Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 284 Letting the bad habits of society blow in

"Huh? Did I make it that obvious?" Cao Weida looked around innocently, causing the corners of everyone's mouths to twitch slightly.

Good grief, what's the difference between this and just saying it outright?
If Ji Hongxin still can't figure it out, then he's really too stupid!
"Cao Weida! Don't push your luck!!" Ji Hongxin's face flushed red with anger, and he pointed a trembling finger at Cao Weida, growling:
"I am the deputy commissioner of the police station! You have no right to restrict my personal freedom!"

"Oh? Is that so?" His anger did not affect Cao Weida at all; he smiled and said, "I never said I wanted to restrict your freedom. I'm just thinking about your health."

"You are the backbone of our police station, and you have worked incredibly hard lately. If you were to die from overwork, such as from drinking water, sleeping, eating, or even breathing, it would be a major loss for our Fifth District Police Station in Beiping!"

"As people get older, they need to take care of themselves. Health is something that needs to be nurtured. Don't be naughty, be obedient."

Ji Hongxin was so angry he laughed. Was this even human language?
Do you really think he's a three-year-old? You actually believe such a stupid excuse?!
'boom'!
Lin Angxiong slammed his fist on the table and stood up, glaring angrily at Cao Weida.
"Director Cao, although you are the director, you do not have the right to place Director Ji under house arrest!"

"I'm standing right here today, let's see who dares to lay a hand on me!"

"I suppose the meeting is almost over for today. Director Ji, let's go!"

Having openly broken off relations, Ji Hongxin had no intention of feigning indifference. He snorted coldly and left his seat, leading his men out.

As he passed by Cao Weida, he saw the other man's ambiguous smile and snorted coldly again before trying to open the door and leave.

Just as he opened the door to go out, he found that the doorway was blocked.

"Deputy Director Ji seems to be really tired, that's why he's in such a hurry to leave."

Since he's holding this meeting, he must have made all the necessary preparations beforehand.

What is the most unsolvable strategy in the world?
It was never a conspiracy, but a straightforward and open strategy that directly addresses the root cause!
The schemes in those TV dramas from my past life were incredibly meticulous, so intricate that they seemed to have planned everything perfectly, with the plots starting well in advance.

But what is the reality?

It's not that mysterious.

Anyone who has studied history knows that throughout history, the most ruthless power struggles have often been the simplest and most brutal.

Actually, it's very simple, just two words: hold a meeting!
Liu Bang wanted to capture Han Xin, so he summoned him to a meeting and easily took him down.

Empress Lü wanted to kill Han Xin, so she summoned him to the palace for a meeting.

He Jin was summoned to a meeting, but was killed by a eunuch on the way.

Dong Zhuo was also beheaded on the spot when Wang Yun invited him to have a drink and a meeting.

Even Li Jiancheng was ambushed and killed by Li Shimin on his way to a meeting.

Even someone as powerful as Ao Bai in the Qing Dynasty was still tricked into entering the palace by the emperor by being summoned to a meeting, and that's how he was dealt with.

Even the powerful minister Erzhu Rong was tricked into attending a meeting by the emperor and killed.

Now, even Cao Wei Da is holding a meeting, but the one he's comparing himself to isn't one of those famous figures, but rather a mere deputy director.

I've already condescended to this extent, and you still think you can leave without me saying anything?

This is disrespecting me, Lao Cao!
Seeing that the door was blocked, Ji Hongxin's face changed completely.

He stared at Cao Weida in disbelief, his eyes conveying only one message: 'Are you fucking serious?!'

"Director, I, Ji Hongxin, believe I have never offended you. We have no past grudges or recent conflicts. Although we may have disagreements, isn't your behavior a bit too domineering?!"

"If you don't listen to my opinion, you can do whatever you want, but if you really want to put me under house arrest, at least give me a plausible reason!"

Cao Wei Da, who had been smiling, lost his smile, looked at him coldly, and said indifferently:
"Don't think you're the only smart person in the world. I didn't originally intend to make such a fuss, but you shouldn't have tried to outsmart me!"

"Don't think that others can't see through your little schemes, and don't think of yourself as a smart person and others as fools."

"I've never liked trouble. Since you're trying to cause me trouble, I guess I'll just have to deal with it first."

"Is this reason enough?"

Ji Hongxin clenched his teeth, about to explain something, but Cao Weida waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Alright, no need for so much explanation, Little Ear, take him away."

"Remember, deliver three meals a day on time. Don't let our deputy director go hungry."

"Oh right, I almost forgot. Since Section Chief Lin is so eager to protect his master, let's invite Section Chief Lin over as well."

Upon hearing the order, Little Ears immediately led the patrol officers into action, but Lin Angxiong and Ji Hongxin were not willing to give up. They struggled fiercely and roared:
"Cao Weida! Don't think that just because you have the Japanese backing you up, you can act so recklessly!"

"I'm warning you, I'm not without support! If you continue down this path, someone will come after you!"

"How annoying!" Cao Weida picked at his ear and waved his hand impatiently. "They're all hardworking and meritorious people in our police station. How can you drag them away?! Take them out!"

"Cao Weida, you'll regret this!"

"Let me go! You bastard!"

Even though the two struggled desperately, how could they possibly resist?

The sound faded into the distance until it disappeared completely. Cao Weida's eyes swept over the remaining people.

The remaining people felt extremely uneasy when they were met with that gaze. They were secretly amazed. It was too domineering!
Ji Hongxin is the deputy director!
He's been placed under house arrest just like that?!

They were panicked and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Cao Wei Da remained silent, so they dared not speak at all, each bowing their head in utter silence.

After an unknown amount of time, just as everyone was on tenterhooks, Cao Wei Da finally spoke:

"Let me emphasize again, I really hate trouble, so please don't make things difficult for me in the future."

"However, I am a pretty easy-going person and I consider myself quite generous."

"As long as you obediently carry out my orders, I will not treat you unfairly."

He paused, and seeing that everyone was listening attentively, he smiled with satisfaction. It seemed that the intimidation he had just exerted had been quite effective.

Ultimately, his age is what it is—only eighteen years old, far too young.

The people here are all seasoned veterans; if you ask them to do something, no one can guarantee they'll do it well.

But when it comes to feigning compliance while secretly plotting, and being cunning and deceitful, they are all masters of it.

He had just taken office here, and compared to the people who had been working here for a long time, he, an outsider, had to use drastic measures to intimidate them and prevent them from having any contempt for him if he wanted to win their respect.

He originally only intended to make a few moves, but unfortunately, Ji Hongxin dared to outsmart him!
If he doesn't make good use of it, wouldn't he be letting down nature's gifts?

“Those who have had contact with me know me well, or you can ask around. I’m not stingy at all.”

"Everyone in the Fifth District Police Station got a share of the money they got, including you all here."

These words gave everyone a jolt of excitement. Among them were departments with lucrative opportunities, such as the Administration Department, the Security Department, and the General Affairs Department.

However, some departments don't offer enough opportunities for personal gain. For example, the Judicial Department, the Health Department, and the Transportation Department.

But no matter which department it is, no one will object to getting more money.

When their own interests were involved, everyone present immediately perked up.

Previously, regardless of whether there was plenty of money to be made or not, the extra income from outside sources had little to do with them; it was basically divided up by the director, deputy director, and Section Chief Lin.

But nowadays, although Cao Wei Da acts rather domineeringly, he still pays money!
As long as you give them money, they're a good leader!
"Don't worry, Director, we will cooperate fully!"

"Yes, yes, we have enough people in the Traffic Division to help the Commissioner maintain order!"

"I've heard of the Director's name before. How dare Deputy Director Ji try to take advantage of the Director's youth and set a trap? That's outrageous!"

"Exactly! Just putting him under house arrest is already letting him off easy!"

"And that Lin Angxiong, he's Ji Hongxin's lackey. He's always been arrogant and domineering, and he actually dared to slam his fist on the table in front of the director!"

As they talked back and forth, their words gradually turned into a denunciation of the two people under house arrest, Cao Weida couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He gestured with his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, that's enough."

"I don't really want to play the 'new broom sweeps clean' trick. Now that the show is over, you can go back to what you were doing."

"But I'm warning you, you'd better behave yourselves and don't do anything immoral."

He paused here, rubbed his temples, and continued:

"I'm sure you're all aware of what's been happening lately. A lot of people have disappeared without a trace, and we still haven't found out who's behind it."

"But as far as I know, those who have gone missing are people who usually do evil and commit atrocities against the Chinese people."

"If you want to die, go ahead, but let me make it clear beforehand, don't drag me into it! I don't want to be implicated because one of you did something wrong."

What happened during this period cannot be hidden even if one wants to; many people already know about it.

Who among us isn't a shrewd and sophisticated person?

They naturally knew about this as well.

The thought of a certain entity lingering in Beiping, specifically targeting those who commit atrocities against the Chinese people, sent chills down their spines.

Upon realizing this, everyone nodded hurriedly; they certainly didn't want to be the next person to disappear!
"."

After the meeting, Cao Weida stayed in his office, smoking and receiving one official or subordinate after another who came to 'report on their work'.

The boxes of pastries and other treats in the corner were already piled up.

After the head of the Foreign Affairs Section left, Cao Weida glanced at the clock on the wall and asked, "Is there anyone else who hasn't arrived yet?"

Zheng Chaoyang, who was standing to the side, flipped through the list and replied: "Liang Xinyuan from the Foreign Affairs Section, Ying Feiguang, captain of the vehicle patrol team, Guang Yuhua, head of the Supervision Office, and Wen Yongwang, deputy head of the Communications Group."

"Ying Feiguang, the captain of the vehicle patrol team, was leading a patrol mission and was not at the bureau. Liang Xinyuan from the Foreign Affairs Section was out. Someone reported in the morning that the home of Fuqu Dayong, the chairman of the Fuqu Chamber of Commerce, had been burglarized, and he went to investigate."

Seeing that Zheng Chaoyang didn't continue, Cao Weida pondered, "So, the remaining two are still in the game?"

Zheng Chaoyang nodded, while Cao Weida snorted, "It seems our deputy director is quite popular. Look how loyal he is."

He didn't know who came, but he would definitely remember clearly who didn't come.

You have to bring in the bad social trends!

Although I, Lao Cao, don't care about the meager gift you sent, you can't just not send it!

Zheng Chaoyang grinned upon hearing this, saying that these two were indeed being rather tactless.

On your first day in office, you didn't even bother to pay your respects. Isn't that blatantly going against the leader?

He glanced at the pile of gifts in the corner and sighed inwardly, thinking how well these officials of the old era had mastered the art of interpersonal relationships.

These gifts all passed through his hands, and their weights were clearly off; one can imagine what was inside them.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came, stopping abruptly at the door.

With Cao Wei Da's keen ears, he could clearly hear the sounds of breathing and panting.

After a short while, and after catching my breath, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and a man in his thirties walked in, his face flushed. The sweat on his forehead had obviously been wiped away, but new sweat was still slowly seeping out.

"Chief, I'm so sorry, I really apologize. I had to go out on patrol after receiving an assignment."

"Haha, Captain Ying, you're too kind. The mission is important. You didn't need to rush back. Look how tired you are, you're sweating buckets."

"Please sit down, please sit down. Chaoyang, get me a glass of water to calm down."

"Thank you, thank you Secretary Zheng." Ying Feiguang quickly expressed his gratitude and then picked up the water and drank it down.

"Would you like another drink?"

"No, no, thank you, Secretary Zheng."

He bowed and returned the water glass in thanks, his face beaming with a humble expression and a smile that could melt ice and snow.

"Chief, from now on I'm one of your soldiers. Please feel free to give me any orders."

As he spoke, he handed over the gift box he had brought: "It's just a small token of my appreciation."

"Hey, Captain Ying, what are you doing? You're too kind."

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just a small token."

Ying Feiguang smiled obsequiously, took two steps closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I know you hate evil, but these were seized a few days ago for a batch of smuggled Japanese floral fabric. The owner was sensible and gave us a little something as a bribe."

Finally, he added, "This matter didn't involve the Japanese; it's completely clean."

Zheng Chaoyang couldn't help but look at Cao Weida, who nodded slightly before accepting the gift box.

I gently tossed it in my hand; it wasn't heavy at all, but rather a little light.

But he knew in his heart that sometimes the lighter something is, the better it represents.

After Zheng Chaoyang accepted the gift box, Ying Feiguang said tactfully, "Director, I have some official business to attend to, so I'll head out first. If I ever have any unresolved issues at work in the future, I'll need your guidance."

Cao Wei nodded, offered a few words of encouragement, and then let him leave.

After he left, Zheng Chaoyang closed the door and opened the gift box in front of Cao Weida, exclaiming, "Wow!" "Captain Ying is really generous, giving such a valuable gift!"

(End of this chapter)