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Everyone had their own thoughts on their own!
"If only that dirty water were really dirty water," said a relatively young middle-aged man. They had come up with this solution and understood that the Huo family's wealth was not obtained through Huo Zhekun's embezzlement and bribery.
"Yes, but Huo Yingjie married a golden girl. She earns money all by herself, so the entire Huo family doesn't have to worry about money." The first long-faced old man said, his tone full of envy. He Tiantian's family was a wealthy overseas Chinese family.
If a family is not short of money, why would they embezzle or accept bribes?
“Envy, jealousy, and hatred,” the last old man said.
"Old Zheng, your family has suffered the most from the Huo family. What are your thoughts on this?" the round-faced old man asked. "We are no longer in the same faction as the Huo family; we are now allies. Just say what you have to say, and we will definitely help you if we can."
This Old Zheng is the same Old Master Zheng who almost caused the Huo family's downfall.
Back then, the Zheng family suffered heavy losses, but they had protectors, so the Huo family couldn't completely wipe them out, giving the Zheng family a chance to breathe.
However, the Zheng family couldn't swallow this insult and were always thinking about revenge, so they joined this small alliance against the Huo family.
Although these people intended to use the Zheng family as pawns, Old Master Zheng also wanted to leverage their power to deal with the Huo family.
"The Huo family has so much money and so many businesses. Even if we investigate, it will take a long time. So let's use this time to spread the word. Some people know the truth, but it doesn't matter. Those idle common people don't know, and many people have a grudge against the rich. Even if the Huo family is innocent, their reputation will be ruined, and they will be hesitant to act. They certainly won't be as powerful as they are now." Old Master Zheng said coldly. He had been waiting for this day of retaliation for far too long.
Although the Zheng family has recovered its strength, it cannot be compared with the Huo family at this time.
Fortunately, there are still a few capable members in the family, so the Zheng family still has a fighting chance.
However, if the Huo family is not taken down, the Huo family will always be above the Zheng family.
“Hehe, Old Zheng is right,” the third old man said. “This time, let’s warm up first, let the Huo family get smeared, and then we’ll use some leaking tricks. After a series of punches, we’ll see great results.”
“Yes, let’s think about it again.” The round-faced old man said, and then a new round of discussion began.
In ancient times, the inspection teams sent down from the central government were considered to be imperial censors conducting inspections.
We should not only inspect the good, but also pay attention to the bad, as it relates to the performance of local officials.
Jiangsu Province, which ranked first in the country in terms of tax revenue last year, became the target of inspections.
Huo Zhekun and Li Qiang have instructed their subordinates to carry out their duties properly, and everything else remains the same.
Last year, because of the great progress made in economic development, environmental protection, cultural heritage, and various livelihood projects, officials who were relatively clean in their dealings had nothing to worry about.
Huo Zhekun and the others are waiting for good news.
However, instead of good news, we received a shock.
That evening, Li Qiang quietly went to Huo Zhekun's house.
"Why are you here at this time?" Huo Zhekun, unaware of the situation, looked at his old partner with a smile.
Li Qiang's smile was somewhat forced, and he said, "I have some things to discuss. Let's go to the study to talk."
Huo Zhekun was taken aback and somewhat puzzled, but he still led Li Qiang into the study.
Jiang Lifang personally came over to deliver tea and helped close the door.
"Old Huo, I just received news that someone has reported you for abusing your position to embezzle and accept bribes, accumulating a huge fortune," Li Qiang said. The inspection team had received a letter of complaint, and it was a named report.
The whistleblower is now under protection, and he doesn't even know who he is.
That friend also tried to curry favor with the Huo family through Li Qiang, but that person didn't know much about the specifics.
Huo Zhekun was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Hey, I really didn't embezzle or accept bribes."
Li Qiang looked at Huo Zhekun. Having worked with Huo Zhekun for several years, he knew him very well.
Not only was he exceptionally capable, but he was also a rare example of an incorruptible official who did not accept bribes.
However, the practice of smearing others has been common throughout history.
This time, it may not deal a substantial blow to Huo Zhekun, but it will still affect his official reputation.
“Sigh, I always felt uneasy because things had gone too smoothly before, and now it’s finally here,” Huo Zhekun said. “My family is rich, but it’s all earned by my daughter-in-law. Compared to what my daughter-in-law earns, the salaries of Lifang, Yingjie, and me are just a drop in the ocean.
"Hehe, it's all because your family married a golden girl." Li Qiang said enviously. "This matter can be big or small, don't worry, we've got you covered here. You should quickly send a message to Yanjing and ask the Huo family to help you deal with things there, so that these rumors don't spread and damage your reputation."
Huo Zhekun nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Li. If you hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have known in advance, let alone been able to deal with it."
"I estimate that I'll be cooperating with the working group to investigate this matter in the next day or two, so I won't be able to contact you. Don't worry, stay calm. I can't control what's going on in Yanjing, but you don't need to worry about Jiangsu Province. I will absolutely not let anything happen to you," Li Qiang said. Those people are too despicable. In order to achieve their goals, they actually used such means to slander an official who is dedicated to doing good for the people.
"Okay, I'll be careful." Huo Zhekun nodded, his mind racing as he considered what to do.
After Li Qiang left, Huo Zhekun remained silent in his study for a long time.
He wasn't afraid. He had experienced countless dangers on his path to officialdom and had always survived them safely.
This time, I'll get through it safely too.
If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.
If he is guilty, he can confidently say that all officials in China are probably guilty.
Seeing that Li Qiang had left and her husband hadn't come out yet, Jiang Lifang came in and saw her husband looking out the window with a forlorn expression.
"Old Huo, what's wrong?" Jiang Lifang asked worriedly, stepping forward to stand behind her husband.
Since his wife would find out in a couple of days anyway, Huo Zhekun didn't hide it from Jiang Lifang and told her, "Someone has reported that my family is extremely wealthy and that I've been embezzling and accepting bribes..."
"Huh?" Jiang Lifang was taken aback. "Who's so wicked?"
"I don't know yet, but there's no need to worry too much. It's just mudslinging; this kind of tactic is often used in officialdom," Huo Zhekun said. "Yingjie also reminded me during the Spring Festival that it was my last year and I should be extra careful. I didn't expect to actually get into trouble."
"Should we send a message to Yanjing?" Jiang Lifang asked. This matter not only concerned Jiangsu Province, but also the Huo family in Yanjing.
"Yes, I've already called my father. He'll know what it means," Huo Zhekun said. Although it was just a casual greeting, he used the original code. By finding the relevant code based on his words, they could figure out what it meant.
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