Break out of the courtyard

Chapter 864 Times have changed
"Lin Ercai, nicknamed Lin Lao Er, originally rented a house at No. 6 Courtyard on the north bank of Houhai. On the morning of February 14, 1963, Lin Ercai's body was found in an ice hole in Houhai by an early fisherman. Because there were obvious bruises on Lin Ercai's face, the Houhai police station immediately launched an investigation."

None of the people in the conference room questioned why the Houhai police station would promptly launch an investigation on the day someone died in Houhai.

"Zhang Lin, nicknamed 'Old Scoundrel,' rented the same apartment as Lin Ercai in Courtyard No. 6 on the north bank of Houhai. After an hour of investigation by the Houhai local police station, he was found dead under the Yinding Bridge. He also had obvious bruises on his face, but the cause of death was freezing!"

"In addition, Zhang Lin was carrying a large amount of money and, like Lin Ercai, had a high level of alcohol in his blood."

"Hu Youde, nicknamed Eighth Master, originally lived in Nanguan Hutong..."

As photos of Hu Baye and his men dead in a room appeared on the projection screen, murmurs began to ripple through the conference room.

An elderly man in a military overcoat frowned and asked, "Xiao Zheng, are you sure these speculators have no external injuries and no signs of a struggle inside the house?"

The middle-aged man in black, who was in charge of the case presentation, pressed a button on the remote control, brought up an investigation record on the projection screen, and answered solemnly:
"According to the police station's investigation records and the information in the autopsy report, it can be confirmed that Hu Youde and the others who died in the house all died of carbon monoxide poisoning, and there were no suspicious external injuries on their bodies."

The elderly man in the military overcoat pressed further, "What do you mean by 'no suspicious external injuries'?"

The middle-aged man in black answered truthfully: "Among these dead, some had old injuries, while the new injuries on others were ruled out as having occurred on February 13th and 14th."

The elderly man in the military overcoat continued, "The photo you just showed us shows the room is very messy. Were there any signs of a struggle inside?"

The middle-aged man in black used the remote control to bring up the room photos from earlier and explained, "As I mentioned earlier, the large amount of cash on Zhang Lin's person may have come from Hu Youde."

"Hu Youde's banknotes were suspected of being deliberately scattered inside and outside the courtyard, which led to the scramble that occurred in Nanguan Hutong on the morning of February 14."

"I'm asking you..." the old man in the military overcoat said impatiently again, but the old man in gray next to the middle-aged man in black frowned and stared at him, which made him shut his mouth.

The middle-aged man in black paused for a moment, then continued, "The photo you see is firsthand information taken by the police officers from the local police station after they arrived at Hu Youde's yard and drove away those who were robbing money and supplies."

"In other words, the scene was damaged by those who were fighting over money and supplies, and it is impossible to determine whether there were any signs of a struggle inside the house!"

"Just say the scene was vandalized, why go through all that trouble!" the old man in the military overcoat muttered quietly.

The middle-aged man in black wanted to continue explaining, but was stopped by the elderly man in gray standing next to him.

"The purpose of this meeting today is not to gather everyone here to solve the case," the gray-robed elder said slowly. "According to the subsequent investigation, Hu Youde and his gang of criminals have at least 11 lives on their hands, so their deaths are not a pity."

An elderly man in a black woolen overcoat frowned and asked, "Is the case of He Yuzhu freezing to death under Yinding Bridge still under investigation?"

The elderly man in gray calmly said, "Investigating cases is the job of criminal investigators, and sentencing is the job of the courts. What we need to do now is to continue to build a society governed by the rule of law and treat every case fairly, justly, and based on facts."

After speaking, the old man in gray gestured to his secretary beside him.

Then, the middle-aged man in black pulled up the case file of He Yuzhu and projected it onto the screen.

"He Yuzhu, nicknamed Shazhu, rented a room in the west wing of the courtyard at No. 95; he was found frozen to death under Yinding Bridge on the morning of December 28 last year."

"The autopsy report showed that the deceased had a broken leg, which was suspected to have been caused by a fall from a height on the evening of December 27; this is also the key point that the city's criminal investigators suspected Consultant Zhang of murder."

The elderly man in the military overcoat frowned and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

“No!” the middle-aged man in black said, pulling up another record. “This is the interrogation record made by the city bureau’s criminal investigation personnel with Consultant Zhang.”

"According to Consultant Zhang's answer, He Yuzhu took the initiative to come to his door late at night on the 27th, wanting Consultant Zhang to treat his stroke sequelae of trembling and weakness in his hands. However, Consultant Zhang did not agree because of an old grudge from his childhood and had his bodyguards kick He Yuzhu out on the spot."

"After that, Consultant Zhang stayed at home until 5 a.m. on the 28th when he went out for his morning exercise."

"Regarding the question raised by the municipal criminal investigation personnel about Consultant Zhang getting up so early for morning exercise, after verifying with Mr. Hua, Mr. Li, and relevant personnel from Shenzhen Peace Academy, we learned that Consultant Zhang usually goes out for morning exercise at 5 a.m."

At the signal from the old man in gray, Secretary Zheng, dressed in black, stepped aside.

"You all know Zhang's identity and his influence both domestically and internationally, so I won't elaborate," the gray-robed elder said slowly, surveying the attendees.
"The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to discuss the debate surrounding reform and opening up that was sparked last year by an article published by 'Huang Fuping'..."

The topic took a rather large turn, but most people present only thought about it briefly before turning their attention to the men in suits and overcoats, indicating a strong connection between them.

……

After his birthday party, Zhang Heping received a call from Huadu District inquiring about his schedule for the month, which left him somewhat puzzled.

Not long after, the Shenzhen government called again, asking if Zhang Heping could return to Shenzhen as soon as possible, saying they had something to discuss.

When Zhang Heping first heard about this, he thought they had heard some rumors and wanted him to leave the capital as soon as possible.

For this reason, Zhang Heping also consulted with Hua Lao for verification.

The answer they received was that Zhang Heping and his family should return to Shenzhen with him the next morning.

Having no other choice, Zhang Heping briefly explained the situation to the Hong Kong businessmen, and the next day he took his wife and children on a plane to Shenzhen.

When they returned to Shenzhen Peace College, they were already waiting at the gate by secretaries from Huadu and Shenzhen government offices.

Because the Shenzhen Peace Academy is still under lockdown, it is very difficult for outsiders to enter the heavily guarded academy.

Even after Zhang Heping returned, he did not invite the two secretaries into the academy. Instead, he asked them about their purpose at the entrance.

"Your leader is coming to inspect this month?" Zhang Heping looked at the middle-aged man who had come all the way from Huadu. Seeing the man's complex expression of solemnity, hope, and excitement, Zhang Heping vaguely guessed who was coming to Shenzhen.

However, Zhang Heping couldn't express his opinion on the spot. He needed to consider Hua Lao's feelings, even though the decision to return to Shenzhen today was made by Hua Lao yesterday.

“Yes, Consultant Zhang!” Hua Du’s secretary hurriedly replied, “The time is roughly the latter half of this month, but the exact date will be confirmed in a few days.”

"Things don't go as planned!" Zhang Heping pointed to the six fully armed guards standing at the academy gate and said to the secretary of the Shenfu Bureau:

"Secretary Kong knows that the confidentiality level of our college and some factories was raised to top secret last year. Even I cannot bring people into the college or factories at will."

"Why don't you ask Elder Hua about this and see how he plans to handle it?"

The car that Mr. Hua was in had already driven into the academy. Where could these two secretaries ask now?

After Zhang Heping finished speaking, he didn't give the two people time to react. He turned around, walked into the college, got into his car, and went home.

Later, it was only after Liu Yuan's husband, Secretary Liang, returned that they were able to meet with Elder Hua to discuss the matter. "Advisor Zhang asked you to ask me?" Elder Hua asked casually, but his expression was no longer as gloomy as before.

Secretary Liang Kai nodded slightly and said, "Secretary Kong and the others only said that the leaders were coming to inspect, but did not specify who would be coming. Therefore, Consultant Zhang did not agree to their request on the grounds of confidentiality, and said that they should ask you for your opinion."

"Mr. Hua, you must have received news that someone is coming!"

Hua Lao picked up his teacup without comment and took small sips without rushing.

After a moment, Hua Lao said, "He has been retired for many years after all, and this time he came mainly to inspect economic development."

"So, there's no need to go to the Peace Academy's underground base or other military factories, don't you think?"

Secretary Liang felt a headache coming on; how could a nobody like him dare to express his opinion on such a matter?

At the same time, he thought to himself that about 50-60% of the gossip he had heard about the upper echelons seemed to be true.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, avoiding the main point and instead asking a question instead of answering the main one: "Mr. Hua, apart from the underground base, we don't have any military factories in Shenzhen, do we?"

"Could we visit Peace Group's companies, factories, and space launch site in Shenzhen?"

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Hua said, "The Peace Chip Factory has not yet officially started production, and the dust prevention requirements there are very high. If you want to visit that chip factory, you will need to ask Consultant Zhang for his opinion."

Upon hearing this, Secretary Liang hurriedly nodded in agreement, "Then I'll go find Consultant Zhang now. Sorry to disturb your rest!"

Old Hua said casually, "Go!"

Once the outsiders left, Secretary Chen, who had been standing silently to the side, laughed and said, "Are you really going to stop them from going to Wucheng to see the aircraft carrier?"

"Stop him my ass!" Old Hua rarely swore. "If I could stop him, would Advisor Zhang be treated as a murder suspect in the capital?"

Secretary Chen's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "If you want to stop me, I can go to Wucheng to make arrangements right now."

"Alright, you've already guessed what I'm thinking, so why pretend?" Old Hua stood up helplessly. "Our main task now is to protect Consultant Zhang's projects in China; everything else is minor."

……

After returning to Shenzhen Peace Academy, Zhang Heping went to the space capsule remote control center to check the latest experimental logs and results.

When Liu Yuan's husband, Secretary Liang, came looking for her, it was already after get off work in the afternoon, and he happened to run into Zhang Heping, who was coming downstairs to go home for dinner.

"As for the chip factory..." After listening to Secretary Liang relay Hua Lao's words, Zhang Heping pondered for a moment before saying, "Tell me the height and measurements of the visitors a week in advance so I can have dustproof suits custom-made."

"Thank you!" Secretary Liang hurriedly expressed her gratitude, "Thank you very much, Consultant Zhang, for supporting our reception work."

"What's going on with that Secretary Kong?" Zhang Heping changed the subject and said to Secretary Liang, who was standing beside him, "We raised the security level here and notified your Shenfu office in advance. What is he doing blocking the academy gate with people from the Huadu Secretariat?"

"People who don't know the situation might think we have a major problem with Huadu!"

"This..." Secretary Liang hesitated, unsure whether he should tell Zhang Heping about the internal issues in their secretariat.

"Go back and tell your director about this. Just say it was me who said it." Zhang Heping raised his right hand and waved it to stop the other person from following.

As for what Secretary Liang will say when he gets back, that depends on whether he's willing to improve himself. In any case, Zhang Heping won't deny what he said.

The next morning, Zhang Heping went to the Heping Chip Factory to inspect several batches of 28-nanometer chips that were being trial-produced there.

The chip factory's production capacity for the next year has already been contracted to major military factories and research institutions in mainland China. The smartphone upgrade plan will need to be postponed for a while, while the chip factory expands its production capacity.

After Zhang Heping inspected the chip factory, Secretary Liang from the Shenzhen Municipal Government Secretariat finally sent him the height and measurements of the visitors.

Although there was no list of visitors, Zhang Heping determined that the person was coming based solely on their height.

And so, something happened that both moved and amused Mr. Hua.

After arranging the custom-made dustproof suits, Zhang Heping said goodbye to Hua Lao and went to the wind tunnel in the western Sichuan mountains to check on the research progress of the aeronautical engineers from the Xi'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

Zhang Heping's thinking was simple: Hua Lao, Li Lao, and Zheng Laotai all supported him so much, yet there were still people in the capital who disagreed with him, clearly indicating they weren't of one mind.

Therefore, he chose to strategically avoid the issue, letting his concubine Chen Shuting attend the social event and thus avoid the problem of the Lifespan 120 potion!
After all, that person was a bit older than Hua Lao, almost 90.

Initially, Zhang Heping considered whether to go to Wucheng, because the factories there had accumulated even more problems.

But the thought of having to stop and transfer in Wuhan on the way from Shanghai to Guangzhou and Shenzhen made me give up the idea of ​​going there to try my luck.

He didn't even plan to attend the Peace Group's annual meeting, instead retreating to the western Sichuan mountains, seemingly escaping reality, but in reality, he was showing Elder Hua that they were on the same side.

Time flies, and this inspection, which was planned since New Year's Day this year, has quietly begun in Wucheng.

When Zhang Heping received the call from Hua Lao to the guard area near the wind tunnel, he learned that the old man had gone to Wucheng without any principles, and accompanied him to visit the Heping Diamond Factory, Battery Factory, Display Factory, Automobile Factory, and Wucheng Shipbuilding Company, which was preparing to build an aircraft carrier and warships.

Hua Lao's purpose in making this call was simple: he hoped Zhang Heping would return to Shenzhen as soon as possible.

Without any further words or explanations, Zhang Heping understood that Elder Hua had once again chosen to back down.

This concession was made for the better development of Zhang Heping and the joint ventures under the Heping Group.

After putting down the microphone, Zhang Heping suddenly thought of the song "Unity is Strength" for no apparent reason.

With mixed feelings, Zhang Heping returned to the wind tunnel and told a group of engineers that he would be leaving the next day.

Then, Zhang Heping stayed up all night with this group of people who were working silently in the deep mountains, and roughly answered many of their questions.

The following morning, after bidding farewell to a group of yawning engineers, Zhang Heping boarded a helicopter and flew straight to Chengdu Airport.

After looking down from the sky at Chengdu, a city of low-rise buildings, and then at Shenzhen, a sense of transition from an old prison to a new era arose within him.

Especially when he stepped off the plane, a warm spring breeze swept over him, making the feeling feel even more real...

(End of this chapter)