Chapter 207: Each Harboring Their Own Ulterior Motives

Li Ya did not stand on ceremony; he sat down and began eating grapes, apples, and pears, his mouth never stopping for a moment.

It was not that he did not understand etiquette.

Firstly, the Station Chief shared a mentor-student bond with him.

Secondly, he was truly famished.

In Yancheng, not to mention meat and white rice.

Fruits like these, air-freighted from Wandao or abroad, were not things one could just eat whenever one pleased.

"Teacher, what good news is there?" Li Ya asked with a smile after eating his fill and wiping his mouth.

"Oh my.

"It's better that you came; the others don't like eating fruit.

"In the past, there was always leftovers every day, and they would just rot, which was heartbreaking.

"Ever since you arrived, nothing goes to waste; it's quite good!"

Wu Jingzhong did not rush to speak, instead cracking a joke.

"You make me embarrassed, Teacher.

"I suffered through hardships over there, so whenever I see food, my heart itches and I can't control my mouth."

Li Ya offered an apologetic smile.

"I understand.

"For the sake of the Party and the State, it hasn't been easy for you.

"Now that you've come to the city, it is only right that you eat well and dress well.

"This is also what the Party and the State owe you."

Wu Jingzhong squinted in a comforting smile, then immediately took out seven gold bars and pushed them toward Li Ya.

"Let's talk business; these are for you."

Li Ya glanced upward and asked in confusion, "Teacher, the Party and the State owe me, but you don't owe me anything. This is..."

"I've pondered it; the matter at the Embroidery Pavilion must be brought to an end.

"Right now, Jiang Jianfeng is busy in Shanghai rectifying corruption, so let's not add to his troubles.

"Furthermore, Ye Xiufeng has very deep roots.

"He is an old hand of the CC Clique.

"Last time you killed his men and ruined the Jinhai Economic Investigation Group, you already committed a major taboo with the superiors.

"It is only because the Dangtong Bureau and the Juntong Bureau have long-standing grudges that the Generalissimo has always turned a blind eye.

"If it were any other department, those people in the Executive Yuan would have dealt with you long ago."

Wu Jingzhong began to work on his mindset.

"My heart is red for the Party and the State; I am not afraid of them," Li Ya said with a faint smile.

"This isn't a matter of being afraid or not.

"Enemies should be reconciled, not knotted.

"After all, we are all in Jinhai; we see each other every day.

"Therefore, I took the liberty of releasing the people.

"In any case, that Guo Liang has already lost his value, don't you think?"

Wu Jingzhong persuaded him in a pleasant manner.

"The problem is, the autopsy report clearly states that he was beheaded; it will be difficult to explain this when headquarters investigates," Li Ya frowned and said.

"Just say it was Qi Physician colluding with the Red Agents in retaliation.

"Headquarters won't say anything about someone who has no value."

Wu Jingzhong instructed.

"Qi Physician's confession states that he colluded with the Dangtong Bureau.

"He even signed and pressed his thumbprint."

Li Ya still shook his head.

"Isn't the confession still at the station?

"Have Department Chief Lu re-interrogate him, and if Qi Physician writes another confession and signs it, won't that be enough?

"Those few people from the Dangtong Bureau were just there looking for some fun.

"It was just a misunderstanding.

"Release them if they should be released."

Wu Jingzhong frowned, feeling that he was being a bit obtuse.

"Station Chief.

"Those five people are Red Agents, especially that one named Sun Cheng; one look and you can tell he is an expert from the Anti-Traitor Squad.

"Station Chief, I agree to releasing the people from the Dangtong Bureau.

"But these five, especially Sun Cheng.

"We cannot let the tiger return to the mountain."

As Li Ya's natural hostility toward Red Agents flared up, his arrogant little eyes began to narrow.

"The problem is that the Red Agents have no money.

"They can't afford to ransom the people."

Wu Jingzhong sneered and pulled five of the seven gold bars back from the table.

"What, you wouldn't go against money, would you?

"Did you not eat enough dirt in Yancheng?

"Or have you eaten too much white rice and braised pork in Jinhai?"

Wu Jingzhong glared at him.

Li Ya bit his lip, a plan forming in his mind:

"Since the money is already taken, why don't we just silence those five?"

"Li Ya, do you know why Hong Zhiyou is so successful in Jinhai?" Wu Jingzhong suppressed his inner dissatisfaction and asked with a gentle smile.

"He has good connections and has your support," Li Ya said.

"Not to mention his later affair with my daughter Rui Rui.

"When he first arrived, with no background and no faction, why was he so successful?

"He relied on integrity.

"A man cannot stand without trust.

"Don't look at how he flatters me and calls me Teacher; that's all superficial.

"But you, you are my true student.

"How could I not support you?

"If you want to rise to prominence in Jinhai, you can't just rely on brute force; you have to do things by the rules.

"Just like these seven gold bars.

"Are these two necessarily nobler than those five?

"Can you say that because it was used to ransom Red Agents, it has become stinking dog shit and is worthless?

"No, a gold bar is still this gold bar.

"It can still buy a mansion and allow you to live in luxury.

"It all depends on how you think about it.

"Don't go against money.

"That will bring down divine retribution!"

As Wu Jingzhong spoke, he smilingly pushed the gold bars back in front of him, though his gaze became sharp.

After Li Ya sucked his teeth, he swept the gold bars over:

"Teacher is right.

"A person cannot go against money.

"I was able to catch them this time, and I will be able to catch him just the same next time.

"I accept this money."

Immediately, he paused and stared at Wu Jingzhong, saying:

"Teacher, seven heads for a mere seven gold bars, might that be a bit too little?

"The Dangtong Bureau is not a party that lacks money."

Wu Jingzhong cursed him inwardly for being tactless and said in a deep voice, "You must eat a meal one bite at a time; carry a bowl only as large as your stomach can handle."

Having said this, he tapped the table solemnly:

"When you were in Yancheng, did you ever think you could live in a Western-style house, drive a car, and eat delicacies?

"Could you have abandoned your craft and still made a net profit of seven gold bars in one transaction?

"Li Ya!

"This matter was negotiated by Hong Zhiyou.

"To this day, his family of five is still squeezed into that dilapidated courtyard with Yu Zecheng."

At this point, he looked at Li Ya with a cold, sinister smile:

"One must learn to be content; only then can one be happy and go further."

"How did your Master die?"

"Was it not because he didn't know how to be flexible, was too stubborn, and thus fell into a trap and met his end?"

"You are a smart man; you understand what I mean, right?"

Li Ya felt a chill down his spine under his gaze; he lowered his eyes and nodded: "The student understands."

"That's right."

"What is in the bag is safe; everything else is just a reflection of flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water."

Wu Jingzhong narrowed his eyes, hid his sharpness, and chuckled.

"Teacher, my promotion to Deputy Station Chief has been submitted for some time; is there any news from headquarters?" Li Ya was not one to suffer a loss, so he asked for the next best thing.

Wu Jingzhong was waiting for these very words; he smiled slightly and said:

"I have asked Bureau Chief Mao."

"He has a good impression of you. Back when Boss Dai was still here, Bureau Chief Mao put in quite a bit of effort to have you transferred to Yancheng."

"Compared to Lu Qiaoshan, he has always been more inclined toward you."

"I will call and ask for you right now."

"Thank you, Station Chief." Li Ya said with a forced smile.

Wu Jingzhong dialed Mao Renfeng's number:

"Hello, Bureau Chief Mao, this is Jingzhong."

"Has the personnel arrangement for Li Ya's Deputy Station Chief position come down yet?"

"Oh, I see."

"Alright then, I understand. Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone, he looked at Li Ya quite helplessly and said: "Regarding your appointment, Bureau Chief Zheng is a bit hesitant, and it hasn't been approved yet."

"Zheng Jiemin must have an opinion about me."

"Station Chief, you two are old classmates; help me put in a word."

Li Ya frowned, feeling displeased.

"Let me ask."

Wu Jingzhong picked up the phone and called Zheng Jiemin again; after a few brief words:

"Good, good."

"I understand; I will convey your meaning to Li Ya."

Hanging up the phone, he said: "Bureau Chief Zheng's meaning is that since 'Yuan Peilin' was killed, the reputation of the Secret Service Bureau regarding you is not good."

"At a time like this, many people have objections to making you a Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Station Chief."

"Objections? It must be Lu Qiaoshan. Doesn't he just want to help the Old Canton Clique get ahead?" Li Ya snorted coldly.

"I reported this fake to Bureau Chief Mao and Jiang Jianfeng."

"How did it become that my reputation is not good?"

"If I had known, I should have sent those people from the Dangtong Bureau and the Red Ticket group to Jingling to see what else he had to say."

Li Ya said angrily.

Wu Jingzhong frowned, knowing that Li Ya was blaming him.

He wants an official position.

He also wants money.

He wants to take all the benefits; how could there be such a good thing?

He doesn't understand human affairs.

"After Bureau Chief Dai died, the influence of the Old Canton Clique in the Secret Service Bureau has been significant."

"Yes, the Generalissimo has Bureau Chief Mao in charge of daily affairs."

"But Zheng Jiemin is, after all, the Chief, and he holds the power over personnel."

"Bureau Chief Zheng's meaning is also very simple."

"If you catch two from the Dangtong Bureau and Ye Xiufeng doesn't acknowledge them, you can't do anything to him."

"As for those few execution squads, they are even more worthless."

"These people only know how to kill and don't participate in intelligence handovers; even if you used all ten major tortures of the Qing Dynasty, you wouldn't be able to squeeze out a sesame seed's worth of real information."

"Therefore, both Bureau Chiefs, including Jiang Jianfeng, hope you will use the trump card in your hand well and catch a truly big fish."

"One that makes a loud bang."

"Then everyone in the Secret Service Bureau will celebrate your success."

"Who would dare to question you then?"

Wu Jingzhong said with his hands behind his back.

"Don't forget, the person belongs to Station Chief Qiao; once the wind blows over in Beiping, he will have to take him back to claim a great merit."

"You must have spent a lot of money and effort privately to monitor and protect him, right?"

"If you don't use him again, Yuan will become a useless piece."

"Strike while the iron is hot; hurry up!"

After a pause, he advised again.

"I had forgotten until you mentioned it."

"Yes, eating and drinking well every day, and hiring so many people from Baoding and Jixian to watch him; it must cost a lot of money."

"Hanging it over my head every day, I can't even sleep soundly."

"Alright, I know what to do."

"Thank you, Station Chief, I'll get to work."

Li Ya expressed his gratitude without much emotion and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

"Go, go."

"Waiting for your good news, your promotion to Deputy Station Chief."

Wu Jingzhong smiled kindly.

Once Li Ya turned around, the smile on his face instantly turned into frost:

"You dog who doesn't understand human affairs!"

……

Drum Tower.

Li Ya sat under the stage, his head swaying gently with the drum beats, enjoying the opera on stage.

Around him were several trusted subordinates from the action team.

When the show ended.

Li Ya took the flower basket handed over by his subordinate and went straight backstage.

"Little Yunxian, Captain Li has come to see you again."

The troupe leader called over a female opera singer who had not yet removed her makeup.

"Brother Ya."

The female singer was eighteen or nineteen years old and walked over as happily as a bird.

"You sang well today."

"You must be hungry; I'll take you out to eat."

Li Ya pinched her cheek, which was covered in rouge, and asked with a smile.

"Mm, I'm hungry." Little Yunxian nodded.

They had met half a month ago.

Li Ya often came to watch the opera; Little Yunxian had a good voice, was good-looking, youthful, and lively, so the two became familiar after a few meetings.

Watching movies.

Going to restaurants, eating Western food.

Getting a room.

They had done everything that could be done.

To outsiders, the two were already a couple.

It was just that Li Ya was very low-key about dating her, and very few outsiders knew.

"What do you want to eat today?"

"There is a place by the Haihe River that serves good braised fish; do you want to go try it?"

Li Ya asked with a faint smile, one hand in his pocket.

"Okay, wait for me; I'll go take a shower and change my clothes." Little Yunxian left happily.

Li Ya looked around.

He walked to a wooden partition backstage, took a quick look while no one was watching, pulled out a note, and put it in his pocket.

Then, he returned to the entrance as if nothing had happened and continued to wait.

A while later, Little Yunxian came out after her shower, looking fresh and moving:

"Brother Ya."

"Let's go."

"Let's go!"

Li Ya hooked her arm, cast a glance at the old actor with the black beard who was speaking on the opera stage, and headed toward the side door.

As he walked, he caught a glimpse of Mi Zhiguo peeking sneakily from the shadows out of the corner of his eye, and a cold sneer curled his lips.

They arrived at the restaurant.

After finishing her meal, Xiao Yunxian said with a coy expression:

"Brother Li, I've already told my family about us. They were overjoyed to hear that I'm seeing a Lieutenant Colonel from the Confidential Bureau."

"Back in the village, they walk with their heads held high now; even the village head and Master Wang treat them with respect."

Xiao Yunxian was from a rural area in Jixian.

Li Ya knew this.

A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

Dating Xiao Yunxian was nothing more than a cover to facilitate his dealings with Yuan Peilin.

Of course, during their intimate moments, he had considered settling down with her.

But the moment he thought about how poor her family was, and that she had two older brothers, a younger brother, and a younger sister—a whole family depending on him—Li Ya felt a massive headache.

He was truly terrified of poverty.

Even the little money he had in his pocket right now had to be tucked under his pillow every day, and he had to count it twice as soon as he woke up.

To support a bunch of paupers for nothing.

Just for the sake of his lower half, it felt too worthless.

Couldn't he become a sage just as well by using the photo of Ma Kui's wife?

Spending this wasted money.

How cheap.

"Mm, as long as you're happy. Are your parents back home doing well?" Li Ya asked with a hollow, unfeeling smile.

"They're doing great."

"My parents' idea is, why don't we settle things by the end of the year?"

"Or, you could take me to meet your uncle and aunt."

Xiao Yunxian said, her pretty face blushing.

"Back when the Japanese were causing trouble, my parents passed away long ago."

"You can handle this matter however you see fit."

"Let's pick a day, and I'll go back to your hometown with you."

Li Ya said very warmly and gently.

Once he caught the big fish and sent Yuan Peilin to Beiping, he would never come back to this godforsaken place again.

Listening to what opera?

All that wailing and slow, drawn-out singing—it was annoying to listen to.

Western blockbusters, with all those big white beauties—weren't those better?

"Thank you, Brother Ya."

"Meeting you is the greatest luck of my life."

Xiao Yunxian said simply and earnestly.

"Me too." Li Ya smiled and nodded.

After the meal.

Li Ya naturally couldn't spend this money for nothing.

Before they had even walked for a while or finished digesting their food, Li Ya drove her back home and got his money's worth.

Two hours later, he sent her out the door, his limbs feeling weak.

He was too lazy to see her off himself.

He simply called a rickshaw to take Xiao Yunxian back.

Returning to his room.

Li Ya took a slip of paper out of his pocket.

On it was written an address: "No. 69 Yanjin Road."

When he went last time.

He had left a note in the lining, telling Yuan Peilin that no matter what, he had to reveal a big fish here in Jinhai.

And not someone from the local committee.

With the infiltration and sabotage by the labor unions and student associations, and the successive mishaps of Liu Wensheng and Zhou Yunyi, the Jinhai local committee was basically a mess.

It was nothing more than an idiot like the third young lady of the Yong family jumping around.

Taking them down would be a matter of minutes.

What Li Ya wanted to know about were Pebble, Brother Ouyang, Rattlesnake, and their contact stations.

Right.

And Emei Peak.

Li Ya had always harbored doubts about Ma Kui being Emei Peak.

He was more inclined to believe the testimony of his Master and Ma Kui that Yu Zecheng was the real Emei Peak.

And last time at the Hongqiao Hotel.

Although he had botched the job and committed a blunder by killing Zhong Wangguo.

But Li Ya believed.

If it hadn't been for Zhou Yunyi turning traitor before his death, Yu Zecheng, who was watching the opera across the street that day, would very likely have come in to make the handoff.

Otherwise, why such a coincidence?

Why did Yu Zecheng and his wife happen to be in that vicinity?

Li Ya never believed in coincidences.

He only believed that every event had a cause.

Not mentioning it in front of the Station Chief didn't mean he had given up on investigating Yu Zecheng.

Likewise.

The news about "Yuan Peilin" had been released.

The Reds would not only obtain the intelligence but also organize a traitor-elimination squad at the first opportunity.

That is to say, there was still a high-level Red underground intelligence contact point in Jinhai.

Even if it had nothing to do with Yu Zecheng.

If he could destroy it, it would surely be a great, extraordinary achievement.

Wouldn't the position of Deputy Station Chief be secure then?

"Hello, Gao Yuan."

"Find a few reliable people to keep an eye on No. 69 Yanjin Road."

"Remember, don't alert the enemy."

"Be extremely, extremely cautious; there will be a major operation later."

"If it succeeds, I will reward you heavily."

Li Ya picked up the phone to call his confidant at the Delong Inn.

The Delong Inn was a fat piece of meat he had just taken over from Lu Qiaoshan.

Li Ya had formed an impenetrable detachment of confidants from graduates he had personally recruited from the police academy.

There weren't many of them, just nine people.

But each one was loyal and had strong execution skills.

He hung up the phone.

Li Ya let out a long breath.

He was very confident in this piece of intelligence.

Yuan Peilin was one of the builders of the Red intelligence network.

For someone like him, having operated in Yancheng and the Central Plains in the past, the amount of intelligence gathered in his hands was astonishing.

I'm afraid even those people on the No. 1 line didn't know how much intelligence this Yuan actually possessed.

That was why they were so panicked.

"Zheng Jiemin, let's see how you block me this time, you old bastard." A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Li Ya's lips.

The next day.

Wu Jingzhong was feeling unwell and did not come to the station.

Hong Zhiyou was bored and reading the newspaper in his office.

A while later, Lu Qiaoshan and Yu Zecheng strolled in.

"How about it, Old Lu, any news on your end?"

Now that the three of them were grasshoppers on the same string, Yu Zecheng asked directly.

"None."

"This Li Ya is very cunning; his subordinates have all been very quiet lately."

"Including those at the Delong Inn."

"Furthermore, this guy has many secret external hires not registered with the station's field operations."

"So we can't guess at all what he wants to do?"

Lu Qiaoshan said, feeling quite a headache.

"You say Yuan is such an important card, isn't it a waste for him to hold it in his hand without using it?" Yu Zecheng said.

"Could it be that he has already used it, and we just don't know?" Hong Zhiyou said.

"Brother, you have wide connections, haven't you picked up any wind of it?"

Lu Qiaoshan asked.

"No."

"You said last time that Li Ya isn't seeing a girlfriend?" Hong Zhiyou looked at Lu Qiaoshan.

"I was just mocking him."

"He has one."

"A dan performer from a Pear Garden opera troupe at the Drum Tower, called Xiao Yunxian."

"The two have been seeing each other for a while."

"They were already seeing each other before Yuan arrived."

Lu Qiaoshan explained with a smile.

"Captain Li likes listening to opera? That's a refined hobby." Hong Zhiyou rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He had also inquired about this news from Mi Zhiguo.

There wasn't much suspicious about it.

Because according to Mi Zhiguo, every time Li Ya went, it was to meet Xiao Yunxian, and he had never contacted any outsiders.

"The Red Ticket side is not like the bustling world of Jinhai."

"Usually there are only some makeshift stage plays, I guess he got used to listening to them over there," Lu Qiaoshan said.

"I had people go and check the bottom of it."

"The opera troupe has thirteen people in total."

"Including those beating gongs and drums, costumes, and props."

"I had the people from the police station identify them one by one against the list, checking them one by one, and there is no Yuan."

Lu Qiaoshan shifted his body slightly, changed to a more comfortable sitting posture, crossed his legs, and continued:

"Think about it, with someone as cunning as Li Ya."

"If he really hid someone there, as soon as the police station showed up, they would have been moved away long ago."

"That's true, it's not like this person hid in a mouse hole," Yu Zecheng said, brushing the hair on his forehead and frowning.

"Maybe he has already been transferred to Beiping."

He asked again.

"That's impossible."

"Director Zheng has already suppressed his appointment as deputy station chief."

"Saying Li Ya has no great merits and it's hard to convince the masses."

"With Li Ya's nature of wanting to snatch a bite of even excrement, having worked so hard for so long, there's no way Beiping wants him."

"If Yuan doesn't leak some solid goods, he won't be able to leave Jinhai City."

Lu Qiaoshan said with a cold laugh.

"Don't rush, let's probe more."

"Old Lu, if it really doesn't work, find a reason to bring that troupe leader in."

"Better to kill three thousand by mistake than to let one go."

"I don't believe that after eating a set from Old Five, he still won't confess."

Hong Zhiyou relayed Wu Jingzhong's original words.

He had reported this information to the station chief in the morning.

Wu Jingzhong was no saint.

As long as Yuan is not found, Li Ya might perform a great service; with the full support of Mao Renfeng and Jiang Jianfeng, even Zheng Jiemin wouldn't be able to stop it then.

Therefore, Old Wu was actually more anxious and agitated than Yu and Lu.

But he couldn't say this directly.

If Li Ya found out, Wu Jingzhong would be caught in the middle.

It could only be brought up by Hong Zhiyou in an understated way.

Moreover, it would only be reasonable and appropriate if Lu Qiaoshan did it.

"That makes sense."

Lu Qiaoshan slapped his thigh and pointed at Hong and Yu with a fierce look:

"You two, I think we are just too kind-hearted."

"We cannot be soft-hearted toward people like Li Ya."

"Grind them."

"Only by grinding them hard will these people honestly open their mouths."

Lu Qiaoshan acted as soon as he said it, stood up and said:

"I'm going to arrest people right now."

"The excuse is suspecting the troupe leader of communicating with the Reds; that will scare them to death."

"If they are scared enough that Yuan Peilin pops out, we'll have picked it up for free."

"Wait for my good news."

(End of chapter)