Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Just then, the office door was gently pushed open, casting a faint shadow. Zhao Lei walked in, looking as if most of his strength had been drained away. His face was etched with unconcealable exhaustion, and the dark circles under his eyes were particularly noticeable under the incandescent light, as if they had been smeared with ink.

“Chief,” he began, his voice hoarse from staying up all night, like sandpaper scraping wood. He clutched a thick stack of investigation records tightly in his hand, the edges of the pages crumpled. “Our team has been busy all day, turning over every file of all relevant personnel, even the old archives in the archives. According to the characteristics you described, we haven’t found a single woman wearing these jade beads.”

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he hesitated, but he still forced himself to continue, "Now... only Dr. Ma Xin remains. She's been busy with the lab lately, and we haven't had time to thoroughly investigate her social circle and inventory list..."

He Feng slowly raised his eyes to look at him, his gaze deep, a meaningful smile suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth, a smile hidden in his eyes, making it impossible to see through. He waved his hand, his tone calm: "Alright, this is none of your business." His fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth tabletop, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound, "I already know who it is."

Zhao Lei paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask for more details—after all, the whole team had been working so hard for so long, and they felt like they had a stone in their hearts, always wondering what the result would be. He Feng, however, saw through his thoughts first, and his smile deepened, showing a touch of sympathy: "You should go back and rest first. You've been working for a whole day and night, your eyes are bloodshot, you won't be able to keep going any longer."

He picked up the attendance book on the table, flipped through it, and ran his fingertip over the dates: "I'm giving you a day off today. Go back and catch up on your sleep, and we'll talk again when you're fully rested."

Only then did Zhao Lei belatedly realize how exhausted he was. The energy he had been forcing himself to give the report had dissipated, and an overwhelming wave of drowsiness washed over him like a rising tide. His head began to feel heavy, and even his steps became unsteady. He nodded heavily, not bothering to ask any more questions, and turned to leave with the stack of documents in his hand. He had only one thought in his mind—he simply couldn't hold on any longer and just wanted to collapse onto the bed and sleep for the rest of his life.

The office door closed softly, and silence returned. He Feng's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression, his brows furrowing tightly. He reached for the internal telephone on the desk, his finger hovering over the dial button for a moment, his fingertips turning slightly white, as if making an important decision. After a brief pause, he finally pressed the number directly to his superior.

The call was answered after only a few rings. He Feng took a deep breath and spoke in a low, clear voice: "...That's the situation. After verification from multiple sources, it has been preliminarily confirmed that the person who did it was Jiang Hu." He paused and added, "Yes, it's Director Jiang from the Coal Mine Bureau."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, with only soft breathing coming through the receiver. Clearly, the person on the other end was also shocked by the news and hadn't quite processed it. After a long while, the superior's slightly hoarse voice came through, filled with disbelief: "I never imagined there were so many twists and turns involved..."

It's important to understand that the coal mining bureau is a key unit in the city, responsible for the energy supply of most of the city, and has always been of paramount importance. The bureau's leaders are selected through rigorous screening processes. Yet now, it has been discovered that the bureau chief embezzled funds and abused his power to commit such an act. This is extremely serious and not a trivial matter. If this becomes public, the consequences will be unimaginable.

He Feng gripped the receiver, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, his brows furrowed: "This matter is of great importance, and the network of relationships involved is probably not simple. We still need to ask our superiors to decide on the next steps."

"You did the right thing. Stabilize the situation first, and don't alert them." The superior's tone instantly turned serious, carrying an unquestionable command. "Once we've developed a concrete plan, we'll get back to you immediately. Remember, make sure the chain of evidence is complete and there are no loopholes. This is of utmost importance."

“Yes, I understand,” He Feng replied.

After hanging up the phone, He Feng gently placed the receiver back on the landline, leaned back in his chair, and wearily closed his eyes. He gazed at the deep night outside the window, the glow of the streetlights appearing particularly weak in the darkness, and realized that this matter was far more troublesome than he had initially imagined.

Jiang Hu has held this position for so many years, and he must have a vast and intricate network of connections under his command. Uprooting this "big tree" will likely require an immense amount of effort. And what deeper secrets lie hidden behind this? He dared not think too deeply about it, only feeling the burden on his shoulders growing heavier and heavier.

Jiang Hu paced back and forth in the cold, damp cell, the iron shackles on his ankles dragging on the floor with each movement, making a harsh, grating sound, as if pounding on his taut nerves. The four walls were covered in dark green mold, the uneven plaster crumbling and peeling away intermittently. A bundle of blackened straw lay in the corner, the musty smell mingling with an indescribable stench of sweat and urine, like a sticky net, shrouding the entire cell in a dense, oppressive atmosphere.

He stopped, scratching his hair in frustration, dust immediately settling between his fingers. His heart felt like it was being branded with a red-hot iron, burning with anxiety, his internal organs aching—recently, he'd been running around with those "higher-ups," handling accounts, meeting faces, and hearing veiled remarks; any one of these things, if revealed, would be enough to keep many people awake at night, enough to overturn the official hats of half the city. But now, locked up in this hellish place, what could he say? If he revealed everything, would those people let him live to see tomorrow? If he didn't speak, he feared this dark, sunless prison would be his end, with no one even to collect his corpse.

After much deliberation, Jiang Hu simply sat down on the haystack, kicking up a cloud of dust with a "plop." Leaning against the cold wall, the chill seeping from the cracks sent shivers down his spine, but it actually cleared his muddled mind somewhat. He closed his eyes, making up his mind: no matter who interrogated him, whether they were in official robes or carrying a knife, he would stubbornly proclaim his innocence, insisting he was framed, and pretending to be deaf and dumb to everything else. If he could just hold out until the storm passed, perhaps… perhaps there would still be a chance. After all, he held some leverage over them, more or less.