Republic of China, 1922: Rise from the Post-Zhili-Fengtian War

Yang Song scratched his head: "Here... to sound out what they're thinking?"

"To put it nicely, he's just testing the waters." Gu Cheng continued walking. "To put it bluntly, he's here to find a way out for himself. He knows perfectly well that the truth will come out sooner or later, with the ledger in my hands.

Rather than waiting for me to come knocking, I'd rather do it myself first—acknowledge what I should acknowledge, push away what I should push away, and bite what I should bite. Stir things up, and maybe I can escape unscathed.

Yang Song suddenly realized: "So you want to—"

Gu Cheng glanced back at him: "If he wants to act, I'll act with him. I want to see how much he can actually come up with."

After saying that, he strode towards the side hall.

Yang Song quickly followed, secretly admiring him: the young Master Gu looked calm and collected, but his mind was more calculating than anyone else's.

Inside the side hall, Li Mao was sitting anxiously waiting.

He dared not sit on the chair, only half of his buttocks touching the edge, his hands constantly rubbing together, glancing at the door from time to time, his eyes showing not only fear but also a hint of calculation.

Hearing footsteps, he jumped up to greet them, only to nearly bump into the maid who was bringing tea. He then gave an embarrassed smile.

However, just as he was about to ask the maid when Gu Cheng would arrive, he caught a glimpse of his superior striding along the covered walkway. His face was incredibly dark, clearly showing extreme impatience.

Li Mao's heart tightened, and he hurriedly went to greet him, his face beaming with a smile, "Master Gu! I am truly sorry for disturbing your official business with my unannounced visit..."

Gu Cheng didn't stop walking, but walked straight past him, sat down in the main seat, picked up the teacup that the maids had just brought, slowly blew away the foam, and then looked up at him.

"Brother Shiyi, what a rare guest!" Only then did he show a slight smile. "Please sit down!"

Li Mao smiled apologetically and sat down next to the chair, looking as reserved as a young wife.

"Master Gu, this humble servant... this humble servant has been busy inventorying the stock in the quartermaster department lately and hasn't had time to come over. It's truly—"

His eyes darted around as he continued, "I've always heard people say this house is your uncle Feng Lingge's old residence. Hehe, seeing it today, it's truly magnificent! Everything is so well-organized with a steward... I've also heard that the maids in your household are..."

"Alright." Gu Cheng put down his teacup, interrupting his polite formalities. "Brother Shiyi, we're both soldiers, is this really necessary? You know I have a ton of things to deal with here, I don't have time to beat around the bush with you!"

Li Mao's expression stiffened slightly, and he quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, Master Gu is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Master Gu, I heard... you've been investigating the building materials accounts at the camp construction site lately?"

Gu Cheng looked up at him and gave a cold, indifferent laugh: "You're certainly well-informed."

"This humble servant wouldn't dare..." Li Mao hurriedly waved his hand, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "This humble servant is the quartermaster, and I'm in charge of the materials at the construction site. I know a little about these accounts. If Master Gu has any questions, this humble servant... this humble servant is willing to do my best to help."

As he spoke, he kept glancing at Gu Cheng's expression, like a cat tentatively reaching out its paw.

Gu Cheng leaned back in his chair and sized him up: "Are you reporting to me about work, or are you testing me?"

His words, though spoken softly, were like a gentle knife, piercing Li Mao's heart with pinpoint accuracy.

Li Mao's face paled: "Master Gu is too kind! How dare I test you? I sincerely wish to share your burdens!"

"Share the burden?" Gu Cheng sneered. "Brother Shiyi, if you're really that bored, why don't you find something to do—"

Has the quartermaster's inventory been inventoried? Have the rations and supplies been distributed to each battalion? I still haven't seen the inventory report for the remaining materials at the construction site.

As he bombarded him with questions, Li Mao's face flushed red and then paled, and he couldn't utter a single complete sentence for a long time.

"Master Gu, this humble servant..."

Gu Cheng waved his hand impatiently: "If you don't have anything else, go back. I'm busy here and don't have time to chat with you."

As he spoke, he made a gesture as if to get up and see the guest out.

Li Mao panicked completely: "Master Gu, please wait! This humble servant... this humble servant has indeed come today on an important matter!"

Gu Cheng stopped getting up, leaned back in his chair, and raised his chin: "Speak."

Li Mao swallowed hard. "I heard you're checking the construction material accounts at the site. I... I know a little about the inside story. It's true I handled these materials, but I was kept in the dark!"

Gu Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing that he did not interrupt, Li Mao became bolder: "Master Gu, the supplier is Lu Shoulian from the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce."

This man is the president of the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce; no matter which company we buy from, we can't bypass him.

As he spoke, Gu Cheng kept staring coldly at the other person.

Although Li Mao is slick and greedy like Lu Qingshan, unlike Lu Qingshan, he is not loyal to anyone.

Very good. People who only care about their own interests are far more useful than Lu Qingshan.

While Gu Cheng was considering these things, Li Mao had already pinned all the blame on Lu Shoulian.

It is said that since Gu Cheng took over, he has been going to Mo Dehui almost every day with people, saying that the Chamber of Commerce can get a lot of high-quality and inexpensive building materials.

"Sit down and continue."

Gu Cheng nodded to him.

Li Mao wiped away his cold sweat and continued, "Mr. Liu Chen and Mr. Mo didn't believe it at first, but they couldn't resist Lu Shoulian's repeated persuasion. He even brought out a price list from 'Fengtian Yongchang' to compare, saying that he could save 30% on the same timber and cement. Mr. Liu Chen thought it would save Jinzhou some money, so he nodded."

But who knew that the bastard's claim of "good quality and low price" was all a lie! The timber was substandard, transported from Dalian Port by the Kwantung Army, and sand was mixed into the cement, costing less than 20% of the listed price.

He shoved the junk into our hands, ate the lion's share himself, and I... I only got a sip of soup and a small tip.

Gu Cheng looked at him and slowly spoke, "You know so much, but it's not necessarily all clean, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Mao trembled violently and hurriedly stood up, saying, "This humble servant wouldn't dare to deceive you, Master Gu... I, I did indeed take some compensation for my trouble! This, this is the reason I came to tell you today!"

As he spoke, he quickly took out a bank draft from his jacket pocket and presented it with both hands: "Master Gu, this is the fee he gave me back then. I, I really didn't touch a single silver dollar!"

Gu Cheng took the draft and glanced at it – it was from the Fengtian Zhengjin Bank, for two thousand silver dollars, and was stamped with Lu Shoulian's personal seal. The date was three days before the start of construction at the camp.