My spy diary

Chapter 590 The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
"Jumped off a building? What an amazing jump!" Dai Chunfeng frowned.

Zhao Longwen: "This is a good thing! The fact that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment shows that Yao Zechong and his team did not do the right thing. As for the other suspects, whether Liu Lianfang deliberately implicated them or there were problems with the investigation office's work, we can verify that. If there are problems, we can correct them; if not, we can strive to do better. It's not a bad thing."

Tong Xiang chimed in, "I knew it! Knowing Director Yao as I do, he would never do something like that."

Zhang Yi had been observing Tong Xiang and Zhao Longwen. When Zhao Longwen spoke, he glanced at Tong Xiang with a smile, and only then did the latter speak up in his place.

That one glance made him suddenly realize that Liu Lianfang's death was probably within Zhao Longwen's expectations, and perhaps even planned.

Inspector Lian looked surprised: "Suicide? Didn't Liu Lianfang always say that he was innocent?"

These words were quite inappropriate. Zhao Longwen gave him a disapproving look: "It's just a cornered beast fighting back. Interrogation takes time. How many times can a young woman like her withstand torture? She must have been unable to endure it, which is why she confessed. She's got some backbone."

The inspector dared not say more, and after a long pause, he finally managed to stammer out, "Isn't the prisoner locked in the interrogation room? How could this be?"

"Enough, stop arguing." Dai Chunfeng, growing impatient, interrupted him rudely and waved his hand at Zhang Yi: "The original plan remains unchanged. First, arrest and detain all those involved, including Yao Zechong. We'll decide on the next steps based on the situation."

"Yes." Zhang Yi nodded and looked at Tong Xiang: "Station Chief Tong, could you please send a few capable people to guide me?"

Tong Xiang: "Director Zhang, you're too kind. This is my duty. I'll have the action team leader run the errand for you, and I guarantee there won't be any problems."

"Thank you very much."

As Zhang Yicai emerged from the meeting room, he unexpectedly received news that Yao Zechong didn't need to be arrested at all; he had come on his own.

Although this fellow was incredibly audacious, he was not lacking in cunning and shrewdness. Knowing Dai Chunfeng's temperament well, he prepared to apologize with a thorn on his back. He came alone, without any guards or adjutants, and without a car, looking travel-worn.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the mess Dai Chunfeng had caused, he still chose to meet with him.

"Hey, isn't that Wei Zheqiu? He's also here to turn himself in?"

Even without Tong Xiang's reminder, Zhang Yi had already noticed Wei Zheqiu peeking around at the entrance of the building.

"That saves us trouble." Zhang Yi sneered. "Men, arrest him."

Wei Zheqiu surrendered without resistance, but he made one request: he wanted to talk to Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing, wanting to see what this guy had to say.

They had his gun taken away and sent him to the office next door.

The office door was open. Zhang Yi walked in, quietly pulled the chair to a safe distance, and then slowly sat down.

Wei Zheqiu looked somewhat haggard, his hair disheveled. Seeing Zhang Yi sit down, he politely exchanged pleasantries:
"Director Zhang, I've wanted to visit you for a long time. I wouldn't dare disturb you."

"What do you want?" Zhang Yi asked coldly. Regardless of what role this person played in the Plum Blossom spy case, he was certainly not innocent, and Zhang Yi had no sympathy for such a scourge.

Wei Zheqiu picked up the thermos and poured Zhang Yi a cup with trembling hands:
"Don't misunderstand, Director Zhang. A person should know their own limitations. He brought this upon himself; I'm not here to plead for him. Please have some tea." Seeing that Zhang Yi didn't even touch his cup, Wei Zheqiu poured himself another and took a small sip.
"Director Zhang, I was overcome by lust and committed such a despicable act, which is unforgivable and I deserve to die. However, my family is innocent. Could you please put in a good word for me with Boss Dai and grant them leniency? I would be eternally grateful."

"Your crimes will be punished by military discipline and national law. If your family members were not involved, they are naturally innocent. This is the Republic of China, and we don't practice the system of punishing relatives by their families. Why worry unnecessarily?"

"Yes, yes, but as the saying goes, when disaster strikes, everyone flies away. These days, there's no shortage of people who kick someone when they're down. Given the crimes I've committed, my home will definitely be searched. You're the one in charge of the case, so I want to ask you for a favor. Could you leave some money for my wife and child when you search our house? Half is fine, even less is fine. It's not embezzled or bribed money, it's my salary over the years. I just want them to have enough to eat and a place to shelter from the wind and rain when they go to the mountain city. Could you please put in a good word for me with Boss Dai? I'm begging you, please?"

After saying that, he knelt down with a thud.

"If only you had known this would happen, you wouldn't have done it in the first place." Wei Zheqiu's tone was almost pleading, but Zhang Yi showed no sympathy whatsoever. He carefully considered Wei Zheqiu's words and asked, "Did someone threaten you?"

"No, absolutely not."

"How did Liu Lianfang die?"

“Suicide, no, I killed him.” Wei Zheqiu raised his head and said in a trembling voice:

“Now that things have come to this, what’s the point of hiding it? Under the protection of Miki, there’s no shortage of excuses. I did give her a false statement at first, but with Boss Dai and you here, I was afraid she would recant during the retrial, so I decided to go all the way and kill her.”

"You're treating human life like dirt!"

"Yes, I am a bastard, I deserve to die."

"Besides you, who else was involved in this?"

"No, I did it all behind everyone else's back."

Zhang Yi sneered and re-examined Wei Zheqiu:

"Since there's nothing else to say, let's go to the interrogation room."

Wei Zheqiu shakily got up, and as he turned around, he pulled a thick envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table. His movements were clumsy and unfamiliar.

Zhang Yi quickly picked up the envelope, stuffed it into Wei Zheqiu's hand, and before Wei Zheqiu could pull it away, he called for the guards.

Wei Zheqiu was handcuffed and escorted away, weeping bitterly.

The office building wasn't well soundproofed, and his wailing echoed throughout the entire building.

The crying naturally reached the ears of Dai Chunfeng and Li Jue in another office.

Dai Chunfeng frowned: "Commander Li is here to plead for Yao Zechong too?"

“I’m not pleading for leniency, I’m just saying a few words of justice.” Li Jue said seriously, “Hasn’t the case already been classified? It was his subordinates who did it behind his back, so why are you still locking him up?”

"Even if he didn't do it, he can't escape blame."

"A poor female student's life is worthless; she can die if she wants. Is it really necessary to use our own people as scapegoats? Yu Nong, can you really do this?"

Dai Chunfeng snorted: "Yao Zechong is good, but this matter has blown up too much. The old man has ordered a thorough investigation, and I must give an explanation to everyone above and below, and to the folks in my hometown."

"Oh, what do you plan to do?"

"Open trial, public reporting, and open execution will restore justice to Jiangshan County."

"What a fine example of impartiality! Yu Nong is indeed incorruptible, but isn't this too harsh? Isn't he afraid of alienating his subordinates?"

Dai Chunfeng looked troubled: "So what do you mean?"

Li Jue took a sip of tea: "Since the old man is concerned, this matter must be handled with a serious and responsible attitude, with the aim of educating future generations. What needs to be dealt with must be handled properly. Executing Wei Zheqiu is sufficient, isn't it? Severe enough? As for the elders and folks of our hometown, they should be satisfied with this outcome. The rumors will dissipate on their own. As the ancients said, rumors stop with the wise, and rumors also stop with the truth!" "Isn't this too lenient on Yao Zechong?"

"Surely he shouldn't be executed too?"

"He deserves it!"

"Calm down, Yu Nong." Li Jue was startled. If Wei Zheqiu died, how would he get the promised benefits? He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly pulled a banknote from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Yu Nong, I understand your predicament. You have to explain, but you don't have to be so relentless, do you?"

Dai Chunfeng glanced at the check, then moved it slightly away as if afraid of burning his hand.

"Commander Li, what do you mean by this?"

"I heard that the old lady is a devout Buddhist, but there are no good Buddhist temples in Jiangshan County. This little bit of money is just right to build a house and repair a temple so that the old lady can worship Buddha. It's just a small token of my appreciation."

"Commander Li, you're too kind. There's no need for money, is there? I really dislike owing favors."

Seeing his refusal, Li Jue's face darkened: "Yu Nong, you're not even going to give me face? Consider it an obligation I owe you, okay?"

"But if we don't execute Yao Zechong, what should we do?" Dai Chunfeng frowned, looking very troubled.

“He is undoubtedly guilty, but his treatment should be different from that of Wei Zheqiu and others. The balance between leniency and severity should be appropriate, and a combination of firmness and gentleness should be used. Detain him for a short time and let him suffer a bit.” Li Jue glanced at Dai Chunfeng’s expression and, seeing that he did not express his opinion, had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, “If that doesn’t work, then we’ll have to find another way.”

"any solution?"

"Officially sentence him to death, but secretly find someone to replace him, how about that? Consider it a favor I owe you."

"Alright, since we've come this far, let's do as the commander says." Dai Chunfeng reluctantly agreed, his brows easing.

"Huh?" Li Jue was surprised that Dai Chunfeng had agreed, and a slight doubt arose in his heart. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Dai Chunfeng continue:

“You’re right. We shouldn’t condemn him outright. We should learn from his mistakes and help him recover. Even if he made a mistake, we should still give him a way out.”

"Is that so? Okay, then that's settled, goodbye!" Li Jue felt frustrated. He felt that something was wrong with this, but he couldn't figure it out for the time being.

It wasn't until he left the police station that he slapped his forehead and suddenly realized that Dai Chunfeng probably never intended to deal with Yao Zechong. There were some things he couldn't say himself, but it was different if he had someone else say them, and he even gained a favor for free.

"Damn it, we've fallen for Dai Yunong's scheme! He really is a spy, a fraudster!"

The "deceitful charlatan" then summoned Police Chief Zhao Longwen:

“Longwen, Commander Li just came by, did you hear? He came to plead for Yao Zechong, he even lowered his face, I had to give him face.” As he spoke, he slowly revealed Li Jue’s suggestion, “This idea is good, it will give an explanation to everyone above and below, you go and do it.”

Zhao Longwen naturally had no objection; he couldn't be happier: "Then I'll release him immediately."

"There's no need to rush. Let's do it tonight, quietly getting it out." Dai Chunfeng pondered. "But once the Crown Prince is replaced, we'll need to find another raccoon dog. Does the police station have a suitable person?"

There are plenty of scapegoats.

"Don't be careless. Although Yao Zechong doesn't show his face much, many people know him. Make sure to find someone of similar height and build. Looks don't matter; no one can see him with a hood on anyway. Once you've found someone, immediately invite newspaper reporters and hold a press conference to demonstrate our Military Intelligence Bureau's determination to rectify its conduct and restore order to Jiangshan County!"

"understood."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Dai Chunfeng: "Come in!"

The door opened gently, and there stood Zhang Yi.

Dai Chunfeng asked, "Has Wei Zhe been recruited this fall?"

"I confess without hesitation." Zhang Yi reported, glancing at Zhao Longwen without revealing his thoughts, wondering what the two had been plotting.

“In that case,” Dai Chunfeng paused, then looked at Zhao Longwen: “Director Zhao, the rest is up to you. Be swift and decisive, and get ready to take Yao Zechong and Wei Zheqiu to the execution ground for public execution!”

Zhang Yi was taken aback: "Yao Zechong? He hasn't been interrogated yet."

"He failed to manage his subordinates properly, causing such a huge mess; he cannot escape blame!" Dai Chunfeng said bluntly.
"At this point, let's not get bogged down in the details. The longer the case drags on, the more likely it is to give others something to criticize and bring trouble upon ourselves. Director Zhao, let's execute it."

Zhang Yi felt that this matter was too strange, but it was not convenient to speak at the moment, so he silently agreed and waited to see how things would develop.

"Yes." Zhao Longwen saluted and then led Zhao Wenwu, the obsequious director of the Jiangshan County Police Bureau and his nephew, to his office.

"Find the information on the prisoners immediately."

Although Zhao Wenwu did not understand the meaning, he still opened the drawer and found the file.

Zhao Longwen flipped through the documents. Yao Zechong was 1.65 meters tall and a fat man. However, among the prisoners detained by the Jiangshan County Police Station, there were quite a few who were 1.65 meters tall, but they were all too thin; there wasn't a single fat man among them.

Zhao Wenwu, observing the situation, asked, "Uncle, are you not satisfied? What kind of person are you looking for?"

"1.65 meters tall, Fatty."

Zhao Wenwu thought for a moment and smiled: "It's indeed hard to find a fat man, but I have a suitable one here." As he spoke, he pointed out the window, "Uncle, look, the shoe repairman at the police station entrance, nicknamed Fatty Li, this guy is naturally obese, he gains weight even from drinking cold water."

Does he have any connections?

Zhao Wenwu laughed dismissively: "What kind of background could he have? He's just a stinking cobbler. If I hadn't been kind-hearted and allowed him to set up his stall, he wouldn't have gotten a chance."

"Where's the family?"

"His wife died long ago, and he only has a seven or eight-year-old girl at home."

"Okay, then find a reason to arrest him."

"Yes, I'll have my men take care of it right away."

"Go by yourself, and remember to keep it a secret. Don't let anyone know."

"Understood." Zhao Wenwu understood immediately.

After Zhao Wenwu left, Zhao Longwen leaned back in his chair and began to think. Once everything was settled, the Plum Blossom spy case would be closed, and a press conference would be held to announce its resolution. Those who deserved to die would be executed, and those who deserved to be released would be released. As the police chief, he knew he would definitely have to speak on stage; it was a rare opportunity to gain recognition. Now, his concern was how to write a compelling speech. As for the scapegoat, well, after the execution, he'd be buried anyway, so it didn't matter who it was.

(End of this chapter)