Driver Liu was still somewhat confused by the situation. Seeing the police officers take out handcuffs, he quickly stepped out of the car to intervene.
"Officers! There must be some mistake—this is Deputy Minister Xu from our Ministry of Construction!"
This was no small matter; you couldn’t just arrest someone of his rank without cause.
The officers, however, were acting on orders, and no amount of persuasion would sway them.
One of them opened the car door, maintaining a professional yet firm tone. "Comrade Xu, please come with us."
Even after Liu had identified his superior, the officers remained unyielding. Deputy Minister Xu understood the gravity of the situation at once.
This was clearly a targeted move against him.
And the trouble seemed far from trivial.
At this point, arguing would be pointless.
Before getting into the police car, Deputy Minister Xu gave Liu a meaningful look. "Liu, go back to the office. Report everything that happened here truthfully to Minister Zhao."
"I’ll accompany the officers for their investigation. There must be some misunderstanding—once it’s cleared up, everything will be fine."
Liu quickly acknowledged the order. Watching as Deputy Minister Xu was escorted into another vehicle, he wasted no time and sped back to the office.
Unfortunately, Minister Zhao was away on urgent business and not in the office.
The remaining senior officials were of lower rank than Deputy Minister Xu, so their intervention wouldn’t carry much weight.
The director of the general office offered to help contact Minister Zhao if it was urgent.
But being taken in by the police for questioning wasn’t exactly a matter to broadcast.
Liu didn’t dare spread the news recklessly. Instead, he waited anxiously at the office entrance, hoping for Minister Zhao’s return.
Meanwhile, after bringing Deputy Minister Xu to the municipal bureau, the officers escorted him directly to an interrogation room on the second floor.
The investigators assigned to the case had been transferred from the Ministry of Public Security—given Deputy Minister Xu’s seniority, ordinary officers wouldn’t have the psychological resilience to handle the pressure.
Knowing they were well-prepared, Deputy Minister Xu saw no point in beating around the bush.
Once seated, he fixed his gaze on the two officers. "I’d like to know why you’ve ‘invited’ me here in such a manner today."
The lead investigator was Deputy Director Wei from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Ministry of Public Security. He looked up and met Deputy Minister Xu’s eyes.
"We’ve received multiple anonymous letters alleging your direct involvement in the accidental death of Tan Mingkai."
"Officers, this is pure slander!" Deputy Minister Xu frowned deeply. "Secretary Tan was a good comrade. His passing saddened us all, but I had no professional or personal ties to him. How could his death possibly be linked to me?"
"Whether it’s slander or not, we’ll determine that through our investigation," Deputy Director Wei said bluntly. "On the day of the incident—the 16th of last month—where were you between 5 PM and 8 PM?"
In a battle of wits, even punctuation mattered.
The question seemed straightforward but carried an underlying trap.
Secretary Tan wasn’t from his department, and they had no personal relationship.
With over a month having passed since the incident, it would be suspicious if he could recall every detail of that day with perfect clarity.
After a long pause, Deputy Minister Xu shook his head. "I don’t remember clearly. But under normal circumstances, if there were no official engagements, I’d go straight home after work."
He then retrieved a leather-bound notebook from his briefcase, flipping through its pages of scheduled appointments.
After a moment, he continued, "There was nothing on my agenda that day. I went home right after work."
The Ministry of Construction’s residential compound was close to the office—just a ten-minute bike ride.
Leaving work at 5:30 PM, he would have arrived home by around 5:40.
"And after you got home? What did you do?" Deputy Director Wei pressed.
"What does one usually do at home? Wash vegetables, cook dinner, chat with my wife, listen to the radio, and go to bed by around 8:30."
"Do you have any witnesses? Who can confirm you stayed home and didn’t go out?"
"Officer, how am I supposed to answer that? My son and daughter-in-law don’t live with us. It’s just my wife and me at home—where would I find a witness?"
"Besides, it’s been so long. How could I possibly remember every detail of that evening?"
In truth, he did have a witness.
But he couldn’t volunteer that information—it would seem too deliberate.
The credibility would only hold if the officers uncovered it themselves.
"So, apart from your wife, no one else can verify you remained in the residential compound after work that day?"
Deputy Minister Xu steadied himself. "That’s correct."
Deputy Director Wei studied him for a few seconds before proceeding with more questions.
Only when there was nothing left to ask did the interrogation finally pause.
Deputy Minister Xu used the lull to mentally review all his answers, ensuring there were no inconsistencies.
Once satisfied, he spoke up.
"I’ve cooperated fully. May I leave now? There’s a lot of work waiting for me at the ministry."
"I’m afraid not," Deputy Director Wei replied.
"Why not?" Deputy Minister Xu demanded. "I’ve told you everything. On what grounds are you detaining me? Just because of a few anonymous letters?" His tone was laced with indignation.
Deputy Director Wei remained impassive. "Under the 'Arrest and Detention Regulations of Huaguo,' public security authorities may detain suspects involved in ongoing crimes or those with significant suspicion. The detention period typically ranges from three to seven days."
Deputy Minister Xu was genuinely taken aback.
He had assumed such rules only applied to ordinary citizens.
Given his years in the political arena, he expected at least some consideration.
Yet they were playing hardball.
Furious but powerless against protocol, he suppressed his anger. "Fine. If you insist on following regulations, I’ll comply."
"But please inform my wife to bring me some toiletries and a change of clothes."
"And I urge you to expedite your investigation. The truth must come to light—I have responsibilities that can’t afford delays."
"You have my word—we’ll uncover the truth swiftly. No guilty party will escape justice," Deputy Director Wei assured, organizing the interrogation report.
"We’ll notify your family, but regulations require a 24-hour waiting period."
