After a moment of silence, Emily Jennings seemed to be moved by William Carter's persistence and said softly, “Those people just now were said to be from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. They came to investigate my dad. They said my dad was involved in a bribery and extortion case. Frank Brooks confirmed their identities, and my dad also checked their credentials.”

“Uncle Zhen accused of bribery and extortion?” William Carter felt certain in his heart; it seemed that everything was unfolding just as history had, and James Jennings was still taken down because of this matter. But as for how it would end, that would depend on what kind of changes his inexplicable return to this era might bring. “Uncle Zhen isn’t that kind of person.”

“Of course not, but the problem is getting those people to believe it. They said my dad accepted a set of expensive jewelry and a large amount of cash from a private businessman. My dad said he never accepted any jewelry or cash from anyone. They searched the house but found nothing, and in the end, they warned us to consider the consequences of covering up or hiding the truth.”

Emily Jennings was also filled with grief and indignation. She firmly believed her father would never have problems in this regard. Although the family did have quite a few antiques and calligraphy and painting collections, all of these were things her father had picked up from flea markets, and most were just inexpensive trinkets. All of these were registered and sealed by those people just now.

“Emily Jennings, I think there’s something fishy about this. We all trust Uncle Zhen, but the Discipline Inspection Commission wouldn’t come to investigate without some evidence. They wouldn’t target Uncle Zhen for no reason. Since they said Uncle Zhen accepted jewelry and cash from someone, did they say who that person was?”

William Carter tried hard to recall what he remembered about this case. He wasn’t clear on the specifics, but he knew that in the end, the case was not officially classified as bribery.

What truly ruined James Jennings's reputation were some issues with his personal conduct, and in the end, he was only given disciplinary sanctions for those. In other words, James Jennings was able to clear himself of any economic wrongdoing.

But it was precisely the bribery accusation that led to a full-scale investigation of James Jennings by the Discipline Inspection Commission. Under such circumstances, to end up with only personal conduct issues and no economic problems was already considered quite “clean.”

“They didn’t say, only that it was a private businessman.” Emily Jennings shook her head, her long curled lashes like feather fans, now misted with tears, and her slightly swollen eyes filled with resentment.

William Carter pondered how to deal with this matter. He had to stop things from developing any further as soon as possible. Although it could be proven later that James Jennings was innocent of any economic issues, once personal conduct was implicated, James Jennings's reputation would be ruined, and he would no longer be able to stay at Factory 195. This was an outcome William Carter did not want to see.

“Did they leave any contact information? How long do they plan to investigate Uncle Zhen? Can you see Uncle Zhen?” William Carter fired off a series of questions.

Emily Jennings hesitated for a moment. “They didn’t leave any contact information, but said that if anything came up, they would notify us through Frank Brooks. If we needed anything, we could also contact them through Frank Brooks.”

It was obvious that Frank Brooks was playing a role in all this.

In his memory, after James Jennings fell from grace, Brian Young was promoted to deputy factory director. Brian Young and Frank Brooks were close friends, and both were in cahoots with David Lane. Later, when George Grant was transferred to a position in Changzhou, Frank Brooks became the deputy party secretary and executive vice president of the Dawn Machinery Industry Group, which had already begun restructuring.

It wasn’t until the corruption scandal broke out during the listing process of Factory 195 in the 21st century that all three were imprisoned. David Lane, who was both party secretary and chairman of the group, was even sentenced to death with reprieve, becoming a figure in a case that shocked the whole province and even the country.

William Carter secretly felt lucky. If he hadn’t arrived a few minutes earlier and gotten the contact information for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection people, it would have been much harder to help James Jennings turn things around. But even now, the situation was still very serious. Since the Discipline Inspection Commission dared to take James Jennings away, they must have something on him.

“Emily Jennings, I’m afraid we need to find those people as soon as possible and get more information. We have that right.” William Carter knew that Emily Jennings was quite independent, much more self-reliant than her mother.

In his memory, after graduating from graduate school, Emily Jennings went abroad and seemed to have married a Korean-American, but the marriage was unhappy and she divorced and returned to China a few years later. He later heard that she developed her career in Shanghai and became a somewhat well-known lawyer. Later still, he heard that while handling a case, she was disfigured by the opposing party using despicable means, which caused a sensation at the time. After that, she disappeared from public view.

“Yes, we have that right.” Spurred on by William Carter's words, Emily Jennings perked up. “Let’s go find Frank Brooks!”

“No, we can’t.” William Carter shook his head.

Emily Jennings immediately caught on, her face turning a bit pale. “You mean…”

William Carter shook his head again. “It’s too soon to say. I just want to be cautious. Emily Jennings, it’s not convenient to talk at home. Let’s go out, look for people, and discuss as we go.”

Emily Jennings also realized that some things were better not said in front of her mother. As a daughter, she naturally knew her father’s temperament and conduct. Thinking of this, Emily Jennings felt even more anxious.