The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

“We went to the police station to ask for our people back, but the policeman named Li Yong told us that we could take them away if we gave him the IOUs for the past three years, and then he would release them.”

“That’s over 60,000 yuan. We haven’t earned much money in the past few years, how could we possibly agree to that? We have no choice but to go back and find someone.”

"In the end, we hired a lawyer. When they saw that we were serious, they let us apply for bail and then released us."

“The lawyer advised us against doing this, saying it would be tantamount to admitting guilt and could lead to trouble at any time. We took the lawyer’s advice and prepared to formally sue them, but before we could file the lawsuit, we learned that my nephew had died at the police station. They only let us family members take a look before forcibly taking the body to the crematorium for cremation.”

"County Magistrate, my nephew is only in his early twenties, the prime of his life. The police station is treating people's lives like dirt. You must do justice for us!"

The middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot. He said he wanted to kneel down to Jiang Yiming, but Jiang Yiming pulled him back.

"Uncle, please don't do this. We will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation."

Jiang Yiming said earnestly, "You go back first. I will make arrangements immediately to find out the truth as soon as possible, severely punish the murderer, and comfort your nephew's soul."

"Thank you, thank you, County Head."

After the two left, Jiang Yiming said with a stern face, "Liang Yongguang, what kind of director are you? Don't you know about all the problems in your police station?"

“County magistrate, I really don’t know anything about this matter.”

Liang Yongguang said guiltily, "You must have heard about my discord with Niu Baogen. The reason for our discord is twofold. First, I disagree with many of his actions, which led to our disagreements. Second, his influence has become too far-reaching, extending directly into our police station. Han Shaohu is his loyal henchman. Niu Baogen often doesn't call me but calls Han Shaohu directly, which results in two people in charge within the bureau."

"Therefore, the entire public security system is in a state of chaos. I want to make changes, but I have never had the opportunity."

"County Chief, I want to use this opportunity to carry out a major overhaul of our public security system. I ask for your support."

"Fine, I'll give you one more chance. If you can't solve the problems in the public security system, I'll find someone else who can!"

Jiang Yiming said in a deep voice, "What's the deal with that guy named Li Yong? How come he's involved in this matter too!"

"I'll call him over."

Liang Yongguang said, "I don't think this is a problem on his part."

"Okay, call him over and see if you can get anything useful out of him."

Soon, Li Yong was summoned to Jiang Yiming's office.

Upon seeing Jiang Yiming, Li Yong's legs trembled slightly.

His biggest regret now is that he arrested Jiang Yiming and put him in detention, and he shouldn't have asked him for a thousand yuan.

He never imagined that he would be extorting money from the newly appointed county magistrate.

I'm really like an old man eating poison; I'm tired of living!

Ever since he learned that the new county magistrate was Jiang Yiming, he has been unable to eat or sleep properly, fearing that Jiang Yiming would cause him trouble.

He waited in agonizing silence for almost a month without receiving any news. He assumed that Jiang Yiming had forgotten about him and that the matter had simply been let go.

Two days ago, Liang Yongguang found him and suspended him from his job.

He knew that what was coming would come.

"Li Yong, do you still remember me?"

Jiang Yiming spoke up.

"Remember, remember."

Li Yong quickly apologized: "County Chief, I was wrong. I didn't know you were the county chief of Xichuan County."

"So you're saying that just because someone isn't the county magistrate, they can extort money from you?"

Jiang Yiming sneered, "Someone like you who bullies the weak and fears the strong shouldn't stay in the police system. You're just tarnishing the government's reputation!"

Li Yong didn't dare to respond and could only stand there with his head down.

"What happened with Nie Liang?"

Upon hearing Jiang Yiming's question, Li Yong immediately looked up and quickly said, "His death has nothing to do with me."

"Then tell me, whose problem is it?"

Jiang Yiming said, "Now that you've voluntarily confessed, it's considered a surrender, so I can suggest that you receive a lighter sentence. If you conceal anything, then it won't just be a simple matter of being expelled."

"I said, I said."

Li Yong was very timid, and since this matter involved a life, he naturally wanted to distance himself from it. He quickly said, "County Chief, the matter of buying on credit does exist. We have limited funds, so we can only buy on credit. We originally planned to pay it back, but we have too many places where we need money, and our funds are limited, so we can only continue to default on the debt."

"As a result, Nie Liang said he would report us to the Discipline Inspection Commission. Our director was very angry, so he ordered him to be arrested and detained for a few days to reflect on his actions. We also planned to take the IOU from his parents."

"But Nie Liang was stubborn and refused to back down. He even insulted the station chief's ancestors. The station chief was furious and beat him hard with his baton, causing him to have a stomach hemorrhage. When we saw this, we quickly stepped forward and pulled the station chief away, and he finally stopped."

"When we went to call Nie Liang the next day, his body had already turned cold. When the police chief found out, he immediately warned us not to talk nonsense and told us to notify his family on the grounds that he had suffered a sudden heart attack. After the family saw the body, we sent it directly to the crematorium for cremation, thus making it impossible to verify the facts."

"County head, that's how it is. You can ask the other staff on duty."

"Li Yong, do you dare to take responsibility for your words?"

Jiang Yiming said seriously.

“County magistrate, I am willing to stand up and identify Guo Jinwen if my punishment can be reduced.”

Li Yong said, "Guo Jinwen is completely incompetent. He's just a college graduate majoring in pig farming. He got transferred to our police station because of his father, the vice chairman of the county political consultative conference. I never expected him to become the station chief. It's utterly ridiculous. He doesn't respect us at all. He often beats and scolds the officers in the station. He promotes whoever he wants. We only thought of making a quick buck because we saw no hope for him."

"Is there a vice chairman of the county political consultative conference with the surname Guo?"

I retired the year before last.

Liang Yongguang added from the side.

Jiang Yiming nodded and said, "Li Yong, think about it again and see if there's anything you've overlooked. If you think of anything, explain it to the investigation team later."

"Director Liang, you are responsible for protecting Li Yong. I will report to the Party Secretary and then have the relevant departments intervene in the investigation."

"Please rest assured, County Chief, I will definitely protect Li Yong."

Liang Yongguang immediately made a guarantee.

Jiang Yiming went to Niu Baogen's office, gave a brief report on the matter, and proposed to set up an investigation team.

"Secretary, this matter has a very negative impact. If the truth is not found out, it will inevitably have a great impact on the government's credibility."

Jiang Yiming said seriously, "There is still a person lying in the hospital. Our government must give the victim an explanation before we can quell this matter."