Chapter 268: Jinhai and I Are Not Compatible

When Jianfeng flew into a rage, everyone present trembled with fear.

Wu Jingzhong exaggeratedly sprang up from his chair, standing stiffly in shock with his head bowed and eyes lowered as if he had committed a grave error, all to match the display of reverence for this "Young Master."

He knew very well that in this matter, Jianfeng was being manipulated by the Lady at every turn and had lost the upper hand.

At this moment, upholding the leader's dignity and showing reverence was the right move.

It was like providing charcoal in snowy weather—truly gratifying.

"Old Dog Wu, you..." Mao Renfeng glanced at Wu Jingzhong and stood up as well.

Chen Zhangjie, meanwhile, cluelessly tugged at the collar of his wool cape.

"Jianfeng, what is the rush? Let him finish," the Lady said, her phoenix eyes fixed on Jianfeng with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Yes, my Lady."

Jianfeng glanced at the two of them.

Only then did Wu Jingzhong and Mao Renfeng slowly sit back down.

"Wu Jingzhong, is this Li Ya the same person who cracked the spy case last time?" the Lady asked.

"Reporting to you, my Lady, he is," Wu Jingzhong replied, rising once more to answer respectfully.

"If I recall correctly, the Leader and Jianfeng both praised this man highly during a family banquet, and he even infiltrated Yancheng.

"Jianfeng, he seems to be from that group of yours, doesn't he?"

The Lady knew the opportunity had arrived and naturally would not let it slip.

"Yes," Jianfeng nodded.

"Splendid.

"To think he would even attempt to assassinate me—I think you should stop calling it the Iron-Blooded Youth League and call it the Cold-Blooded Youth League instead."

The Lady held her teacup, offering a graceful, cold smile.

Jianfeng's face changed drastically; he had not expected the Lady to be so merciless, and he hurriedly bowed to apologize:

"My Lady, please let me explain.

"There may be a misunderstanding."

The Lady looked at him: "A misunderstanding?

"In the past, when Dai Li sent Shen Zui to repeatedly assassinate my sister, you also called it a misunderstanding.

"The assassin's bullet was less than a meter away from me.

"If not for my guards fighting to the death to protect me, I don't know where I would be right now.

"Jiang Jianfeng, say no more.

"I am flying to North America tomorrow; have your father come and talk to me then."

The Lady set down her teacup, gave Jianfeng a graceful smile, and rose to leave.

"My Lady!

"My Lady!"

Jianfeng was desperate; he knew that if this rift wasn't mended before the Lady left for North America, family and state affairs would become a tangled mess—where would his father's reputation stand then?

"There may be a misunderstanding in all this.

"Allow me to interrogate him thoroughly; I will certainly give you an explanation."

He said.

"Very well, I will give you one day.

"Before noon tomorrow, if you do not give me a satisfactory answer, we shall meet in North America."

Surrounded by her guards, the Lady left the table.

Jianfeng saw her to the door, then turned and walked back:

"Mao Renfeng!"

He was so angry that his fingers shook as he pointed at Mao Renfeng; he couldn't even bring himself to curse.

"Please calm your anger, sir."

Mao Renfeng, looking terrified, hurried over to Mao Wanli and slapped him across the face:

"You bastard, who told you to spout such nonsense?"

"I didn't spout nonsense; the items were indeed given to me by Li Ya, and Niu Xingui of the Confidentiality Bureau can testify to that."

Mao Wanli knew he had to bite the bullet now.

The more people he dragged into the water, the better.

"Old classmate, calm down.

"Why don't we take Director Mao back to the station first and discuss it there?

"We can always find a way to explain this."

Wu Jingzhong pulled Jianfeng aside and whispered his advice.

"Do as you say," Jianfeng said, then flicked his sleeves and walked away quickly.

Back at the station.

Mao Renfeng immediately summoned Wu Jingzhong.

"Director, you called for me?" Wu Jingzhong's attitude remained very respectful, showing no sign of kicking a man while he was down.

"Jingzhong.

"Things have reached this point; I have offended Jianfeng to the core.

"Wanli is a fool."

Mao Renfeng slapped his palms together, anxious and agitated.

"What does this have to do with you?

"It was Mao Wanli who contacted Li Ya privately; you were unaware of it, Director."

Wu Jingzhong smiled and said.

"Yes, yes!

"I, Mao, was indeed completely in the dark."

Mao Renfeng slapped his own forehead, feeling grateful.

"Sigh.

"I never imagined the Lady would be so determined this time, showing Jianfeng no mercy at all.

"If this continues, I fear the Leader will have to step in."

He paused and sighed.

"Rest assured, Director.

"Jianfeng is only angry for the moment; Director Mao is still loyal to the Party and State. Once his anger subsides, he won't hold it against him."

Wu Jingzhong said.

"The key is that the Lady is holding onto Li Ya and Wanli, and Jianfeng is being roasted on a fire—he can't get down.

"He's being roasted to a crisp.

"Can we expect any good to come of this?"

Mao Renfeng frowned.

"Sigh, Director, you are overthinking it.

"What could happen to me? The Lady herself pointed out that Li Ya is a member of the... Iron-Blooded Youth League. That has already defined the nature of the case; it has nothing to do with my Confidentiality Bureau.

"My men successfully intercepted the assassin and protected the two ladies.

"Look, the front-page headlines of today's *Jinhai Daily* and *Central Daily*.

"I imagine this newspaper is already on the Leader's desk.

"I won't even ask for credit; at worst, I'm just guilty of lax supervision.

"If the Lady really wants to punish me, I will accept it.

"At worst, I'll just resign and return to the fields."

Seeing that Mao Renfeng wanted to drag him into the water again, Wu Jingzhong handed over the newspaper with a knowing smirk.

Mao Renfeng took it and looked.

Front page: "Righteous Deputy Station Chief Yu Zecheng, who killed Li Haifeng, displays heroism once again, sacrificing himself..."

Damn it, what kind of nonsense is this, and it's worth a front-page spread?

It even made it into the *Central Daily*.

This Old Dog Wu has truly become a fox.

Seeing that his tactics were failing, Mao Renfeng cursed Wu Jingzhong's ancestors down to the eighteenth generation.

"Jingzhong.

"I know you are classmates with Jianfeng and have a good private relationship.

"Your secretary can also put in a word before the Lady.

"Li Ya is, after all, Jianfeng's trusted aide and has just performed a great service.

"Please, persuade Jianfeng to handle this internally.

"My life is in your hands, brother."

He leaned in with a face full of smiles, his tone pleading and sincere.

"Don't say that."

"Director Mao, how can you use 'you' 【honorific】?"

"Aren't you trying to shame your subordinate?"

Wu Jingzhong was so startled he stood up immediately.

"Sit, sit."

"You and I are brothers."

"My dear brother, that... that all depends on you now."

Mao Renfeng pulled him close, his smile forced, looking so panicked he was nearly losing his composure.

"Yes, Director."

"I will go persuade Jiang Jianfeng right away."

Wu Jingzhong dared not act arrogant and respectfully accepted the order.

He understood clearly.

After Boss Dai passed away, the Chairman did not let Tang Zong or Zheng Jiemin hold the real power of the Secret Service Bureau, but instead promoted Mao Renfeng.

This showed that the Chairman still needed this sharp blade.

Mao Renfeng was a sinister and vicious person.

Such an unscrupulous villain was extremely valuable to those in power.

Currently, with Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi inside the party and state, and the Red Faction outside, they all needed a snake-like person such as Mao Renfeng to do the dirty work.

This man would not fall anytime soon.

With the mounting pressure of constitutional government and civil war, the Old Man might even continue to rely on him.

Since one kick couldn't trample him to death, one had to coexist with him decently.

This was also the reason why Wu Jingzhong only let Sun Xing bite Mao Wanli and didn't mention Mao Renfeng at all.

If you hit a mad dog and don't kill it with one blow, it will counterattack even more fiercely.

It was enough to just point it out and scare him away.

"Sigh."

"It seems this place, Jinhai, and my Mao family are not compatible."

Watching Wu Jingzhong's retreating back, a flash of unwilling helplessness crossed Mao Renfeng's eyes.

Wu Jingzhong didn't rush to see Jiang Jianfeng, but instead came to Hong Zhiyou's office.

The leader had arrived.

Hong Zhiyou was on standby at all times; at this moment, he was sitting at his desk, pretending to study the Chairman's books and important directive speeches.

"Zhiyou."

"The good show is about to begin."

"Go and bring Li Ya back under arrest, and remember, don't be all chummy with him."

"This time, you must suppress him until he is completely subdued."

Wu Jingzhong walked in with his hands behind his back and instructed in a low voice.

"Understood, Master." Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"Go."

He nodded and came to the reception room.

Jiang Jianfeng was drinking tea.

As expected of someone in power, his self-restraint was top-notch; he looked as if nothing had happened.

"My old classmate is here, sit," Jiang Jianfeng said, gesturing with his hand.

"You say this Mao Renfeng, wanting to save his sixth brother, insists on taking a bite out of me."

"The Lady is truly furious, and I am in a dilemma now."

He said this while pouring tea for Wu Jingzhong.

"What is the dilemma?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"First, Mao Renfeng brought Li Ya into this; although I am annoyed, Father values this person highly, so I still have to give him this face."

"Furthermore, Li Ya just performed a great service, and the spy case caused a sensation in the West; to deal with him right after that..."

"If someone with ulterior motives like Kang Ze uses this to make an issue, it will be very troublesome."

"Father is very annoyed by being entangled in these petty squabbles with these people all day; he is already overwhelmed with military and political affairs, we cannot add to his troubles."

Jiang Jianfeng stood up and paced with his hands behind his back.

He was not Mao Renfeng, scheming for petty personal gain and power.

He was about the big picture.

The big picture of power; everything else was a trivial matter.

"Li Ya is my student, and I have responsibility in this matter as well."

"It's just that I never imagined he would be stupid enough to go to Mao Wanli."

Wu Jingzhong spoke immediately, directly defining Li Ya's character.

Mao Wanli seeking out Li Ya might have been a desperate move.

But Li Ya taking the initiative to find Mao Wanli was very obvious.

Li Ya didn't want to work for Jiang Jianfeng and wanted to use Mao Wanli's hand to get rid of Lin Tai.

Sure enough, Jiang Jianfeng's expression darkened:

"It is said that Captain Li has dealings with many female university students, and he only eats at high-end restaurants?"

Wu Jingzhong feigned ignorance and replied:

"The matter of seeking out female university students does exist, but... it might be for work needs."

"Beiyang and Nankai have student union organizations with Red Faction members; he might be cultivating informants."

"As for eating, he developed a psychological trauma from eating dirt in Yancheng; it's understandable that a dignified field officer would want to eat something good."

As he spoke, he took the initiative to refill Jiang Jianfeng's tea.

"Sigh, the party and state are beset by internal and external troubles, yet he is enjoying himself," Jiang Jianfeng sneered and returned to the sofa to sit down.

"You don't need to put in a good word for him."

"That's not him cultivating informants; it's purely for fun."

"The Iron-Blooded Youth Corps, heh, those whose blood is not hot and whose will is not iron are destined to never achieve anything great."

"It was I who overestimated him."

Jiang Jianfeng didn't care what happened in the middle; he only looked at the results and the facts.

Wu Jingzhong knew everything about Li Ya's affairs.

Don't look at Li Ya's carefree appearance; in reality, he had truly fallen for Yingxue and had been deeply hurt by that foreign hat.

Otherwise, he wouldn't still be hiding those shameless photos of Mei Yingxue at home.

People, after all, always have desires.

Having been hurt, Li Ya naturally couldn't look at the filthy goods in the embroidery houses.

Therefore, whenever the mood struck, he would go and date female university students.

And he specifically picked those from ordinary families, focusing on being clean and pure, easy to discard after use.

And as for the restaurants, every meal had to have good wine and good food.

Wu Jingzhong had never exposed Li Ya, allowing him to continue, precisely waiting for this moment; once Li Ya lost his standing with Jiang Jianfeng, this person would find it hard to jump around again.

Because Jiang Jianfeng could not tolerate any sand in his eyes.

"Alright, let's not mention him."

"There are no outsiders here; let's two old classmates speak frankly."

"You don't want to kill Lin Tai."

"Fighting to do this job, isn't it just because you're afraid of Mao Renfeng taking credit in front of the Chairman?"

"Do you think the Old Man can't see through this little scheme of yours?"

"What in this world can be hidden from him?"

Jiang Jianfeng rolled his eyes at him and said.

Wu Jingzhong hurriedly lowered his head and bowed, not daring to say another word.

"However, you are still loyal to the party and state, and you work with dedication; eliminating Ke Chengwu and breaking the spy case are all good things."

"Not killing Lin Tai this time, although you played a little trick, was generally correct."

"Otherwise, it would have inevitably led to a great disaster; I'm afraid the Lady would already be in North America by now."

"It can be considered an unintentional merit."

"And that secretary of yours..."

Jiang Jianfeng pointed at him.

"Hong Zhiyou," Wu Jingzhong said quickly.

"He is very deeply involved with the US military; even I find it hard to see Cole, yet he can openly enter the embassy to dine."

"And my little brother Yu Xuan also values him highly."

"Transporting military supplies for Fu Zuoyi and raising US dollars, he has done well."

"Using the American military to break Mao Wanli's plan is also his handiwork, isn't it?"

"I understand the Lady."

"Her connection with the American side is purely political; she doesn't have the ability to mobilize this bunch of greedy foreigners."

"Your son-in-law has great influence and is deeply entrenched."

Jiang Jianfeng looked at Wu Jingzhong with a meaningful gaze and said.

"He, his classmate is highly valued by Fiersen, and Hong Zhiyou often goes there to play cards; after going back and forth, he became familiar with the American military," Wu Jingzhong said while taking out a handkerchief to wipe his cold sweat.

This trembling, sweating appearance made Jiang Jianfeng feel very satisfied.

Since arriving at the station, he had silently observed Wu Jingzhong's humility, respect, and piety.

If Wu Jingzhong were like Ma Hansan, showing even a hint of arrogance or the attitude of "playing king" in North China, Jiang Jianfeng would not mind using this matter to make an issue of it and remove his son-in-law.

The times create heroes.

If he could tacitly allow the Wu family father-in-law and son-in-law to grow powerful in Jinhai, he could just as easily find someone to replace them.

In the final analysis.

Money, it is still money.

Who can't operate with gold and U. . dollars?

However, it seems now that the Wu family pair is still quite loyal.

"Since he is familiar with the American military, then stop acting; have him go find the Lady and settle the matter."

"You know my, Jiang Jianfeng's, temperament."

"I respect people and am lenient with people, but I am never afraid of people."

"Whoever wants to mess with me, I don't care who she is, I will never be lenient!"

Jiang Jianfeng's eyes turned cold, and his majestic, kingly aura was undoubtedly revealed.

"The superior is right."

"In the history of imperial families, the Crown Prince is often plagued by rumors; to prevent the Lady from being used by people with ulterior motives, this matter must be crushed in Jinhai."

"In this subordinate's view, the Lady also does not want to blow this matter out of proportion."

"Otherwise, she would not have agreed to withdraw the American military and allowed Mao Renfeng to go see Mao Wanli."

"Her original intention was likely to hope that Bureau Chief Mao would personally deal with Mao Wanli."

"Who would have expected Li Ya to get involved, giving people leverage."

Wu Jingzhong frowned and said.

"Indeed."

"Li Ya is a meritorious official; even if we have to deal with him, it cannot be at this time," Jiang Jianfeng said indifferently.

He had always been protective of the core members of the Iron-Blooded Youth League.

Now that his anger had mostly subsided, and thinking about how Li Ya had accomplished quite a few things, his heart inevitably softened again.

"Is the person who delivered the message still here?"

He took a sip of tea and asked.

"I can't find him; I suspect Li Ya or Mao Wanli dealt with him privately," Wu Jingzhong replied.

"Dealing with him is for the best."

"You tell Li Ya to stick to his story that he never met Mao Wanli."

"Mao Wanli must give the Lady an explanation."

"As for Li Ya, forget it; he is not the main culprit, so internal investigation and punishment within the Jinhai Station will suffice."

Jiang Jianfeng said.

"Old classmate, your heart is truly as vast as the sea and as benevolent as a Buddha; Jingzhong admires you to the utmost," Wu Jingzhong flattered him without changing his expression.

Punishment and "dealing with" are completely different concepts.

Punishment is not even within the Party, but within the Secret Service Bureau, which means it is left to him to decide.

"Dealing with" is a different story.

At best, it means sending them to a military court; at worst, it means secret execution.

Jiang Jianfeng is still the same Jiang Jianfeng; a leader with rare human warmth, far more benevolent than the Chairman.

"By the way, that deputy station chief of yours, the one who shot Li Haifeng, the Lady has a deep impression of him; when I return to headquarters, I will reward him," he said after a moment of silence.

"Protecting the Lady and risking one's life is the duty of us soldiers; a reward is really unnecessary," Wu Jingzhong said.

"He will be rewarded."

"This is also the Lady's intention."

"It's just that I have read this person's file and information; he has a deep connection with Lu Zongfang, and when Ma Kui was carrying out the assassination at the Joy Club, the person Lu Zongfang and the others were waiting for was very likely Yu Zecheng."

"The results of the investigation on the Philippine Islands side, and the testimony of the Situ family, are also very unfavorable to him."

"Furthermore, someone saw him recuperating in Yang Family Village and saw the Red agent Dong Cheng."

Mentioning Yu Zecheng, Jiang Jianfeng could not help but say a few more words.

"Then I will execute him right now!" Seeing that the leader had spoken, Wu Jingzhong's eyes turned cold as he said this.

"No need."

"Eliminating Li Haifeng, capturing Ji Weimin, including this time, he has performed meritorious service."

"Furthermore, the Jinhai Station has done well these past two years."

"Since things are going well, there is no need to make a big fuss."

"One must use people while being suspicious of them, and be suspicious of people while using them."

"But for some core intelligence, you must keep track of it in your mind."

"Alright."

"The Lady has kept me from sleeping well all night, and I have a terrible headache."

"I will rest for a while; when Li Ya is brought back, have him come see me."

Jiang Jianfeng gave some instructions and said with some exhaustion.

"Yes!"

Wu Jingzhong accepted the order and retreated.

Walking out of the reception room, a layer of fine cold sweat seeped out on his forehead again.

Today's conversation was very dangerous.

It was fortunate that it was Jiang Jianfeng.

If it had been Boss Dai, he would probably already be in the interrogation room by now.

This also served as a warning to him.

The Chairman has many eyes in Jinhai, and everything he, Li Ya, and the others do is seen by him.

One must be more cautious in future actions.

Especially the antiques in the Hexi residence; he must find a way to transport them to Xiangdao as soon as possible.

One should not be attached to officialdom.

One must seize the good times of these few years, quickly scrape together enough capital, and run away early; that is the true path.

Hong Zhiyou arrived at the hospital.

Li Ya was reading a newspaper, his face still very pale.

"Captain Li, are you feeling better?"

Hong Zhiyou changed his smiling attitude and asked expressionlessly.

"Better, a little better." A sense of foreboding swept through his heart.

"Jianfeng has ordered you to return to the station to undergo interrogation," Hong Zhiyou said very clearly, fearing he might not hear it correctly.

Interrogation?

Li Ya heard it very clearly; it was not "questioning."

Damn it!

It must be that bucket of slop Mao Wanli who sold him out.

(End of chapter)