The confidentiality system was not a mechanism that only existed in modern times. It had existed since the birth of human civilization. Especially after public ownership evolved into private ownership, the confidentiality system became even more prevalent.
From the most basic and harmless way of keeping one's wealth a secret, to keeping one's income a secret, everyone had to tell a lot of lies in their life. At the same time, they also had to keep some secrets.
According to the requirements of the New Party's internal disciplinary review, only when it was completely confirmed that the person being reported did not violate any rules and regulations could they disclose a limited part of the contents of the report. The personal information and investigation details of the informant could not be disclosed.
Before it was confirmed that a member was completely innocent, he would be labeled as a suspect.
There was no doubt that after the finance minister was reported, the Internal Affairs Department thought it was a malicious frame-up and did not deal with it. However, a report was a report. Regardless of whether it looked like a false accusation or not, the existence of the report file was real.
Without the signature of the relevant members of the Board, the finance minister was always suspicious. He should not know the specific information that he was being reported. He should not even know that he had been reported.
This was a rule, a dead rule. There was no way to change it. So no matter what the internal affairs minister thought, he had to shake his head.
"No, Mr. Vice President. I did not disclose the contents of the report to anyone, including the finance minister." He answered very decisively. He could not hesitate in this kind of matter. He could not show his guilty conscience and hesitation. Otherwise, it would be fatal.
Du Lin nodded with satisfaction. He then looked at the head of the finance department and waved the document in his hand. "Head of the finance department, can you tell me what you've been doing in the past two weeks?"
The guy who was called by Durin wiped the sweat off his face. His handkerchief was already soaked with sweat. Instead of wiping his sweat, it was more accurate to say that he distributed the sweat evenly over his entire face.
His slightly nervous and elevated blood pressure caused his face to show an unhealthy redness. His eyes were also bloodshot. He stuttered and did not know what to say. It was not that he was stupid to the point that he did not even know how to lie, but he thought that since Du Lin had asked these questions, he must have been prepared for a counterattack.
He did not know if his random lie would be immediately seen through by Durin. He also did not know how to get through today's unpleasant meeting. His mind was in a mess.
"I …" He opened his mouth but could not say anything.
Du Lin was not in a hurry to look at him. Before he planned to make a move on these people, he had done enough homework. Most of the highest ranking officers in these departments were indeed nobles, but not all nobles were the same. There were differences between nobles and nobles.
From the lowest Baron to the highest Prince, the gap between them was as big as the gap between commoners and nobles.
In the past, the top officials in the New Party were all of middle and small noble birth. There was no big noble birth like Maggs, not to mention hereditary big noble birth like Odega.
In other words, they were not strong. This was also Maggs's decision at that time. Durin could also understand.
If the top officials in finance, internal affairs, and other important departments were handed over to people whose family background and social status were not inferior to Maggs, Maggs would inevitably put some energy into internal struggles.
These important jobs were in the hands of people who were on the same level as Maggs. Why should they obey Maggs's orders and decisions like servants?
Therefore, those with real big noble background, such as Harry and Holmes, could not hold the top positions in the party. They were released by Maggs early to fight for territory with the old party.
As long as these people did not control the important departments of the New Party and use them to seek their own interests, Maggs's control over the New Party would never be out of control. The New Party would always be a tool in his hands.
It was precisely because of this that Durin did not hesitate to punch the top officials of the New Party. These people were all dogs raised by Maggs, which was not what Durin wanted. Now that Maggs had left, they had to leave too.
This had nothing to do with whether they made mistakes or not. At their level and status, even if they made mistakes, as long as it was not a mistake of principle, it was not a big deal.
For example, how could Magus not know about the abuse of power by these people during Magus' era? He definitely knew about it. However, these things weren't enough to cause great harm to him and the entire New Party. He also didn't want to find new people to replace these people. He didn't even want to lift a finger before letting them go.
The good days of the past could now be said to have come to an end. After Durin took power, he would definitely replace a large number of his own people. Some people guessed that his first target should be the secretariat, but these people guessed wrong. He was not going to touch the secretary, but the entire leadership under the non-presidium!
Even if these people did not make any mistakes, they could not continue to stay in their current positions. This had nothing to do with right or wrong. It was entirely a matter of position.
"I didn't do anything, Mr. Vice President." The finance minister faced tremendous pressure and answered Durin's question with a very vague answer.
Not doing anything could also be read as "not doing anything too special" or "as usual." Durin shook his head, showing some disappointment on his face. He said softly, "You're lying!"
Without waiting for the finance minister to explain anything, Durin immediately said, "In the past two weeks, you have been busy dealing with the contents of this report about your violations of discipline."
"Just now, the minister of internal affairs said that he did not disclose the contents of the report to you. So, I want to know who disclosed these contents to you and told you that these things you have done have been reported and asked you to make up for it?"
Du Lin's punch immediately piqued the interest of the other participants in the meeting. Generally speaking, the collision between politicians was very interesting. Regardless of whether they had an attitude of learning, an attitude of watching a show, or some other mentality, they all began to focus their attention.
The finance minister looked at Durin for a while. At this time, he had more or less calmed down. He took a deep breath, looked up to meet Durin's eyes, and said loudly, "No one disclosed these things to me, and I don't know what happened. I just want to make up for the mistakes I have made out of the uneasiness in my heart."
"Mr. Vice President, ministers, and members of the meeting, God said that remorse and making up for the mistakes made in the past will not let the stain of the mistakes stay on us forever. I do this purely out of remorse for my stupid behavior. I want to make up for it. May I ask, don't I have the right to correct my previous mistakes?"
During the brief silence, he had calmed down a little. At the same time, he also realized that Durin's muzzle was no longer pointing at him. He felt that the familiar feeling was returning. As long as both sides insisted that they did not disclose the contents of the report, Durin's plan would fail.
This time, they were not prepared, and they were very passive. The next time they talked about these issues, they would be fully prepared to deal with Durin's attack.
The other onlookers more or less could not understand. Everyone was at this level, so how could Durin still make such a mistake?
He took out these things and pointed out the target without communicating with the other members of the Board. If he did not get the support of the other members of the Board and at the same time alarmed the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he would inevitably face failure if he wanted to do this next time.
Unless … he did not want to take over the Ministry of Internal Affairs. So far, everything he had done was just to deter the higher-ups and establish his authority.
But if they thought about it this way, something was not quite right. Wasn't the effect of this … too ordinary?
No matter what others thought, the finance minister and the minister of Internal Affairs had also calmed down. No matter what Durin said today, it would not immediately shake their positions and interests.
The higher-ups in the first row were also secretly communicating with each other through subtle facial expressions. Soon, these people's expressions became calm again.
Regardless of what Durin planned to do, they would wait until the end of this meeting.
The finance minister's counterattack was on point. If he really insisted, Durin would not have a good way to pry open his shell. However, Durin was always Durin, and his brain was always wired differently from others.
He shrugged his shoulders and casually threw the file in his hand on the table. His body leaned back in his chair, and he took a sip of the slightly cooled coffee. He raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "The purpose of asking about this matter is not to oppose anyone or become an enemy. I just need to know some of the truth to be able to help you."
When he said "help", some people in the first row showed a look of ridicule on their faces. They knew that Durin was lying, and Durin himself would not deny it.
Just when these people thought that Durin was going to let this matter end like this, he spoke again.
"Maybe you don't know, but the informant who listed this document has disappeared. His family and friends have already called the police. Before he disappeared, he left a file and a letter with his friend. He told his friend that if he suddenly disappeared, his friend should call the police. He also said that his disappearance must be related to what was said in the letter. "
"Now the police and the Bureau of Investigation have filed a case for investigation. Because it involves political figures, the Empire's National Security Council is also involved in this matter …" A disgusting smile appeared on Durin's face. "I've always wanted to figure out these problems and help some of you, but obviously, you don't appreciate it. Naturally, I won't do these annoying things anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the conference room was pushed open. Seven people wearing formal suits and sunglasses walked in one after another. They were either agents or investigators and looked like government officials. They walked in front of the head of the finance department and their identities were verified.
"Hello, I'm a senior agent from the Imperial General Bureau of Investigation. We suspect that you are involved in a premeditated murder case. The Imperial High Court has approved your arrest. Please come with us …" The senior agent took out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs from his waist. Everyone in the staircase conference room was stunned.
There was no doubt that this must have been directed or even planned by Durin himself. Everyone knew that he had great disagreements and conflicts with the senior managers in the party. Over the past year, everyone had clearly understood this point.
However, they had never thought that Durin would use such a method to achieve his goal. Moreover, he was so decisive and ruthless!
Yes, according to the Empire's laws and Charter, no agency could file a case to investigate an in-service official with specific duties. However, party cadres were not official officials.
He could be said to be a senior politician in the political world, a senior cadre of the New Party with great influence. However, he was not an official official of the Empire, so naturally, the Charter provisions that were used to protect in-service officials and prevent terrorist politics did not apply to him.
He looked at the arrest warrant in front of him in a daze. He looked at the names of the two judges who signed it at the bottom, then looked at the people around him. His ears were buzzing.
His face quickly turned sour, and he glared at Durin. "You can't do this!" This sentence was full of hatred and monstrous anger, but Durin just shook his head and smiled without saying a word.
The highest-ranking officers of the other departments in the first row stood up one after another, intending to intercede. At this time, a young man who came to arrest the finance minister suddenly pulled out his gun, pointed it at these people, and said loudly, "Sir, I suspect that they are trying to violently resist the law and obstruct us from exercising our power. Should we fight back?"
Suddenly, there was a lot of laughter in the staircase conference room. There was no doubt that if these onlookers were still wondering if this was Durin's work before, now there was no need to think about it. It must be Durin's design.
The effect of this sentence was too damn effective. Those who originally wanted to use their connections to plead for mercy all had ugly expressions on their faces as they stood awkwardly on the spot, not knowing whether to move or not to move.
If a small agent shot them to death, at most he would lose his job because of a miscarriage of justice. However, if they died, they would really die. In the entire New Party and even the entire Empire's political world, there was only one person who could come up with such an unexpected and unreasonable method.
That guy was sitting in the middle of this room!
That was Durin!
They didn't dare to gamble. They didn't dare to gamble on whether this young man really dared to shoot, and they didn't dare to gamble on whether Durin really intended to kill them all.
Just now, they thought that Durin had made a very stupid plan, but now they had nothing to say. The facts proved more than once that Durin was the master of conspiracy.
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