the judicial system. On the one hand, they tried to bribe some grassroots case handlers to deliberately omit or blur some key evidence when sorting out Qi Tongwei's case materials; on the other hand, they arranged for people to threaten and induce some witnesses who might be summoned by Hou Liangping to change their testimony or refuse to testify in court.

However, Hou Liangping was not completely unaware. With his keen insight and rich experience in handling cases, he gradually discovered some clues. He realized that someone was behind the scenes, and the suspect pointed directly at the Zhao family father and son. So he strengthened his control over the case, reported the situation to his superiors, and requested support and protection of witnesses.

As the trial date approached, the competition between the two sides entered a white-hot stage. Zhao Lichun and Zhao Ruilong became more and more nervous. They knew that if the trial result was not ideal and Qi Tongwei was sentenced to a heavy sentence, all their previous efforts would be wasted, and they might also face the risk of being implicated.