My spy diary

Chapter 531 The dust has settled
The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.

As darkness fell, endless black clouds gathered, pressing low over the entire mountain town, as if overhead.

Xu Zeng'en returned to the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics at No. 78 Guofu Road, feeling utterly dejected. He had schemed and racked his brains, only to find that all his efforts had been in vain. Not only had he worked hard for nothing, but he had also been reprimanded by Chang. It was truly a case of getting nothing in return for his efforts.

Even now, he still can't understand why the chairman's attitude has changed so drastically in just a few hours. Who could have slandered him?

The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became. After hesitating for a while, he picked up the phone and called his cousin, Minister Chen.

"You've been blinded by greed! Instead of doing your job, you insist on getting involved in the Ministry of Economic Affairs' mess. What can I say to you? Of course, it's human nature to strive for progress, but do you really think Weng Wenyi is an easy target? You're only thinking of yourself and not your own interests. You deserve it!"

Xu Zeng asked, puzzled, "What connections could a mere scholar surnamed Weng possibly have?"

Minister Chen on the other end of the phone was even more displeased: "Ke Jun, that's just because he doesn't show off. If he didn't have connections, could he have become the Minister of Economic Affairs? You have to consider the owner before you beat a dog. Wu Dingchang is standing behind him."

Wu Dingchang was a leading figure in the political science faction. He was an official, a businessman, and a scholar, and could be considered a veteran of four dynasties, with unfathomable strength.

This man graduated from Tokyo Higher Commercial School in Japan in his early years. After returning to China, he passed the imperial examination for commerce in the Qing Dynasty and successively served as the head of the finance department of the Governor-General's Office of the Three Eastern Provinces, the head of the general affairs department of the Bank of China, and a branch supervisor. When the Bank of China was reorganized into the Bank of China, he participated in the formulation of its rules and regulations. During the Yuan Shikai era, he transformed himself into a tycoon in the business world and also served as the president of the State Mint. During the Beiyang warlord era, he became the president of the Bank of China and the vice minister of finance, becoming a financial magnate.

In addition, he understood the important role of news and public opinion in political activities. With his strong financial resources, he continuously entered the news industry, served as the president of Ta Kung Pao and the behind-the-scenes boss of many important newspapers and periodicals, and became a godfather figure in the news and public opinion industry.

After the establishment of the Nationalist government, he again bet on Chang, quickly becoming associated with the political science clique. He successively served as Minister of Industry, and founded capital enterprises such as the China Oil Company, Tea Company, and Paper Company. He also held numerous other titles in the Nationalist Party's financial and monetary institutions, including advisor, committee member, chairman, and director.

Starting in November 1937, this person was transferred to serve as the chairman of the Guizhou government, where he monopolized the province's economic lifeline with an iron-fisted style.

From the Qing Dynasty to the Nationalist Government, he left his mark in various fields such as finance, industry, commerce, newspapers, and public finance. Such experience is unmatched not only by the CC Clique and the Whampoa Military Academy, but also by the Political Science Department, which is known for its abundance of talents in economics and administration.

For this reason, this person was always one of Chang's most trusted financial and economic advisors. In terms of closeness and influence on Chang, this person was naturally far beyond the reach of a secret service chief like Xu Zeng'en.

Realizing he had unwittingly offended this person, Xu Zeng'en couldn't help but feel uneasy: "Minister Chen..."

"Also, keep an eye on your ex-wife."

Xu Zeng wanted to say something more, but the other end of the phone had already hung up.

Those few words struck him like a hammer blow. He thought for a moment, then called his secretary: "Call and ask what that woman is up to this time."

"Yes."

The phone rang just as the secretary left.

Xu Zeng answered the phone: "Hello? Director, now? Yes, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Zeng sat silently for a while, composing himself before getting up and going upstairs.

The director's office was upstairs, right above his head, like the giant hand of Buddha, tightly covering his head.

The officialdom is a labyrinth of gossip; those who spend a long time there won't show obvious emotional fluctuations. Even if you hate someone to the core, even if you harbor countless resentments and schemes, you must keep them hidden deep inside. If you can't even do this, it only means your self-cultivation is inadequate. Therefore, from the outside, which official doesn't appear serious and solemn?
The director's office was clearly more spacious and imposing than Xu Zeng'en's.

In the spacious office, everyone else's desks are placed by the window facing south, where the light is abundant and bright, and the view of the garden outside is also very pleasing.

But Director Zhu did the opposite of everyone else; he sat with his back to the south and facing north, effectively blocking out all the sunlight in the room.

The reason for this was supposedly due to guidance from a wise man. The crux of the matter was that there was a small hill to the south of the bureau headquarters, below which lay the tomb of some king or nobleman, while the north side was flat plains. To sit in the top seat of the bureau, one needed something to rely on and something to stand on. Choosing to sit with one's back to the hill and the tomb of some king or nobleman, while standing on flat plains, was like an emperor sitting high in his golden palace.

Director Zhu has a thin face, a high forehead, sparse and long eyebrows, and deep and bright eyes. He has the refined temperament of a scholar, but also exudes a sense of authority due to his long-term high position.

Xu Zeng replied respectfully, "Director."

Director Zhu glanced at him and said, "Hmm, have a seat."

Xu Zeng sat down on the sofa opposite the bureau chief. The sofa was very soft, and his buttocks sank into it as soon as he sat down. It was much more comfortable than the sofa in his office.

"Just got back from the attendant's quarters?"

"Yes." Xu Zeng was annoyed that the first question was about this matter. He thought to himself, "Does this old man think he's not embarrassed enough and wants to humiliate me with this?"
Director Zhu smiled.

Xu Zeng thought to himself, "As expected, this old man has ill intentions." Suppressing his anger, he said, "Director Zhu, what brings you here?"

Director Zhu's expression turned serious: "There's a warrant from the Chairman on the table. Take a look."

Xu Zeng'en opened the document with a puzzled look. It read, "Arrests should be handled by authorized agencies. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) is a party agency and cannot arrest people arbitrarily." His expression shifted between anger and uncertainty: "So how are we supposed to arrest people in the future?"

"Take it easy," Director Zhu explained calmly.

"This order is just to appease Weng Wenyi. Its brilliance lies in the word 'arbitrary.' It criticizes our poor operational skills and recklessness, suggesting that we should use more subtle and covert methods in the future, rather than forbidding us from making arrests."

"Understood." Xu Zeng nodded, and was about to say something when Director Zhu interrupted him:
“Since the Chairman has given instructions, we must carry them out. The main task for the bureau in the next stage is to rectify internal affairs. I think we should first dismiss District Chief Chen Qingzhai and detain Zhang Wennong, the captain of this operation, to show our determination. What do you think?”

Xu Zeng opened his mouth and said, "Alright, since the director has made the decision, I support it unconditionally. May I ask who will be the new district head?"

"I think Secretary Zhang Dong is quite good. I wonder if Brother Kejun would be willing to release him?"

Xu Zeng sighed inwardly. He knew this was a way to divide his power, but Zhang Dong was his trusted lieutenant, so he couldn't object. He could only nod and say, "Okay."

Director Zhu smiled with satisfaction, handed him a cup of tea, and asked meaningfully, "I heard the Jiangnan Plan failed?"

"...It can't be called a failure." Director Zhu put down his teacup and said with a stern face, "You did a very good job of keeping it a secret. Even I didn't know about it beforehand. So how did this get to the Red Party? I heard there have been a lot of leaks in the bureau these past few days."

The slap made Xu Zeng'en's face turn somewhat ugly. He raised his eyelids slightly but didn't say anything.

Director Zhu said with a look of regret, "It's such a pity that such a big plan has been cut short. If you had told me in advance, it wouldn't have come to this."

Xu Zeng'en sneered inwardly. If I told you, would I get credit for it?
Thinking of his achievements, he felt a pang of heartache. After reporting this matter to the Chairman, there had been no response whatsoever. What was the old man thinking? Was he hating the house because of its inhabitants?

"Of course, we can't discourage those who are diligent in their work." Director Zhu glanced at him a few times, then changed the subject, saying seriously:
"The president sees it the same way. He affirmed and congratulated us on our success. Feng Qi and Zhuang Quan made great contributions in this incident and were promoted one rank, each receiving an additional 100,000 yuan bonus as a reward and encouragement. Zhuang Quan, in particular, was awarded an additional Precious Tripod Medal. Of course, to the outside world, it was said that he had made contributions to the War of Resistance."

It's one thing to be promoted and rewarded for opposing the Communist Party, since everyone is loyal to their own side and can justify it, but to use the name of meritorious service in the War of Resistance against Japan is truly the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Yes. I thank the director on their behalf." Xu Zeng said this, but he was extremely frustrated because he hadn't heard a single word of praise or commendation for himself from beginning to end.

"No, it's thanks to the Chairman," Director Zhu immediately corrected, then asked, "How's the investigation into the mole going?"

"We've only managed to find Yang Wei so far; we haven't made any breakthroughs with Yang Zaixing."

Director Zhu interrupted him: "That's enough. Execute Yang Wei secretly and release He Shangyou."

Xu Zeng'en looked surprised: "How can we let He Shangyou, who has planted a mole within our ranks, go so easily?"

Director Zhu's gaze sharpened: "No need to say more. There are a thousand principles, but the most important one is the stakes. Now is not the time to fight with the Military Intelligence Bureau." He paused, then emphasized, "This is also the Chairman's intention."

Xu Zeng gritted his teeth and asked unwillingly, "What about Yang Zaixing?"

"Him?" Director Zhu sneered. "Since he's a member of the Communist Party, he should be executed immediately."

After saying this, Director Zhu picked up his teacup again.

Xu Zeng'en understood that this must be the result of a compromise in the power struggle at the top, but he regretted that he couldn't participate in it. Seeing that the bureau chief had given him the order to leave, Xu Zeng'en could only say:

"Then I'll go back first."

Director Zhu nodded.

As Xu Zeng'en left the office, his face was extremely pale, and he couldn't hide his disappointment.

Of course, Yang Zaixing was even more desperate than him.

Even execution requires a procedure. When the Military Law Enforcement Command pronounced his death sentence, Yang Zaixing immediately questioned in a stern voice:
"Who dares to sentence me to death, that bastard Zhang Yi?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cold voice rang out: "It was the Chairman who sentenced you to death."

Zhang Yi appeared expressionless; after all, he was the head of the judicial department and also held the position of the General Supervisory Office for Military Law Enforcement.

This answer surprised Yang Zaixing and left him speechless. He had originally hoped that Boss Dai would rescue him, but now that Chang had issued a "kill order," Dai Chunfeng was obviously out of the question.

Yang Zaixing roared, "Why did you kill me? And then you pin this on me for murder!"

"Does it matter?" Zhang Yi looked down at him, his gaze icy. Whether you're a criminal or a murderer, the charge doesn't matter. What matters is that Chang wants you dead.

"The rabbit is killed and the dog is cooked, haha, Zhang, don't be so smug. My today is your tomorrow. One day, you will die a horrible death!" Yang Zaixing glared at him, gritting his teeth.

"Old Yang, this is your fault. We were colleagues, and I came to see you off. Why be so hysterical? Your behavior is too unsightly."

"Pah, stop pretending in front of me. Don't think I don't know what you've done."

“What did I do? Tell me.” Zhang Yi looked at him with pity. “True strength never needs to show off. All the roars are just shields to cover up fear. A dying man’s words are good. Go ahead and speak. Don’t worry, I will tell Boss Dai the truth.”

Yang Zaixing glared at him with grief and indignation, wishing he could tear him to pieces. He opened his mouth and gestured to the military police behind Zhang Yi with his eyes: "Could you let them out first?"

Zhang Yi readily agreed and waved for the military police to leave. Yang Zaixing then lowered his voice, almost pleading, "Zhang Yi, tell me the truth, did you frame me for this? There's no one else here. Can you give me the truth? Otherwise, I won't die in peace."

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Yi looked at him in disbelief, shook his head and said, "People always believe that others are simply bad people, while they themselves are complicated good people. Old Yang, we should have some conscience. I've saved your life more than once."

Yang Zaixing sneered: "Saving me now means killing me? What a load of rubbish! Can you eat that stuff? Everyone's heartlessly soaking in their own stinking cesspools. If I hold onto my conscience, it will only become a burden."

“That’s the difference between a gentleman and a petty person. A gentleman upholds morality and principles, while a petty person only cares about personal gain.” Zhang Yi shook his head. “Now that things have come to this, do you still feel wronged?”

"What's wrong with being a villain? I am utterly loyal to the Party and the country, what's so hateful about me?"

Zhang Yi interrupted him, leaned close to his ear, and said, "Old Yang, if you do bad things your whole life and occasionally do a good deed, people might think you still have some humanity. But if you do good things your whole life and occasionally do bad things, that's it. Forget about humanity, you're not even human anymore. And someone like you, who did bad things your whole life and never did a good deed, is worse than an animal. You deserve to die!" At this point, Zhang Yi didn't want to continue the conversation and stood up, saying:
"Someone, take Director Yang out of here."

After saying that, he strode over Yang Zaixing and left the room.

The sound of a door opening separated two different lives in two different worlds.

A moment later, Yang Zaixing was escorted to the courtyard outside by two military police officers.

With a sharp gunshot, he fell to the ground.

So far, the dust has settled.

(End of this chapter)