Chapter 91: Conspiracy

The moment the Dagger pierced his heart, Yi Xiansheng's body twitched violently; he, who had been unconscious, actually woke up briefly.

He stared at Wang Jiazhi with wide, angry eyes, his hands clawing about as if trying to reach for a Pistol, his throat emitting "Heh-heh" sounds from time to time, like a curse, vowing to tear this ungrateful "vicious woman" limb from limb.

Four years ago, to save Wang Jiazhi, he had spent a lot of money; not only did he buy a hardened criminal who looked very much like Wang Jiazhi to take her place, but he also used money to pull many strings. Yet after saving her, she began to be very cold to him, acting indifferent, and now she had killed him with her own hands—truly, the heart of a woman is the most poisonous. The wound on his chest was gushing blood; although he was unwilling to accept this, his consciousness began to blur, and his strength was slowly draining away...

He Yuzhu was also baffled by Wang Jiazhi's bizarre actions; he had thought she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it, or might even plead for mercy, but she had been so resolute.

After being stunned for several seconds, He Yuzhu finally snapped back to his senses and roared, "Are you crazy? We agreed to interrogate him first, why did you kill him directly?"

Wang Jiazhi laughed maniacally, "If I didn't kill him in one go, I would be afraid, I would regret it. He is a devil... He is the one who made my life worse than death, who made me a laughingstock..."

Looking at this nearly insane woman, He Yuzhu didn't want to continue provoking her, so his tone softened, "But we have to keep our word when we do things. I helped you, you should also consider my feelings, shouldn't you..."

"I'll tell you the truth! I've been lying to you all along. He has no money; his money was long ago spent on bribes to keep his life."

"You, you're ruthless... but... I won't lower myself to your level. Even a fly's leg is meat; I did collect some things from him, so we'll call it even..." He Yuzhu said.

In fact, He Yuzhu was very satisfied with receiving these ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings; in the future, these things would be worth more than gold.

However, on the surface, he feigned disappointment, slumped dejectedly into an armchair nearby, and shook his head with a bitter smile: "But you... I can't trust you anymore... you aren't honest..."

Wang Jiazhi suddenly said hysterically: "If you feel you've been cheated by me, kill me now! Anyway, I have nowhere else to go!"

As she spoke, she broke down in tears, her thin shoulders trembling violently under the light.

He Yuzhu glanced at her, his tone mocking: "If you really have nowhere to go, just get married! My eldest uncle is over thirty and still doesn't have a wife; he is a man of talent and appearance."

Wang Jiazhi suddenly looked at He Yuzhu as if he were a fool and asked, "You... you still want to introduce me to..."

"That's right! Why can't I introduce you to a partner... You don't think my family are all robbers, do you!"

Wang Jiazhi sneered, "You are a madman, and your family is no better!"

"You small-minded woman, your vision is too narrow, I won't talk to you anymore! Let's hurry and find the money!" He Yuzhu stood up and said: "You search the study and the bedroom, the money you find belongs to you. I'll search other places; don't you covet the money I find. We can stay for at most one hour."

This sentence made Wang Jiazhi perk up, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Would I lie to you? I gave you money in the countryside too, have you forgotten!" He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow.

Wang Jiazhi stood up and began to think about where Yi Xiansheng might hide his money.

Over the next hour, He Yuzhu turned this small Western-style house upside down.

He harvested quite a few rare ancient books and calligraphy and paintings, especially when he saw several volumes of the "Yongle Encyclopedia," which made him very excited.

Finally, he discovered a safe on the wall of the storage room downstairs, which contained twenty Small Yellow Fish and many documents.

He didn't even open the safe, but directly collected it into his space.

Next, he turned to the courtyard and finally discovered a hidden cellar entrance in the corner.

Pulling open the cover and climbing down the wooden ladder, he found that the cellar had been meticulously renovated, with several cases of wine and a few large wooden chests piled in the corner.

He Yuzhu casually pried open a wooden chest; inside were still rare ancient books and calligraphy and paintings.

"What a weirdo, collecting so many ancient paintings in this day and age!" He muttered to himself, and casually collected the chest into his space as well.

When He Yuzhu returned to the study, he saw Wang Jiazhi had opened a small chest full of Big Ocean and placed it on the table.

Her gaze, however, was still fixed on Yi Xiansheng's corpse.

"This traitor is really a pauper, I didn't find anything valuable!" He Yuzhu clapped the dust off his hands, "Are you going to keep staring blankly here, or are you coming with me?"

Wang Jiazhi raised her head and said: "Take this money; consider it your reward."

He Yuzhu scrutinized her face, where the tear stains had not yet dried, and said: "My greatest trait is that I keep my word. Take the money and run; after Yi Xiansheng dies, someone will definitely investigate!"

She shook her head gently, her voice carrying a hint of bitterness: "I have no family left, I don't know where to go..."

"Why are you so dense? The world is so big, can't it hold you? How about this, if you really have nowhere to go, and if you aren't afraid that I'll sell you, come with me..." He Yuzhu said.

Wang Jiazhi didn't speak, still looking troubled.

He Yuzhu grinned: "Your great revenge is avenged, smile a little, and I won't hold a grudge against you!"

Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang "Ding-dong," and both were startled, their expressions instantly tightening.

"Let's leave through the back door!" He Yuzhu commanded in a low voice.

"I know the secret passage here, it's faster to go through the basement." Wang Jiazhi immediately stood up and pulled He Yuzhu toward the basement downstairs.

At the same time, in the living room of the Shen Residence, the Station Chief sat by the conference table in a crisp military uniform; the cigarette between his fingers was about to burn to the end, and he hurriedly brought it to his lips, taking two hard drags, the ash falling onto his trouser legs.

Two Military Statistics Bureau Section Chiefs sat beside him, their expressions somewhat grave.

Shen Shichang pushed the door open and entered, his face apologetic: "Sorry, I just took a call from Dai Laoban, keeping you all waiting."

"Shen Xiansheng, no need to be polite, we haven't been waiting long." The Station Chief hurriedly stood up to respond, pressing the cigarette butt into the ashtray.

Shen Shichang sat down in the grand armchair at the head of the table, his voice low: "Have you tallied the losses in your station? Do you know who exactly did this?"

"The station... lost nearly half its personnel! We can't find any... clues at the scene, not a single trace was left!" As the Station Chief reported, fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his speech was somewhat stuttering.

Shen Shichang's gaze was like a knife as he swept it over the two Section Chiefs: "You two go out and wait first, I have important matters to discuss with the Station Chief alone."

After the living room door closed, Shen Shichang picked up the blue-and-white covered tea bowl on the table, took a light sip, and then said calmly: "Old Feng, there are no outsiders here, tell the truth, who exactly did this? Do you have any guesses in your heart?"

The Station Chief lit another cigarette and took a deep drag, the smoke pouring out from his nasal cavity: "Shen Gong, the explosion was aimed at me. There are some things I didn't say in front of the two Section Chiefs; actually, that day... there was a man leading a Camel... In my opinion, it is nine times out of ten instigated by Liu Xiaohua behind the scenes."

Shen Shichang put down the tea bowl and pondered for a long time before saying: "According to your analysis, Liu Xiaohua has a grudge against you and wants your life. But you have never had any intersection!"

"I suspect it's because I killed his parents. You also know, in those years... many people from the... Communist Party... died..."

"You are saying Liu Xiaohua is, is the child of those people..." Shen Shichang asked.

"I suspect his resume is all fake... his parents must have been Communist Party..." The Station Chief's tone became increasingly certain.

"If that's the case, the trouble is big." Shen Shichang frowned, "We just submitted the report that Liu Xiaohua died in the line of duty; it's too late to change our story now. If he keeps causing us trouble, yet we dare not announce his true identity..."

"Now that the public sentiment in the city is restless, we must give our superiors an explanation; we must find a scapegoat." A hint of viciousness flashed in the Station Chief's eyes as he lowered his voice.

The air suddenly solidified, with only the occasional "crackling" sound from the charcoal brazier in the corner.

The two stared at each other for a long time, and a tacit understanding was reached in silence.

The Station Chief took a piece of special stationery from his briefcase and began to write with a fountain pen; soon, a neat telegram was drafted.

It read: "... Communist Party 'sabotaging the truce agreement'..."

Shen Shichang leaned over to take a look, then nodded with satisfaction: "Station Chief Feng understands the big picture."

Not long after, this encrypted telegram was transmitted to Nanjing via radio; in the silent night, the radio waves silently conveyed a conspiracy.