Chapter 536 - Hailin's Scheme
He glared hard at Shan Liang for a moment, then raised his voice. "I think not."
"This whole affair is a smear job!" Dugu Qiuhun shouted, proclaiming his innocence. "Someone plotted to entrap me! I never destroyed public property! I didn't even enter Bairen Fortress—who smashed the coffee house gate? Seizing the Telecom Building was a precaution—how is that vandalism? This is a trumped-up charge!"
That charge is a bit of a stretch, Ma Jia admitted to himself. "Intent to disrupt public order" would have been cleaner.
Dugu also rejected the charge of "intent to inflict bodily harm."
"I have always treated comrades with the warmth of spring," he declaimed, ignoring the chorus of jeers from the room. "I reserve winter's cruelty only for enemies. I would never extend my claws toward my own comrades."
"Then why the guns?" a Senator challenged. "Bairen Fortress is ninety percent transmigrators. Who were those Minié rifles for?"
Dugu floundered. The file contained ironclad testimony from multiple indigenous officers confirming the order to arm with lethal weapons.
The Senators were visibly angry. The idea that an armed indigenous force had been deployed to suppress them—that they might have been beaten or shot by their own "inferiors"—was intolerable. It threatened the racial hierarchy they had implicitly built.
Under the barrage, Dugu ran out of arguments. He fell back on his only defense: his loyalty to the collective was "as clear as the sun and moon."
Then, a new speaker rose.
"The Dugu incident appears accidental, but it has deep roots," the man spoke eloquently. "I believe Dugu is a man without guile, loyal in his way. But sometimes, simple minds confuse loyalty to the organization with worship of an individual..."
Ma Jia frowned. It was Hailin—a heavyset man in his thirties, currently running the wood processing plant under the Forestry Bureau.
Hailin's words were a precision strike. Everyone knew Dugu worshipped Ma Qianzhu. Ma Jia had been waiting for this shoe to drop. He exchanged a glance with Ji Xin.
"...This affair demonstrates serious errors in our personnel system. How did a man with no military or police background, no concept of rules or chain of command, climb to the post of Precinct Chief? How did he become Outer Perimeter Security Commander?"
The room went quiet. Hailin was attacking the previous Executive Committee—specifically Ma Qianzhu.
"Punishing Dugu is treating the symptom, not the disease. What supported him in his delusion that 'whatever I do is right'? Comrades, this deserves deep reflection!"
Hailin looked pointedly at Shan Liang, expecting the firebrand to jump up and second the motion. He expected Shan Liang to demand an inquiry into the "hidden hand" behind Dugu.
But Shan Liang pretended not to see him. He looked away, studying the ceiling.
Hailin paused, waiting for support. None came.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Ma Jia asked coolly.
Hailin had to continue alone. "I propose... a thorough investigation of the root causes. Only by digging out the source can we guarantee stability."
He sat down, disappointed. His carefully crafted "lead-in" had failed. The Senators merely condemned Dugu's lack of discipline; no one touched the third rail of "leadership responsibility."
Strange, Hailin thought. When did Ma Qianzhu become so popular?
He idly flipped through the information packet distributed before the hearing. He hadn't bothered to read it earlier, feeling confident in his speech. Now, a document caught his eye: "Independent Investigation Report on the Dugu Qiuhun Incident," authored by the Arbitration Tribunal.
Hailin froze. The Arbitration Tribunal had done its own report?
He skimmed it rapidly. It was dry, factual, listing interview records and site logs without conclusions. But between the lines, the message was crystal clear: We know everything. We chose not to say it.
The Senators weren't protecting Ma Qianzhu. They just didn't want to be used as Hailin's gun.
As the hearing neared its end, Hailin took the floor again. He pivoted.
"Dugu's behavior shows that some people see only certain leaders, not the collective." He stressed the word certain. "Power is corroding us. Today, a precinct chief deploys native police against citizens. Tomorrow, will our own army turn its guns on us at the behest of a careerist? We must be ruthless. I propose Dugu be stripped of all posts, deprived of his Senate seat, and banned for life from any armed service position."
This time, the room nodded.
Ma Jia called the vote.
Verdict: "Unauthorized mobilization": Guilty. "Intent to inflict bodily harm": Guilty. "Intent to destroy public property": Not Guilty.
"Convicted on two counts," Ma Jia announced, striking the gavel. "Sentencing will be announced at a later date. Adjourned!"
"I refuse to accept this! I am innocent!" Dugu screamed as Political Security officers dragged him away.
The Senators filed out, chatting in low voices.
Ji Xin packed his bag. His job was done. He didn't care about the sentence or the secrets behind the curtain.
"Walk with me," Ma Jia said, catching him at the door.
On the way back to the Customs Building, Ma Jia brought up the sentencing.
"We need to present a proposal to the Executive Committee," Ji Xin said.
"Strip him of administrative posts, definitely," Ma Jia said. "But revoking his Senate seat? That might be going too far."
"Why not include it, then let the Committee show mercy and 'descend from on high' to reinstate it?" Ji Xin joked.
Ma Jia laughed. "That's a strategy. It shows unity."
He looked at Ji Xin with new appreciation. The man had handled a volatile situation perfectly, defusing a bomb without letting it explode.
"What about your future?" Ma Jia asked, sounding him out. "Where do you want to fit in the new judicial system?"
"I don't want a judicial post," Ji Xin said, surprisingly. "I want to go to the Education Bureau. Specifically, indigenous education. And... if you'll support it, I want to set up an Indigenous Rights Protection Association."
Ma Jia stopped walking. "Indigenous rights? You're serious?"
"Dead serious. We have freedom of association now, don't we?"
"I won't object. But I doubt you'll get many members."
"I don't need members. I just need the official status," Ji Xin said. "Legal disputes between us and them are going to multiply. Someone needs to stand up for them. To keep them from being bullied."
"That's admirable. Promoting social harmony," Ma Jia nodded slowly. It was a useful safety valve.
Ji Xin shook his head. "I don't care about harmony. We have the guns; we can force harmony if we want. I just think... everyone is born of a mother. They're human beings. They should have basic rights."
(End of Chapter)