Chapter 2574
Tao Hongfang thought for a moment and then continued to ask Xu Wenlin: "Is there any evidence that they leaked the test questions and committed fraud for personal gain?"
Xu Wenlin shook his head with a wry smile and said: "This... I am limited in my ability, and I really can't find any real evidence. If the young master must investigate, he can only use extraordinary means, but it will inevitably alert the snake. And if the other party is innocent, then when the matter becomes big, , I’m afraid it will bring inconvenience to the young master.”
Xu Wenlin spoke more implicitly, but Tao Hongfang still understood what he wanted to express. It is not easy for Xu Wenlin's secret investigation to find this information so far. If he wants to get evidence, he may have to arrest the person involved for interrogation. But in this case, the matter will definitely not be covered up. If the ironclad case cannot be solved in the end, then this investigation will become an evil act to sabotage the provincial examination. Both Bai Letong and Tao Hongfang himself will Have to take responsibility for this.
Although they have a special status, even if something goes wrong, they will not lose their future, but if they really cause such a big disaster, it will be difficult to explain to their parents after returning to Sanya.
Xu Wenlin knew Tao Hongfang's identity and was afraid that he would be implicated, so he did not dare to take action rashly and came here to ask him for instructions on the next step.
Tao Hongfang realized the stakes and did not dare to make mistakes at the moment, so he asked Xu Wenlin if he had a list of relevant personnel and copied a copy for future use. Xu Wenlin was very considerate in his work. Dang Ji took out an envelope from his sleeve and presented it, saying that he had recorded the identity information of the relevant person for Tao Hongfang to check.
Tao Hongfang reached out to take the envelope and praised: "Shopkeeper Xu is so capable. Being a shopkeeper in Hangzhou is really overkill!"
When Xu Wenlin was praised, his expression remained as usual, and he responded in a deep voice: "Whether I am a shopkeeper or doing other things for a living, I am all serving the country, there is no difference."
Tao Hongfang saw that he was neither arrogant nor impatient, and immediately felt that this person was a rare talent. However, Tao Hongfang also knew that apart from verbal praise, he could not give the other party any actual rewards. After thinking about it, he said to Xu Wenlin: "When I return to Sanya after finishing this trip, I will inform my father about shopkeeper Xu's visit this time." Performance.”
After mentioning Tao Donglai, Xu Wenlin's mood finally changed a little: "Young master, you are so polite! It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to serve you and your master!"
Tao Hongfang said a few words of gentle encouragement and then sent Xu Wenlin to go back and wait for news. If necessary, he would be assigned the next task.
After Xu Wenlin left, Tao Hong took out the list and looked at it carefully. Xu Wenlin's investigation was relatively detailed. The names, identities and relationships of the relevant persons were listed one by one, which can be understood at a glance. It's just that the handwriting is a little rough, and it was probably written by Xu Wenlin himself. Considering his job before becoming the shopkeeper, it makes sense that he is not good at calligraphy.
However, Tao Hongfang does not know any of the people listed above, so it is difficult for him to have a clear plan on how to deal with this matter next. He still has to inform Bai Letong of these situations first to see if he has any What plan.
Bai Letong was a little surprised when he heard that the investigation results had been obtained so quickly. After carefully reading the list brought by Tao Hongfang, he confirmed that Xu Wenlin had indeed conducted a comprehensive investigation: "The people listed on this list, At least the identity information of these people in the rural trial office is accurate. As for the rest of the people, it shouldn’t be too difficult to verify the identity information.”
Tao Hongfang nodded and said: "I also think the credibility is very high, so I came to you to discuss what to do next?"
Now it was Bai Letong's turn to scratch his head. In fact, when he asked Tao Hongfang for help, he didn't have high expectations for the result. After all, they are all outsiders, and the only people Tao Hongfang can use in Hangzhou are civilians. It is not easy to complete such a highly professional task. Quan is just a dead horse and a living horse doctor. But he didn't expect that the people Tao Hongfang was looking for were so powerful. They found out all the relevant people. Although there was no evidence of malpractice so far, it at least greatly narrowed the scope of the investigation targets. Moreover, these officials have close contacts participating in the rural examination, and they should avoid suspicion in related work, but they seem to have no such awareness at all.
Bai Letong said: "We have no solid evidence, and it is difficult to accuse them of fraud... At most, we can ask them to actively avoid suspicion and temporarily leave office."
Tao Hongfang asked: "Then if you make such a request, are these people likely to comply?"
Bai Letong shook his head helplessly and said: "It's almost impossible. I'm just an outside official. Although I have supervisory responsibilities, I have no right to decide on the appointment and removal of serving officials..."
"Then who decides their appointment and dismissal rights?" Tao Hongfang interrupted him and asked.
"This is the Donghai Region. The appointment and dismissal of officials are of course based on Uncle Shi's opinions." Bai Letong responded: "If we want to proceed with this matter, we have to report the situation to Uncle Shi."
"But it's hard to say whether he will be on our side..." Tao Hongfang responded with some helplessness.
They secretly investigated the matter without telling Shi Diwen, of course because they felt that Shi Diwen did not pay enough attention to it and did not want to spend energy to eliminate factors that might affect the fair conduct of the provincial examination. Even if some clues are found now, they are still not sure whether Shi Diwen will support the investigation conclusion.
"Now that we have mastered these situations, we can't just sit idly by!" After Bai Letong figured out the stakes, his attitude became firmer: "I will go see Uncle Shi early tomorrow morning and inform him of the investigation. ”
Even if these two young people are not so understanding of the world, they can still imagine that the consequences of revealing this matter to Shi Diwen may not be ideal. After all, these officials in the rural examination office were selected and appointed by Shi Diwen. Now that there is a problem with this group of people, Shi Diwen cannot escape the charge of "employment negligence".
Of course, the Executive Committee will definitely not trouble Shi Diwen for such a trivial matter, but if they and their juniors expose this matter, it will inevitably hurt Shi Diwen's face, and may even affect his high reputation in the East China Sea Region. . Under such circumstances, offending Shi Diwen was probably a high probability event.
Seeing Bai Letong's firm attitude, Tao Hongfang said categorically: "Then I will go with you. If Uncle Shi wants to ask about the investigation process and the source of the information, it is best to answer him face to face."
"Good brother!" Bai Letong nodded gratefully to Tao Hongfang. After all, this is not a good job to show off. If you are not careful, you may offend Shi Diwen. Even if they have a prominent family background, they still would not want to offend a high-ranking official who is about to serve on the executive committee.
(End of chapter)